Alternative Truths III: Endgame

by Jess Faraday (Editor), Bob Brown (Editor), Debora Godfrey (Contributor)

Endgame is the final installment of the Alternative Truths series. In it, you will discover stories of what might be, or not be, all envisioned as possible outcomes of the disastrous 2016 election. Stories of justice, redemption, failure, and laughter. How will this national nightmare of endless tweets and divisive policies, all bent on destroying the very fabric of our democracy, end? Will it find resolution under the rule of law, a flash of nuclear fire, or with the slow methodic collapse of democracy. I don’t know but some of the finest minds in science fiction have taken a crack at it and these are their stories, their visions, and their fears. Welcome to Alternative Truths, Endgame.

Genres: Fiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2019

About the author

Jess Faraday is the author of the award-winning Ira Adler historical mysteries, the standalone steampunk adventure The Left Hand of Justice and a number of historical adventures in short story and novella form.

Her novella, The Strange Case of the Big Sur Benefactor, won a Rainbow Award for Lesbian Historical. Fool's Gold won a Rainbow Award for Best Gay Historical, and was a runner-up for Best Gay Novel. Turnbull House was a runner-up for Best Gay Historical, and The Affair of the Porcelain Dog was both a Lambda Awards finalist, and won Honorable Mention for Best Novel of the Year from Speak Its Name.

She has edited several award-winning short story collections for Elm Books, including Death and a Cup of Tea (one of Foreword Review's top Indie mysteries of 2015), Undeath and the Detective (Finalist for a Silver Falchion Award for Best Multi-Author Anthology), and Fae Love, which won an Aspen Gold Reader's Choice Award.

You can read more about Jess and her books at http://www.jessfaraday.com

Reviews

[Andrew Lucas]

From the foreword to the final word, Endgame is a call to action. It reminds us of the storied beginnings of the country and the many advances over the decades. In spite of recent, horrific political setbacks, the road ahead is not as dark and hopeless as it may seem. There is a light and a goal, and the thirty two excellent writers in this book will help you find it.

The stories range from the irreverent to the deeply introspective. They all contain a few themes in common, whether it is the First Lady being spirited away from an abusive husband via an underground railway or a disgraced presidential family fleeing to the Black Sea. Not all the stories are that dark thematically, quite a few a funny, striking back with humor and parody. Putin and the President in hell, or the White House staff coping with the inanity of the Commander in Chief’s antics. One common theme is that of the ever present, oh so ever present, brutally ever present tweets that inundate us daily. Here they are twisted to sardonic purpose by the writers, almost as if true craftsmen are rebelling against the vulgarity of the president’s chosen tool of communication.

The book hits all the major beats we’ve all been living with the last few years. The Wall, The Tweets, violence against political opponents, fascist bravado, crooked Hillary – all the greatest hits. The stories, poems and even occasional song emphases the sheer absurdity of the last few years. Like all good parody these stories shine the light on the current administration, and skewer it with prose before it can scuttle beneath your refrigerator. Each writer hopes that by holding the system up to the light they can let the muck and filth run off. Give it a good shake, let the fresh air cleanse what used to be a great country – and could be again.

All of the stories, poems and God help us songs are excellently written. Here are some of my favourites which stood out for me.

David Gerrold’s Act Three a critical analysis of how the GOP might have broken the democratic system. Democralypse by Bruce Golden shows the end result of intolerance and the inevitable purge.
Adam-Troy Castro’s appeal to the better side of Trump supporters, as the alternative is unthinkable.
Deborah Godfrey’s No Excuse, exposing the true state of the White House
The Nature of the Problem by Thomas A Easton frames his story as a series of news dispatches and is a brilliant explanation of modern politics. It’s my favourite of all the stories, really striking deep to the core of my own black humour.

The book is thoughtful and the pieces curated for their writer’s attention to their craft, but also the poignancy of their themes. Each story, while occasionally, very dark, points to how and where we have gone and perhaps how to course correct. The third in the Alternative Truths series, which shows no indication of losing either steam or focus.

[Marilyn]

Surprising and far reaching
Alternative Truths III: Endgame (Alternatives Book 4), edited by Jess Faraday and Bob Brown, is the fourth book in Bob Brown's bottle of good rye whiskey and an election gone horribly wrong anthologies. The book presents thirty-three essays, poems, and stories. With that many visions, there is something for everyone.
"The First Lady is Missing" by Louise Marley, poignantly touches on the personal end of the nightmare for the First Lady, who escapes the White House. More dramatic than the rumor of how Mrs. Trump, it was revealed about the time this book was published, moved in with her parents.
"Politics As Usual" by K.G. Anderson, provides a cautionary tale describing a sad end to everything that opposes the current radical conservatism. It could herald a time of sticking your head under the covers, or a time of activism and sharp monitoring. The endgame this story foresees is a continuation of politics as usual. Anderson provides a peek at the road map that goes there.
"Mr. President’s No Good, Lousy Day" by Stephanie L. Weippert, imagines the last day that the president was in office. Who took him down in this story might surprise you.
"The Nature of the Problem" by Thomas A. Easton, mashes science, scientific abstracts, and the struggle of science in a hostile world. Scientist Samuel Atwood, discovered a novel microorganism in the human brain, a human brain parasite, W. credulensis, that appears to make people vulnerable to erroneous beliefs. A richly textured story, it is told in the way of scientific abstracts, tweets, and news releases. Easton captured the essence of each, with a nice twist at the end.
The poetry swings from the true and gritty to the sarcastic and humorous.
Two strong studies of life, focused on the news we read every day by Joyce Frohn, "What is Hate?" And "Passing on Fire" ground this anthology in a reality of our day.
"America Once Beautiful" by Gregg Chamberlain, sarcastically inverts the song that should be our national anthem. Sing it as you read. At once both mean and true, you might shed a tear.
"The Ballad of Cadet Bone Spurs" by Larry Hodges, (Sung to the tune of “The Ballad of Jed Clampett,”) is simply funny, especially if you take a moment to actually sing it.
It is hard to tell the essays from the fiction, so you can sort that yourself.
Again, Bob Brown has brought forth a complex and strong anthology. As always, a share of the proceeds from sales of the book goes to the ACLU of Washington.

[Philippa]

Written in 2018 this anthology of short stories and poetry detail what might happen during the first Trump presidency. Well he didn't get to a lot of what's feared in this book in his first term but he's certainly trying to achieve those goals in his second, to the horror of any civilised and decent human being. I found it hard to read the book (though there were a few stories that made me laugh) but it was painful knowing that so much in the book has come true so far. A worrying if well-written book by a large number of authors, some well known and some not so. Available at specialist stores and online.

[Scott]

I was given a copy of this anthology in exchange for an honest review.
If you dislike Trump and everything he stands for, then this is the book for you. Filled to the brim with short stories and poems of various genres, there is sure to be something to satisfy everyone.
As I read the book, I often wondered how Trump would react if he ever read these pages, or more likely listened to the audiobook.

[Georgia]

More scary stories about our country and world after a sociopath destroys America as we know it.