Hmmm... was wondering if anyone read the book, "What If- Vol. 2" I have it for the bargain price of $4.99, havent read it yet. I started reading the chapter, what if Jesus wasn't crucified, very interesting one if you ask me.

Yes, found it a little uneven, I preferred the first volume. But that may be my preference for the more military orientation of the first book. It seems to me that some of the "alternatives" go far, far beyond any minor change, which moves it away from Alternative History and into pure fantasy.
I also found it far more American-oriented than the first.

Do you play the civilization boardgame?? As it sayd on you sig??

Originally posted by amirsan
Do you play the civilization boardgame?? As it sayd on you sig??

Yes, although not much recently. It really shows the effect good design can have, as opposed to all the bells and whistles used to mask bad design on the computer these days:rolleyes:

I was thinking you were referring to 'what if' novels, because if so, I would have recommended Robert Harris's excellent 'Fatherland'. And since you aren't, I won't :p ;).

I actually have both What If? and What If? 2. I'm a very big fan of alternate history.

One of my favorite scenarios is the ways the American Civil War could have gone differently. Had Lee beaten McCleallan instead of the other way around...

Another one I liked was the one that showed the importance of the potato. I never expected that a plant could play such a major part in history.

REad Harry Turtledove's Science Fiction. Alternate history is his thing. For example, what if England and France had intervened on behalf of the Confederate States in 1860? The US becomes two hostile nations, waiting for the balance of power in Europe to shift. Enter Germany...

J

Originally posted by onejayhawk
REad Harry Turtledove's Science Fiction.


I already do... :D

i have the first What If? book. It is very interesting.

this book seems very interesting (actually all of them!).

who is the author of the What if book?

It's alright. THey are brilliant stories, poorly told. But their goal is not to tell stories so it's alright.

What If, the original, is well written and well told. I found it refreshing, entertaining, and even enlightening.

What If 2, however, was inferior. Apart from a few brilliant pieces -- the one about Jesus never being crucified stood out -- it was very poorly presented, often repetative, and often seeming to be merely a headline with random and seemingly unrelated text and statistics attached. A great decline in quality.

I liked the first volume better, but both were good as I am a huge alternate history fan and yes I do read Turtledove.

yeah, but who wrote it???

No one wrote them - each individual speculation is by a different specialist in that period of history. The Editor is Robert Cowley, who I think edits an American history magazine (i.e. it's published in American).

Originally posted by onejayhawk
REad Harry Turtledove's Science Fiction.

J

the videssos cycle isn't bad either

so if i were to search for an author would it be Various Authors or Robert Cowley?

I have volume 1. It's extraordinary. I loved it.

I'm ready for the next Turtledove American Empire book..well, I guess it's the WW2 series now...I have enjoyed the How Few Remain---Victorious Opposition series much more than the World War series.

theres another good imaginary history book ive just picked up. Its called Disaster at D-Day. guess what happens there........