History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)

Product Description

`History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2` is the second volume of the most explosive and astounding tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by rock solid scientific data. The book is easy and pleasant to read; it is well-illustrated, contains hundreds of charts, graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays. You will be amazed to discover: - That the chronology universally accepted today and taken for granted is simply wrong; - That ALL methods of dating of ancient sources and artefacts known today are erroneous or non-exact; - That there is not a single document that could be reliably dated earlier than the XIth century; The Author refers to the Middle Ages as the Antiquity and proves mutual superimposition of the Second and the Third Roman Empire, both of which become identified as the respective kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Furthermore, he asserts that the famous reform of the Occidental Church in the XI century by Pope Gregory Hildebrand was the reflection of the XII century reforms of Byzantine emperor Andronicus who in his turn identifies with Jesus Christ. The Trojan war counted by Homer happened only as late as of the XIII century A.D. and the great poet actually lived in XIV century A.D. No stone in history of Antiquity is left unturned. Literally. This book is the beginning of a major correction to the chronology we live with.

Customer Reviews:

Check and see.......2007-06-21

I don't care what other people say of this book. Those affirmig it's fake, they hadn't ever read it. Or have some special reasons to do so. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." This book won't make you feel comfortable. It'll make you feel free. It'll make you feel you're "not the only one" to feel you'd been lied to for centuries.

Suprise! Suprise!.......2007-03-22

Here is a serie of books which turns "the whole world" upside down. I learned a lot of it and I hope that a new book from A.T. Fomenko will follow very quick. A absolute must for everybody who is interested in history or even a little bit from it.

Prescient St Augustine?.......2006-02-05

We can so far divide the New Chronology into the following three parts:

a) The verifiable theory that proves consensual chronology wrong with the aid of astronomy, statistics and mathematics;

b) The new chronology hypothesis based on a new understanding of known historical facts and the most likely logical explanation of the most obvious inconsistencies inherent in the official version of history;

c) The history conjectures, that is experimental historical reconstructions based on assumptions that the authors believe to make sense in the light of their research and linguistic parallels - void of ironclad factual support to date.

Fomenko's theory complies with the most rigid scientific standards as a whole:

It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know.

- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion.

- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically.

Fomenko goes by the following axioms:

- Chronology is the basis of history;

- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;

- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history;

- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;

- The chronological distance between a given manuscript and the events described therein is proportional to the amount of distortions it contains;

- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Why the mainstream historians do not shower mathematician Academician Dr.Prof Fomenko with thanks and laurels?

The Russians:

Because Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by three centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a bilingual state with Arabic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that Russian history as we know it today is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scientists brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs, whose ascension to the throne was the result of coup d'état, charged with the mission of making their reign look legitimate. Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate rulers and the ambitious upstarts. The winner took it all! Over some 30 years of controversy, Russian historians have made a most remarkable transition - they were initially accusing the young mathematician Fomenko of anticommunist dissident activity and attempts to deface the historical legacy of Soviet Russia; nowadays the middle-aged mathematician is accused of adhering to "pro-communist Russian nationalism" and defacing the proud historical legacy of Great Russia.

The Westerners:

Because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one the Ancient Rome (the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the XIV century A. D.), the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, and the Ancient Egypt (the pyramids of Giza become dated to the XI-XV century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less). The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the XII-XV century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. He was the first one to decipher and date all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case. English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

The Chinese:

Because Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such thing. Full point. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the XVII-XVIII century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them to shut up.

The Arabs:

Too bad. Islam with all its key figures is datable to XV-XVI century A. D. Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the XVI-XVII century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.

The Divinity:

Despite of reiterated statement that his theory is all about chronology and not Religion, Fomenko stirs up a whole condominium of wasp nests. His collection of anathemas, fatwa, and other condemnations from all parties concerned is already considerable. Little wonder, considering that the history of religions à la Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the XI century and JC), Bacchic Christianity (XI-XII century, before and after JC), JC Christianity (XII-XVI century) and its subsequent mutations into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on.

According to Fomenko we know strictly NOTHING about the events that predate the X century A. D.

St Augustin was prescient when he spoke unto us: "be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth."

