What do you think?
Rate this book
The Way It Wasn't: Great Science Fiction Stories of Alternate History
The Way It Wasn't takes an amusing, intellectually stimulating excursion into speculative history. Here are thirteen memorable stories by renowned science fiction writers, telling what things might be like if... Elvis Presley weren't the "King" but the President of the United States ("Ike at the Mike" by Howard Waldrop)... The Black Death had killed the entire population of Europe in the fourteenth century ("Lion Time in Timbuctoo" by Robert Silverberg)... John F. Kennedy had survived the 1963 shooting in Dallas ("The Winterberry" by Nicholas A. DiChario). Included, too, is fascinating short fiction by Mike Resnick, Susan Shwartz, Larry Niven, Pamela Sargent, Fritz Leiber, Greg Bear, Barry N. Malzberg, Harry Turtledove, Gregory Benford and Kim Stanley Robinson. After reading these stories - some of the most compelling examples of alternate history anywhere - your mind will keep spinning the question "What If...?"
365 pages, Paperback
First published April 19, 1996
About the author
Martin H. Greenberg
919 books170 followersMartin Harry Greenberg was an American academic and speculative fiction anthologist. In all, he compiled 1,298 anthologies and commissioned over 8,200 original short stories. He founded Tekno Books, a packager of more than 2000 published books. In addition, he was a co-founder of the Sci-Fi Channel.
For the 1950s anthologist and publisher of Gnome Press, see Martin Greenberg.
For the 1950s anthologist and publisher of Gnome Press, see Martin Greenberg.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 4, 2012
A hit-and-miss collection of alternate history short stories. The stories contained herein are:
I have encountered several of these stories, including "Over There," "The Sleeping Serpent," and "We Could Do Worse," in other anthologies of alternate history. It chaps my ass that anthologists select the same stories time and again (especially when that anthologist is Martin Greenberg time and again), but at least in this case he selected strong stories.
"Lion Time in Timbuctoo," Robert Silverberg - Funny and racy goings on in a world run by everyone but the Europeans.
"Ike at the Mike," Howard Waldrop - Maybe the least believable story in the bunch, in which Senator E. Aaron Presley swings to the jazzy sounds of clarinetist Dwight "Ike" Eisenhower.
"Over There," Mike Resnick - Teddy Roosevelt takes his Rough Riders into the meat grinder of the Western Front during WWI.
"Suppose They Gave a Peace...," Susan Schwartz - Eugene McCarthy defeats Nixon, the U.S. leaves Vietnam in defeat, and an MIA veteran's father makes a new sort of peace when he discovers he has a Vietnamese daughter-in-law... and a grandchild.
"All the Myriad Ways," Larry Niven - Schroedinger's characters are alive and dead.
"The Sleeping Serpent," Pamela Sargent - Powerful story about a Mongol-dominated Old World and a New World soon to be controlled by an Iroquois-Mongol confederation.
"Catch That Zeppelin!" Fritz Leiber - odd alternate history in which Thomas Edison and Marie Curie get married, have a supergenius son, and pave the way to an era of world peace and helium-powered airships.
"Through Road No Whither," Greg Bear - Nazis encounter God, and She saves her chosen children.
"Ship Full of Jews," Barry N. Malzberg - Columbus sails to the Indies with ships full of Jews, criminals, and other personae non grata from 1492 Spain.
"Archetypes," Harry Turtledove - the Roman Empire never ended, Mouamet became a Christian saint instead of the founder of Islam, and movable print is invented--in the 20th century--with hilarious consequences.
"We Could Do Worse," Gregory Benford - Joe McCarthy is President, Richard Nixon in his running mate, and brown-shirted thuggery runs rampant in the U.S.
"The Winterberry," Nicholas A. Dichario - strangely affecting epistolary story told by a brain-damaged JFK who secretly survived the shooting in Dealey Plaza.
"The Lucky Strike," Kim Stanley Robinson - wonderful five-star finale about the first atom bomb, moral courage and its consequences, and how the actions we make as individuals can tip the scales of world affairs.
