WHAT IF....?
Harry Turtledove is a master at the subgenre of science fiction called Alternative History. A professor of history and the owner of a keen imagination, he has written a number of stories starting with the premise What If....
What if - the Earth had been invaded by aliens during World War ll? This is the beginning point for a series of books mixing real historical personages with fictional characters.
What if - the Spanish Armada had defeated England and imprisoned Queen Elizabeth? The unlikely hero is one William Shakespeare, a writer and actor.
What if - time travellers visited General Robert E Lee during the American Civil War and supplied his soldiers with enough AK 47s to win the war? This has to be one of my favourites, especially when the fighting ends and the politicking begins.
What if - the South had won the American Civil War? (without the aid of time travellers)
What if - the American Revolution had been unsuccessful with America remaining a colony of Britain?
What if - magic worked and science was scorned?
What if - the Germans had won World War ll?
No, of course these things never happened. But what if they had? How would the people of the time have reacted? How would the world have been different?
These possibilities, and others, are the basis for some of Harry Turtledove's extremely popular and successful books. He is an American writer who has always lived in southern California but is also an historian, specializing in Byzantine and medieval history. As well as writing science fiction and fantasy, earning himself a Hugo Award along the way, he has also written scholarly articles. I particularly liked this quote from the Author's Note at the beginning of 'Departures', a collection of his short stories:
'One of the things that make science fiction and fantasy the exciting fields they are is that they let a writer look at ideas from angles impossible to achieve in other genres.'Harry Turtledove was born in 1949 and lives in California with his wife and three daughters. His hobbies include baseball, chess and beer.
Some titles include:
The Guns of the South
Ruled Britannia
The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump
World War (series)
The Two Georges
In the Presence of Mine Enemies
Departures
A World of Difference
If you wish to try any of these books, I suggest a trip to your local library.