Something of a disappointment.......2005-09-09

After having read the first volume of this expected series of 7 volumes I was triggered by the thesis of these authors that ancient Greek and Roman history did in fact take place in the Middle Ages. So I started studying medieval history of the Middle East - also known as Islamic history - to find out if the opponents of the ancient Greeks and Romans - the Acheamenid Persians, Sassanids, Scythians, Egyptians, etc. - also have their duplicates in medieval history. My search was disappointing: none of the many medieval Islamic dynasties seemed to correspond to the ancient middle eastern rulers.

However, I did find a close correspondence between Herodotus' Persian kings and medieval events:

- the defeat and capture of an Anatolian king - the Lydian Croesus - by the Persian conqueror Cyrus is identical to the defeat and capture of another Anatolian king - sultan Bayezid - by the Asian/Mongol conqueror Tamerlane;
- the Persian conquest of Egypt by the cruel tyrant Cambyses reds almost exactly as the Ottoman conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim (note the nickname!);
- Darius the Lawgiver of the Persian Empire looks very much alike to Sulayman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver in Islamic history;
- Xerxes, whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by the Greeks at the naval battle of Salamis, looks like Selim II (the Sot) whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by a Spanish-Italian alliance at the naval battle of Lepanto.

I should have expected Fomenko et al. to arrive at similar conclusions, however, they claim that the Persian kings are the alter egos of the Angevin kings of Sicily whose biographies do not contain the exploits of the Persian kings.

The similiarities I indicate lead to the conclusion that Herodotus must have written his Histories at the close of the 16th century. But this is extremely late, given that Herodotus is "the Father of History", so therefore all other "ancient" histories must have been fabricated even later. Yet, the founders of modern chronology - Scaliger and Petavius - laid their foundations also at the close of the 16th century and had the full corpus of ancient histories already at their disposal.

It seems to me that Fomenko has to address these inconsistencies, maybe in the forthcoming 5 volumes?

Another critique of their book is that the correspondencies between different rulers are often based on a superficial comparison of the biographies; upon a more thorough comparison many details appear that do not correspond at all.

Finally, the authors rely heavily on the works of Gregorovius (1821-1891!!) - his medieval histories of Rome and Athens - as the source of medieval history; these works are - at least in the West - hoplessly outdated and have been superceded by more up-to-date works (for instance, Julius Norwich's trilogy on Byzantine history is not even cited).

Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy.........2005-07-30

If you agree with Fomenko that Roman chronology is basically the foundation of the entire edifice of global chronology; you would also certainly agree that despite its numerous gaps and inconsistencies, Roman history is the best-documented field of ancient history, and thus a reference scale. But how well is the actual date of the Eternal City's foundation known?

Firstly, Rome is supposed to have been founded by the Trojans who had to flee after the fall of Troy. Some claim Rome to have been founded by Aeneas and Ulysses shortly after Troy had fallen; others are of the opinion that there was an entire dynasty that ruled for 500 years between the fall of Troy and the foundation of Rome.

Well, that's just an innocent 500 years long misunderstanding compared with what heretic Fomenko says, asserts, proves in his second volume: Second Roman Empire, Third Roman Empire, Biblical Kingdom of Israel, Biblical Kingdom of Judah, Holy Roman Empire are stories about basically same events, written from different points of view at different times. The underlying events have actually taken place during xii-xv cy. These histories have been written and perfected by multitude of highly talented humanist and clerical writers of xiii-xvi cy disguised as "ancients" with glorious names like Homer, Pluto, Thucydides etc..Chronology 2.0 beta..

Historians are kindly invited to report the bugs.

Writing the Fantasy Film: Heroes and Journeys in Alternate Realities

Average customer rating:

An excellent resource for fantasy writers.
Great screenwriting tool, from Creating Character author Marisa D'Vari
Excellent Resource for Fantasy Film Screenwriters
Excellent guidance for writing fantasy
An epic look at how to make your fantasy story enchanting

Writing the Fantasy Film: Heroes and Journeys in Alternate Realities
Sable Jak
Manufacturer: Michael Wiese Productions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Screenwriting | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Writing the Thriller Film: The Terror Within (Michael Wiese Productions)
Writing the Action Adventure Film: The Moment of Truth
Cinematic Storytelling: The 100 Most Powerful Film Conventions Every Filmmaker Must Know
Inner Drives: How to Write and Create Characters Using the Eight Classic Centers of Motivation
Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need

ASIN: 0941188965

Book Description

From it's a Wonderful Life, to Star Wars, fantasy is not bound by a specific formula. It spans all genres, times and locals, and has contributed to the folklore and literature of every culture around the world. Writing the fantasy film guides you through the fantasy script process, without having to sprinkle the fairy dust.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent resource for fantasy writers........2006-12-17

Having read more than my share of creative writing books, with several titles focused on fantasy, I was pleasantly surprised that this one got it right.

