# Recommend alternate history series **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 12, 2016, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-alternate-history-series/762551 "2016-08-12T12:40:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-alternate-history-series/762551/1 "2016-08-12T12:40:50Z")
I’m burned out of the 1632 Eric Flint series, for now. But not out of the genre. Steer me somewhere. I have Amazon credit and free time. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-alternate-history-series/762551/2 "2016-08-12T12:58:25Z")
I’m sure you know Harry Turtledove wrote several. No recommendations except the bizarre and hilarious “Case of the Toxic Spell Dump,” which might tide you over until you find another full series. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-alternate-history-series/762551/3 "2016-08-12T13:09:58Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I’m burned out of the 1632 Eric Flint series, for now. > > But not out of the genre. > > Steer me somewhere. I have Amazon credit and free time. But…but…The Ottomans are invading!! 😉 I have heard fairly good things about the “Destroyermen” series (WWII-type destroyer gets sent back to an alternative timeline where humans did not evolve, but others did. Haven’t read it myself yet, so no personal recommendation. I don’t care for Turtledoves’ stuff, but that’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-alternate-history-series/762551/4 "2016-08-12T13:19:28Z")
How about something weird beyond Turtledove? Kim Newman’s [Anno Dracula](https://johnnyalucard.com/fiction/by-kim-newman/anno-dracula-series/) takes us to London in 1888. Van Helsing & his crew failed to defeat Dracula, who has turned & married Queen Victoria. He’s now Consort & Lord Protector. All the vampires of literature & legend have arrived to partake in the new order. But some resist. Characters from history & literature appear. And keep appearing throughout the rest of the series. Witty & horrid. If you’re not in the mood for horror, there’s Naomi Novick’s [Temeraire](http://www.naominovik.com/temeraire/) series. Imagine the Napoleonic wars–with sentient dragons taking part! Throughout the series, she expands her scope & we see societies around the world & how they relate to the dragons in their midst. Witty in a Patrick O’Brien sort of way… S M Stirling’s written a bunch of alternate history. My favorite series, _The Lords of Creation_, consists of two (2) books & a short story. It’s really Alternate Solar System–what if Mars & Venus were the fascinating worlds revealed in Classic SF? Then there’s _Peshawar Lancers_–only one book & one short story; ripping yarns for those who can enjoy a bit of Kipling. Plus a bunch of other stuff. _Islands in the Seas of Time_ held my interest but its offshoots (still offshooting) have not. (Maybe I’ll try them again some day). [There are excerpts at his website](http://smstirling.com/books/)! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-alternate-history-series/762551/5 "2016-08-12T15:25:43Z")
I like Robert Conroy. He wrote very straight up alternate history - no time travel or supernatural elements. The downside is that while I enjoy his books, I have to acknowledge he wasn’t a great writer - his characters are two dimensional and his plots are full of cliches. I guess he falls into the guilty pleasure category. He also wrote no series; all of his works are stand-alone novels. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-alternate-history-series/762551/6 "2016-08-12T15:30:55Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > S M Stirling’s written a bunch of alternate history. My favorite series, _The Lords of Creation_, consists of two (2) books & a short story. It’s really Alternate Solar System–what if Mars & Venus were the fascinating worlds revealed in Classic SF? Then there’s _Peshawar Lancers_–only one book & one short story; ripping yarns for those who can enjoy a bit of Kipling. Plus a bunch of other stuff. _Islands in the Seas of Time_ held my interest but its offshoots (still offshooting) have not. (Maybe I’ll try them again some day). [There are excerpts at his website](http://smstirling.com/books/)! I’m giving “Dies the Fire: A Novel of the Change,” a try! ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-alternate-history-series/762551/7 "2016-08-12T15:33:24Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I like Robert Conroy. He wrote very straight up alternate history - no time travel or supernatural elements. The downside is that while I enjoy his books, I have to acknowledge he wasn’t a great writer - his characters are two dimensional and his plots are full of cliches. I guess he falls into the guilty pleasure category. He also wrote no series; all of his works are stand-alone novels. Gotta admit, I’ve got a weakness for his stuff, as well. It’ll never be great, but they’re consistently good yarns. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-alternate-history-series/762551/8 "2016-08-12T16:45:31Z")
