Category Archives: Alternate History

Ministry of Space

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Warning: Spoiler-heavy review.51EnH+ttlZL

Ministry Of Space by Ellis, Weston, and Martin is an alternative history where the United Kingdom uses duplicity, explosions, and deceit to become the space power. As far as alternate history goes, it is just “ok.”

I know that this book is considered a classic by many comic book readers, but, well, as someone familiar with the sub-genre of alternate history, it was very derivative and not as well-formed as most. I’ve seen better in Romance, Science Fiction, Mystery and Fantasy, as well as those books that wind up on the general fiction shelves.

With visual media there should have been better cues of the “stuck in the pre-Civil Rights” mentality that just were not there. There were not cues for the reader to pick up on to indicate the social divisions were anything more than the normal British class divisions. As a matter of fact, the idea that any minority would be a pilot would have been anathema to most pre-Civil Rights era mentalities.

As a student of history, I didn’t find it surprising or all that appalling that an Allied Power used the ill-gotten gains of the Germans to power the Ministry of Space. No one with any sense thinks that victors don’t take the spoils of war. Yes, they may go through the motions of giving some compensation to victims, but the majority of bounty will always go to the government holding victory.

Honestly, I was disappointed. I did not find the final frame all that worthy. I did not find the story all that shocking. Perhaps I am just too old and cynical, but I expect governments to act in this way. The only shocking part was that the Parliament and Prime Minister were as cooperative as they were. Even successful programs become targets in political battles.

Maybe I just expect more from the particular team who did this graphic novel.

In summation, the art work is gorgeous, the dialogue is quite well written, the overall story is just silly and derivative. If you want to read a light alternative history with pretty pictures, Ministry Of Space is worth getting from your library.

The Rise of the Fourth Reich

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Jim Marrs proposes an intriguing hypothesis to conspiracy thought with his well-researched book The Rise of the Fourth Reich: The Secret Societies That Threaten to Take Over America . What if the Nazis shed most of their racist accoutrements and infiltrated the USA, Britain, and the Soviet Union through the use of science and religion? Letting the secretive war habits of those same Nazi scientists filter into all aspects of our government and bureaucracy?

Interesting idea? He starts with a discussion of just how both the Nazis and the Bolsheviks were financed. Who would have thought that both could be traced back to the same banks? It wasn’t something I had given much thought to, even if I was aware of how interlinked monetary systems have been since the time of the East India Tea Company. (There is a real argument to be made that the real cause of the American Revolution was monopolistic practices of said company – but that is a post for another day.)516PKNYtZKL

His arguments are actually pretty cogent. Nothing that is, at first, so radical in its suggestion that it would lead you to throw the book across the room while swearing at “conspiracy theorists.” A slow build through both pre- and post- WWII Great Britain and the United States – as well as the two Russian Revolutions – shows how monied interests manipulated forces in hopes to bring certain persons to power. In some cases they were, indeed, successful. At least if Marrs’ hypothesis is correct.

In each chapter, Marrs goes through the ways in which the philosophies of the Nazis infiltrated science, government, the military, pharmaceuticals, medicine, and even education. He builds a convincing case that a new form of fascism has blossomed in the last 30 years within the USA with a history going back at least to the 1890s. It is interesting to note that the economic event known as The Great Depression prior to the 1920s was during the economic downturn of the 1890s.

This book, for all the naysayers, will, indeed, make one think about the way different historical events and influences have formed modern life. I have to recommend The Rise of the Fourth Reich: The Secret Societies That Threaten to Take Over America be read by anyone interested in pursuing a different way of looking at the past 100 years of US and world history.

Six-String Samurai (Movie)

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HUH? Six-String Samurai is an enjoyable movie, in its own way. It is not a typical movie, however. It falls squarely into the world of independent art films that rely on pop culture.

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Imagine a post-apocalyptic (of the nuclear variety) world set somewhere after the 1950s where rock -n- roll is the definition of old style American freedom. There, we meet a young boy being pursued, with his mother, by a marauding band. The Six-String Samurai, Buddy, comes to the rescue.

Who is this Six-String Samurai? The next King of Las Vegas. The King, Elvis of course, is dead and Las Vegas awaits its new king. Las Vegas has become the last bastion of freedom. Now, how a king is the head of the last bastion of freedom is best left to suspension of disbelief. Also headed there is Death, himself, with a band.