The author breaks down what makes a story or screenplay part of the genre. She provides you with the conventions of fantasy so that, knowing them, you can break them in interesting ways.

To me, though, the exercises were alone worth the price of this book. Using one of these I broke down the film "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and discovered dozens of "fantasy" elements in the script. Also, in going over the first "Lord of the Rings" film I looked over and listed the "grounding elements" -- those that make the story believable by placing things and events found within our own world. I also found the character arc (though not explicitly stated as that) idea within it fascinating: "_______ (character) desperately tries to achieve _______ (their desire) or prevent _______ (someone else's desire), even as _______ (their Nemesis) and _______ (other forces) try to prevent him from acheiving that. In the end, he goes from being a _______ (who he was at the story's start) to _______ (something different)."

As a fantasy author, I especially enjoyed the chapter on Character Creation. Her ideas of the Archetypes found in the genre have been added to my creative toolbox -- I have used a couple as starting points for several characters. Add one of her Archetypes to a standard fantasy Archetype, such as mixing a Demon with a Temptation Prone Friend, and something interesting just may happen.

Overall, I found this to be a strong entry into the field of creative writing for fantasy and sci-fi. A field where most of the books are minefields, roadmaps to oblivion, mind stultifiers, or very limited in their scope. This book is none of those. It has currently joined my small list of works I regularly turn to in my writing carreer. These include "The Writer's Journey" by Chris Vogler, "Creating Unforgetable Characters" by Linda Seger, and "The Character Naming Sourcebook."

Great screenwriting tool, from Creating Character author Marisa D'Vari.......2006-05-31

As the author of two screenwriting books and a former Hollywood executive, I suggest reading this book to jump-start your fantasy or sci-fi script.

What Sable Jak does exceptionally well is help the writer relax and connect with his or her fantasy world. Through the entire book, Jak's voice is reassuring and positive, urging you to let go of limitations and just do it.

Another major benefit of this book is the way that Jak guides us step by step into the process of turning out a saleable fantasy script. She supplies dozens of viable plot and story lines, character archetypes, and valuable exercises so that even if this book is your only screenwriting tool, you have all the ingredients you need to make magic.

Excellent Resource for Fantasy Film Screenwriters.......2005-12-23

Okay, I'll admit two things right off the bat: 1. I've never written a fantasy script. 2. I'm not a big fan of the genre. Yes, I love "Star Wars (Episodes III, IV and V)" but don't really think of them as "fantasy." The Lord of the Rings Trilogy really can't be beat and truly feel the human elements of the story transcended the "fantasy" elements. I guess my biggest issue of the fantasy film genre is that I really can't relate to it much. Whether I'm too distant, too grounded in my work-a-day reality, or just a bit too distracted to believe in Wizards, Dragons, Damsels in Distress, Magic Potions and Ogres.

Then I read this book.

Coming at screenwriting from more of a "logical" point of view I kept reading this book in hopes of picking apart the whole grasp of fantasy films. This is the book, I thought, that was going to help me make my arguments against the whole genre. What it did was teach me that Fantasy Films (adventure, romantic, sci-fi, modern world based ("BIG," "It's A Wonderful Life"), middle world based, outer world based, etc.) have many of the same elements you find in your standard genres (romantic comedy, western, action film, buddy picture, etc.). In fact, the more I read the book, the more I realized that if some of the archetypes found in fantasy films were plopped into the middle of a standard drama film - it would add an whole element that would enhance the film, not take away from it.

As Ms. Jak broke down all the elements of the Fantasy Film, from Wizards to Buddies, from Spells to Witchcraft, from Outer-Space to Central Europe - I found myself either itching to write a Fantasy Film or, at the very least, incorporate some of those archetypes into my current screenplays: "Maybe the main character has a Wizard he talks to, but he's not really a wizard, but a teacher could be the wizard character."

