“Harry Turtledove: Judy Tarr was complaining in a letter in 1988 that the cover art for a historical fantasy novel she had coming out was as anachronistic as Robert E. Lee with an Uzi. I looked at that and admired it. When I wrote back, I printed out the letter and added a handscrawl PS under my signature: ‘Who would want to give Robert El Lee an Uzi? Time-traveling South Africans, maybe? If I write it, I’ll give you an acknowledgement.’…And that’s how Guns of the South happened, and how I got to quit my day job. Thanks, Judy…” (p.104)

Jack Dann’s book could have been titled The Fiction Reader’s Guide to Alternate History. Alternate History is a genre where Japan and Germany win World War II as in Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle. I quoted Harry Turtledove above because he’s written over a dozen Alternate History novels and his first big hit, Guns of the South, has the South winning the Civil War with the help of modern automatic weapons. Decades earlier, Ward Moore wrote Bring the Jubilee which also had the South triumphant.

I’ve read a fair number of Alternate History books over the years and have enjoyed many of them. In THE FICTION WRITER’S GUIDE TO ALTERNATE HISTORY, practitioners of Alternate History writing discuss their approach, methods, and craft (check the list of authors included in Chapter Six below). Fascinating stuff!

As a result of reading THE FICTION WRITER’S GUIDE TO ALTERNATE HISTORY I came away with a long list of Alternative History books I want to read. If you read THE FICTION WRITER’S GUIDE TO ALTERNATE HISTORY, I’m sure you will, too. Are you a fan of Alternate History? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. A Few Introductory Notes and Thoughts About Alternate History and the Slippery Slope of Fiction — 1

2. Let’s Examine What We’re Talking About — 3
– Definitions and Divergence Points
– ‘Alternate History’ and Science Fiction: a Potted History
– Model making…

3. Are we really Theorizing about History and Morality and Choice? — 19
– How To Bring Your Readers Up To Speed
– Thinking About History…and Your Readers

4. Taking a Break From Me: “White City” by Lewis Shiner — 29

5. Craft Problems and Solutions — 35
– Deconstructing Tesla and Assembling the Counterfactual Fiction Writer’s Toolbox
– A Quick Inventory

6. The Tactics of Creating Counterfactual Texts: a Roundtable Q & A — 55
With Kim Stanley Robinson, William Gibson, Pamela Sargent, Harry Turtledove, John Crowley, Michael Bishop, , Lisa Goldstein, John Kessel, John Birmingham, Barry N. Malzberg, Janeen Webb, Bruce Sterling, Mark Shirrefs, Christopher Priest, Terry Bisson, Mary Rosenblum, Michael Swanwick, Paul Di Filippo, Richard Harland, Howard Waldrop, Lewis Shiner, and George Zebrowski

7. A Very Personal Meditation On Writing: Or How I Do It…and Think About It — 125

8. A Very Few Last Words About…You — 141

Bibliography — 143

About the Author — 152

About the Contributors — 154

Index — 162

On February 29, I reviewed Best of the Bubblegum Years (you can read my review here). In a comment, Fred Blosser suggested I check out 25 ALL-TIME GREATEST BUBBLEGUM HITS: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION from 2000. It took a bit of searching on-line but I finally found a copy and bought it. Now that I’ve listened to 25 ALL-TIME GREATEST BUBBLEGUM HITS: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION I have to agree with Fred. It is vastly better than Best of the Bubblegum Years. And, it includes my favorite Bubblegum Hit, “Sugar, Sugar” by The Archies!

“Bubblegum Hit” can be loosely defined. I don’t really consider “I’m a Believer” by The Monkees a Bubblegum Hit but it was certainly a hit song : the single, produced by Jeff Barry, hit the number-one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending December 31, 1966, and remained there for seven weeks, becoming the last number-one hit of 1966 and the biggest-selling single for all of 1967.

