One great free alternative history short story is 'The Man in the High Castle' by Philip K. Dick. It presents an alternate world where the Axis powers won World War II. Another is 'Fatherland' by Robert Harris, which also explores a world where the Nazis won. You can often find these stories in public libraries for free, or sometimes on free e - book platforms.
You can start by checking out Project Gutenberg. It has a vast collection of public - domain books, and among them, there might be some alternative history short stories. Another place is Smashwords, where many independent authors offer their works for free or at a very low cost. Some of these could be in the alternative history genre.
One common theme is the idea of 'butterfly effect'. A small change in the past through time travel can lead to huge, unforeseen consequences in the future. For example, in 'A Sound of Thunder', stepping on a butterfly in the past alters the entire future world. Another theme is the exploration of identity. In stories like 'All You Zombies', the protagonist's identity gets muddled due to time travel and the changes in history. Also, power and its misuse is a theme. In 'The Guns of the South', the time - travelers' attempt to change history for their own gains shows how power can be misused in the context of time travel and alternative history.
Here are some recommended novels and short articles:
1. " Then Don't Say Goodbye ": This book contains 25 short stories about love. It tells the stories of men and women facing love in modern cities, as well as the practical problems of love.
2. " Floating City Chronicles ": This book traveled through three prosperous cities and told the love story between different characters.
3. " Nuannuan Likes You When We Were Young ": This is a campus romance novel. It can be recommended as an alternative.
4. " Youth is Half Bright and Half Sad ": This is also a campus romance novel, so it can be recommended as an alternative.
5. " Lover ": This is a sentimental love story about Vietnam during the French colonial period. The forbidden love between a poor French girl and a rich Chinese young master.
Please note that the novels and short articles recommended above are based on the search results provided. There may be other works worthy of recommendation.
One great time travel alternative history short story is 'The Guns of the South' by Harry Turtledove. It involves time travelers bringing AK - 47s to the Confederate side during the American Civil War, which changes the course of history in a very different way. Another is 'All You Zombies' by Robert A. Heinlein. It's a mind - bending time travel story that plays with identity and history in a unique way. And 'By His Bootstraps' by the same author also features time travel and alternative views of causality and history.
The discovery of the New World is another key event. If Columbus had not made that journey, or if other civilizations like the Chinese had reached the Americas first. It could have changed the fate of native American tribes completely. Maybe they would have been able to develop in a more autonomous way, and the exchange of cultures and diseases would have been different. The global economy would also have been shaped differently, as the resources of the Americas would have been exploited in different ways and by different peoples.
There are quite a few. For instance, in 'Resistance' by Owen Sheers, Wales is under German occupation during World War II. It's a story that really delves into the human experience in this alternate situation. Then there are some short stories like 'What We Found' by Geoff Ryman which explores an alternate Africa. Also, 'The Yiddish Policemen's Union' by Michael Chabon presents an alternative history where a temporary Jewish settlement was established in Alaska.
Fiction alternative history basically involves creating fictional stories that reimagine historical events or periods with altered details or different turns of events. It allows for creative speculation on how history might have unfolded differently. For example, what if Germany had won World War II? That's the kind of thing you might find in this genre.
Well, short stories can also be called 'tales'. This term has been used for a long time to refer to short narrative works. Another name could be 'yarns', which gives a sense of a spun - out, often interesting and somewhat folksy short story. And 'vignettes' can also be considered as an alternative name in some cases, which are short, impressionistic scenes or sketches in the form of a story.