#36 – Alternate History – A Reader's History of Science Fiction
Alternate histories, where events in the past unfolded differently, are a fairly new genre, but it's made large strides since it first became popular in the 80s. In this episode, we look at an overview of these works. Book recommendation: The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal. My companion blog post on The Calculating Stars. Other books discussed: The Domination by S. M. Stirling "The Road Not Taken", The Guns of the South and Harry Turtledove in general. The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
H. P. Lovecraft brought the Gothic horror of the previous century into the modern era with his new genre of cosmic horror, which placed humankind at the mercy of vast and inscrutable alien entities. Despite a tarnished legacy, he is still considered the master of sci-fi-horror and a great influence on the genre ever since.
Book recommendation: At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft.
Other stories mentioned:
The Call of Cthulhu
The Shadow Out of Time
The Shadow over Innsmouth
The Dunwich Horror
Lovecraft’s stories may be read at hplovecraft.com.