Many of these Bubblegum Hits are One-Hit Wonders. What ever happened to The Cuff Links and The Banana Splits? Do you remember these songs? Any favorites here? GRADE: A

TRACK LIST:

1	Ohio Express–	Yummy, Yummy, Yummy Producer – Jeff Katz, Jerry Kasenetz Written-By, Lead Vocals, Producer – Joey Levine Written-By, Producer – Artie Resnick*
2	The Cuff Links–	Tracy Lead Vocals – Ron Dante Written-By, Producer – Paul J. Vance*Written-By, Producer, Arranged By, Conductor – Lee Pockriss	2:11
3	The Monkees–	I’m A Believer Lead Vocals – Micky Dolenz Producer, Arranged By – Jeff Barry Supervised By – Don Kirshner Written-By – Neil Diamond	2:46
4	Crazy Elephant–	Gimme Gimme Good Lovin’ Executive-Producer – Jeff Katz, Jerry Kasenetz Lead Vocals – Robert Spencer Producer – Artie Resnick*Written-By – Ritchie Cordel lWritten-By, Producer, Arranged By – Joey Levine	2:02
5	The Fun And Games–	The Grooviest Girl In The World Lead Vocals – Rock Romano, Sam Irwin Written-By – Michael Bottler*Written-By, Producer – Gary Zekley	2:51
6	Tommy Roe–	Jam Up And Jelly Tight Producer – Steve Barri Written-By – Freddy Weller, Tommy Roe	2:20
7	1910 Fruitgum Company–	Indian Giver Lead Vocals – Mark Gutkowski Written-By, Producer – Bo Gentry, Bobby Bloom, Ritchie Cordell	2:42
8	The Banana Splits–	Wait Till Tomorrow Producer – David Mook Written-By – Mark Barkan Written-By, Lead Vocals – Ritchie Adams	2:34
9	Bobby Sherman–	Easy Come, Easy Go Arranged By – Al Capps Producer – Jackie Mills Written-By – Diane Hildebrand, Jack Keller	2:40
10	Dawn (5)–	Knock Three Times Arranged By – Norman Bergen Lead Vocals – Tony Orlando Producer – Dave Appell, The Tokens Written-By – Irwin Levine, L. Russell Brown	2:58
11	The Flying Machine–	Smile A Little Smile For Me Lead Vocals – Tony Newman (3) Written-By – Geoff Stephens Written-By, Producer, Arranged By – Tony Macaulay	2:52
12	Josie And The Pussycats (2)–	Every Beat Of My Heart Lead Vocals – Patrice Holloway Producer – Bobby Young Written-By – Bobby Hart Written-By, Producer – Danny Janssen	2:12
13	Tommy James & The Shondells–	I Think We’re Alone Now Arranged By – Jimmy “Wiz” Wisner*Producer – Bo Gentry Written-By, Producer – Ritchie Cordell	2:09
14	The Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus–	Quick Joey Small (Run, Joey, Run)E xecutive-Producer – Jeff Katz, Jerry Kasenetz Producer – Artie Resnick*Written-By – Kris ResnickWritten-By, Lead Vocals, Producer, Arranged By – Joey Levine	2:24
15	Salt Water Taffy–	Finders Keepers Lead Vocals – Tommy West Written-By, Producer – John Giametta, Rod McBrien	2:45
16	Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart*–	Alice Long (You’re Still My Favorite Girlfriend) Arranged By – Artie Butler Written-By, Producer – Bobby Hart, Tommy Boyce	2:50
17	Street People (3)–	Jennifer Tomkins Written-By – Gerard Florio Written-By, Lead Vocals – Rupert Holmes Written-By, Producer – Paul Vance	1:55
18	Edison Lighthouse–	Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) Lead Vocals – Tony Burrows Written-By – John Barry Mason*Written-By, Producer – Tony Macaulay	2:53
19	Capt. Groovy & His Bubblegum Army*–	Captain Groovy And His Bubblegum Army Lead Vocals – Bobby Bloom Written-By – Sal Trimachi Written-By, Executive-Producer – Jeff Katz, Jerry Kasenetz Written-By, Producer – Ritchie Cordell	3:07
20	Robin McNamara–	Lay A Little Lovin’ On Me Written-By – Jim Cretecos, Robin McNamara Written-By, Producer – Jeff Barry	3:04
21	The Rock & Roll Dubble Bubble Trading Card Co. Of Philadelphia–	Bubble Gum Music Arranged By, Conductor – Bassett Hand Lead Vocals, Producer – Jerry Goldstein Written-By – Bob Feldman, Gerald Goldstein	2:44
22	White Plains–	My Baby Loves Lovin’ Lead Vocals – Rick Wolff, Tony Burrows Written-By, Producer – Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway	2:59
23	The Sweet–	Funny, Funny Lead Vocals – Brian Connolly Producer – Phil Wainman Written-By – Mike Chapman, Nicky Chinn	2:46
24	Barry Blue–	Dancin’ (On A Saturday Night) Producer, Arranged By – Gerry Shury Written-By – Lindsey DePaul *Written-By, Producer, Arranged By – Barry Blue	3:07
25	The Archies–	Sugar, Sugar Lead Vocals – Ron Dante, Toni Wine Written-By – Andy Kim Written-By, Producer – Jeff Barry	2:44

