Top 10 of Alternate History Novels

[oddjob29]

Hannibal's children is my favorite. Hannibal and Carthage defeat Rome before the Caesars. Rome kinda comes back in the sequel...

[DrGull1888]

@oddjob29 Carthage victorious is one of the classics of alternate history.

[FridericusCunctator]

What about "1984" by George Orwell and "Not This August" (aka "Christmas Eve") by Cyril M. Kornbluth?

[DrGull1888]

@FridericusCunctator I put 1984 on my Top 10 List of Dystopian Novels. Check it out if you wish. For Christmas Eve I have to admit that I haven't read it.

[FridericusCunctator]

@DrGull1888: Noch ene Staawors op kölsch, äwwer de eeste bliev de beeste.

Would You post the URL of the dystopian novels list, please?

[DrGull1888]

@FridericusCunctator Tja, leider ist mir Nembärcherisch geläufiger als Kölsch. Ich verstehe es zwar aber schreiben kann ich es nicht. Daher: Horch amol, Nummer zwaa is fei vill bessä. Dä Imberador is a dybbischer alder Grauderer.

[HatterMadigan]

SPELLCHECK HOLY SHIT MOTHER FUCKER

[oncearoundthesun]

Why no Harry Turtledove?

[DrGull1888]

@oncearoundthesun Not one single book in German language.

[maxhahnsel]

i just finished The Man in The High Castle...and wow! It's terrific. The ending blew my mind. Is Phillip K. Dicks other books great as well?

[DrGull1888]

@maxhahnsel Yes, most are. They mainly follow the same pattern of different realities which intersect.

[colasherve1]

@maxhahnsel but this one is all the greater for me because ........

[SiliconBong]

I had haggis for dinner.

[DrGull1888]

@SiliconBong Well, that's good news.

[SiliconBong]

I was about ten when I first read SS-GB, I didn't realise it was an alternative history novel!

I still read a bit of Len Deighton when I have the time.

DrGull1888 Haggis was delicious by the way.

[DrGull1888]

@SiliconBong I read SS-GB around the time when Fatherland was published. My dad who has an amazing SF- and fantasy-collection gave me the hint that there's this similar book around. I found the part with King George VI. pretty sad.

I'm gonna prepare meat loaf now.

[SiliconBong]

Haven't got round to reading Fatherland yet,

plenty of RobertHarris in the 2nd hand shops and

wee bookstores where I live. I have always meant to

set aside a dollar and pick up a few of his [books]

from the salvation army store!

How do you eat meatloaf? DrGull1888

[It's not a common dish in my country]

[DrGull1888]

@SiliconBong Buy them. Harris also writes some nice historical fiction, colourful written and well to read.

My meat loaf was a packed one from the super-market. I made it in a pan and ate it Bavarian style with bread and sweet mustard. My grandma makes a great one. The dough is made of minced pork and beef, with salt, red and black pepper, a raw egg, bread crumbs, an onion and parsley. We eat it with gravy and her home made potato salad.

[SiliconBong]

Would you consider 1984 science fiction or alternative history? DrGull1888

Your grandma's recipie sounds healthy, by the way. I dislike all the stuff the food industry has to add, to make the food stick together and last a few months on a grocery shelf.

[DrGull1888]

@SiliconBong I'd consider 1984 dystopian science fiction. I made a top ten list to this subject. So if you are interested...

Home made is always better than the crap offered by the food industry but sometimes preparing dinner has to be done quickly.

[SiliconBong]

I couldn't find your dystopian science fiction top ten :(

Martin Cruz Smith writes some interesting stuff, but they always make a mess of it when they try to translate it to film. Do you ever read Stephen King DrGull1888 ?

Grandma's know the best recipies :)

[DrGull1888]

@SiliconBong It's a videoanswer to this video. Scroll up to the videoanswers above the comments, click "show all" et voila...

Yeah, Cruz Smith wrote a lot of Cold War murder mysteries and this World War II thriller "Los Alamos". I read King long time ago as an adolescent but nothing recently. My favourite one is "It".

Every grandchild says that his or her grandma knows the best recipes.

[gorilaztkcuaxichil]

ORWEEEEEEEEEL !!!

GEORGE ORWELL WAS THE MOST FAMOUS AUTHOR FOR THE NOVEL "1984" !!! IN THE YEAR 1984 THE SOCIALIST REVOLUTION WIN IN ALL AROUND THE WORLD, AND THEY FORMED THREE GREAT STATES IN WAR: EURASIA, ESTASIA AND OCEANIA. IN OCEANIA THE PARTY INGSOC AND THE "BIG BROTHER" RULE THE LIFE OF THE CITIZEN OF CONTINENTAL AMERICA, OCEANIA AND GRAT BRITAIN.

