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Alternate Australias

Alternate AustraliasAlternate Australias Published by SeaLion Press on 9 Dec 2020
Genres: Type II - Hard/Soft
Pages: 158
Format: Anthology, eBook
Source: Purchased
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five-stars

Jared Kavanagh edits a collection of short stories set in different Australias.

What if what we call Australia had become largely Dutch? Could Australia have led intervention in unexpected African conflicts? What adventures might Napoleon Bonaparte have had as he sought to colonise it before the British? Could a space programme launched Woomera have reached the Moon? How might the Emu War have gone differently?

It's time to turn Down Under upside-down.

THE REVIEW
(I’ve asked Chat GPT to do the review, as it includes one of my own stories)

“Alternate Australias,” edited by Jared Kavanagh and published by Sea Lion Press, is a compelling anthology that reimagines Australia’s past and future through a series of thought-provoking alternate history narratives. The collection explores scenarios such as a predominantly Dutch-influenced Australia, Napoleon Bonaparte’s attempts to colonize the continent before the British, and the possibility of an Australian-led space program reaching the Moon. Sealion Press

Matthew Kresal’s. “Moonshot” won the 2020 International Sidewise award for best Short Form, while Andrew J. Harvey’s “1827: Napoleon in Australia” was also shortlisted.

One standout story, “The Savannah War Dispute,” delves into an alternate conflict in East Africa with Australian intervention, showcasing the nation’s potential role on the global stage. Fuldapocalypse Fiction

Critics have praised the anthology for its imaginative scenarios and engaging storytelling. Warped Factor recommends readers “give this little book a look post-haste,” Warped Factor

“Alternate Australias” is available for purchase through Sea Lion Press and other retailers. Sealion Press

For enthusiasts of alternate history and speculative fiction, “Alternate Australias” offers a captivating exploration of the myriad ways Australia’s history could have unfolded.

The Book includes stories by:

  • Simon Berading
  • Liam Connell
  • Wm. Garret Cothran
  • David Flin
  • Andrew J. Harvey
  • Jared Kavanagh
  • Matthew Kresal
  • Peter Rhodan
  • Natasja Rose
  • Colin Salt
  • Steven H Silver

https://www.sealionpress.co.uk/product-page/alternate-australias

https://andrewjharvey.com/shop/product/alternate-australias/

five-stars

Lady Avely’s Guide to Lies and Charms

Lady Avely’s Guide to Lies and CharmsLady Avely's Guide to Lies and Charms by Rosalie Oaks
Series: Matronly Misadventures #2
Published by Parkerville Press on 15 November 2024
Genres: Not An Alternate History Review
Format: eBook
Source: Author, Purchased
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five-stars

A lady shouldn’t be seen to incite a duel… but Judith wasn’t even there when it happened.

Lady Avely doesn’t know what infuriates her more: that someone used her image to provoke the Duke of Sargen into killing a man, or that the duke actually believed it was her trysting in the maze that night.

Now she and the duke must concoct their own subterfuge to shake out the culprit. Otherwise, Dacian might be arrested for murder, or worse, the shadowy guardians of the Musing might inflict their own cruel punishment for the misuse of his Gift. Judith will need her most respectable mobcap, and unfortunately, the duke will need a false moustache.

With Judith’s ability to detect lies and Dacian’s now carefully contained power, they set out to uncover the truth - but their own hearts make them easy to manipulate. Facing a master of deception, as well as the duke’s renewed determination to win her, Judith will need a stiff drink of chocolate and the help of her cheerful, tiny vampiri companion before she can find her way out of the deadly tangle…

Can Judith and Dacian unmask the killer before more blood is shed? And how many different ways can one disguise a duke?

The Matronly Misadventures feature a mid-life heroine in a slow-burn, second-chance romance (with a duke who has waited long enough), set in a magical version of Regency England.

