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Tales From Alternate Earths: Eight broadcasts from parallel dimensions Kindle Edition

by Jessica Holmes (Author), Terri Pray (Author), Brent A. Harris (Author), Format: Kindle Edition

4.0 318 ratings

Book 1 of 3: Tales From Alternate Earths

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WINNER of the Short Form Sidewise Award for the story Treasure Fleet, by Daniel Bensen.
Also featuring the Sidewise Award-nominated story Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon, by Brent A. Harris and Ricardo Victoria.

Our world could have been so very different...

Eight stories take us on a journey into how our world could have been. What if the nukes had flown that day over Cuba? What if Caesar had survived? Imagine the Tunguska meteor with a different outcome. What if there was a true story behind HG Wells' most famous tale? See the world as it might have been if China discovered the New World first. And what if all of this was never meant to be and dinosaurs ruled the Earth?

Authors Jessica Holmes, Daniel M. Bensen, Terri Pray, Rob Edwards, Maria Haskins, Cathbad Maponus, Leo McBride, and collaborators Brent A. Harris and Ricardo Victoria show us the world that might have been - if the butterfly's wings had fluttered a different way, if the world changed between heartbeats, if a moment of decision saw another choice.

This is the fourth anthology from Inklings Press, aiming to provide a platform for new and upcoming authors and to open the door onto different worlds.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An impressive collection of indie alternate history that you should be reading." - Matt Mitrovich, Amazing Stories.

"Eight lucid,imaginative and thought-provoking tales from a group of talentedwriters, it is a treat for fans of the genre.If you are a fan of science fiction, I would encourage you to read these stories - you will not be disappointed." - Charles Remington, Readers' Favorite, five stars

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01JJYTOXQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Inklings Press (August 19, 2016)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 19, 2016
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2061 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 195 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #336,473 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #480 in Science Fiction Anthologies (Kindle Store)
- #774 in Alternative History
- #980 in Science Fiction Anthologies (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.0 318 ratings

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Terri Pray
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Originally from England, Terri now lives in Minnesota where she writers romance and erotic romance as Terri Pray, and other genres now as T.S. Weaver.
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Daniel M. Bensen
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Daniel M. Bensen writes science fiction, alternate history, and fantasy, including Junction, the Sidewise Award-winning "Treasure Fleet," and Groom of the Tyrannosaur Queen. He was born in Chicago and currently resides with his daughters, wife, and in-laws in the Balkan Tower of Matriarchy.
See his website: http://www.thekingdomsofevil.com/
Follow him on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/danielmbensen
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Cathbad Maponus
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With an Associates degree in Literature, Cathbad has published several short stories, the novel "Flight of the Elves" and its companion, "The Shen (Elven) Language Guide". Also in the series, "Stories of the Elves of Kali", Volumes I and II. Also "Darganau: Autobiography of Dragon". Look for Book 2, "Darganau: War and Pieces", in late June/early July.
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Maria Haskins
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Maria Haskins is a Swedish-Canadian writer of speculative fiction. Her latest short story collection WOLVES AND GIRLS is out now, and her work is also available in her 2021 short story collection SIX DREAMS ABOUT THE TRAIN. Her short fiction has appeared in The Best Horror of the Year Volume 13, Nightmare, The Deadlands, Black Static, Interzone, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Cast of Wonders, Shimmer, Flash Fiction Online, Gamut, Capricious, Kaleidotrope, PseudoPod, and elsewhere.
Maria currently lives just outside Vancouver with a husband, two kids, several birds, a snake, and a large black dog.
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Brent A. Harris
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Brent A. Harris is a two-time alternate history Sidewise Award finalist. He writes of time-traveling astronaut dinosaurs, misunderstood orcs, conflicted AIs, and a universe where Dickens meets steampunk.
When not harried behind a keyboard chugging caffeine, Brent enjoys nerdy stuff like board games, DnD, and arguing why there's still hope for Marvel movies. He holds a Masters in Creative Writing and Film from National University because the school liked his writing enough to pay for his degree.
As part of a military family, he's traveled the world and lived in four different countries yet still can't speak a second language. Heck, the guy can hardly write in English. He currently lives abroad with a broad and a brood in Okinawa, Japan.
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Ricardo Victoria
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Ricardo Victoria is a Mexican writer with a Ph.D. in Design –with emphasis in sustainability- from Loughborough University, and a love of fiction, board games, comic books, and action figures. He lives in Toluca, Mexico with his wife and pets, working works as a full-time lecturer and researcher at the local university. He writes mainly science fantasy.
His first novel, Tempest Blades: The Withered King, was released in August 2019 by Shadow Dragon Press, an imprint of Artemesia Publishing. The sequel, Tempest Blades: Cursed Titans is due for publication in August 2021. He has a number of stories published by Inklings Press, and other indie outlets.
His short story Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon, jointly written with Brent A. Harris, was nominated for a Sidewise Award for short form alternative history.
You can find out more at his website, http://ricardovictoriau.com, or follow him on Twitter, @Winged_Leo
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Leo McBride
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Leo McBride is a writer of speculative fiction - spanning the fields of horror, science fiction and fantasy. A journalist for more than 20 years, he is based in The Bahamas where he is an editor for the country's leading newspaper.
He has published several ebooks - although Quartet is the first of his own writing. He has also been published in anthologies published by Inklings Press.
You can find out more about his work on his blog, www.alteredinstinct.com.
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Rob Edwards
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Rob Edwards is a British born writer and podcaster, living in Finland. His podcast, StorycastRob, features readings from his short stories and excerpts from longer work. His work can also be found in anthologies from Inklings Press and Rivenstone Press.
His debut novel, the scifi superhero adventure The Ascension Machine launches September 2020.
His greatest geek pride is his entry on wookieepedia, the a result of writing several Star Wars RPG scenarios back in the day.
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Jessica Holmes
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4 out of 5

