11/22/63 by Stephen King

If you had the chance to go back in time and change history to prevent a national tragedy, would you? That is the chance given to Jake Epping, a high school English teacher in Maine. Al Templeton, the owner of a local diner, lets Jake in on a secret: there’s a “rabbit hole” in his storeroom that leads back to 1958. Al has a plan to go back and stop Lee Harvey Oswald from killing President Kennedy. But, Al is now dying of lung cancer, so he needs Jake’s help to complete his self-appointed mission to save the country by changing its history.

Jake also teaches adult GED classes and he read a theme written by his school’s janitor on “the day that changed my life.” It seems that there was a very gruesome and horrible event in Harry the janitor’s childhood – something that has scarred him for life, both physically and mentally. Jake’s not quite sure what to make of this time travel stuff, but decides that if it’s for real, he’s also going to try and change the course of events that led to this personal tragedy, in addition to trying to stop Oswald from killing Kennedy.

Of course, no story this good (and yes, it really is a good as everyone has said) would be so simple and straightforward. We learn that the past is obdurate. Don’t worry, I had to look that word up too. It means “unmoved by persuasion, pity, or tender feelings; stubborn; unyielding.” Basically, when you try to change the past, the past tries to stop you. The larger of a change you are making, the more the past will try to stop that change. And stopping Oswald from assassinating Kennedy is a mighty big change.

What makes Stephen King‘s novel so great is not just the premise (a fairly neat twist on the time travel idea), but the story itself and the characters about whom we come to care so much. Since the “rabbit hole” dumps Jake out in Maine in 1958, and Kennedy’s date with destiny is in Dallas in 1963, that leaves Jake with five years of living to do – as well as making sure that Oswald really did do it and acted alone. Along the way he gets a job teaching, meets a librarian named Sadie, and falls in love.

Does Jake stop Oswald? What would happen to our history if Kennedy had lived? What about Jake and Sadie? You don’t really want me to tell you, you really want to pick this book up and discover its wonder yourself. I’ll just end by saying that I’m not what you’d call a crying man, and it’s rare for a book to bring me to tears, but this is one of two books I read in 2011 that did just that.

Find this book in our catalog.

How Few Remain by Harry Turtledove

All fiction asks “what if?” (What if a boy named Huck Finn ran away with a slave named Jim and sailed the Mississippi?)  Science Fiction and Fantasy do this to an even greater extent (What if a scientist was able to re-animate a human corpse using lightning?) Within Sci-Fi & Fantasy the sub-genre of Alternative History takes actual events from History and asks what if they had happened differently (What if Hitler’s Germany had won World War II?) Harry Turtledove is considered the master of Alternative History and in this novel he asks: “What if The North rises again – in the stunning saga of the Second Civil War?”

It’s been a generation since the South defeated the North in the Civil War, and a disgraced Abraham Lincoln now roams the United States preaching the gospel of socialism. Meanwhile, the Confederate States have purchased territories from the Empire of Mexico. This would extend the CSA’s rule from the Atlantic to the Pacific and the United States decides that they should not be allowed to expand, and thus begins the Second Civil War. Many familiar names appear as the story unfolds: George Armstrong Custer patrols the frontier of Kansas using the new fangled Gatling guns against the Indians; General Stonewall Jackson is the supreme military commander of the Confederate forces and directs the Battle of St. Louis; Frederick Douglas is a journalist from Rochester, New York who travels to the dangerous border covering the war; J.E.B. Stuart leads the CSA forces in the newly annexed south-west territories; and Samuel Langhorne Clemens is the editor of a newspaper in San Francisco with a loving wife and two children. The characters are all as vivid as one could hope for and the action of the war – both on and off the battlefield – moves the story along keeping the reader wondering what “happened” next.

I’m a huge Sci-Fi & Fantasy reader, but have never been much into Alternative History for some reason. Also, I must admit that I have been reluctant to try Mr. Turtledove due to my own preconceived notions. You see, being from the North, I was never very interested in a story in which the South won the Civil War. I now freely admit how wrong I was – this novel was thoroughly enjoyable! If you like Historical Fiction, then chances are good that you’ll enjoy Harry Turtledove’s exploration of “what if” there were a second Civil War in the 1880s. I listened to this book on audio, and while it took me a while to finish it (21 CDs), I enjoyed listening to the talented and prolific George Guidall. (As of this writing, there’s even an excerpt from this audio book on George’s website!)

