Alternate History
(about the "rules" and "limits" when writing Alt Hist)
(about the "rules" and "limits" when writing Alt Hist)
by Mary Victoria Johnson
As
with most genres, althistory begins with one question: what if? What if Rome
never fell? What if the Nazis won World War II? What if the Dark Ages turned
into a period of great scientific advancement, or what if dragons really did
exist in Ancient China? The possibilities are infinite, which is part of what
makes the alternate history such a fascinating topic to explore. My novel takes
place in the 1880’s, a period that many would recognize as Victorian. There’s
just one key difference: Queen Victoria is dead. Gone. Assassinated. And when
you remove such key players, society obviously develops far differently from
what happened in our timeline. Really, that’s the core of what althistory is:
creating a new, ‘alternate’ timelines.
Few
writers enjoy the idea of rules and limits, and as far as genre boundaries go,
alternate history offers lots of flexibility. You want the fairies of Irish
folktales to be real? Sure. You want massive, gilded airships to be Europe’s
primary mode of transportation? Go for it. You want Da Vinci and Michelangelo
to be rival vampire-hunting vigilantes? Why not! Time travel, steampunk, and
post-apocalyptic dystopias are all totally reasonable subgenres to delve into,
but you’ve got to remember to keep the ‘history’ part too. You’ve got to
remember that Earth –real Earth- has
got to be the basic setting. Even if the magical land of Altoria mimics 3rd
century Peru, if there are no connections to reality, then you’re writing
straight-up fantasy. There has to be a connection to the real historical
timeline. Of course, liberties can be taken; The Ashes and the Sparks involves a completely fictional society
based on a mishmash of real Nordic cultures, set on a completely fictional
archipelago of islands. But since it’s still set in this universe, with
connections to other, real countries, it’s a go.
Another
point to remember, is that usually, you only want to shift one major event. It
gets way too confusing if the Spanish Armada successfully conquers Britain,
leading to a chain of events that make them win the American Revolutionary War,
but then a plague wipes out the entire country, so the moon landing never
happens, so….lost? Exactly. Keep it simple; it’s amazing how a single event can
create a massive ripple effect. Also, don’t leave plot holes. Since you are
dealing with real history, your timeline shift has to be somewhat feasible.
Nothing irritates readers more than logic jumps.
So
go ahead: assemble all your outbreaks and assassinations, and give the past a
twist! Set your chain of events in motion.
The Ashes and the Sparks
Mary Victoria Johnson
YA Alt-History Fantasy
Fire and Ice Young Adult Books
October 18, 2016
Welcome to the
age of airships. It is a world powered by steam and innovation, ruled by an
elusive empress at its heart.
Seventeen year-old Jorun is not part of this world. Hers is one of hidden tunnel networks and lights that dance across night skies, on that has remained separate from the rest of society for over a thousand years. This all changes when a boy appears from nowhere, raving about invaders from a faraway land. Purely by chance, Jorun soon finds herself in the middle of a struggle unlike anything she could have ever dreamed of, and must come to the realization that only she can stop an impending war.
Seventeen year-old Jorun is not part of this world. Hers is one of hidden tunnel networks and lights that dance across night skies, on that has remained separate from the rest of society for over a thousand years. This all changes when a boy appears from nowhere, raving about invaders from a faraway land. Purely by chance, Jorun soon finds herself in the middle of a struggle unlike anything she could have ever dreamed of, and must come to the realization that only she can stop an impending war.
About the Author

a Rafflecopter giveaway
ray bans
ReplyDeletelouboutin pas cher
fred perry shirts
air max pas cher
toms
ralph lauren sale
fitflops sale clearance
mulberry
cheap jerseys
rolex replica watches for sale
170616yueqin
شركة تنظيف خزانات بجدة
ReplyDeleteشركات تنظيف بالطائف
نقل عفش بالرياض
شركات نقل العفش بالرياض
ReplyDeleteشركة نقل عفش
شركة نقل عفش | شركة نقل اثاث بجدة | شركة نقل عفش بالرياض | شركة نقل عفش بالمدينة المنورة | شركة نقل عفش بالدمام
شركة نقل عفش بالدمام
ارخص شركات نقل العفش بالدمام
ReplyDeleteشركة غسيل الفلل بالدمام
شركة غسيل كنب بالدمام
نقل العفش بمكة
شركة مكافحة حشرات بالدمام