Try _The Fireflies of Port Stanley_. It’s an alt-history of the Falklands War. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-alternate-history-series/762551/9 "2016-08-12T16:48:24Z")
Of course Turtledove, though I prefer his stand-alone AltHist novels to his series. He tends to lose steam as the series lengthens. The Lord Darcy stories are fun IMO the best AltHist premise is in **The Difference Engine** by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. The premise could have happened, had Babbage been ever so slightly less of a jerk. A stand alone short story “Summer in Paris, Light from the Sky” is IMNAAHO the best AltHist thing ever written. Available online [here](http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/scholes_11_07/). ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-alternate-history-series/762551/10 "2016-08-12T17:12:07Z")
In the same vein of 1632, there is the “Island in the sea of time” series by S.M. Stirling, where Nantucket is send to the bronze age, is good if not IMHO as good as 1632. Then you have John Birmingham’s Axis of Time trilogy where a 2020’s Carrier battle group ends up in 1942. Both are very good. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-alternate-history-series/762551/11 "2016-08-12T19:30:18Z")
> [@Typo\_Knig](#): > > Of course Turtledove, though I prefer his stand-alone AltHist novels to his series. He tends to lose steam as the series lengthens. > > The Lord Darcy stories are fun I agree with both of these sentiments. Turtledove’s stand alone books are instant buys for me. But I’ve pretty much given up on his series books. > [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > I have heard fairly good things about the “Destroyermen” series (WWII-type destroyer gets sent back to an alternative timeline where humans did not evolve, but others did. They don’t actually get sent back in time, just into an alternate universe with a different history. Lots of war and fighting, but the ones I’ve read so far have been pretty good. And I agree, the Birmingham trilogy was pretty good also. I really liked the English handling of Captain Windsor. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-alternate-history-series/762551/12 "2016-08-12T19:49:08Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I’m giving “Dies the Fire: A Novel of the Change,” a try! I love Stirling’s stuff but to be honest, I wouldn’t recommend starting with _Dies the Fire_. It’s the first book in a very long (and not yet finished) series. The series itself is a semi-sequel to Stirling’s Nantucket trilogy. And even devoted Stirling fans like myself have had difficulties with the recent books in the series. I recommend either starting with the Nantucket trilogy (_Island in the Sea of Time_, _Against the Tide of Years_, and _On the Oceans of Eternity_). Or one of his stand-alone novels like _The Peshawar Lancers_ or _Conquistador_. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-alternate-history-series/762551/13 "2016-08-12T19:55:53Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > Then you have John Birmingham’s Axis of Time trilogy where a 2020’s Carrier battle group ends up in 1942. Are you aware Birmingham has written sequels to this series? ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-alternate-history-series/762551/14 "2016-08-12T20:08:26Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Are you aware Birmingham has written sequels to this series? Yes but they seem like crap judging by the plot summary and reviews I’ve read, and after reading “Without Warning” where he turns full nut job islamophobe conspiracist (he posits that there is a strong support for Islam in the french government, to the point of having a chance to win a civil war, to implement “Eurabia” and things like that) I doubt I’ll give the man another chance. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-alternate-history-series/762551/15 "2016-08-12T21:11:39Z")
The [Belisarius series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belisarius_series) is excellent. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-alternate-history-series/762551/16 "2016-08-12T21:31:44Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > The [Belisarius series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belisarius_series) is excellent. This!. Deadly with a blade, is Belisarius. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-alternate-history-series/762551/17 "2016-08-12T21:42:16Z")