Ms. Jak says, early on, this book is not for beginning screenwriters but there are MANY MANY things a beginning screenwriter can learn about in the book that they could incorporate into their current screenplay (even if the story is a "buddy picture set on the streets of Hong Kong").

The book is clearly written with chapters in regards to what "exactly" is a Fantasy Film, doing the research and breaking apart the characters and situations.

One of the risks of doing a Fantasy Film is that so many of the archetypes border on the cliché (hero, maiden, witch, warlock, wizard, etc.) but what I found fun was in my own mind putting a twist on those clichés to make them different. She is both encouraging in those terms and she gives plenty of examples. She ENCOURAGES breaking the mould (and I would encourage it, too). And that's really where the fun comes in. Taking the normal and making it abnormal, twisting the clichés until they scream, finding the tent poles upon which the genre rests and then kicking them out from underneath. THIS is what makes writing Fantasy Films so much fun. You can't break the rules in a romantic comedy (trust me, I've tried). But with Fantasy you CAN break the rules, you're ENCOURAGED to break the rules - and Ms. Jak shows you how to do so.

If I have any complaints about the book, it is these:

1. After every chapter there is an "exercise" to do in regards to what you have just read. I don't know anyone who would actually stop reading this book to do the exercise. Though helpful, I'm sure, and a great learning tool - I just didn't see any reader not moving on to the next chapter so they could "write their script's story in epic poem form." These may have been better served in a separate chapter later in the book, once someone has read the book through.

2. I have found that the more I read books on screenwriting and film the more they mention certain films and/or certain websites. I hereby declare that books should now not only contain a bibliography (like this book does) but also a "cinemaography" and an "internetography" to list out both films and websites that are mentioned in the book.

Ms. Jak, especially in the section on research, mentions a number of websites she encourages the reader to visit. Then, in later chapters, she mentions more. It would be great to have a compendium of websites near the end of the book so someone doesn't have to hunt and peck later on.

Same with films. She mentions dozens of films as examples. Some contain many of the "standard" elements of a fantasy film while others are a great example of one type of conflict or one type of love story. This book would have been made better if there was a thorough listing in the back stating which films are mentioned in the book and why and listing other films to check out in the same genre. (Recently a Producer I know ripped me a new one for not seeing films in the genre I was writing.)

If you want to write a Fantasy Film, this book is an excellent resource. If you are a new screenwriter just starting out - I would give this a look, too. This book is both fascinating AND fun.

Excellent guidance for writing fantasy.......2004-10-08

"Writing the Fantasy Film" covers everything from character development and plotting to spells and religion. The author brings the magic in the enterprise of writing to life. This book will find a place next to Joseph Campbell's "The Hero's Journey" on my writer's bookshelf.

In addition to the overall high quality of the book, it genuinely shines in the particular information and techniques. The end-of-chapter exercises can truly enhance the abilities of a writer and therefore, the perfection of any fantasy script. The chapter on scripting battle scenes is worth the price of book alone. If you're working on a fantasy script, make sure you pick this book up.

Dan Rahmel
Author: "Nuts and Bolts Filmmaking"

An epic look at how to make your fantasy story enchanting.......2004-10-03

'Writing the Fantasy Film' is one of those books that takes all the obsession of a D&D fanatic and combines it with the more traditional habits of the screenwriter.

Though there is no substitute for shear creative genuis, Writing The Fantasy Film, brings novice fantasy writers more than just one step closer to creating thier own 'Lord of the Rings'.

Whereas other 'how to' books talk about structure, formatting and gramatical pitfalls, this book does not. Instead, it chooses to focus on the elements that make a fantasy story a fantasy story. Though it does touch on the tranditional thoughts and theories of characters such as the anti-hero, reluctant hero, the evil friend, and comic relief, the book expands on them adding genre specific archetypes like 'the captive magic maker', and 'the witch'.

In simple detail, the book guides a new fantasy writer through all the rigors of harnessing the truly epic scope that a fantasy script can often encompasses, refining those concepts and finally weaving a tale so grand and imaginative in scale that it leaves the reader, and ultimately the audience, in absolute awe.

