Alternative Reads

A new genre has recently caught my attention: Alternate History

What is it you may ask? Well it is a bit more fictional than historical fiction, which takes a real historical setting and makes a story in it. Alternate History on the other hand, invents new history and goes off the what if's of the past, present and future.

It varies quite a bit from the not so far off possibilities of : What if the south won the civil war? What if Japan overtook Hawaii after pearl harbor?

To the more original: What if Islam took over America? What if 99% of America was engulfed by a huge energy field destroying everyone and everything in it?

The latter I was referring to was Without Warning by John Birmingham, the only alt history novel I have currently read, but it peaked my interest in the genre and while I'm not reviewing it, has opened the door to me.

The genre is promising, it requires much creativeness along with a realness needed more so than others. So that aspect intrigues me, the human reaction of the events in these books, the best sellers in this genre to me would be the one with portraying the most likely human reaction.

The former I was referring to was Prayers for the Assassin by Robert Ferrigno while being a interesting premise, fails in aspects of the characters and the overall understanding of this world providing very little description and more about the characters. Which is alright, but you fail to get much connection with them.

I'm wondering what Alternate history novels you have read? I would love to hear about them, as I am always seeking book recommendations.

Here are a few reviews on these books worth mentioning

Without Warning:

http://spectator.org/archives/2009/08/19/imagine-theres-no-country/print

http://booksaremyonlyfriends.blogspot.com/2009/08/way-out-there-alternate-history.html

Prayers for the Assassin:

http://novelsandstories.blogspot.com/2009/07/more-from-my-book-review-archives_7398.html

http://stationwtfo.blogspot.com/2008/12/book-review-prayers-for-assassin.html