318 global ratings

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PMC Book Reviewer

Alternative History Done Right

Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2016

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As a student of history, I've always been fascinated with great moments in time. Of course we can't change what happened but there's an entire branch of fiction dedicated to exploring the "what if's" of history. Alternative history as a genre is often difficult to define and even harder to write.

"Tales From Alternate Earths," the latest anthology from Inklings Press, presents eight tales of wonder and "what if's" that reach back to ancient Romans (and earlier) to events not far removed from our present. And the collection they've assembled does alternative history right.

The collection starts with a fascinating tale from Jessica Holmes rewriting the events of Sept. 26th, 1983 when the Soviet early warning nuclear detection system incorrectly alerted that the US fired intercontinental ballistic missiles. She reimagines the events as if the Soviets believed the alert and the consequences of that action.

Author Terri Pray follows with a detailed account of the last days of Julius Caesar, but not as we know it. It was so well written I forgot entirely about Caesar's true demise and found myself buying in to her retelling.

From there the collection reimagines Earth as ruled by dinosaurs from the imaginative story "Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon" from Brent Harris and Ricardo Victoria.

Nuclear war and the rise of JFK to presumed world leader in the story "One World" by Cathbad Maponus is an intriguing take on a very well known figure.

Rob Edwards takes a real event, the meteorite that struck a remote Russian forest, and places it in another setting in urban London in his tale "Stargazing on Oxford Street."

"The Secret War" by Leo McBride is an excellent tale of what truly inspired H.G. Wells. The tone and feel of this story easily one of my favorites in the collection.

Daniel Bensen's "Treasure Fleet" tells the tale of a Chinese empire that's converted to Islam and discovers the New World. Though well written and highly unique, I couldn't quite get into the story as much as the others.

The collection ends with another of my favorites, "Tunguska, 1987" by Maria Haskins. This time traveling tale grabbed me from the first line and didn't let go till the end.

As the fourth offering of short stories from Inklings press, I found this anthology to be imaginative and original. This was the first time Inklings Press opened the doors to out-of-house authors and it was a welcome addition to an already strong field of writers.

If you like to guess the course of history and how things could be different if only one thing were changed, this collection is for you. I can't recommend this enough. Even if you aren't a student of history, pick the anthology up. The writing is so strong and convincing you'll not be disappointed.