I have encountered several of these stories, including "Over There," "The Sleeping Serpent," and "We Could Do Worse," in other anthologies of alternate history. It chaps my ass that anthologists select the same stories time and again (especially when that anthologist is Martin Greenberg time and again), but at least in this case he selected strong stories.
July 8, 2026
Assembled by the alarmingly prolific anthologist Martin H. Greenberg for the obscure Citadel Twilight imprint (who seem otherwise to have mostly published some Philip K. Dick reprints, though they did also do an anthology of stories about virtual reality). There's no overarching theme here beyond the stories concerning alternate histories; I appreciate that the stories are generally in the "plausible alternate outcomes" mode, and not in the "what if Jesus was actually Napoleon, transported through time by aliens?" nonsense mode.
The good: Howard Waldrop's "Ike at the Mike" (extremely silly, but oddly moving); Mike Resnick's "Over There" (Teddy Roosevelt forces his way into WWI; believable and either sad or pathetic, depending on your perspective); Pamela Sargent's "The Sleeping Serpent" (concerning Mongol-Iroquois relations in a timeline where the Mongols conquered Europe); Harry Turtledove's "Archetypes" (a self-indulgent romp; part of Turtledove's "Agent of Byzantium" cycle, wherein Islam never comes into being and the Byzantine Empire continues in vigor into at least the 13th century); and Kim Stanley Robinson's "The Lucky Strike" (a slow, sad meditation on the moral dimensions and lasting consequences of the atomic bombing of Japan).
Middling: Robert Silverberg's "Lion Time in Timbuctoo" (a competent and pacey thriller, but with relatively shallowly-imagined alternate-historical elements); Susan Shwartz's "Suppose They Threw a Peace" (well-written, but it's unclear why it's alternate history at all- unless the point is that, by 1972, it was too late to change the outcome of the Vietnam War, which is probably true, but not very dramatically interesting); Fritz Leiber's "Catch That Zeppelin!" (feels curiously half-baked, with no clear thematic resolution, and it's almost all telling rather than showing); Greg Bear's "Through Road No Whither" (a suggestive squib, and nothing more); Gregory Benford's "We Could Do Worse" (ditto, but a bit more evocative).
Poor: Larry Niven's "All the Myriad Ways" (very limited alt-history content; really about the imagined effects of cross-timeline travel on the individual); Barry N. Malzberg's "Ship Full of Jews" (posits that one of Columbus's ships was filled with deported Jews- okay; but then Malzberg bungles everything by referring to the Jews as, impossibly, "Chassids"- Hasidism did not emerge until over 200 years after Columbus's first voyage- and having Columbus be consciously travelling to a New World); Nicholas A. DiChario's "The Winterberry" (which posits that JFK survived his assassination as a mentally handicapped amnesiac- and does nothing with this idea but try to milk it for maudlin sob-value).
That's a pretty good hit rate for an anthology, anyway.
The good: Howard Waldrop's "Ike at the Mike" (extremely silly, but oddly moving); Mike Resnick's "Over There" (Teddy Roosevelt forces his way into WWI; believable and either sad or pathetic, depending on your perspective); Pamela Sargent's "The Sleeping Serpent" (concerning Mongol-Iroquois relations in a timeline where the Mongols conquered Europe); Harry Turtledove's "Archetypes" (a self-indulgent romp; part of Turtledove's "Agent of Byzantium" cycle, wherein Islam never comes into being and the Byzantine Empire continues in vigor into at least the 13th century); and Kim Stanley Robinson's "The Lucky Strike" (a slow, sad meditation on the moral dimensions and lasting consequences of the atomic bombing of Japan).
Middling: Robert Silverberg's "Lion Time in Timbuctoo" (a competent and pacey thriller, but with relatively shallowly-imagined alternate-historical elements); Susan Shwartz's "Suppose They Threw a Peace" (well-written, but it's unclear why it's alternate history at all- unless the point is that, by 1972, it was too late to change the outcome of the Vietnam War, which is probably true, but not very dramatically interesting); Fritz Leiber's "Catch That Zeppelin!" (feels curiously half-baked, with no clear thematic resolution, and it's almost all telling rather than showing); Greg Bear's "Through Road No Whither" (a suggestive squib, and nothing more); Gregory Benford's "We Could Do Worse" (ditto, but a bit more evocative).
