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Wars to End All Wars (SFFWorld.com anthology, #3)

N.E. White (Goodreads Author) (Editor),

G.L. Lathian (Goodreads Author) (Contributor)

Elizabeth Moon (Contributor)

Dan Bieger (Contributor)

Wilson Geiger (Goodreads Author) (Contributor)

Andrew Leon Hudson (Goodreads Author) (Contributor)

Igor Ljubuncic (Goodreads Author) (Contributor)

Lee Swift (Contributor)

3.59 · Rating details · 22 ratings · 9 reviews

Alternate tales set during the first World War, this short story collection takes history and tweaks it.

2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the start of World War 1. Seven authors, including the award-winning Science Fiction and Fantasy author, Elizabeth Moon, commemorate that event by writing stories set during the great war, adding their own, sometimes speculative, inte ...more

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Published July 28th 2014 (first published July 26th 2014)

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Lists with This Book

Ecotones - Ecological Stories from the Border Between Fantasy... by Andrew Leon Hudson

You Are Here - Tales of Cartographic Wonders by N.E. White

SFFWorld.com Anthologies

5 books — 4 voters

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3.59 ·

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· 22 ratings · 9 reviews

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Jul 28, 2014 Jeffrey rated it really liked it

There's a bit of something for everyone, and the entire anthology would be worth the price just for the Elizabeth Moon short, especially if you haven't read it before.

Some thing about alternate history really speaks to the roots of science fiction. Everyone has played the what if game in their own lives, and most people have probably thought about what if in historic terms.

Whole genres of historic fiction are really about adding a new spin on history.

Here are some visions, primarily by up and ...more

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Sep 27, 2014 Sean McLachlan rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, world-war-one

I'm a student of World War One and love good historical speculative fiction, so I was eager to read this. Also, in the interests of full disclosure, I'm a friend of one of the contributors. I make it a policy not to review friends' work so I won't be mentioning Andrew Leon Hudson's story "The Foundation" in this review. There's enough other material to make an overall assessment.
Things start badly with a poor introduction by editor N.E. White, who informs us "In the summer of 1914, war was decla I'm a student of World War One and love good historical speculative fiction, so I was eager to read this. Also, in the interests of full disclosure, I'm a friend of one of the contributors. I make it a policy not to review friends' work so I won't be mentioning Andrew Leon Hudson's story "The Foundation" in this review. There's enough other material to make an overall assessment.
Things start badly with a poor introduction by editor N.E. White, who informs us "In the summer of 1914, war was declared between Germany and Russia, between Belgium and Italy, and between the Ottoman Empire and England." Not only does this statement leave out some of the major players (France? Austria-Hungary? Hello?) but it contains two historical errors. Italy did not join the war until 1915 and when it did, it was on the side of the Allies, not the Central Powers. Also, it should be "British Empire", not England.
Another editorial gaffe was White's decision to link each story to a related Wikipedia article. Even the most casual search on the Internet will find better source material, the Imperial War Museum's website or Trenches on the Web, for example.
Luckily, the stories are better than the introduction. Things get off to a strong start with an alternate history tale by Igor Ljubuncic called "The Girl with the Flaxen Hair." What if Gavrilo Princip chickened out at the last minute? We follow his life after pulling back from the fateful moment.
Lee Swift's "Wormhole" gives us simpler fare with a simple monster hunt that's good fun and captures the misery of trench life.
Wilson Geiger's "Jawohl" studies the life of a WWI veteran but appears to be set in WWII. I found it a bit disappointing with more than one cliche (like the protagonist's rage being reflected by a thunderstorm) but it was a decent effort nonetheless.
Elizabeth Moon's "Tradition" is the strongest piece in the collection, a straight-up naval adventure that tweaks history without resorting to any paranormal or futuristic elements.
"On the Cheap" by Dan Bieger has famous writers turned fairies turned WWI veterans reminiscing in an Irish pub. I found this to be an uneven effort that failed to live up to its puckish aspirations.
"One Man's War" by G.L. Lathian is a historical switcheroo between a common man and a famous historical figure that is predictable and fails to deliver any real impact.
In sum, this anthology is an uneven offering as most anthologies are. There's enough here to be worth the cover price but too many shots miss the mark for my liking. ...more

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Aug 28, 2014 M.G. Mason rated it really liked it

This is the second volume I have reviewed for SFFWorld courtesy of blog buddy NE White. The first was a mixed bag of End of the World stories. This, if you have not already figured out, concerns the First World War, arguably the most brutal war in history until that point. Here in the UK, we mark Remebrance Day on the 11th November as the anniversary of the end of the war and though it is used to commemorate all of our war dead, it reminds us especially of the great sacrifice made between 1915 a This is the second volume I have reviewed for SFFWorld courtesy of blog buddy NE White. The first was a mixed bag of End of the World stories. This, if you have not already figured out, concerns the First World War, arguably the most brutal war in history until that point. Here in the UK, we mark Remebrance Day on the 11th November as the anniversary of the end of the war and though it is used to commemorate all of our war dead, it reminds us especially of the great sacrifice made between 1915 and 1918.

