ALTERNATIVE HISTORY

Barnes, Steven. Lion's Blood
Aidan O'Dere is a young Celtic boy in 1863 whose peaceful world is turned upside down. One day raiders come to his small village on the banks of the Lute River. His father is killed, and he and his mother, sister and most of his village are bound and gagged and taken into slavery in a far away land, Bilalistan, across the far Western ocean. Bilalistan is a Black Muslim kingdom located in what would be the American South. He settles into the hard life of a slave on a plantation. Aidan's fate is entwined with that of Kai, a young prince and son of the royal governor of Dar Kush. Though they are master and slave, they become fast friends. Their interaction propels the story. Through these two characters Barnes gives us insight into both their worlds. The cruel and inhumane nature of slavery is revealed through the story. Barnes also skillfully contrasts Muslim and Christian views of the world.
The point where this novel diverges from actual history is when Socrates flees to Egypt, instead of accepting the hemlock in Athens. This defection sets in motion a chain of events, including Alexander the Great becoming the new pharaoh of Egypt, Carthage destroying Rome, and Christianity never becoming more than a small cult among the backward peoples of a primitive Europe. Islam emerges in the 7th century A.D. and becomes the dominant world religion, conquering not only the Middle East and Africa, but also establishing colonies in North America, allying with the Zulu Nation, and waging war against the red men's nations to the West, the vicious Aztec empire to the South, and the Viking empire to the North in Vineland. This is a world where a cruel slave trade exists; only in this novel it is the black and brown men of the Islamic world who enslave the white-skinned "pig-bellies."

Bruce Silverstein - Patchgoue-Medford Public Library

Cunningham, Elizabeth. Daughter of the Shining Isles
This speculative fiction, set in 4 B.C. Ireland, is the first volume of the Magdalen Trilogy which blends Celtic mythology and the feminist tradition of the Magdalen mystique. Our feisty heroine is Maeve, born on the legendary Land of Women and raised by her warrior witch mothers where her life is seeped in earthly magic. She is sent away to train as a bard under the Druids, there she meets her soul mate Jesus of Nazarith. It is a love story that imagines, with insight and humor, the beginning of Christianity from a Celtic point of view. It has been compared to Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mist of Avalon and follows the visionary tradition of C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams. Fans of Lawhead and Tanith Lee should also enjoy this adventure and detailed glimpse of ancient Druidism.

Rosemarie Jerome - Half Hollow Hills Community Library

DuBois, Brendan. Resurrection Day
In 1962, a conflict over the installation of Soviet missiles in Cuba had escalated into a situation that put the world on the brink of nuclear war. Through a series of negotiations the crisis came to an end. But what if the Cuban Missile Crisis had not been averted? DuBois' novel is set in 1972, ten years after the total devastation of the Soviet Union and several major U.S. cities as a result of full-blown nuclear war.
Reporter Carl Landry is assigned to cover a routine homicide and discovers that the murder victim had government ties and access to sensitive documents. Landry meets Sandy Price, a love interest that appears to have many secrets of her own, visits the scorched remains of what was once New York City and Washington DC, and ends up in a race against time and the occurrence of a Resurrection Day in America.
DuBois creates intrigue and tension in a page-turning thriller. The novel is fraught with plot twists and descriptions that convey a realistic and plausible sense of devastation. The story flows so evenly that anyone who enjoys a suspenseful read will enjoy it. Other alternative history titles that you may like if you like Resurrection Day include 1901 by Robert Conroy, Fatherland by Robert Harris, On the Beach by Nevil Shute, The Last War by H.G. Wells or The Road to Armageddon by Larry Collins.

Deborah Formosa - Northport-East Northport Public Library

Fforde, Jasper. The Eyre Affair
The Eyre Affair is set in an unrecognizable, fantastic Great Britain in 1985 where the Crimean War with Russia has still not ended after 135 years, time travel and cloning are routine and the love of literature reigns supreme. This cultural literary foundation is threatened when the third most wanted criminal, Acheron Hades, starts kidnapping characters right from the pages of books and murdering them. When Hades steals the original manuscript of Bronte's Jane Eyre, Fforde's witty heroine, Thursday Next, SpecOps-27 Literary Detective, must use her uncle's Prose Portal to enter the book's pages and save the classic work from destruction. Mystery, comedy, fantasy, science fiction and romance, The Eyre Affair has it all and will appeal to a variety of readers. Bibliophiles will be unable to resist the multitude of literary references and will enjoy "traveling" into the pages of beloved classic novels.

Readalikes: The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell

Ilana Beckerman - West Babylon Public Library

Fry, Stephen. Making History
Would the world be a better place if Hitler were never born? Michael Young, graduate student of German history, and Leo Zuckermann, German physicist, create a Hitler-free world with the help of Zuckermann's time machine. Can history be successfully changed? That is explored in this thought provoking but also very funny alternate history. Fry combines history and British humor to make a unique story that will be enjoyed by history buffs and lovers of satire.

