Alternate Fiction

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese launched an attack against U.S. naval forces stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. But what if the Japanese followed up their air assault with an invasion and occupation of Hawaii? This is the question explored by Harry Turtledove in Days of Infamy, with frightening implications.

Some days Nora Nolan thinks that she and her husband, Charlie, lead a charmed life - except when there’s a crisis at work, a leak in the roof at home, or a problem with their twins at college. And why not? New York City was once Nora’s dream destination, and her clannish dead-end block has become a safe harbor, a tranquil village amid the urban craziness. Then one morning she returns from her run to discover that a terrible incident has shaken the neighborhood, and the fault lines begin to open: on the block, at her job, especially in her marriage.

Born into an alternative frontier America where life is hard, and folk magic is real, Alvin is gifted with power, but he must learn to use his gift wisely. Dark forces are arrayed against Alvin, and only a young girl with second sight can protect him.

If Max Brod had obeyed Franz Kafka's dying request, Kafka's unpublished manuscripts would have been burned, unread. Fortunately, Brod ignored his friend's wishes and published The Trial, which became the author's most famous work. Now Kafka's enigmatic novel regains its humor and stylistic elegance in a new translation based on the restored original manuscript.

Introducing Science Fiction Short Stories Vol. 10, a collection of thrilling tales that will transport you to other worlds and challenge your imagination. From the minds of The Shadowplay Collective, these stories will take you on a journey through the vast expanse of space and beyond. Whether you're a die-hard sci-fi fan or just dipping your toes into the genre, this collection is sure to captivate and entertain. In this collection, you'll find stories set in distant galaxies, on alien planets, and in futuristic societies. The Shadowplay Collective has crafted each tale with care, weaving ...

It is six months since the Battle of Hawaii. The war to defend Taiwan has become World War III, and the surviving pilots of a rested and refitted Aggressor Inc. are thrown back into the fight as it moves across multiple fronts. On Japanese Kunashiri Island, the crew of a single Japanese Infantry Fighting Vehicle tries to hold back an entire Russian airborne company, while marauding Russian fighters pour into the skies overhead.

It is the beginning of 1918, the last year of the greatest war in human history, to date. All the belligerents stagger on their feet. Starvation is an ever present reality, while disease waits in the wings. In Russia, no longer a belligerent but, instead, rapidly descending into civil war and chaos, a lone family—Father, Mother, four beautiful young girls, and a brave but sickly boy—await their own fate, shivering and hungry in the dark, hoping and praying for salvation. Their relatives in England have turned their backs. The guards set over them do little but torment them.

Beatrice Leal’s personal life is complicated between her divorce and her precocious six-year-old. But the job she loves is the one thing she counts on to be straightforward—that is, until her boss’s own divorce prompts a move from NYC back to Ireland. Now Bea’s in Ireland twice a month for work. It’s wreaking havoc on the custody agreement she and her moody ex are sorting out while he lives downstairs in the brownstone they co-own. And to top it off, her company’s new CTO turns out to be the boy who once broke her heart: Jack Sander.

This book is considered a prophetical novel foretelling the advent of nuclear weapons. A constant theme in Wells’ work, such as his 1901 nonfiction book Anticipations, was the role of energy and technological advance as a determinant of human progress. The novel opens with this: "The story of mankind is the history of the attainment of external power. Man is the tool-using, fire-making animal...."

It's America in 1962. Slavery is legal once again. The few Jews who still survive hide under assumed names. In San Francisco, the I Ching is as common as the Yellow Pages. All because some twenty years earlier the United States lost a war—and is now occupied by Nazi Germany and Japan.

A freak accident casts Joe Colsco naked onto another planet inhabited by humans with technology circa 1700. In time, Joe, now known as Yozef Kolsko, makes the difficult acceptance of a new life. But he has become embroiled in a struggle beyond any dream he could have had. The Narthani are a militant society intent on subjugating the Caedelli, the people he's come to identify with. Unwittingly, the Narthani themselves are creating an opponent unlike any they have ever faced, an enemy beyond their conceptions.

On July 6, 1963, human history was forever altered. From the depths of space, a golden wave of light bathed everyone on Earth in rays that rendered them unconscious. Six days later, five billion people awakened with superpowers. For thirty-seven years now, superhumanity has managed to keep the peace. With some exceptions....

The Change occurred when an electrical storm centered over the island of Nantucket produced a blinding white flash that rendered all electronic devices and fuels inoperable - and plunged the world into a dark age humanity was unprepared to face....Michael Havel was flying over Idaho en route to the holiday home of his passengers when the plane’s engines inexplicably died, forcing a less than perfect landing in the wilderness. And as Michael leads his charges to safety, he begins to realize that the engine failure was not an isolated incident.

September 1914: The world is at war, and Europe is in flames. Paris had just fallen to the German forces of Kaiser Wilhelm, and the Entente forces are reeling back in disarray. With the fall of Paris, France is in dire straits, and General Joffre, its commander-in-chief, is relieved of command. The two allies meet in London to see how the war can be prosecuted from that point.

The Black Death is dead. After hiding in plain sight for more than a decade under the guise of Captain Dawn, the most powerful empathic mimic who ever lived stepped out from the shadows once more to unleash terror and destruction upon the world. But in his moment of apparent triumph, when all hope seemed lost, the Black Death was defeated by Matt Callaghan and Jane Walker, now known to everyone as Matt the Human and Lady Dawn.

The irreverent author of the cult classic Syrup hits his target in this satire on the wages of big capital. In Max Barry's hilarious vision of the near future, the world is run by giant American corporations, and employees take the last names of the companies they work for; The Police and The NRA are publicly traded security firms, and the U.S. government may only investigate crimes if they can bill a citizen directly.

Adopted by Brahma Corp's Assassin Guild and raised as one of their own, Malina Hayes is about to make her 50th kill. After bringing down 49 of London's worst criminals, this latest job shouldn't be a big deal. But if Malina is successful, she'll receive her first milestone mark. Ascension in the ranks, better pay, and a swanky flat in Soho all sound like very good reasons to make this kill count. But fate and destiny have different plans for Malina. Seconds away from receiving the coveted milestone mark, Malina is torn away from the world she knows.

In one of the most unsettling "what-if" reversals to American history, the Union Army is overrun at the Battle of Antietam. Left with no alternative, President Lincoln surrenders, and the Confederate States of America becomes an independent nation. It's a tragic twist that will produce dire, far-reaching ramifications. As the divided American nations move into the 20th century, slavery has long since been abolished; but in the summer of 1941, America faces another challenge - an existential challenge.

She was the hot mess who stumbled through his door. He was the one who gave her a chance. When Elle Callihan finds herself on the 26th floor of the country's top publishing firm after putting her dreams on hold for five years, she's not about to allow the opportunity to slip through her fingers. There's just one problem. Her new, humorless, this-needs-to-be-done-right-now jerk of a boss makes her working life a living hell.

Ten years ago, the Empath known as the Black Death battled the Legion of Heroes and laid waste to a continent. Infused with the blood of countless superhuman victims, he struck down the Legion one by one, until only its leader, Captain Dawn, remained. When the smoke finally cleared, the Black Death was vanquished—but at a terrible cost to both Captain Dawn and the world . . . Now, the students and staff of Morningstar Academy hope Matt Callaghan, who they believe is a clairvoyant, will lead them to a bright and glorious future.