One of the hallmarks of great fiction (speculative, or otherwise) is that it makes you stop and think – and maybe even reconsider what you thought – about the given subject. How Few Remain certainly made me reconsider my views of the historical figures and events surrounding the Civil War.

Find and reserve this book in our catalog.

A Map of Time by Felix J. Palma

 If you could change the past, would you?  And how would those changes effect the world as we know it?  Felix Palma tackles these questions and more in his genre blending Science Fiction, Fantasy,Time travel, Steampunk, Alternate history page turner.  The father of Science Fiction, H.G. Wells, is embroiled three intertwined mysteries involving Jack the Ripper, love, murder, a rip in the space-time continuum, magic, automatons, the future, the past, and much more.

When a young man loses the love of his life to the murderous fiend Jack the Ripper, he seeks the help of H.G.Wells and his time machine to go back in time and save her.  As the only man in the world that might have a time machine, Wells is the only one who can help change the past and right what is wrong.  But is is all what it seems?  Can we travel to the past or to the future and what are the consequences of such travels?

This book has the delightful quality of being, at the same time, exactly what I thought it would be and exactly opposite what if would be.  It is also one of those books that cannot be described in great detail without giving away too much of the plot.  Therefore, my description is a bit hazy and not quite clear, but I can’t have it any other way.  This book will delightfully surprise you and keep you guessing over reality versus imagination.

Take your own trip through time by finding and requesting this book in our catalog.

The Amazing, the Astounding and the Unknown by Paul Malmont

What would have happened if our government thought that the Germans were close to developing a super weapon during World War II?  Author Paul Malmont supposes that the Navy would have recruited a special think tank of pulp magazine Sci-Fi writers to turn the ideas of Science Fiction – such as death rays, weather control, and invisibility – into science fact. Malmont takes this premise and runs with it, bringing the reader along for one heck of a joy ride with such authors as Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov (don’t call him “Ike”), L. Sprague de Camp, L. Ron Hubbard and others. At first I was worried about the book’s length (432 pages) and not being able to finish it before I had to finish my next book club book, but it was such a fun, fast read that by the time I finished, I was wishing that the book didn’t have to end.

I got just a bit confused at first because there is a story within a story, but once I picked up on that, I got so engrossed in Malmont’s plot and the semi-fictionalized versions of these writers from Science Fiction’s Golden Age, that I just kept turning pages as quickly as my eyes would let me. If you’re a fan of the classic Sci-Fi authors of the first half of the last century, as well as the men who inspired them, such as Jack Campbell, Walter Gibson & Lester Dent, you’ll want to see what would have happened if they had all worked together to help beat the Nazis. Fans of World War II era Historical Fiction will also enjoy the author’s blend of fact and fiction as this adventurous novel is based on a true story. Robert Heinlein and L. Ron Hubbard were both in the Navy and Heinlein did work at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, while Hubbard was in the South Pacific during WWII. Other historical figures are involved as one of the answers to Germany’s “Wunderwaffe” may lie in a secret project that Nikola Tesla had worked on years before, and was revisiting before he died mysteriously. Of course, Asimov, de Camp and others had an education in actual science, which helps them track down what Tesla was working on after he lost the electrical wars with Edison and Marconi stole credit for inventing the radio.

The book reminded me a bit of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon, mostly due to the similar time period (1940′s) and subject matter (comic books versus pulp science fiction). Both books are based on historical events and facts, but fictionalized just enough to be entertaining and tell a great story. The other thing that Malmont’s book did was make me want to learn more about the real lives of these early Sci-Fi writers.  For example, was Heinlein’s first wife really mentally unbalanced?  Did Asimov and his wife really have intimacy issues? And, was Hubbard, well, were many of the rumors about him true? Oh, and the title?  It comes from three of the famous science fiction pulp magazines of the day.

Find and reserve this book in our catalog.

The Assassin’s Gallery by David L. Robbins

No moon shines over the dark waters of the Newburyport coast as a Persian assassin slithers ashore. Her mission: to kill Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States. Only Professor Mikhal Lammeck, expert in assassin psychology, has a chance of tracking the elusive Judith and eliminating her before she reaches her target.

