When I joined the Science Fiction Book Club back in 1992 (and I can't believe it's been that long) one of my first books (six for a penny, you know the drill) was Alternate Presidents, an anthology of about 25 short-stories about alternate history if this president or that one had been replaced by someone else in history. I'm about 150 pages in and it's quite good so far.
So far:
Ben Franklin instead of George Washington
Aaron Burr instead of Alexander Hamilton
Millard Fillmore instead of James Buchanan
Davy Crockett instead of Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson getting elected four years earlier (1824 instead of 1828)
Stephen Douglas instead of Abe Lincoln
There are a few others but I can't remember them off the top of my head.
Good stuff.
If you're looking by author, the editor is Mike Resnick.
You must have quite a backlog of books to read if you're just getting around to 1992. Did you finish the book? What kind of president did Davy Crockett make?
King of the wild frontier!
Kind of like me just now getting around to this thread. :D
Quote from: Gamplayerx on May 28, 2006, 09:16:40 AM
You must have quite a backlog of books to read if you're just getting around to 1992. Did you finish the book? What kind of president did Davy Crockett make?
King of the wild frontier!
Kind of like me just now getting around to this thread. :D
When I first got the book, I wasn't mentally mature enough to understand the concept of alternate history. I tried to read it a few times, but the only stories I had read were the ones of presidents I was alive for. In other words, Dukakis and Reagan.
Crockett actually -- according to the author -- mellowed out in his old age. The story was more about a couple of kids who lived in Crockett's home state; one was a Native American, the other was a Regular American. The NA had been sold as a slave but the RA who was his friend didn't want to lose his friend so since he knew Crockett was nearby he went and saw him. Crockett was but a small part of the story.
Quote from: Listener on May 28, 2006, 02:21:23 PM
one was a Native American, the other was a Regular American.
hahahahaha.
Did Ben Franklin just hold all kinds of orgies and fuck everything that moved? Because that would be awesome.
Quote from: Listener on May 28, 2006, 02:21:23 PM
one was a Native American, the other was a Regular American.
::)