From 1978 to 1991 Charles L. Grant edited a series of anthologies titled Shadows, published by Doubleday, followed by a number from 1 to 11. The first volume in the series won the World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology. There was also a Best of Shadows anthology published in 1988. I found most of the stories in the Shadows series dealt with psychological suspense for the most part. Yes, there was some violence in some of these stories, but it was more of the toned-down variety.

My favorite stories in Shadows 4 (1981) are Tanith Lee’s “Meow” and “The Spider Glass” by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. I had already read “Meow” when I reviewed a short story collection by Tanith Lee last year (you can read my review here). “Meow” features a moody magician who engages in a torrid affair with a beautiful young woman who loves cats.

“The Spider Glass” is one of those discursive stories where you don’t really know where the plot is heading. Over brandy, Charles Whittenfield tells his dinner guests a weird story of an antique Venetian mirror and a woman who encounters Yarbro’s popular vampire protagonist, le Comte de Saint-Germain!

This type of anthology is rarely published today. Charles L. Grant not only selected the stories for these volumes, he wrote insightful essays to engage the reader and wonderful introductions to the stories. I recommend the books in series if you can find them. GRADE: B

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• Introduction – (1981) – essay by Charles L. Grant — vii
• The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands – (1981) – short story by Stephen King — 1
• Yours, -Guy – (1981) – short story by Robert F. Young — 18
• The Belonging Kind – (1981) – short story by John Shirley and William Gibson — 27
• Calling Collect – (1981) – short story by Barry N. Malzberg and Arthur L. Samuels — 39
• Hearing Is Believing – (1981) – short story by Ramsey Campbell — 46
• Threshold – (1981) – short story by Deirdre L. Kugelmeyer — 55
• A Visit to Brighton – (1981) – short story by Alan Ryan — 58
• Echoes From a Darkened Shore – (1981) – short story by Cherie Wilkerson — 68
• The Blue Chair – (1981) – short story by Tabitha King — 80
• Meow – (1981) – short story by Tanith Lee — 95
• The Giveaway – (1981) – short story by Steve Rasnic Tem — 106
• Need – (1981) – short story by Lisa Tuttle — 111
• Waiting for the Knight – (1981) – short story by Beverly Evans — 122
• Under My Bed – (1981) – short story by Al Sarrantonio — 129
• The Hour of Silhouette – (1981) – short story by Juleen Brantingham — 133
• Snow, Cobwebs, and Dust – (1981) – short story by John Keefauver — 142
• The Spider Glass – (1981) – novelette by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro — 145

Forty-four years ago, I read James Clavell’s 1000 page novel, Shogun, and then watched Richard Chamberlain in the 5-episode TV version of Shogun. Set in 1600, the story of a shipwrecked English “pilot” (aka, navigator) taken prisoner by the Japanese, is full of action and adventure. This new FX version of Shogun (10 episodes) paints a much more complete picture of Clavell’s epic novel with a much broader canvas.