[ma049]

Ah, but we never really know what happened in Orwells 1984.

INSOC, might not really stand for English Socialism, it might not be set in 1984 and EURASIA, ESTASIA & OCEANIA might just be propaganda creations of the party.

[kerbal666]

What was Trinity and why was a failure?

[DrGull1888]

@kerbal666 Trinity was the first atomic bomb which was ignited in New Mexico in July 1945. In this book it was a failure because a lightning bolt striked into the test-tower and melted all circuits.

[BritishWarLord]

Man in the High castle did'nt impress me

[chitlika]

Who the hell is the Pobe ?

[FizziksJunkie]

@chitlika the pope haha

[hookedonsaxophonics]

completely agree with #1

[DrGull1888]

@hookedonsaxophonics One of the best novels ever written.

[davidgmcdowell]

Really? You did an entire top 10 list and did not mention Harry Turtledove? C'mon...really...

[DrGull1888]

@davidgmcdowell Turtlewho?

[Joker3797]

@DrGull1888 lol really? you dont know who Harry Turtledove is? 

[DrGull1888]

@Joker3797 Of course I do.

[Joker3797]

@DrGull1888 what do you think of his work? I bought How Few Remain a while back and am planning on reading it. Also, have you read the Timeline 191 books?

[DrGull1888]

@Joker3797 I can't discuss his works since there is not one single novel by Turtledove translated into German. Nevertheless I read The Guns of the South which was the only H.T. novel I've read so far and I took mixed impression from it.

[Joker3797]

@DrGull1888 well Guns of the South is kinda unrealistic, but I am hoping that Timeline 191 will be good, anyways nice list.

[DrGull1888]

@Joker3797 Unrealistic is what I thought and thanks for the compliments.

[Joker3797]

@DrGull1888 did you see the Fatherland TV movie?

[DrGull1888]

@Joker3797 Yup. Good actors and beautiful matte paintings but still a mediocre movie.

[Joker3797]

@DrGull1888 they changed the story too much from the book.

[DrGull1888]

@Joker3797 Yup. I had my biggest problem with Jean Marsh's character and the lame end.

[candr]

@Joker3797 Have to agree, its messed up with the time machine idea. Rather it be a straight story oof a timeline without outside influence. However his novels of the interaction of the North and South are more to my likeing.

[candr]

@DrGull1888 I believe his series of the interaction between the North and South will be much more to your likeing. I had big problems with "Guns" as well, I don't see it as a true alternative history, but I'm picky I suppose.

[buckfushes]

Man in the High Castle was awesome! But still not as good as Valis, Ubik, Scanner Darkly, or Flow My tears the Policeman Said. IMHO. But Man in the High Castle is still my favorite alt history novel ")

[DrGull1888]

@buckfushes I wonder if they gonna do a movie about Man in the High Castle.

[alternatehistorypt]

Hi, thank for acepting my video answer to your video :)

[DrGull1888]

@alternatehistorypt No pro.

[randypicklesanchez]

you should have put the tosev timeline by harry turtledove! those books were about what would have happened if aliens have invaded the earth during ww2! if thats not alternative fiction, i don't know what is!

[BlueWaveOfLight]

All the goddamn alt. history videos are conspiracy theory crap! Thanks for this!

[DrGull1888]

@BlueWaveOfLight You're welcome.

[QuitePossiblyANinja]

i think "how few remain" should be on here

[edusuntrebor]

@QuitePossiblyANinja

Hey, I'm reading that one now ^.^

[alternatehistorypt]

I thank you accepting my video anwer to your video :).

[DrGull1888]

@alternatehistorypt No problem.

[alternatehistorypt]

@DrGull1888 Thanks and see my blog and channel for more books and alternate histories :)

[CHRIS1974100]

Great collection how about the works of Harry Turtledove

[DrGull1888]

@CHRIS1974100 There's none translated into German. I read Guns of the South and I'd consider it more a time travel novel.

[KrautGoesWild]

Nice collection of books, although I have to agree that I only read Vaterland out of this list (but at least 10 times from cover to cover).

It´s hightime to go shopping again ;) .

When I was living in Germany, I wrote an alternate history/reality story for a school project back in 1994.

Man, those teachers really handed my arse to me for not only choosing a Nazi topic but even daring to look at a few positive accomplishments (like science) of that time...

[DrGull1888]

@KrautGoesWild Vaterland ist doch schon was.

Jaja, der stets ausgeglichene und faire deutsche Lehrkörper. Ich hatte den einen oder anderen ausgebrannten Neurotiker. Im Nachhinein betrachtet war das fast schon lustig.

[KrautGoesWild]

Ironischerweise hat der für das Project verantwortliche Lehrer mir 14 von 15 möglichen Notenpunkten gegeben. That´s Life...