Poor: Larry Niven's "All the Myriad Ways" (very limited alt-history content; really about the imagined effects of cross-timeline travel on the individual); Barry N. Malzberg's "Ship Full of Jews" (posits that one of Columbus's ships was filled with deported Jews- okay; but then Malzberg bungles everything by referring to the Jews as, impossibly, "Chassids"- Hasidism did not emerge until over 200 years after Columbus's first voyage- and having Columbus be consciously travelling to a New World); Nicholas A. DiChario's "The Winterberry" (which posits that JFK survived his assassination as a mentally handicapped amnesiac- and does nothing with this idea but try to milk it for maudlin sob-value).
That's a pretty good hit rate for an anthology, anyway.
January 13, 2026
Interesting premise, but lackluster collection. The best stories can be found in other anthologies. The Silverberg novella and Benford short story I particularly enjoyed.
Martin H. Greenberg and Robert Silverberg collaborated on a number of science fiction anthologies. I noticed several typos that these two missed.
Selections:
* "Introduction" by Robert Silverberg. Silverberg wrote the introductions for several of Our Editor's anthologies. In most anthologies, the introductions are superfluous and can be safely skipped. Not Silverberg's. He gives a lively real history of alternative history. He also reveals a little of what inspired his own ventures into the sub-genre.
* "Lion Time in Timbuctoo" by Robert Silverberg. This novella is delicately drawn so that the multiple varied threads combine into a sublime whole cloth. In other words, there's a lot going on here, but it's a good story of a world where Africa is the dominant continent.
* "Ike at the Mike" by Harold Waldrop. Ike, in this case, is Eisenhower, who became a great jazz musician. Rock and roll never took hold in America, because Elvis Presley became a politician.
* "Over There" by Mike Resnik. During WWI, Teddy Roosevelt volunteered to lead a force of "new" Rough Riders in France. He was refused, and stayed home, dying in 1919. In this story, Resnik ponders what might've happened if TR had been allowed to go to WWI.
* "Suppose They Gave a Peace ..." by Susan Schwartz. Instead of Nixon being re-elected, what if he lost to McGovern? What happens in the Vietnam War? One of those shrill stories that makes you wonder what ax the author has to grind.
* "All the Myriad Ways" by Larry Niven. This very short piece is a mindbender about the problems about traveling to and from alternate timelines.
* "The Sleeping Serpent" by Pamela Sargent. Novella where the Mongol Empire never ended, and the son of a Khan teaches some Native American tribes how to wage total war.
* "Catch That Zepplin!" By Fritz Lieber. Our Protagonist describes a world of electric cars, and no WWII. It seems more like a dream, and has a predictable ending.
* "Through Road No Wither" by Greg Bear. Two lost Nazis find a strange old woman. One of Bear's worst stories.
* "Ship Full of Jews" by Barry N. Malzberg. Good luck figuring this out.
* "Archetypes" by Harry Turtledove. This is part of a series Turtledove wrote about Basil Argyros of the late Holy Roman Empire. You don't need to read the previous stories to get the gist of this one. Parchment handbills are found that look exactly alike -- which, for the time, would be an impossibility.
* "We Could Do Worse" by Gregory Benford. One of the best stories in the anthology, told in the POV of a policeman in the 1950s, about to arrest a traitor.
* "The Winterberry" by Nicholas A. Dichario. Very sad little story, but it isn't hard to guess who the narrator is.
* "The Lucky Strike" by Kim Stanley Robinson. Another good speculation about WWII (the Pacific Theatre this time), but this has been reprinted in numerous anthologies since it first appeared in 1984.
Martin H. Greenberg and Robert Silverberg collaborated on a number of science fiction anthologies. I noticed several typos that these two missed.
Selections:
* "Introduction" by Robert Silverberg. Silverberg wrote the introductions for several of Our Editor's anthologies. In most anthologies, the introductions are superfluous and can be safely skipped. Not Silverberg's. He gives a lively real history of alternative history. He also reveals a little of what inspired his own ventures into the sub-genre.
