# Strange alternative history novels? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 8, 2012, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-alternative-history-novels/621330 "2012-05-08T22:30:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2012, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-alternative-history-novels/621330/81 "2012-05-12T02:57:32Z")
Hmm. Those sound cool. ---
**Author:** ![SpectBrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@SpectBrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpectBrain)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-alternative-history-novels/621330/82 "2012-05-14T01:23:37Z")
I read a terrific one recently: Abraham Lincoln, vampire hunter. I thought it was terrific. I didn’t put it down until I finished it. A. Lincoln has a secret life as a hunter and destroyer of vampires. Well written, not jokey and the historical references seem quite accurate and well researched. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-alternative-history-novels/621330/83 "2012-05-14T09:49:25Z")
> [@SpectBrain](#): > > Abraham Lincoln, vampire hunter. > > I thought it was terrific. I didn’t put it down until I finished it. A. Lincoln has a secret life as a hunter and destroyer of vampires. Well written, not jokey and the historical references seem quite accurate and well researched. And soon to be a major motion picture. ---
**Author:** ![A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Sniveling_Mess)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-alternative-history-novels/621330/84 "2012-05-17T01:32:03Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > And soon to be a major motion picture. They’re making _that_ into a movie!?I’m not saying anything bad about the book,but I can’t very easily imagine what that movie will look like. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-alternative-history-novels/621330/85 "2012-05-17T03:19:37Z")
> [@JRyan35](#): > > They’re making _that_ into a movie!?I’m not saying anything bad about the book,but I can’t very easily imagine what that movie will look like. Twilight with beards? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-alternative-history-novels/621330/86 "2012-05-17T04:04:19Z")
> [@JRyan35](#): > > They’re making _that_ into a movie!?I’m not saying anything bad about the book,but I can’t very easily imagine what that movie will look like. [You needn’t imagine.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34x6m-ahGIo) ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-alternative-history-novels/621330/87 "2012-05-17T07:10:03Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > The ones I read from Flint were quite good IMHO. He did open the world up for others to write in and those stories are uneven at best. I would have to go back and reread from the beginning because it got very complicated and I lost track of the plot when I tried to read the later books. It has become rather a large oeuvre, since there are a bunch of novels now and several short story collections. And that’s just in print. You can get a lot of other writing in and about that world on the Baen site, though I haven’t done so myself. I think they’re all a lot of fun, as I said before. As the series goes on, a lot of natives of the time become major characters, so the flatness of those people’s characterization goes away somewhat. In the first couple of books, they’re still working out what modern tech might have been in a small town, so some machines seem to come from the gods (heh). The particular instance I recall was that some West Virginian happened to own a very powerful speedboat, the kind that rich folks play with in Florida. There was no large body of water near the town, he just always wanted one and bought it when he won the lottery or something. But it came in handy when the town and their allies needed to break a Dutch naval blockade. But later on, the crowd of authors and amateur historians involved in the series nailed down what was and was not available and feasible to do with modern stuff, and those sorts of gadgets stopped popping in out of nowhere. One thing that they play around with is what the people of the time do when they read about themselves in history books from the future. Cardinal Richelieu starts buying up as much of the New World as he can get; King Charles throws Cromwell in the Tower 20 years before he even thought of doing anything wrong; Vincent de Paul gets a close look by the Vatican when they hear that the Catholic Church in the town is dedicated to a saint of that name–stuff like that. ---
**Author:** ![A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Sniveling_Mess)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-alternative-history-novels/621330/88 "2012-05-18T18:15:17Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > [You needn’t imagine.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34x6m-ahGIo) One of my other interests is Abraham Lincoln,and I have to say that that man’s portrayal of him is pretty bad.Anyway,although the movie doesn’t really suit my tastes,I guess with the trailer having 3 million views it’s hard to argue against it.That movie,I’m willing to bet,is going to be a huge success. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-alternative-history-novels/621330/89 "2012-05-19T23:44:53Z")
It was originally science fiction but since History has passed it by I would add the book Warday. It’s a travel log across the U.S. after a “limited” nuclear war (just a handful of missiles). It’s out of print but worth seeking out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-alternative-history-novels/621330.md?page=4)