This is a road movie. A highly stylistic road movie that I enjoyed. Of course, I have a thing for stylized sword fights – and even bad chop socky. This movie has both – and a rather kick-ass final fight scene.

If you are willing to sit back and enjoy the ride – Mad Max style – this is worth renting. Buying? I’m not so sure…

The Controllers : The Hidden Rulers of Earth Identified

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The Controllers : The Hidden Rulers of Earth Identified
The Controllers: The Hidden Rulers of Earth Identified by Commander X is one of those lovely conspiracy books that tries to be everything and fails – but in a most entertaining way.

Let me list a smattering of the conspiracy / alien theories included:

  • The Dulce War,
  • Dero / Tero,
  • Underground Advanced Human Societies (and Nazi alliance with said),
  • Reptilians,
  • The Greys and their breeding program,
  • and more…

It is one of those things that is just too much fun not to leave for “good bathroom reading.” This is not a book to read at one sitting. No, the sheer lunacy of some of the theories must be savored in small doses.

I’m sorry if I offended some of you by calling these things lunacy – but I have grave doubts as to the veracity of everything this guy has to say. Grave doubts. He has just put a hodge podge of all of the most popular and bizarre conspiracy theories into one book.

Now, granted, I picked up the 1994 version in a used bookstore to keep me occupied with light reading – but really, there was nothing original for 1994! I had heard every last one of his theories – even the Dero / Tero theory. (There is a great X-Files episode that includes the Dero / Tero theory. Does anyone remember the title?)

He does not include the Evangelical element that believes some of these are literal demons and angels. This belief was not really popularized or acknowledged before 2000. Some folks had their suspicions. I know whenever I saw a picture of a grey growing up I always had a feeling of seething evil, but thought that was just me.

I know, most people don’t grow up with this stuff. You see, my grandmother was an avid Coast to Coast AM listener. Many of my relatives worked midnight shift – and I have an uncle who was always plagued by UFOs. I’m not even going to get into the ghosts and such I heard about growing up. (I’m a big chicken and never, ever, ever want to see anything paranormal. Thank-you.) I also was always a science fiction and fantasy fan. I love sf/f in all its forms. Speculative fiction is just too much fun.

I don’t disparage that something may be going on, but I don’t think anyone is actually in control. I really don’t. I think there are those who want to be in control, and they tend to be the most predatory sorts. Little wonder someone might think they were lizards – or even demons. But, after studying history, I have come to the conclusion that a large segment of leaders within mankind just like to be bad. This is mainly because, well, they are allowed to get away with it because regular folks don’t take them to task often enough.

Are there UFOs? Well, according to a top Japanese Official and a Canadian Official there are. There is also the Disclosure Project. Honestly, I don’t think the government knows what is going on – at least not as whole. It is sort of like with IBM discovering they still had an adding machine factory in India back in the 1990s. No one could figure out where the profit check was coming from until they did a really thorough audit. My guess is that if we ever did know for certain, it is lost in some bureaucratic black hole.

The Royal Mess

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The Amazon link will come up when it is available – I hope.
The Royal Mess by Mary Janice Davidson revisits the Alaskan Royal Family. Alaska doesn’t have royals, you say? Well, this is an alternative universe where the USA never bought the icebox during the US Civil War. Instead, the Baranovs rebelled and usurped the thrown from the czars.

This is an ever-growing clan – be warned – infidelity is rewarded and family is redefined. We find the personality twin of His Royal Highness, King “Big” Al – the patriarch of this disobedient but loving clan – in his suddenly found, unknown daughter, Nicole. Nicole wants nothing to do with the King and his band of crazy relatives, but finds herself drawn into the web via the family’s loyal retainers.

Of course, Nicole isn’t the only one finding romance. The “Dragon”, aka the Royal Biographer, finds herself some romance as well – much to the majordomos’ dismay.

If you can manage the super-sweet ending for the newlyweds in the book – I won’t say what it is (cause that would be a spoiler), but some of my readers do try to avoid this topic so I thought I should warn them – it is a really fun and quick read.

As a matter of fact, despite sleeping for most of a plane trip, I still managed to read over half of it – and finished it once I got to my destination in record time. Of course, Mary Janice Davidson does have a way of creating a quick, fun, but fulfilling read. Her alternate histories are almost better than her Betsy the Vampire books.