* "Lion Time in Timbuctoo" by Robert Silverberg. This novella is delicately drawn so that the multiple varied threads combine into a sublime whole cloth. In other words, there's a lot going on here, but it's a good story of a world where Africa is the dominant continent.
* "Ike at the Mike" by Harold Waldrop. Ike, in this case, is Eisenhower, who became a great jazz musician. Rock and roll never took hold in America, because Elvis Presley became a politician.
* "Over There" by Mike Resnik. During WWI, Teddy Roosevelt volunteered to lead a force of "new" Rough Riders in France. He was refused, and stayed home, dying in 1919. In this story, Resnik ponders what might've happened if TR had been allowed to go to WWI.
* "Suppose They Gave a Peace ..." by Susan Schwartz. Instead of Nixon being re-elected, what if he lost to McGovern? What happens in the Vietnam War? One of those shrill stories that makes you wonder what ax the author has to grind.
* "All the Myriad Ways" by Larry Niven. This very short piece is a mindbender about the problems about traveling to and from alternate timelines.
* "The Sleeping Serpent" by Pamela Sargent. Novella where the Mongol Empire never ended, and the son of a Khan teaches some Native American tribes how to wage total war.
* "Catch That Zepplin!" By Fritz Lieber. Our Protagonist describes a world of electric cars, and no WWII. It seems more like a dream, and has a predictable ending.
* "Through Road No Wither" by Greg Bear. Two lost Nazis find a strange old woman. One of Bear's worst stories.
* "Ship Full of Jews" by Barry N. Malzberg. Good luck figuring this out.
* "Archetypes" by Harry Turtledove. This is part of a series Turtledove wrote about Basil Argyros of the late Holy Roman Empire. You don't need to read the previous stories to get the gist of this one. Parchment handbills are found that look exactly alike -- which, for the time, would be an impossibility.
* "We Could Do Worse" by Gregory Benford. One of the best stories in the anthology, told in the POV of a policeman in the 1950s, about to arrest a traitor.
* "The Winterberry" by Nicholas A. Dichario. Very sad little story, but it isn't hard to guess who the narrator is.
* "The Lucky Strike" by Kim Stanley Robinson. Another good speculation about WWII (the Pacific Theatre this time), but this has been reprinted in numerous anthologies since it first appeared in 1984.
February 13, 2024
A quality story of alternate history must satisfy two criteria. The first is that the point of divergence must be a plausible one, the reader knowledgeable in history must recognize it as something that could have happened. The second is that the events after the point of divergence must logically follow based on the historical context of the divergence. Those consequences range from the aversion of a world war to the catastrophic consequences of a thermonuclear or biological war.
All of the thirteen stories in this collection completely satisfy these conditions. One of the best is “The Sleeping Serpent,” by Pamela Sargent. The point of divergence here is that the Mongol armies conquered all of Europe, although England has recently gained independence from the Khanate. As a consequence of this, the Khanate and the Inglistanis are engaged in a competition over the eastern seaboard of the North American continent. The Native American tribes in that area remain powerful, having not yet been subjugated by either side. In many ways, it mimics what took place between Britian and France during the French and Indian wars. The rivalry where the Native American tribes are forced to choose a side is very well played within the context of Mongols versus the Inglistanis.
Another gem is “Over There,” by Mike Resnick. The United States has just entered World War I and former President and Rough Rider Theodore Roosevelt is petitioning the United States government for permission to raise some volunteer divisions to go over to France and soundly defeat the German forces. This actually happened and the offer was rebuffed by President Woodrow Wilson.
In this story, Roosevelt manages to engage in a form of blackmail and is able to raise, equip and get his units shipped to France. Once there, they are kept out of the fight, until Roosevelt becomes so frustrated that he simply orders his small band to mount up and attack the nearest German positions. Roosevelt’s unit is wiped out to a man, for they never understood the power of modern weaponry to withstand a cavalry charge over open territory.