I imagine the reader is asking precisely what speculative fiction writers can say about the past? Often rather a lot through implication but this deals with the more imaginative side of both historic fiction and sci fi. Alternate histories fascinate me and the concept for this volume was no exception. The offerings are:

In The Girl With The Flaxen Hair, Gavrilo Princip fails to assassinate Archduke Ferdinand and we see the devastating effects of a small war that may have just as devastating consequences for a greater world war to come.

In Wormhole, a man returns to active duty after an incident claims one of his eyes. He is sent on a mission working with experimental technology who come up against something quite unexpected on arrival in the British front lines. The trenches are deserted, but why?

Jawohl is the story of a man in the aftermath of the war pressed into a work gang to clear up and rebuild a walled fortress that protects them and the secretive scientific experiments going on behind the walls. Why is he there and what experiments has he been witness to?

The fourth is the contribution of Elizabeth Moon (yes, the same one). Tradition takes us away from the infantry war and onto the deck of a British naval ship in the summer of 1914 and some tough decisions for a Captain to make.

Next is On The Cheap; it is 1925 and a soldier is telling his story to a reporter that tells a very different story of an Irish war hero. The soldier plays up his own part in a daring rescue.

Sixth is One Man’s War which takes us back to Hitler in 1914 and the person who knew him best during the Great War. But who was the real Hitler? I would have to say that this was my favourite but I don’t want to explain why and give away the story.

Last but not least is The Foundation, a curious tale about a strange building project dedicated by The Empire to the sunrise on the date of 11/11/11.

There is no glory in war here, nor is there jingoism, or even solemnity for that matter. It’s just good old-fashioned storytelling and they are all of exceptional quality. Of the seven, I would have to say that my favourite is . I was surprised to have finished it in just a couple of days. I remember the previous collection having more stories than this; seven doesn’t seem quite enough and I was left wanting more. In some ways that works in the volumes favour though!

You should definitely purchase this, ideal for long train journeys. Intelligent writing without being taxing.

See more book reviews at my blog ...more

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Jul 25, 2014 Andrew Hudson marked it as wrote · (Review from the author)

Shelves: reviewed, historical, fantasy, sf, short-fiction, war, horror

The third annual, forum-exclusive-if-not-actually-official SFFWorld.com short fiction anthology picks up where the previous two left off - and I'm not just saying that because I proof-read the first volume and have stories in both the others.

In all three collections, the reader is faced with a mixture of new and established authors all writing to a common theme, and in my opinion the books show a steady development; not in terms of the creativity so much as general polish and professionalism on ...more

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Oct 06, 2014 Ches Smith rated it it was amazing

This is a quick, interesting read. All the stories are well written, some with a subtle, alternate history take on the events depicted. I'm not a big fan of stories set during WWI, but this held my attention and made me curious to learn more about that period of history.

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Jul 25, 2014 N.E. White rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

I know, I shouldn't rate this, but I did.

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May 19, 2016 Bruno Di Giandomenico rated it did not like it

Frankly a disappointment. And not so small. A small collection of short stories, all about some alternative possibilities if some events had occurred differently in conjunction with WW I.
The only tale I am saving is the one written by Elizabeth Moon, where the Britich Navy goes against the German cruiser Goeben, at the beginning of the war. The tale is well told and entertaining, whereas the others leave a lot to be desidered. There is an alternative story on Adolf Hitler, the first and last do ...more

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Jul 29, 2014 G.L. Lathian rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

Once again, shouldn't be doing this, but it's young so we'll help it out while we can :D

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Aug 08, 2014 Wilson Geiger rated it really liked it · (Review from the author)

Review to come.

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Aug 01, 2014 Igor Ljubuncic added it · (Review from the author)

Shelves: anthology, sffworld-com, igor-ljubuncic

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About N.E. White

N.E. White

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N.E. White was born in California to a Texan native and a Mexican immigrant. Her professional pursuits include environmental management and spatial analysis. She writes fiction in her spare time after walking the dog.