Karen Jaffe - Comsewogue Public Library

Garrett, Randall. Too Many Magicians
Richard the Lion-Hearted does not die but returns to England to found a dynasty that continues into the twentieth century. The Anglo-French Empire headed by John the IV, a descendent of Richard, is comprised of England, France, Scotland, Ireland, New England (North America), and New France (South America).
Lord Darcy is the chief criminal investigator for Prince Richard, Duke of Normandy and the king's brother. Darcy's assistant is Master Sean O'Lochlainn, a forensic sorcerer. Darcy and O'Lochlainn are like Holmes and Watson and solve crimes using deductive reasoning and magic. Magic is not used as a "cheat" to solve the crime but as technology is used today. The mystery plays fair with the reader and the clues are available to solve the crime.
Though Too Many Magicians is a locked room murder occurring at a magicians' conference, the crime was committed without the use of magic. There are many illusions to other mysteries and other detectives. It is an enjoyable read for mystery and fantasy fans alike.
Read Alikes would be the Sherlock Holmes and Nero Wolf mysteries for the mystery buffs and for the fantasy fans Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke or A Scholar of Magics and A College of Magics by Caroline Stevermer.

Michelle Epstein - Northport-East Northport Library

Gingrich, Newt and William R. Forstchen. Gettysburg: a novel of the Civil War
What if General Robert E. Lee had won a victory at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania? The 1863 Battle of Gettysburg is considered the turning point of the Civil War. In this version, General Lee out maneuvers the Army of the Potomac and forces General Meade into a desperate attack directly to the front of the Army of North Virginia. The book's action spans less than a two-week time frame, from June 28, 1863 to July 9, 1863. The book is written in diary form and alternating from the Confederate to the Union perspective. The authors offer vivid battle descriptions and a very realistic and insightful alternate history. In this first novel in a series of three to date, the North is left bitterly defeated at Gettysburg. Civil war buffs and military fiction fans will enjoy this series.

Readalikes: Alternative Histories: Guns of the South: a novel of the Civil War, Harry Turtledove (series) Grey Victory, Robert Skimin Historical Fiction: The Killer Angels, Michael Sharra

Joanne Genovese - Smithtown Public Library

Iles, Greg. Black Cross
A nail biting "what if" thriller that contemplates: "Hitler armed with chemical weapons" necessitates the unlikely pairing of medical doctor, Mark McConnell, and Jonas Stern, a James Bond-like CIA agent. A diabolical plot is being hatched to test a deadly efficient killer "Sarin" on the prisoners of a German concentration camp, and then to be used on the Allies. Dr. McConnell and Agent Stern are called upon to infiltrate the camp and stop the evil plan. After agreeing to assist the government, Dr. McConnell discovers to his horror that the orders are to destroy the camp with the prisoners still in there.

Readalikes: Gingrich, Newt Gettysburg Turtledove, Harry In the Presence of Mine Enemies

Marie T. Horney - Cold Spring Harbor Library

Read, Piers Paul. On the Third Day
Set in Israel and London 1988, Read's 11tth novel begins with the discovery of a cistern containing the mortal remains of a person believed to be Jesus. There is a long, rusty spike pinning the ankle bones together. Nail holes pierce both wrists and a circle of marks around the skill - could they possibly be wounds from a crown of thorns?
Will the Vatican be forced to retract its central doctrine? Would millions of followers be disillusioned and destroy the church? Is it possible that Israel's secret service has carried out an elaborate sting operation using a faked ancient document to validate the findings? If Christianity were crippled or destroyed, the world would have to accept that God's covenant with Israel still stood and the land of Israel must still remain in force as well.
The characters face moral issues deriving from the discovery. Michael Dagan, a renowned Israeli archeologist experiences a crisis of conscience as he argues with himself that Israel's acts are only to prevent another Holocaust when he realizes that "in seeking to punish" the enemies of his people, he had "become malign himself." Andrew Nash leaves the priesthood because his celibacy was bound to his belief in Jesus and there is Ya'acov Dagan, Michael's son and a member of Israel's secret service who prods his father into contriving a lie.

Readalikes with Biblical themes: Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose Greg Isles, The Footprints of God

Grace O'Connor - West Islip Public Library

Robinson, Kim Stanley. The Years of Rice and Salt
Kim Stanley Robinson's novel is an examination of how human history might be different if 14th-century Europe was virtually wiped out by the plague. Told through the stories of individuals who lived during various influential periods of past, present and near-future time, this Alternative History tracks the emergence of Islamic and Buddhist societies as the world's dominant political and religious forces.
Although critically well-received, this novel is too long (672 p.) and too complex for the average reader, but should appeal to sophisticated fans of science fiction and alternative history, especially those who have a background in world history, science, theology, or politics. For those willing to tackle it, there is an abundance of suspense, surprise, and mystery in this wonderful work of historic speculation.

Readalikes: (courtesy of Allscifi.com) Threads - by Nell Gavin Priestess of Avalon - by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Diana L. Paxson Roma Eterna - by Robert Silverberg Apacheria: An Epic of Alternative History - by Jake Page Colonization: Down to Earth - by Harry Turtledove

Kathleen Scheibel - South Country Public Library

Roth, Philip. The Plot Against America.
When the renowned aviation hero and rabid isolationist Charles A. Lindbergh defeated Franklin Roosevelt by a landslide in the 1940 presidential election, fear invaded every Jewish household in America. Not only had Lindbergh, in a nationwide radio address, publicly blamed the Jews for sel?shly pushing America toward a pointless war with Nazi Germany, but upon taking office as the thirty-third president of the United States, he negotiated a cordial "understanding" with Adolf Hitler, whose conquest of Europe and virulent anti-Semitic policies he appeared to accept without difficulty.
What then followed in America is the historical setting for this startling new book by Pulitzer Prize-winner Philip Roth, who recounts what it was like for his Newark family - and for a million such families all over the country - during the menacing years of the Lindbergh presidency, when American citizens who happened to be Jews had every reason to expect the worst.

Rhea Pollock - Brentwood Public Library