With Both Hands

Sign in Subscribe

alternative history

The Long View: Ecumenical Twilight

This is one of John's most haunting stories. When I think of Empire this is what I think of. Ecumenical Twilight by John J. Reilly Table of Contents I The Barrens II Cold War III The Kabbalah Klub IV Strategies V The New Man VI Sydney VII The

The Long View: Little, Big

The book reviewed by John here is now old enough that its fantastical future has become alternative history. Little, Big By John Crowley Perennial (Harper Collins), 2002 First Published 1981 538 Pages, US$15.95 ISBN 0-06-093793-9 "'Paracelsus is of the opinion,' Dr. Bramble told the theosophists,

The Long View: At the End of an Age

This book review of John Reilly's is the source of one of my favorite quotes: How do we know that the 500 or so years of the Modern Age are at last drawing to a close? Lukacs's answer to this, and it's a good

The Long View 2003-06-04: Alternative History

In this post, John discusses two books with the same title: Empire. As I noted, imperialism was a fascination with John, so this should not be surprising. What really made this post was the authors of the two books were put together into one interview on NPR. Regrettably, this combination

The Long View: Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power

Imperialism is a subject John often returned to, but his interest in the subject was quite different from most others. For John, what mattered were not mere national empires like the British Empire, but the Empire, the universal state into which all political and economic systems seem to eventually collapse.

The Long View: For Want of a Nail

Another counterfactual history, but this time one meant as entertainment. I haven't read this book, but I may get around to it at some point. “I care only if it is effective on the page. I agree with the late Ernest Newman: a great score is more finely

The Long View: Virtual History: Alternatives and Counterfactuals

An early book review by John of a collection of alternative history edited by Niall Ferguson. I think alternative history and historical fiction are fun ways to explore the structure of history, and help give you concrete hooks to provide a mental map or structure that will allow you to