14 people found this helpful

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WW Writer

3.84 out of 5

Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2017

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***** SPOILER ALERT! *****

I LOVE 'What if' stories!!! One of my all-time favorite movies (because it is a splendid 'what if' story) is Starman. The first novel I ever finished is a 'what if', but I digress.

Tales from Alternate Earths.. a very interesting read and I know as an artists how painful it can be to receive the word as an opinion. Traffic accidents draw our interest... that doesn't mean it's a GOOD thing. Well, this book is no traffic accident. There are a couple of fender-benders along the way, but

Let's take it step by...

1. September 26th, 1983 by Jessica Holmes

The only thing I didn't like about this story was the title. I mean I get it, but it was just low-hanging fruit in my opinion, especially when you consider where the story takes you. Inventive and sensitive... you can tell the author's been people-watching for a while! I give this one 4.5 out of 5

2. One More Dawn by Terri Pray

For me, the engagement of the 'what if' isn't enough. As I stated before Starman hit hard because it was the story of what if someone took us up on our invitation to come to Earth and set a spell. Answer: we shot him out of the sky! But that is just where the story BEGINS! In One More Dawn, we get treated to a view of Caesar not being killed in the Roman Senate. He has grown old and is about to die... and aside from the exposition hinting and detailing the differences of the life he lived, nothing else is gained from this story. It just takes that long for him to die and for his wife, Cleopatra, to come to terms with the fact that he is dying. Something I recognized on Page One, but Page Twelve I am really ready for him to go. 3.0 out of 5

3. Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon by Brent Harris and Ricardo Victoria

What if we're the top of the food chain? Or should I say, what if we weren't the top of the food chain until...

There were some hits & misses with this one. While I enjoyed the suggestion of the toe-clawed wonders ruling it all, I found their evolution more story-fitting than fleshed out, salad-bar picking nuances that served the story while leaving others behind or a little inconsistent. The Science-Fiction application of time-travel was handled with particular care, which was good... and the end was KA-BOOM! 3.75 out of 5

4. One World by Cathbad Maponus

What if JFK had reacted differently to the Cuban Missile Crisis? I am always going to have problems with stories where nearly all of the characters lose their minds. It just shakes me out of my suspension. But that is what it takes for the events to unfold - for everyone in the Power That Be Chamber to just lose it and for the main character to be slow and less than redeemable in his resolve. 3.5 out of 5

5.Stargazing on Oxford Street by Rob Edwards

What if a meteor had struck the Earth in a different place? The pacing of this story was just so slow that it pulled away from what could have been very gripping drama. Every step of the journey was drawn out and seemed repetitive. By the time I got to the mental meat of the story, I didn't care as much as I should have. 3.0 out of 5

6. The Secret War by Leo McBride

STOP THE PRESS! What if what was fiction was actually non-fiction, but made fiction anyway?! Approaching Asimovian plateaus with the subject matter, the story takes you through not only one major point of our history... but two and to think we wanted to believe they were unrelated. WRONG! It took me a second to get Bertie from H.G. Wells (cuz yeah, his parents named him 'H' - duh) but after I laughed at myself, I finished a ride that teased my senses and sensibilities. 5.0 out of 5

7. Treasure Fleet by Daniel Bensen

MAJOR What If Engine! What if one country was actually two of them and they had the idea to go around the world about 60 years before Columbus. It was a bit heavy-handed for me. Having China adopt Islam and then discover the Americas was just a bit much for me to take in the way it was presented. It took me too long to get engaged. 3.0 out of 5

8. Tunguska, 1987 by Maria Haskins

How do you make time-travel more interesting? Tell your story from more than one time! Oh, how easy it was to hate the Metallics! They killed a dog! Oh, it's on alright! Flash forward to another POV. The Metallics are still just as hated, but someone's ready to do something about it. As the two time-points come together you're removed from the here and now and taken to the world of the writer. Loved the trip! 5.0 out of 5

3.84 out of 5 overall

8 people found this helpful

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Phil Taylor(phil_taylor@hotmail.com)