In all cases, the stories are much easier to appreciate if the reader has some knowledge of the history being referenced. For example, in the story “Lion Time in Timbuctoo” by Robert Silverberg, it is almost essential in understanding it that there was once a powerful kingdom centered around the city of Timbuctoo in what is now Mali. All are well written and generate fire in your analysis neurons, although there is little of what could be called hard SF.
All of the thirteen stories in this collection completely satisfy these conditions. One of the best is “The Sleeping Serpent,” by Pamela Sargent. The point of divergence here is that the Mongol armies conquered all of Europe, although England has recently gained independence from the Khanate. As a consequence of this, the Khanate and the Inglistanis are engaged in a competition over the eastern seaboard of the North American continent. The Native American tribes in that area remain powerful, having not yet been subjugated by either side. In many ways, it mimics what took place between Britian and France during the French and Indian wars. The rivalry where the Native American tribes are forced to choose a side is very well played within the context of Mongols versus the Inglistanis.
Another gem is “Over There,” by Mike Resnick. The United States has just entered World War I and former President and Rough Rider Theodore Roosevelt is petitioning the United States government for permission to raise some volunteer divisions to go over to France and soundly defeat the German forces. This actually happened and the offer was rebuffed by President Woodrow Wilson.
In this story, Roosevelt manages to engage in a form of blackmail and is able to raise, equip and get his units shipped to France. Once there, they are kept out of the fight, until Roosevelt becomes so frustrated that he simply orders his small band to mount up and attack the nearest German positions. Roosevelt’s unit is wiped out to a man, for they never understood the power of modern weaponry to withstand a cavalry charge over open territory.
In all cases, the stories are much easier to appreciate if the reader has some knowledge of the history being referenced. For example, in the story “Lion Time in Timbuctoo” by Robert Silverberg, it is almost essential in understanding it that there was once a powerful kingdom centered around the city of Timbuctoo in what is now Mali. All are well written and generate fire in your analysis neurons, although there is little of what could be called hard SF.
June 9, 2022
"WHAT IF THINGS HAD TAKEN A DIFFERENT TURN?
"The Way It Wasn't takes an amusing, intellectually stimulating excursion into speculative history. Here are thirteen memorable stories by renowned science fiction writers, telling what things might be like if ...
*Elvis Presley weren't the 'King" but the President of the United States ('Ike at the Mike' by Howard Waldrop).
*The Black Death had killed the entire population of Europe in the fourteenth century ('Lion Time in Timbuctoo' by Robert Silverberg).
*John F. Kennedy had survived the 1963 shooting in Dallas ('The Winterberry' by Nicholas A. DiCharlo).
"Included, too, is fascinating short fiction by Mike Resnick, Susan Shwartz, Larry Niven, Pamela Sargent, Fritz Leiber, Greg Bear, Barry N. Malzberg, Harry Turtledove, Gregory Benford, and Kim Stanley Robinson.
After reading these stories -- some of the most compelling examples of alternate history anywhere -- your mind will keep spinning the question 'What if ...?' "
~~back cover
This is indeed a fascinating collection of stories, glimpses into worlds that might have been, for better or for worse. If you like history and/or science fiction, I highly recommend this book.
"The Way It Wasn't takes an amusing, intellectually stimulating excursion into speculative history. Here are thirteen memorable stories by renowned science fiction writers, telling what things might be like if ...
*Elvis Presley weren't the 'King" but the President of the United States ('Ike at the Mike' by Howard Waldrop).
*The Black Death had killed the entire population of Europe in the fourteenth century ('Lion Time in Timbuctoo' by Robert Silverberg).
*John F. Kennedy had survived the 1963 shooting in Dallas ('The Winterberry' by Nicholas A. DiCharlo).
"Included, too, is fascinating short fiction by Mike Resnick, Susan Shwartz, Larry Niven, Pamela Sargent, Fritz Leiber, Greg Bear, Barry N. Malzberg, Harry Turtledove, Gregory Benford, and Kim Stanley Robinson.
After reading these stories -- some of the most compelling examples of alternate history anywhere -- your mind will keep spinning the question 'What if ...?' "
~~back cover
This is indeed a fascinating collection of stories, glimpses into worlds that might have been, for better or for worse. If you like history and/or science fiction, I highly recommend this book.
