Return to the alternate-history wiki

Alternate history is a form of speculative fiction depicting a world in which history has diverged from our history. Alternate history stories depict an alternate timeline that starts from a point of divergence (POD) which may or may not be explicit in the story.

Alternate history sometimes involves time travel or inter-timeline travel, but can also be self-contained.

External resources

• The alternate history list (a good resource to identify alternate history stories or find alternate histories with a particular point of divergence)

Alternate history is a form of speculative fiction depicting a world in which history has diverged from our history. Alternate history stories depict an alternate timeline that starts from a point of divergence (POD) which may or may not be explicit in the story.

Alternate history sometimes involves time travel or inter-timeline travel, but can also be self-contained.

External resources

• The alternate history list (a good resource to identify alternate history stories or find alternate histories with a particular point of divergence)

Wikipedia defines alternative history as "... a genre of fiction consisting of stories that are set in worlds in which history has diverged from the actual history of the world." It further goes on to say "Since the 1950s, this type of fiction has to a large extent merged with science fictional tropes involving cross-time travel between alternate histories or psychic awareness of the existence of 'our' universe by the people in another; or ordinary voyaging uptime (into the past) or downtime (into the future) that results in history splitting into two or more time-lines." Good examples would be the Wild Cards series, or perhaps a novel in which Germany and its allied forces win World War II.

Alternate history is a form of speculative fiction depicting a world in which history has diverged from our history. Alternate history stories depict an alternate timeline that starts from a point of divergence (POD) which may or may not be explicit in the story.

Alternate history sometimes involves time travel or inter-timeline travel, but can also be self-contained.

External resources

• The alternate history list (a good resource to identify alternate history stories or find alternate histories with a particular point of divergence)

Wikipedia defines alternative history as "... a genre of fiction consisting of stories that are set in worlds in which history has diverged from the actual history of the world." It further goes on to say "Since the 1950s, this type of fiction has to a large extent merged with science fictional tropes involving cross-time travel between alternate histories or psychic awareness of the existence of 'our' universe by the people in another; or ordinary voyaging uptime (into the past) or downtime (into the future) that results in history splitting into two or more time-lines." Good examples would be the Wild Cards series, or perhaps a novel in which Germany and its allied forces win World War II.