With chapters devoted to the purposes and proprietors of magic, possible religions, political structures, geography, creature construction (which the author refers to as 'beasties') and at least a dozen more fantasy specific segments, this is the book beat about writing in in the genre.

Being a fantasy screenwriter myself and a fan of the genre in general, one would think that I would be biased towards such a book. However, it is the opposite that is true. Knowing as much as I do about the genre and having read popular books such as the 'Dragonlance' and 'Stones of Shannara' series of books when they first came out, instantly makes me skeptical of any writer who claims to have knowledge of, let alone understand the meaning behind, fantasy writing.

Happliy, I admit that I'm no longer skeptical about 'Writing the Fantasy Film.' It has easily encompassed, and embraced, the mythical lore that is the astoundingly magical world of fantasy.

I would recommend this book to any fantasy writer regardless of thier experience level with the genre as the author as obviously shown her love and understanding of what it takes to write the fantasy film.

Tony Machin
www.tonymachin.com

Average customer rating:

The Ancient Paikis of Orishas and Egungun from West African.

Tales of Yoruba: Gods and Heroes
Harold Courlander
Manufacturer: Original Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Fairy Tales | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Handbook of Yoruba Religious Concepts

ASIN: 0942272404

Book Description

A fascinating collection of the oral literature of an ancient people. This book is an important and delightful contribution to mythology, folklore, history, African culture and black studies. Included in the appendix are some Yoruba songs and tales known among African-Americans communites in the West Indies and Brazil.

Customer Reviews:

The Ancient Paikis of Orishas and Egungun from West African........2002-09-29

Harold Courlander, has written many books on African Legends and Folklore, but this one has to be one of his most important works, especially for the devotees of the Orishas, both here in the Americas as well as the world over. This book should be in the collection of every Aborisha, as it is the sacred Patikis that have been passed down from Elder to Elder from West Africa, unto the Diaspora, and present. These are the Stories as told buy the Santeros and Santeras in the New York barrios, as well as the Babalorisha and Iyalorishas of the Forest of the tropics.

The Stories presented here are as colorful and as intriguing as the mythology of Greek and Rome, with the exception that the Greek Gods have lost their followers. While the Orishas portrayed in this classic book, as still loved and adorned buy Millions upon millions of Worshippers and Followers thought the world.

The stories told in this book are Patikis, the sacred tales as told buy the Elders to teach moral lessons and also are used in Divination with Oracles. This book gives you a good selection of the folklore as passed down from the Yoruba culture. But not just the Yoruba orisa culture. There is a section titled, The Yoruba Culture of Cuba. A section of Yoruba music from Haiti, Cuba and Brazil.

The Patikis are as follow
1) The Decent from the Skies. --- 2) The Orishas acquire their powers. -- 3) Why Eshu (Eleggua) Lives outside. -- 4) Iron is received from Oggun. -- 5) Sonpono's Excile. (Babalu Aye) -- 6) The Scattering from Ife. -- 7) Moremi and the Egungun. -- 8) Oranmiya The Warrior Hero of Ife. -- 9) The Friendship of Eshu (Eleggua) and Orunmila. -- 10) Eshu and Death -- 11) Oshun learns the Art of Divination. -- 12) Orunmila Visits Owo. -- 13) The Division of the Cowries. --14) Shango and the Medicine of Eshu. -- 15) Obatala Visits Shango. --16) The Quarrel Between Oya and Oshun. -- 17) How Shango Departed from Oyo. -- 18) Obatala's Farm at Abeokuta. -- 19) The Women's War. -- 20) The Coming of the Oba River. -- 21) Ogbe Baba, Warrior of Ibode. -- 22) The burning of the Elekute grove. -- 23) The Oba's Food. -- 24) Ogedengbe's Drummers. -- 25) How Twins (Ibeji) Came Among the Yoruba. -- 26) The Stone People of Esie. -- 27) The deer Women of Owo. -- 28) Ologun and Apasha. -- 29) Olosun of Ikere. -- 30) Erinle hunter of Ijebu. -- 31) How Ijaba became a Sacrifice. --32) The Medicine of Olu Igbo.