[DrGull1888]

@KrautGoesWild Oh, das ließt sich im ersten Kommentar viel dramatischer. So tolle Sachen haben wir nie geschrieben, nur immer Sprach- und Gedichtanalysen sowie Erörterungen.

[KrautGoesWild]

Das Project wurde vom Literaturkurs veranstaltet, aber andere Lehrer haben die Beiträge gelesen.

Es gabe so zwei oder drei unter ihnen, die eine ultralinke einstellung zu solchen Themen hatten.

Naturlich haben die am lautesten geschrien.

Egal, meinen Freunden hat´s gefallen und ich hatte Spass beim schreiben.

[juggernaut44]

nice list. so what do u think of the movie inglourse bastards?

[DrGull1888]

I've mixed feelings toward this movie. Hans Landa was outstanding and there lies the main problem. Aldo Raine was meant to be an antithesis to Landa but he is all too lacklustre as are all the other members of the basterds. The opening was awesome. Reminded me of the opening of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" where Lee Van Cleef rides to a barn in order to kill a farmer. The bat scene in the forest was simply awful.

[ErisRising]

I am both amused and impressed by the lack of Turtledove on this.

[DrGull1888]

There's not a single book by Turtledove which is translated into German.

[ErisRising]

Which shows that the land of Goethe has not lost its sense of good literature.

[DrGull1888]

That's too kind.  :-)

[LordEarth69]

if you thing about it, if the Native Americans banded together as one people they would of won there land back

[DrGull1888]

Possible.

[LordEarth69]

it would be becouse there some million natives and just a couple of whites

[DrGull1888]

I'd say it depended on certain times. It would have been possible to outnumber and repel the Spanish in the early 16th century. It'd have been also possible to halt the expansion of the US to the mid West in the 19th century but at this time the Indians would never have had a possibilety to drive them back into the sea.

[LordEarth69]

yea not now there are to few

[ELNENE169]

have anyone read Empires of Sand or Ironfire? both from David Ball, great books!

[DrGull1888]

Oh sorry no, I haven't. But if you are interested in historical fiction check out my Top 10 list of Historical Fiction, here on my channel. Perhaps you know the one or other book or author.

[TigerRifle1]

Hmm no Turtledove, I know his magic and fantasy stuff is garbage, but I liked Guns of the South.

[DrGull1888]

Aren't AK-47 in Confederate hands a bit too much?

[ELNENE169]

@DrGull1888 yes it is, lol

[makidtrej]

Ever consider making a top ten of sci-fi books? i´m totally cheking this ones out.

[DrGull1888]

Na, I read too little sci-fi. The one or other Asimov, Bradbury and Dick. I bet my dad could do a top 10 list, he once read and still reads a lot of sci-fi.

[tomelty]

Spinrad is very much a genius, he has a channel on here somewhere. My own favourite alternative history's are John Boyd's cleverly disguised Last Starship From Earth, Kornbluth's Christmas Eve and Nabokov's Ada.

[DrGull1888]

Ada is a classic. Nabokov has it with human relations. You made me curious with the Last Starship From Earth. I shall read it.

[KingCaractacusII]

Some great recommendations thanks, I'll be checking out the Saki story. If you haven't read it yet, Idlewild by Mark Lawson is a great alternative history novel. It's based on the premise that JFK survived the assassination attempt and Marilyn Monroe survived her suicide attempt. It's very clever.

[DrGull1888]

No I haven't read it yet but I shall alter that. There's also a Superman comic called Red Son, where Nixon won the election 1960 and was assassinated in 1963. JFK became president in 1968, divorced his marriage with Jacky and married Marilyn Monroe.

[KingCaractacusII]

I totally forgot to mention Philip Roth's The Plot Against America : A Novel. It's based on the premise that Charles Lindbergh won the 1940 election against Roosevelt. The U.S. then gradually becomes more isolationist and sympathetic toward Germany. A brilliant book.

[DrGull1888]

Oh yeah. That's a good one. I read it this February. Roth shows very hauntingly how fascism spreads and how seductive it is. And I see parallels to Italian Fascism which was also founded and supported by some jews. In the book it's rabbi Bengelsdorf. In Italy however, Mussolini launched race laws against the jews in 1938, like the "Homestead 42 Act" in the novel. I agree, a brilliant book.

[jefevonQ]

If this grabbed your interest check out Robert Conroy' '1862', Douglas Niles/Michael Dobson's 'Fox on the Reign' most of Harry Turtledove's less magic oriented stories and for fun maybe Harry Harrison's 'stars and stripes in peril'.

[DrGull1888]

Thanks for the recommendations. I toy with the idea to create a second Top 10 list because in my shelf are other good alternate history novels like "Red Storm Rising", "If it happened otherwise" and the Oswald Bastable triology.