Very Cynical View of JFK in One of the Stories in This Anthology

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2017

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This review is in response to having so far read just one of the stories entitled "One World" by Cathbad Maponus. I realize there are no hard and fast "rules" in fiction, especially in the world of alternative history. However the depiction in this story of JFK, his brother Bobby, and their entourage in an alternative post-nuclear holocaust scenario is incredibly dark, cynical, and defamatory. The Kennedy as presented here does not behave believably, according to what is known about the real-life character of the actual JFK. I won't include spoilers but let's just say Cathbad really has it in for the Kennedys. It seems to me that in the presentation of an alternate historical scenario involving an actual historical personage, there is a real virtue (though not actually a "rule") in being true to what a historical player would actually have done in the alternate scenario, according to what is known of that person in the actual history that we know. That's not done here. In the actual missile crisis in October 1962 the Kennedys pushed back hard against the generals who wanted to bomb the hell out of Cuba, which would probably have started World War III. They also disregarded the counsel of those who wanted to give in to the Russians. Thus they successfully navigated a very careful middle course and spared the world from either nuclear war or Soviet domination. Not at all like the JFK of this story.

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Top reviews from other countries

N. P

Interesting and well written

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 30, 2022

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This collection of short stories from a variety of authors is excellent. The alternate worlds are believable and leave you wanting to know more. It has introduced me to some new authors and I’ve already downloaded their books.

Modesty

A fantastic collection

Reviewed in Australia on November 23, 2017

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This is a really good collection of short stories. While they all have the theme of alternate history, any reader who enjoys in depth and complex characters, intriguing plots, and plot twists will find something to enjoy in this collection. It is a pleasure to read, as each author has delved into different aspects of history, wringing a fable out of a ‘what if?’
It comes as no surprise that stories in this collection were nominated and won awards in the field of alternate history writing. The best part of short stories is that if you enjoy it, there is the chance to track down more of what they have written, and all the authors in this collection have other books to explore.
The stories cover a huge range of history, from the Mesozoic, Egyptian, obscure and not so obscure political events of recent times, meteor impacts, as well as Chinese and South American exploration. It helps, but is not essential to know a little about the time of the story. Even knowing nothing of the period, the stories are enjoyable and fascinating reads.
While not all stories in any collection will be to the taste of the reader, they are diverse enough in scope to ensure every reader will find a number of great reads.

Kindle Customer

Headline for my review

Reviewed in Australia on May 27, 2023

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Short but punchy. Hard to really like because of some stories not really running into each other enough. But a good read none the less.

Dawn

with not much to do found myself soon emerged in the wonderful short stories contained within

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 21, 2016

Verified Purchase

I picked this up as a pre-order seeing it floating in the ethos of facebook. And being stuck in, with not much to do found myself soon emerged in the wonderful short stories contained within.

Of the eight stories, contained within, I think I enjoyed

One More Dawn and The Secret War although I think the dinosaurs ruled the world comes in pretty close too. Lol… who doesn’t love dinos! Even if they can be scary and mean!

What I found was that even though I’m not into history, that the authors actually chose events that most people are and do know about even if they’ve not read many historical novels before. The greatest accomplishment for this collection is the fact that the ‘what ifs’ really could have happened, just that minute decision, or someone missing something, pushing something or someone…. And well some of these could well have been our future.

The collection was pretty polished, I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary and the ‘meet the author’ at the end of each story allowed me to get to know where and how those ideas came about, in a short manor which didn’t detract me from moving onto the next one.

I think my only comment is that although they’re meant to be short stories, and each author they really did pack a lot into each one, as a novel reader mostly, I found myself wishing that there was just a little bit more… A good thing I guess it means I didn’t want to leave the world the authors had created. So well done indeed.

A great collection which really makes you think, wonder, sometimes laugh and feel things you might never have thought.

Take a chance, and see what an alternate universe could have looked like. You’d be surprised for sure.

I’ll be watching out for more stories from Inklings Press, and the authors involved in this collection.

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Tales From Alternate Earths: Eight broadcasts from parallel dimensions Kindle Edition

Editorial Reviews

Review

Product details

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About the authors

Terri Pray

Daniel M. Bensen

Cathbad Maponus

Maria Haskins

Brent A. Harris

Ricardo Victoria

Leo McBride

Rob Edwards

Jessica Holmes

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