Lammeck has spent years teaching the theory of assassin psychology. Now, called back into the field against his will, he finds that he is in way over his head. As the distance between him and his quarry narrows, Lammeck finds himself entering the assassin’s mind and is awed at her ability. No longer motivated by the desire to help his country, the professor finds himself drawn forward by the allure and enigma of his brilliant adversary.

Robbins’ novel is not simply an action-packed thriller. His revisionist history is filled to bursting with historical detail, set against the complex backdrop of the 1940s social climate. Industry, war, racism, and sexism writhe in the background, complicating an already intriguing plot. Robbins also devotes considerable energy to developing the character of his assassin, lest she be seen as a “faceless” enemy. Along with Lammeck, the reader comes to understand the motivations and history of the assassin, the challenges she faces, the depth of her resolve, and the reason that she is determined to succeed in her objective, against all odds.

More literary than most thrillers, The Assassin’s Gallery is a great read for anyone who enjoys a good historical fiction novel and a story of action-packed suspense.

Find and reserve this book in our catalog.

His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik

The New Year is right around the corner, and I for one am resolving to have more dragons in my life. If you’re like me and think that historical fiction is good, but historical fiction paired somehow with dragons is great, look no further than His Majesty’s Dragon, the first in the Temeraire series.

The story follows Will Lawrence, a hotshot naval captain close to marrying the woman of his dreams. He enjoys the finer things in life: good conversation, the opera house, and a fine wine. His life is radically changed when his ship captures a French vessel carrying a precious dragon egg as cargo. What struck me here is that the end result of this is not what you might expect. Having a dragon in your life has serious social implications in Novik’s version of early 19th century England, and Lawrence will definitely not be attending an opera any time soon.

Naomi Novik will make you believe that dragons aided England during the Napoleonic Wars. The tiny details she includes, from Aerial Corp military tactics to the paintings of Hell in the Vatican (dragons breathe fire onto the damned), really pulled me into the story. Novik does not just insert dragons into 19th century England; she deftly weaves them into its cultural and historical fabric.

Given that I flew through this book in about six hours one lazy Saturday afternoon, I would say that it is an easy, engrossing, thoroughly enjoyable read. I absolutely love the relationship that is developing between Lawrence and his dragon Teremaire and will continue on to the next book in the series.

Find and reserve this book in our catalog.

Watchmen by Alan Moore

A complex and thought-provoking read, Watchmen is the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, published in 1986 by DC Comics, that changed the way people viewed comic books. Originally published as a series of twelve issues, the compiled series was one of the first to be called a graphic novel, along with the famous Dark Knight series by Frank Miller. The simple change from comic book to graphic novel was coupled with a darker and more realistic look at traditional comic subject matter – superheroes – and has led to widespread recognition of the literary merits of the medium.

Watchmen is set in an alternative timeline late 1980s and revolves around the lives of a group of superheroes. While most of these crusaders are regular people who wear costumes to fight crime anonymously, there is one character with genuine superpowers – Dr. Manhattan – whose simple, impossible presence  has led to a vastly different world. America firmly won the war in Vietnam, Richard Nixon is still President, and the Cold War rages more fiercely, if more unevenly. The plot centers around these heroes now living in and attempting to cope with a ravaged society that has rejected their help, even when they still feel compelled to give it. This intricate world and wide cast of characters are revealed slowly throughout the novel, so richly detailed that new discoveries continue to appear on multiple read-throughs.

Watchmen explores themes of violence, sin, justice, and the impulse to do right. This was one of the first comics to turn the superhero mythos on its head, questioning whether heroes in any guise more help or harm societies. The art is detailed and incredibly expressive, with dark, moody colors, giving the story life and immediacy. In that it deals with superheroes dressed in silly costumes, has a male-dominated cast with a few attractive and scantily-clad females, and is bathed in violence, it holds to traditional comics, but it takes these aspects and turns them inside out, sharply critiquing each while offering a host of other issues, political and moral, to wrestle. While it has been the inspiration for a whole new genre of the gritty, tortured superhero trying to operate in a complicated, imperfect world, this original has substance and charisma to spare.

Find and reserve this book in our catalog.