The Ancient World in Alternative History and Counterfactual Fictions

The Ancient World in Alternative History and Counterfactual Fictions PDF Author: Alberto J. Quiroga Puertas
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350281646
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 205

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Book Description
Focusing in turn on history, powerful individuals, under-represented voices and the arts, the essays in this collection cover a wide variety of modern and contemporary narrative fiction from Jo Walton and L. Sprague De Camp to T. S. Chaudhry and Catherynne M. Valente. Chapters look into the question of chance versus determinism in the unfolding of historical events, the role individuals play in shaping a society or occasion, and the way art and literature symbolise important messages in counterfactual histories. They also show how uchronic narratives can take advantage of modern literary techniques to reveal new and relevant aspects of the past, giving voices to marginalised minorities and suppressed individuals of the ancient world. Counterfactual fiction and uchronic narratives have been largely up until now the domain of literary critics. However, these modes of literature are here analysed by scholars of Ancient History, Egyptology and Classics, shedding important new light on how cultures of the ancient world have been (and still are) perceived, and to what extent our conceptions of the past are used to explore alternate presents and futures. Alternate history entices the imagination of the public by suggesting hypothetical scenarios that never occurred, underlining a latent tension between reality and imagination, and between determinism and contingency. This interest has resulted in a growing number of publications that gauge the impact of what-if narratives, and this one is the first to give scholars of the ancient world centre-stage.

The Ancient World in Alternative History and Counterfactual Fictions

The Ancient World in Alternative History and Counterfactual Fictions PDF Author: Alberto J. Quiroga Puertas
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350281646
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 205

Get Book Here

Book Description
Focusing in turn on history, powerful individuals, under-represented voices and the arts, the essays in this collection cover a wide variety of modern and contemporary narrative fiction from Jo Walton and L. Sprague De Camp to T. S. Chaudhry and Catherynne M. Valente. Chapters look into the question of chance versus determinism in the unfolding of historical events, the role individuals play in shaping a society or occasion, and the way art and literature symbolise important messages in counterfactual histories. They also show how uchronic narratives can take advantage of modern literary techniques to reveal new and relevant aspects of the past, giving voices to marginalised minorities and suppressed individuals of the ancient world. Counterfactual fiction and uchronic narratives have been largely up until now the domain of literary critics. However, these modes of literature are here analysed by scholars of Ancient History, Egyptology and Classics, shedding important new light on how cultures of the ancient world have been (and still are) perceived, and to what extent our conceptions of the past are used to explore alternate presents and futures. Alternate history entices the imagination of the public by suggesting hypothetical scenarios that never occurred, underlining a latent tension between reality and imagination, and between determinism and contingency. This interest has resulted in a growing number of publications that gauge the impact of what-if narratives, and this one is the first to give scholars of the ancient world centre-stage.

Sideways in Time

Sideways in Time PDF Author: Glyn Morgan
Publisher: Liverpool Science Fiction Text
ISBN: 1789620139
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
Alternate history is a genre of fiction that, although connected to science fiction, has its own rich history and lineage. With its roots in the writings of ancient Rome, alternate history matured into something close to its current form in the essays and novels of the nineteenth century. In more recent years a number of highly acclaimed novels have been published as alternate histories, by authors ranging from bestselling science fiction writers to Pulitzer prize-winning literary icons. The popularity of the genre is reflected in its success on television, where original concepts have been developed alongside adaptations of classic texts such as Philip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle. This collection of essays, by both leading scholars in the field and rising stars, seeks to redress an imbalance between the importance and quality of alternate history texts and the available critical scholarship on the genre. The essays acknowledge the long and distinctive history of alternate history whilst also revelling in its vitality, adaptability, and contemporary relevance.