A kinda reluctant half-recommendation for Robert Adams [Castaways in Time](https://www.librarything.com/series/Castaways+in+Time) series. Serious cons: 1.) His series are steeped in machismo with almost always a super-capable “Gary Stu” at the helm. 2.) He was homophobic in a sorta disturbing way. Gay men were kinda teacherous, effeminate poofs ( almost always ) and pedophiles( often ). Meanwhile lesbians were either evil and ugly or alternatively hot and sexy, but ready to convert for a good man ( this is all far more overt in some of his _Horseclans_ books ). And he seems to occasionally like writing about hebephilic sex to boot ( always with some barely plausible excuse in story ). 3.) He never really satisfyingly tied up _anything_ IMHO. His series just meander along without ultimate resolution. Ansd since he died decades ago, that’s all you get. On the other hand the pros: 1.) He’s quite good at world-building ( in certain senses, anyway ) and his world here is fascinating to me, a renaissance Europe where Catholicism and Islam semi-peacefully merged and repelled the 13th century Mongol assaults, Ireland is still independant, etc… 2.) His books are action-packed and he was a deft hand at writing action. I don’t know - typing that all that out it looks like more cons :D. I liked his stuff as a teenager. If you can see past the dross, they’re interesting 1632-like modern-man-impacting-renaissance-Europe adventure stuff. Couldn’t blame anyone for taking a pass though. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-alternate-history-series/762551/18 "2016-08-12T23:15:08Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I love Stirling’s stuff but to be honest, I wouldn’t recommend starting with _Dies the Fire_. It’s the first book in a very long (and not yet finished) series. The series itself is a semi-sequel to Stirling’s Nantucket trilogy. And even devoted Stirling fans like myself have had difficulties with the recent books in the series. > > I recommend either starting with the Nantucket trilogy (_Island in the Sea of Time_, _Against the Tide of Years_, and _On the Oceans of Eternity_). Or one of his stand-alone novels like _The Peshawar Lancers_ or _Conquistador_. This, word for word. Skip _Dies the Fire_ completely and go for the Nantucket trilogy, which is excellent. But his best is _Peshawar Lancers._ Although looking up from the keyboard I can see a copy of _Conquistador_ beckoning me for a re-read. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-alternate-history-series/762551/19 "2016-08-13T18:42:16Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I love Stirling’s stuff but to be honest, I wouldn’t recommend starting with _Dies the Fire_. It’s the first book in a very long (and not yet finished) series. The series itself is a semi-sequel to Stirling’s Nantucket trilogy. And even devoted Stirling fans like myself have had difficulties with the recent books in the series. > > I recommend either starting with the Nantucket trilogy (_Island in the Sea of Time_, _Against the Tide of Years_, and _On the Oceans of Eternity_). Or one of his stand-alone novels like _The Peshawar Lancers_ or _Conquistador_. > [@silenus](#): > > This, word for word. Skip _Dies the Fire_ completely and go for the Nantucket trilogy, which is excellent. But his best is _Peshawar Lancers._ Although looking up from the keyboard I can see a copy of _Conquistador_ beckoning me for a re-read. I was going to say exactly this. The only problem with the Nantucket trilogy is the very abrupt ending, because his editors said enough, finish it. > [@Tamerlane](#): > > A kinda reluctant half-recommendation for Robert Adams [Castaways in Time](https://www.librarything.com/series/Castaways+in+Time) series. Serious cons: > > 1.) His series are steeped in machismo with almost always a super-capable “Gary Stu” at the helm. > > 2.) He was homophobic in a sorta disturbing way. Gay men were kinda teacherous, effeminate poofs ( almost always ) and pedophiles( often ). Meanwhile lesbians were either evil and ugly or alternatively hot and sexy, but ready to convert for a good man ( this is all far more overt in some of his _Horseclans_ books ). And he seems to occasionally like writing about hebephilic sex to boot ( always with some barely plausible excuse in story ). > > 3.) He never really satisfyingly tied up _anything_ IMHO. His series just meander along without ultimate resolution. Ansd since he died decades ago, that’s all you get. > > On the other hand the pros: > > 1.) He’s quite good at world-building ( in certain senses, anyway ) and his world here is fascinating to me, a renaissance Europe where Catholicism and Islam semi-peacefully merged and repelled the 13th century Mongol assaults, Ireland is still independant, etc… > > 2.) His books are action-packed and he was a deft hand at writing action. > > I don’t know - typing that all that out it looks like more cons :D. I liked his stuff as a teenager. If you can see past the dross, they’re interesting 1632-like modern-man-impacting-renaissance-Europe adventure stuff. Couldn’t blame anyone for taking a pass though. I remember his stuff fondly from my teenage years. Tried it last year and, well, yeah, there are problems there. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2016, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-alternate-history-series/762551/20 "2016-08-13T18:49:26Z")
> [@Lok](#): > > I was going to say exactly this. The only problem with the Nantucket trilogy is the very abrupt ending, because his editors said enough, finish it. Although he left several springboards for sequels in the last book. Like The surviving Wolf child, the crashed zeppelin, the settlements on the Rio de La Plata, etc. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-alternate-history-series/762551.md?page=2)