THE REVIEW

Although the book is entitled Lady Avely’s Guide to Lies and Charm’ I suspect I will always think of it as the that Poor Mr. Wooten story. Wooten, the Duke of Sargen’s tiny vampire companion, is now beset by two female vampires. Marigold (Judith’s vampire companion), and Yvette (possible friend, possible enemy – but someone who is definitely interested in becoming better acquainted with Marigold).

Wooten, a dandy to rival Beau Brummell as being the model British dandy: always bathed and shaved, always powdered and perfumed, always groomed and immaculately dressed in a dark-blue coat of plain style with an elaborately knotted cravat must now put up Marigold’s positive flaunting of her own nakedness everytime she must turn into a bat, or back into her human form. Wooten’s eventual victory in requiring a Marigold to wear a cloak while changing leads to some of the funniest scenes as Marigold is forced to fly while wearing it.

I do concur with the Author’s description of the book as being a slow-burn, second-chance romance. It is a slow burn but I enjoyed the opportunity to watch Judith’s developing awareness of her attraction for the Duke, and with the evolving relationship she has with her dead husband’s illegitimate son.

There is no doubt that I will be reading the book again, and have already pre-ordered Lady Avely’s Guide to Guile and Peril (Matronly Misadventures Book 3) Kindle Edition, due for release late 2025.

 

five-stars

Pass of Fire

Pass of FirePass of Fire by Taylor Anderson
Series: Destroyermen #14
Published by ROC on 2019
Genres: Type II - Hard/Soft
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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four-half-stars

After being transported to a strange alternate Earth, Matt Reddy and the crew of the USS Walker have learned desperate times call for desperate measures, in the return to the New York Times bestselling Destroyermen series.

Time is running out for the Grand Human and Lemurian Alliance. The longer they take to prepare for their confrontations with the reptilian Grik, the Holy Dominion, and the League of Tripoli, the stronger their enemies become. Ready or not, they have to move--or the price in blood will break them.

Matt Reddy and his battered old destroyer USS Walker lead the greatest army the humans and their Lemurian allies have ever assembled up the Zambezi toward the ancient Grik capital city. Standing against them is the largest, most dangerous force of Grik yet gathered.

On the far side of the world, General Shinya and his Army of the Sisters are finally prepared for their long-expected assault on the mysterious El Paso del Fuego. Not only is the dreaded Dominion ready and waiting for them; they've formed closer, more sinister ties with the fascist League of Tripoli.

Everything is on the line in both complex, grueling campaigns, and the Grand Alliance is stretched to its breaking point. Victory is the only option, whatever the cost, because there can be no second chances.

Series Review

While sometimes patchy the quality of each individual book never falls below 4 stars. Unfortunately I have become less inclined to pursue the series as Taylor progressively layers villain onto villain in a never ending series, and I gave up on the series after  Deadly Shores (#9). I have returned to finishing the series in Pass of Fire (#14) and Winds of Wrath (#15) after reading Michael Cnuddle’s review a couple of weeks ago (see http://www.somersethousepress.com/2020/10/)

Taylor writes particularly strong battle scenes, and he is not adverse to killing off significant characters to maintain interest/realism to what has developed over the series into a truly world war.

Specific Comments About This Specific Book

While this book is the penultimate in the series, and as a result serves as a curtain raiser for the final book (Winds of Wrath) I found that it quite successfully held my interest while setting up for the final battle(s) in the World War that has engulfed this alternate Earth. 

A warning, for those of you concerned at the destruction of the our Earth’s environment and wildlife you may need to leave your concerns at the door to fully enjoy this one.

four-half-stars

Storm Front (Twilight of the Gods Book 1)

Storm Front (Twilight of the Gods Book 1)Storm Front Published by Author Self Published on 11 December 2015
Genres: Type II - Hard/Soft
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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four-half-stars

Premise - Point of Divergence (POD)

In 1941, Adolf Hitler didn't declare war on the United States.

The Story

Now, in 1985, the Third Reich stretching from the coast of France to the icy wastes of Eastern Russia, appears supremely powerful. With a powerful force of nuclear warheads and the finest military machine on Earth, there is no hope for freedom for the billions who groan under its rule. Adolf Hitler’s mad dreams have come to pass.