The story starts with a Dutch trading ship Erasmus and its barely surviving crew blown ashore by a violent storm at Anjiro on the east coast of Japan. Pilot-Major John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), the ship’s English navigator, is taken prisoner by samurai warriors. The Catholic foothold in Japan puts Blackthorne, a Protestant and therefore a heretic in this situation, at a political disadvantage that might cost him his life.

The influential Lord Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), mistrusts this foreign religion now spreading throughout Japan. He is competing with other samurai warlords of similar high-born rank, among them Catholic converts, for the very powerful position of shōgun, the military governor of Japan. Toranaga, under political stress that might cost him his life, sees John Blackthorne as a wild card that might change the balance of power among the warlords–and maybe save his own life.

My favorite character is Lady Markiko Toda (Anna Sawai), a tormented aristocrat who balances her Catholic religion and her loyalty to Lord Toranaga, who becomes the interpreter and eventual lover of Blackthorne.

Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks (co-writer of Top Gun: Maverick), show runners of Shogun, present a feudal and beautiful Japan full of treachery and political intrigue. The scope and power of Shogun with its bold drama and scale makes this series one of the year’s best! GRADE: INCOMPLETE but trending toward an A

“One morning I woke up with my head in the shower and my feet by the toilet. The children were with their grandparents for the weekend, and I used that as an excuse to binge. My knuckles were bleeding, my face was red, my body was bloated, and my mind was on edge. It scared me. All the rules I had set years before when I reentered the drinking world had gone out the window by the end of that first year of the pandemic. I was drinking away my crippling fears about the end of the world and how the children I’d brought into it would navigate it. Meanwhile, I couldn’t navigate it myself.” (p. 267-268)

Margo Price, a Nashville-based singer and songwriter with three albums, a nomination for a Grammy for Best New Artist, and a performance on Saturday Night Live, narrates this harrowing story of her difficult life.

Margot struggled as a kid, never fitting in. But she was drawn to music and taught herself how to play the guitar. For years, Margot worked as a waitress while she pursued her dream of becoming a singer. She wrote songs and performed on street corners. She fell in love with another musician, Jeremy, but their relationship was stormy.

The music industry, as Margot describes it, is harsh and difficult. As a result, she and Jeremy turned to drugs and alcohol. That did not improve their relationship. As far as I can tell, it did not improve their chances at success in the the music industry, either. Only years of persistent performing and touring finally brought some acclaim and a growing audience for Margot’s songs.

If you want to read a no-holds-barred description of life as a performer today with endless tours and a myriad of problems navigating life on the road, Maybe We’ll Make It is the Real Deal. GRADE: A

Last year, TURBOTAX refused to allow me to e-file my Federal and State returns. When I called the TURBOTAX help line, they wanted to charge me $50 to tell me how to fix that. “Go to Hell,” I told them and printed out my tax returns and mailed them in, vowing I’d never use TURBOTAX again!

Well, Time heals some wounds and last week I decided to give TURBOTAX one more chance. It took me about an hour to install the program, input our tax data, and fill in the New York State tax data. Finally, the Moment of Truth: would TURBOTAX allow me to e-file or would I never use TURBOTAX again? Fortunately, both the Federal and State returns were e-filed successfully. We owed some money to the Feds and a bit more to NY State.

Do you have your taxes done? Do you do it yourself or do you farm the tax preparation out?

As usual, I know very little about the politics of the Oscars. Here are my best guesses for the winners:

BEST PICTURE:  “Oppenheimer”

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE: Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”)

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE: Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”)

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”)

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: Robert Downey Jr. (“Oppenheimer”)

BEST DIRECTOR:  Christopher Nolan

Who do you think will win?

The Bad Batch, Season 3 is the final season of this Star Wars series. The elite clone unit is on the run from the Empire and trying to stop a secret, experimental project. I’ve watched five of the 15 episodes in this series. The Bad Batch is going out with a bang!

I’m impressed by the story-telling and cast of this series. Michelle Ang, who portrayed the young clone Omega perfectly from the beginning of this series, continues to dazzle in this final chapter. The dissension among the clones is partial resolved as the threats from the Empire grow. The clone squad–Omega, Crosshair, Echo, Hunter, and Wrecker–face dire danger as Project Necromancer ramps up.