THE ANCIENT WORLD SERIES - 10 Historical Novels in One Volume

THE ANCIENT WORLD SERIES - 10 Historical Novels in One Volume PDF Author: Henry Rider Haggard
Publisher: DigiCat
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 2838

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Book Description
This carefully crafted ebook: "THE ANCIENT WORLD SERIES - 10 Historical Novels in One Volume: Moon of Israel, Cleopatra, Morning Star, Queen of the Dawn, Belshazzar, The Doom of Zimbabwe, The Wanderer's Necklace and more" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. "Cleopatra" - The story is set in the Ptolemaic era of Ancient Egyptian history and revolves around the survival of a dynasty bloodline protected by the Priesthood of Isis. The main character Harmachis (the living descendant of the pharaoh's bloodline) is charged by the Priesthood to overthrow the supposed impostor Cleopatra, drive out the Greeks and Romans and restore Egypt to its golden era. "Moon of Israel" narrates the events of the Biblical Exodus from Egypt told from the perspective of a scribe named Ana. "Eric Brighteyes", an epic viking novel, describes the adventures of its principal character in 10th century Iceland. Eric strives to win the hand of his beloved, Gudruda the Fair. Her father Asmund, a priest of the old Norse gods, opposes the match. Battles, intrigues, and treachery follow... "The Wanderer's Necklace": Olaf, a Viking in the eighth century A.D., flees his homeland after challenging the Norse god Odin's right to a human sacrifice. Olaf's adventures are woven within the intrigues of the Eastern Roman Empire. "Pearl Maiden" is a historical novel about the Fall of Jerusalem Table of Contents: Moon of Israel Queen of the Dawn The World's Desire Elissa: The Doom of Zimbabwe Pearl Maiden : A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem Morning Star Cleopatra The Wanderer's Necklace Eric Brighteyes Belshazzar Sir Henry Rider Haggard (1856-1925) was an English writer of adventure novels and dark fantasy stories set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and a pioneer of the Lost World literary genre.

What If

What If PDF Author: Cole Roberts
Publisher: WestBow Press
ISBN: 1512720585
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 90

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Book Description
What if Christianity is simple? When Jesus gave his first public address, he said, I have come to fulfill the law and the prophets and to set the captives free. When a contract is fulfilled, it is completed and is no longer in effect. Religion is a form of bondage that enslaves its adherents to a set of rules that constitute sin. It portrays the image of a God who acts as a judge. In one hand he has a legal pad and pen and in the other a club. When sufficient sins have been committed, the club is used on the sinner. Jesus died on the cross to fulfill the need for justice and came to earth to show that God is not the ogre with a club but a loving father with outstretched arms wanting to hug his children He sent to us the Holy Spirit so we might have the heart and mind of Christ and be empowered to live a life free from the bondage of sin and religion. This book shows the reader how to do that and points out the stumbling blocks that may interfere. It enables the reader to see the simplicity of Christianity and understand why it should surpass religion in our lives.

Third Reich Victorious

Third Reich Victorious PDF Author: Peter G. Tsouras
Publisher: Frontline Books
ISBN: 1473882834
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 376

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Book Description
This book is a stimulating and entirely plausible insight into how Hitler and his generals might have defeated the Allies, and a convincing sideways look at the Third Reich's bid at world domination in World War II. What would have happened if, for example, the Germans captured the whole of the BEF at Dunkirk? Or if the RAF had been defeated in the Battle of Britain? What if the U-Boats had strangled Britain with an impregnable blockade, if Rommel had been triumphant in North Africa or the Germans had beaten the Red Army at Kursk? The authors, writing as if these and other world-changing events had really happened, project realistic scenarios based on the true capabilities and circumstances of the opposing forces. Third Reich Victorious is a spirited and terrifying alternate history, and a telling insight into the dramatic possibilities of World War II.

