Science Fiction - Sealion's Byte

Since I had no one to help me for things up, I am sure I made a lot
of mistakes.

I expect to learn from them.

--- In spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com, "ANTIcarrot"
wrote:
>
> > From: terrierkeeper
> > I tried all of the Science Fiction publishers. First I sent
inquiries
> > and sample chapters to all the publishers who accepted direct
> > solicitations. None interested. Then I saught an agent. Sent
sample
> > chapters or full copies depending on the requirement. No Takers.
>
> Hmm. Looking at the cover & blurb is never a good way to do a
review - but
> never the less (with a pinch of salt) a couple of observations:

The HOLOCAUST was unique in that Gypsies, Jews and People with
physical or mental handicaps were singled out for murder with no
choice of their own that might make them eligable for Life. Everyone
else could behave or collaborate.

In Stalin's reign of terror it was more like a lottery of death.

The Professor is aiming to nip this mess in the bud.
>
> 1) The nazis killed a lot more than jews and gypsies. In fact if you
> disreguard the word 'holocaust' and use 'murder' there is evidence
that jews
> and gypsies might have been in the minority. As it stands, the
blurb kinda
> implies that he's saving one group, and leaving the rest to die.
Which might
> be one reason why publishers didn't want to touch it with a ten
foot barge
> pole.
>

MURDER was not an option simly because that would not voer the full
scope of the bloody scoal engineering that this was, it would exclude
people who were sterilized against their will. (This would be people
with mental or physical handicaps or family histories of these
things. People of mixed race such as the Rheinland mulatoes. This was
proposed for people of mixed Gypsy or Jewish ancestory).
> 2) The history of that time is rather complex and
disputed. 'Holocaust' vs
> 'murder' for example. The merits of operation sealion vs operation
barberosa
> for another. How many people know about the M52 project, or the
british
> plans for point defense of their island, or that many historians
believe it
> was a good thing that pearl harbour happened withotu warning -
because the
> USN would have gotten its ass kicked even harder if they'd had a
day's
> warning? So it's likely that (A) Mr Milch has less perfect
understanding
> about the war than he thinks he does and (B) if you do something the
> publishersconsidder unrealistic, they might have judge you had not
> researched the time period enough.
>
I thought it was dramatical in that I ask the reader to look through
the mind of the protagonist and ask is Tampering with Time justified
in this case.

> Plus thre's no hint at drama. You ask, 'Is freedom worth seven
million
> lives,' but your protagonist has already made his plans, gotten
ahold of a
> time machine, gone back in time and made his deal - so he's
obviously
> decided already. So... What is the actual plot of the story?
>

The latest book published I would recomend is 1862 by Robert Conroy
which is basicly a what if in regards tot he Trent Affair getting out
of hand leading to european intervention in the American Civil war.
(I haven't had time to read his novel 1901 nor have I had a chance to
ready either of Newt Gingrich's Civil War novels).
There is also GETTYSBURG an atlernate history by Peter Tsouras which
I thought very good. FATHERLAND which is if the nazis won and were
able to complete their bloody act of social engineering is well
researched and really well done but too depressing for me to enjoy.

I wish there was a good space island novel to recomend.

Otherwise as far as regular history goes I am partial to Bernard
Cornwall's Red Coat and his Sharpe series. (I personally think his
Starbuck series set in the Civil war stinks). I have always enjoyed
the novels of Allan W. Eckert and Kenneth Roberts.
> > Ironicly the bookstores who briefly stocked my novel put it among
the
> > General Fiction books, I still can't figure why. Odd thing is I
> > find the better Alternate History novels are found in The Gneral
> > Fiction section.
>
> Any in particular you'd recomend?
>
> John
>
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