Plus a whole chapter on Cuban Orisha Paikis. A Must Have For all Orisha devotees, and African History buffs alike.

ALTERNATE HEROES (What Might Have Been, Vol 2)
Average customer rating:

Mind Boggling!

Time and Again

ALTERNATE HEROES (What Might Have Been, Vol 2)
Gregory Benford
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Benford, Gregory | ( B ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Alternate History | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Anthologies | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Short Stories | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Series | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Alternate Wars (What Might Have Been, Vol. 3)

WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN, VOL. 4 (What Might Have Been, No. 4)

Alternate Outlaws (Alternate Anthologies)

Alternate Warriors

What Might Have Been: Imaginary History from Twelve Leading Historians (Phoenix Paperback Series)

ASIN: 0553282794
Release Date: 1989-12-01

Book Description

What would have happened if history had been different-if the major events that shaped our times had occurred in a different way-or not at all? From a Confederacy that won the Civil War to a Europe converted to Viking paganism.These bold excursions in time depict bizarre new worlds-oddly familiar, disturbingly different-a glimpse of WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.

Customer Reviews:

Mind Boggling!.......2002-04-06

I truly enjoy this series-it's quick,well done (yes,being various authors there is good and bad,but the good outweighs the bad)and doesn't go into EVERY nuance that lead to divergent paths.I've read other alternate history short story books,but none as well done as this 4 book set.If you enjoy this idea-I can't recommend it enough-it really makes you think how the planet would be different if a decision or event went the other direction.For myself-I love it.Sorry,there are too many stories to delve into and dissect-if curious-BUY IT.
Teaser-Genghis Khan leading the crusades.If that doesn't jump start the imagination-I don't know what will.

Time and Again.......2002-03-18

After reading this kind of work I find myself constantly thinking of how things might play out with even different day-to-day actions. The stories engrain your thoughts. But this was not quite as good of a book as the first volume, as many of the stories were substandard, although there are a few very good ones and therefore the book as a whole is worth recommending.

A Sleep and a Forgetting has a surprise twist, as many of alterative reality stories do, and is about an instrument that allows people to talk with historical figures through the electromagnetic waves of the sun. In this a major butcher accepts Christ. It is fairly well wrought.

Old Man and C is if Einstein had decided to pick up the violin instead, and is just not well written- you don't get the sense of history changing because of his decision. Mules in Horses' Harness is also poorly written- it takes place in the South, with the North having won, but the South is independent- and you never learn how this is possible! And Lenin in Odessa operates with the idea of Lenin having been killed- but it seems to result in the same history we have today, and there is no gripping writing.

*The* great question is presented in The Last Article- how would Gandhi's tactics apply to the Nazis? The Nazis take over India because America never entered WWII. It is quite well written, but unfortunately Harry Turtledove, the author, has not read enough of nonviolent history and practices. Violent response only works half the time, historically. Someone always loses. Nonviolent action, when applied, is statistically much more successful. *And* the only time Hitler was stopped in WWII, other than the final putsch by the Allies, was when nonviolent action was practiced. In Denmark, when the Jews were forced to wear a yellow star, the King also joined them, and his subjects all followed his lead. Even the Nazis were unwilling to kill an entire nation of white Northern Gentiles, and so the Jews were not wiped out from Denmark, as the Nazis couldn't tell the difference between them and Gentiles. Unfortunately, Turtledove's ending doesn't conform to likely historical reality, and is only a slim possibility.

Abe Lincoln at McDonald's is the first really excellent story in this compendium. What if Lincoln had signed the treaty had signed the Seward Treaty for peace with the South and slavery had expanded throughout the Territories and eventually became acceptable in the North as well? It is a very tragic reality, with modern times interposed completely with slavery, and horrible thoughts like a "Super Slaver" where you can buy 10 month old just-weaned slaves for your little girl.

After reading Barry Malzberg's Another G-dd--ned Showboat, I've realized, upon contemplating his previous work, that he's simply just a bad writer. His stories make no sense- they really *do* sound like they came from a chapter in a larger work, as another reviewer said. What if Hemmingway had become a Science Fiction writer?

But Loose Cannon was another of those stories that makes this genre so wonderful. What if Sir Lawrence had *not* died that tragic day on a motorcycle (see the beginning of Lawrence of Arabia) and had been available to meet that other great European general of the desert, Rommel? Susan Schwartz very effectively captures the character of Lawrence.