Hitler's War

Hitler's War PDF Author: Harry Turtledove
Publisher: Del Rey
ISBN: 034551565X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 513

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Book Description
A stroke of the pen and history is changed. In 1938, British prime minister Neville Chamberlain, determined to avoid war, signed the Munich Accord, ceding part of Czechoslovakia to Hitler. But the following spring, Hitler snatched the rest of that country, and England, after a fatal act of appeasement, was fighting a war for which it was not prepared. Now, in this thrilling alternate history, another scenario is played out: What if Chamberlain had not signed the accord? In this action-packed chronicle of the war that might have been, Harry Turtledove uses dozens of points of view to tell the story: from American marines serving in Japanese-occupied China and ragtag volunteers fighting in the Abraham Lincoln Battalion in Spain to an American woman desperately trying to escape Nazi-occupied territory—and witnessing the war from within the belly of the beast. A tale of powerful leaders and ordinary people, at once brilliantly imaginative and hugely entertaining, Hitler’s War captures the beginning of a very different World War II—with a very different fate for our world today. BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Harry Turtledove's The War that Came Early: West and East.

Pharaoh's Broker

Pharaoh's Broker PDF Author: Ellsworth Douglass
Publisher: DigiCat
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 188

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Book Description
'Pharaoh's Broker' is a science-fiction novel written by Ellsworth Douglas. The book uses a first-person perspective, telling the story from the eyes of an ingenious researcher. Together with his previous student, they decided to construct a rocket and travel to Mars. There, they discover the planet to be inhabited by a group of people not unalike to that of Ancient Egyptians.

A Past of Possibilities

A Past of Possibilities PDF Author: Quentin Deluermoz
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 030022754X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 393

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Book Description
An exploration of hypothetical turning points in history from Ancient Greece to September 11 What if history, as we know it, had run another course? Touching on alternate histories of the future and the past, or uchronias, A Past of Possibilities encourages deeper consideration of watershed moments in the course of history. Wide-ranging in scope, it examines the Boxer Rebellion in China, the 1848 revolution in France, and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, and integrates science fiction, history, historiography, sociology, anthropology, and film. In probing the genre of literature and history that is fascinated with hypotheticals surrounding key points in history, Quentin Deluermoz and Pierre Singaravélou reach beyond a mere reimagining of history, exploring the limits and potentials of the futures past. From the most bizarre fiction to serious scientific hypothesis, they provide a survey of the uses of counterfactual histories, methodological issues on the possible in social sciences, and practical proposals for using alternate histories in research and the wider public.

History, Fiction Or Science?

History, Fiction Or Science? PDF Author: A. T. Fomenko
Publisher:
ISBN: 9782913621015
Category : Chronology, Historical
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This is a seven volume treatise on historical dating and scientific arguments regarding the truth or falsehoods in currently accepted historical concepts. It claims the 16th century as the time during which history was created by medieval scribes and cemented by the power of the ecclesial authorities. It is theorized for example that Jesus was actually born in 1053 A.D. and crucified in 1086 A.D.; the Old Testament refers to medieval events and the Apocalyse was written after 1486 A.D.

Machines Like Me

Machines Like Me PDF Author: Ian McEwan
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 0385545126
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 291

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Book Description
From the Booker Prize winner and bestselling author of Atonement—”a sharply intelligent novel of ideas” (The New York Times) that asks whether a machine can understand the human heart, or whether we are the ones who lack understanding. Set in an uncanny alternative 1982 London—where Britain has lost the Falklands War, Margaret Thatcher battles Tony Benn for power, and Alan Turing achieves a breakthrough in artificial intelligence—Machines Like Me powerfully portrays two lovers who will be tested beyond their understanding. Charlie, drifting through life and dodging full-time employment, is in love with Miranda, a bright student who lives with a terrible secret. When Charlie comes into money, he buys Adam, one of the first generation of synthetic humans. With Miranda's assistance, he codesigns Adam's personality. The near-perfect human that emerges is beautiful, strong, and smart—and a love triangle soon forms. Ian McEwan's subversive, gripping novel poses fundamental questions: What makes us human—our outward deeds or our inner lives? Could a machine understand the human heart? This provocative and thrilling tale warns against the power to invent things beyond our control. Don’t miss Ian McEwan’s new novel, Lessons, coming in September!