And yet, all is not well in the Reich. The cold war with the United States and the North Atlantic Alliance is destroying the Reich’s economy, while a savage insurgency in South Africa - a war the Reich cannot win and dares not lose - is sapping its military strength. And, while the Reich Council struggles to find a way to save the Reich from its own weaknesses, a young German girl makes a discovery that will shake the Reich to its core.

But the Reich Council will not go quietly into the night ...

The Review

I read this at a time (not that long ago) when I was seeking reassurance that evil would not triumph, and that in general the vast mass of humanity was intrinsically good, or at least not necessarily evil. Christopher makes a succinct, and in my opinion, successful argument that evil cannot continue indefinitely (although for those who had to live through the 52 years of Nuttall’s Third Reich it may very well have felt like it).

Photo of model of Hitler's Germania

Model of Germania

Nuttall’s alternate history posits that the Third Reich was successful in beating the Soviets, and winning the war. As a result Hitler’s dream of Germania, a new capital to challenge that of Ancient Egypt, Babylon, and Rome is built, and the Nazi Empire has spread itself across most of the former Russian lands.  Despite that the Reich has never admitted to the evils it committed during the war.

It is now 1985 and the Reich is locked in a cold war with the USA and the rest of the free world (including the UK). The war is expensive, and in conjunction with the Reich’s enormous unfunded state based welfare system is threatening the collapse of its economy. A collapse which is speeding up as a result of the Reich’s involvement in actively supporting the apartheid regime in South Africa.

It is in this world that a university student, Gudrun, the daughter of a policeman, and betrothed to a soldier fighting in South Africa discovers that the government is lying about the state of the war in South Africa. Full of righteous indignation Gudrun persuades some of her fellow students to protest. Despite their naivety the protests quickly snowball (think the 2019 example in Hong Kong). One of the aspects I particularly liked about the story was how Gudrun’s father eventually came round to supporting his daughter.

four-half-stars

Marked in Flesh

Marked in FleshMarked in Flesh by Anne Bishop
Series: The Others #4
Published by ROC on 8 Mar 2016
Genres: Type X - Alien Space Bats
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
three-stars

Premise – Point of Divergence (POD)

NOT APPLICABLE

The Story

For centuries, the Others and humans have lived side by side in uneasy peace. But when humankind oversteps its bounds, the Others will have to decide how much humanity they're willing to tolerate—both within themselves and within their community...

Since the Others allied themselves with the cassandra sangue, the fragile yet powerful human blood prophets who were being exploited by their own kind, the delicate dynamic between humans and Others changed. Some, like Simon Wolfgard, wolf shifter and leader of the Lakeside Courtyard, and blood prophet Meg Corbyn, see the new, closer companionship as beneficial—both personally and practically.

But not everyone is convinced. A group of radical humans is seeking to usurp land through a series of violent attacks on the Others. What they don't realize is that there are older and more dangerous forces than shifters and vampires protecting the land that belongs to the Others—and those forces are willing to do whatever is necessary to protect what is theirs...

The Review

Well first off, let me wish the marketing genius who decided that this work of fantasy is alternate history to a shared cell with one of Ms Bishop’s ‘others’, because it isn’t. Not at all, no way. The central premise for the series being that the ‘gods’ are real, and that shapeshifters share the world with humanity – explain to me how that is Alternate History.

Obviously ROCS marketing department decided that Ms Bishop had a better chance of getting a number one rating in Alternate History rather than in the much larger field of Fantasy. Can’t argue with that – EXCEPT ITS WRONG PEOPLE!

Having said that, although I really enjoyed Books 1-3 I found ‘Marked in the Flesh’ quite frustrating, for the simple reason that the Human Supremacists are stupid. Mindbogglingly stupid. I mean how could any organisation without nuclear weapons (or even with nuclear weapons for that matter) believe they had any chance of beating the Mediterranean, let alone the Atlantic.

three-stars