A Letter From the Pope was well done- what if the almost-last King of the Britons, Alfred, had decided to embrace a multi-religious state instead of encouraging the conquered Vikings to become Christian?

It was nice to finally see some alternate realities that considered the Muslims. Roncesvalles is such a story, where Charlemagne considers between his native Aryanist-paganism, joining the Muslim empire, and joining Byzantium's Orthodoxy. It was fairly well written, but had some historical problems- it is unlikely that the Muslims would have differentiated enough between Orthodoxy and Aryanism, for instance, to see the latter as pagan worship.

His Powder'd Wig, His Crown of Thornes was well written, with a neat idea- what if the Native Americans had joined the British and Benedict Arnold had succeeded in betraying George Washington? And so you have Arnoldsburg, District of Cornwallis. Marc Laidlaw works very well with the ideas of hagiophora and martyrdom as applied to Washington- but in the end the descriptions are simply so disgusting it turned me off to the entire story. Some images in there you do *not* want to read.

Instability is if the H-Bomb had not been developed. It is confusing and vulgar. No Spot of Ground concerns if Edgar Allen Poe had become a General in the Confederate War. It tends to drag out quite a bit, without historical divergences of significance, but has some good thoughts on how Poe might have acted within a military situation.

For me, however, the greatest story was Departures, again by the master author, Turtledove. It is a historical contingency I have often considered writing a novel on myself, though certainly with very different approaches. It considers a merchant turned monk who has flashes of divine inspiration in the composing of hymns to God. His monastery needs to prepare for the coming attack by the Persians. There is no Muslim Empire in this alternate reality.

ALTERNATE HEROES - What Might Have Been Book (2) Two: Instability; No Spot of Ground; The Old Man and C; Loose Cannon; Roncesvalles; His Powder'd Wig His Crown of Thornes; A Sleep and a Forgetting; Mules in Horses' Harness; Lenin in Odessa; Abe Lincoln
Average customer rating:
ALTERNATE HEROES - What Might Have Been Book (2) Two: Instability; No Spot of Ground; The Old Man and C; Loose Cannon; Roncesvalles; His Powder'd Wig His Crown of Thornes; A Sleep and a Forgetting; Mules in Horses' Harness; Lenin in Odessa; Abe Lincoln
Gregory; Greenberg, Martin H. (editors) (Rudy Rucker; Paul Di Filippo; Walter Jon Williams; Sheila Finch; Susan Shwartz; Judith Tarr; Marc Laidlaw; Robert Silverberg; Michael Cassutt; George Zebrowski; James Morrow; Barry N. Malzberg) Benford
Manufacturer: Bantam Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GVTS6A

Alternate Heroes 1 (Featuring the Solar Knight, The Crimehater, and the Equalizers)
Average customer rating:
Alternate Heroes 1 (Featuring the Solar Knight, The Crimehater, and the Equalizers)
Hal Jones
Manufacturer: Prelude Graphics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic
ASIN: B000VUTRKI

What Might Have Been (Alternate Empires/Alternate Heroes)
Average customer rating:
What Might Have Been (Alternate Empires/Alternate Heroes)

Manufacturer: Bantam,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JQTO98

WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN: VOLUMES I & II: ALTERNATE EMPIRES, ALTERNATE HEROES.
Average customer rating:
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN: VOLUMES I & II: ALTERNATE EMPIRES, ALTERNATE HEROES.
Harry, Gregory Benford, Rudy Rucker and Karen Joy Fowler, signed] Benford, Gregory and Greenberg, Martin H., editors. (Poul Anderson, Kim Stanley Robinson, Harry Turtledove, James P. Hogan, George Alec Effinger, Gregory Benford, Robert Silverberg, James Morrow, Barry Maltzberg, Frederik Pohl, and others, contributors) [Turtledove
Manufacturer: Bantam,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JQYCOA

Ian Fleming's James Bond: The hero of romance (Alternate plan paper / Mankato State University. English)
Average customer rating:
Ian Fleming's James Bond: The hero of romance (Alternate plan paper / Mankato State University. English)
Stephen G Burns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B000719RFG

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books