I watched The Bad Batch from the beginning ( you can read my review here) and enjoyed the steady progression of improvement from episode to episode. This animated series captures much of the excitement and thrills of the original Star Wars series. If you’re in the mood for some “sense of wonder” entertainment, give The Bad Batch, Season 3 a try. GRADE: Incomplete, but trending towards a B+

The Tigress (1961) opens with a corpse of a young secretary found in the coffin meant for the wife of her boss. Lieutenant Al Wheeler investigates this bizarre crime while an impressive array of suspects provide conflicting accounts to baffle him. My favorite part is when Wheeler is stalked by a deadly black panther! A sex club, a nymphomaniac, and cunning killer make this Carter Brown mystery as sharp as the claws of a tigress. GRADE: B+

In The Exotic (1961), County Sheriff Lavers, Al Wheeler’s boss, is outraged when a cab delivers a corpse to his house. Lavers orders Wheeler to find the culprit and determine why the dead body was sent to him. Wheeler discovers a crime committed years ago led to the murder of an investment professional who was framed for embezzlement. Two thugs who search for the missing $100,000 rough Al Wheeler up…but Wheeler gets his revenge. Plenty of plot twists in this one! GRADE: A-

Angel! (1962) opens with a bang! A small plane explodes from a time bomb and the pilot is killed. Al Wheeler is one of the witnesses. But, was the pilot the intended victim…or was some else the real target? Wheeler investigates a group of retired fighter pilots and the women in their lives. With a million dollars at stake, Wheeler has no problem with finding a motive among a group of men who learned to kill in the military. GRADE: B+

Carter Brown’s Al Wheeler series mixes wild mysteries, beautiful women, sarcasm, action, and clever investigation into a blend that has entertained readers for over a half a century! Don’t miss this excellent Stark House omnibus edition!

Remember when MTV was a hot cable channel? And remember the MTV UNPLUGGED series?  The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999. From 2000 to 2009, it aired less frequently and was usually billed as MTV Unplugged No. 2.0. Bob Dylan showed up on MTV UNPLUGGED in 1995 and shortly there after the Bob Dylan MTV Unplugged album showed up in record stores.

The year before that, Tony Bennett showed up on MTV UNPLUGGED with guests k. d. lang and Elvis Costello. While Dylan performed a selection of his songs, Bennett went with the Great American Songbook.

“The new audience reached its height with Bennett’s appearance in 1994 on MTV Unplugged.(Bennett quipped on the show, ‘I’ve been unplugged my whole career.’) Featuring guest appearances by rock and country stars Elvis Costello and k.d. lang (both of whom had an affinity for the standards genre), the show attracted a considerable audience and much media attention. The resulting MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett album went platinum and, besides taking the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance Grammy award for the third straight year, also won the top Grammy prize of Album of the Year.”

“Now MTV is a ghost. Its average prime-time audience of 256,000 people in 2023 was down from 807,000 in 2014, the Nielsen company said.” Even worse is The Disney Channel which has lost 93% of its audience, from 1.96 million in 2014 to 132,000 last year. Cable TV is sinking fast.

Are you a Bob Dylan and Tony Bennett fan? GRADE: B+ (for both)

TRACK LIST:

Tombstone Blues	4:54
		Shooting Star	4:06
		All Along The Watchtower	3:36
		The Times They Are A-Changin’	5:48
		John Brown	5:26
		Desolation Row	8:17
		Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35	3:29
		Love Minus Zero / No Limit	5:22
		Dignity	6:29
		Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door	5:36
		Like A Rolling Stone	9:09
		With God On Our Side	7:07

TRACK LIST:

1		Old Devil Moon Written-By – B. Lane*, E.Y. Harburg	2:29
2		Speak Low Written-By – K. Weill*, O. Nash	3:10
3		It Had To Be You Written-By – G. Kahn*, I. Jones	3:13
4		I Love A PianoWritten-By – I. Berlin*Written-By – I. Berlin*	1:57
5		It Amazes Me Written-By – C. Leigh*, C. Coleman	3:03
6		The Girl I Love (a/k/a The Man I Love) Written-By – G. Gershwin*, I. Gershwin	4:05
7		Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words) Written-By – B. Howard	2:57
8		You’re All The World To Me Written-By – A.J. Lerner*, B. Lane*	2:16
9		Rags To Riches Written-By – J. Ross*, R. Adler	1:24
10		When Joanna Loved Me Written-By – J. Segal*, R. Wells	3:16
11		The Good Life / I Wanna Be Around Written-By [I Wanna Be Around] – J. Mercer*, S. Vimmerstedt *Written-By [The Good Life] – J. Reardon*, S. Distel	3:21
12		I Left My Heart In San Francisco Written-By – D. Cross*, G. Cory	2:35
13		Steppin’ Out With My Baby Written-By – I. Berlin	3:12
14		Moonglow Vocals [Performed With] – k.d. lang Written-By – E. DeLange*, I. Mills*, W. Hudson	4:34
15		They Can’t Take That Away From Me Vocals [Performed With] – Elvis Costello Written-By – G. Gershwin*, I. Gershwin*	3:26
16		A Foggy Day Written-By – G. Gershwin*, I. Gershwin	2:15
17		All Of You Written-By – C. Porter	2:36
18		Body And Soul Written-By – E. Heyman*, F. Eyton*, J. Green*, R. Sour*	3:53
19		It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing Written-By – D. Ellington*, I. Mills	3:38
20		Autumn Leaves / Indian Summer Written-By – A. Dubin*, J. Prevert*, J. Mercer*, J. Kosma*, V. Herbert	5:50

This is the latest volume of Sherlock Holmes pastiches edited by the capable David Marcum. If you’re a Sherlock Holmes fan some of these short stories will delight you. Others…not so much.

I was very moved by Michael Sims’s reflection, “The Dark Lantern,” where Sims writes about his battle with juvenile arthritis that left him wheelchair-bound. However, during a hospital stay, Sims discovered Sherlock Holmes and open a whole new area of interest in his life. You can read my review of Michael Sims’s latest anthology, The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries here).

My favorite story in The MX Book of New SHERLOCK HOLMES Stories: Part XXXVII is David Marcum’s “The Abridge Disappearance” where a missing college student draws Holmes and Watson into a desperate search.

I’ve read several anthologies of Sherlock Holmes pastiches lately so I’ll be taking a break from this genre for a couple of months. GRADE: B

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Editor’s Foreword: The Sherlockian Reformation / David Marcum — 1

Dark Lantern / Michael Sims — 10

“What Is It That We Love In Sherlock Holmes?” / Roger Johnson — 14

An Ongoing Legacy for Sherlock Holmes / Steve Emecz — 16

A Word from Undershaw / Emma West –18

Moriarty (A Poem) / Kevin Patrick McCann — 33

The Adventure of the Improbable American / Will Murray — 35

The Return of Spring-Heeled Jack / Brenda Seabrooke — 49

The Incident of the Pointless Abduction / Arthur Hall — 72

The Adventure of the Absent Crossing Sweeper / Steven Philip Jones — 89

The Adventure of the Disappearing Daughter / Dan Rowley and Don Baxter — 125

The Abridge Disappearance / David Marcum — 142

The Adventure of the Green Horse / Hugh Ashton –170

The Adventure of Woodgate Manor / Sonya Kudei –183

The Incident of the Mangled Rose Bushes / Barry Clay — 208

The Sandwich Murder / DJ Tyrer — 226

The Adventure of the Wandering Stones / Mark Wardecker — 238

The Charity Collection / Paul Hiscock — 251

The Catastrophic Cyclist / Tom Turley — 268

The Adventure of the Sketched Bride / 282

The Adventure of the Downing Street Demise / James Gelter — 308

The Continental Conspiracy / Martin Daley — 338

The Belmore Street Museum Affair / Bob Byrne — 359

The Adventure of the Furniture Collector / Tracy Revels — 380

The Serpent’s Tooth — Matthew White — 397

About the Contributors — 415