March 24, 2020
Good collection, Some alternate worlds are subtly dealt with. My only caveat is that, since it was published in 1996, many people might miss the resonances. For example, "Ike at the Mike", referring Eisenhower's presidency. Or, the title of the story, "What if they gave a peace?"
Did Not Finish
May 21, 2022Dnf. Poor audio quality.
December 30, 2024
Forgotten to check this one in it seems. Interesting "What if" - scenarios.
August 21, 2007
everyone has wondered "what if..." at some point, whether the question involved his or her own life or some pivotal event in history. history as we know it is jolted and questioned at every turn in this emotional collection of engaging and imaginative fiction. many "what if..." questions are addressed in this volume that allow authors and readers alike to rewrite history, correcting perceived wrongs or tragedies ("suppose they gave a peace..."), creating heroes where none existed before ("the lucky strike"), and exploring horrors best left to imaginations and late night readings ("we could do worse"). any fan of science fiction will enjoy these well-selected, well-ordered stories.
November 4, 2014
Normally, I don't rate as 5 stars especially anthology books because in most cases, the work by its very nature is uneven and there always some stories either I didn't like or found just too unbelievable. But this book is not the case. I think one of reasons is that instead of a group of historians writing this alternate history work, it was writers ( I have found that many historians when writing about alternate history is tell the history and the alternate part almost as an afterthought). In most of the stories, the actual change in history as we know it is not readily apparent. It is up to the reader to decipher where history diverged.
August 13, 2015
Ike at the Mike was a lot of fun, imagine if Ike and Patton had discovered jazz instead of the army.
The Winterberry by Nicholas A. DiChario was among the most tearjerking stories i've ever read. Bobby and Ted and JFK's doctors smuggle the heavily brain damaged president out of the hospital and tell no one, not even Jackie, that he still lives. told in the first person by JFK it skips about ten years at a time. his mind is about that of a six year old, w/no memories of his adult life, living in one room on martha's vineyard. so so sad.
March 20, 2011
Only the first story and an introductory essay were by Silverberg, the anthology was edited by Martin Greenberg. One really good story "The Winterberry" on John F. Kennedy; two long stories that were a waste; and two obligatory Nazi stories that weren't that good either. Why are Alternative History stories considered Science Fiction if they contain no "alternative science?" The Mongols in colonial America and the Africans after the Black Death really didn't have much science that I could find.
May 23, 2011
A fairly pedestrian anthology of alternate history short stories. These range from the absurd (Senator E.Aaron Presley envies the life of jazz clarinetist Ike Eisenhower) to the banal and forgettable. There's really only two gems in the lot: Pamela Sargent's "Sleeping Serpent" involving a conflicted Mongol whose people seek to overwhelm Amerinds in a very different 1600s, and Harry Turtledove's "Archetypes" with its 15th century Byzantine secret agent.
January 23, 2012
several EXCELLENT stories in this book--more good than bad. i think only 2 i had to skip because i just could not get into them.
my 3 faves were ike at the mike, the winterberry, and the lucky strike. once i got into it i also enjoyed lion in timbuctoo.
i was surprised that there was nothing said anywhere by greenberg, but at least he compiled a good collection.
my 3 faves were ike at the mike, the winterberry, and the lucky strike. once i got into it i also enjoyed lion in timbuctoo.
i was surprised that there was nothing said anywhere by greenberg, but at least he compiled a good collection.
August 27, 2010
Hit or miss with the stories in this anthology. I really like the ones by Larry Niven and Mike Resnick. Overall, a good sampling of alternative history, but not by any means a holistic look.
September 2, 2010
Some of the best sf stories I have ever read are included in this anthology, including "Ike at the Mike" and "Over There." Also "The Winterberry" (which will break you heart).
September 27, 2011
Alternate histories are always intriguing. I like it when authors choose a lesser point of history. Preventing the assassinations of Lincoln & Kennedy are way overdone.
December 27, 2013
Some good stories and some bad ones.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews