Parallel Universe/Alternate Version with Evil Characters - or "What Might Have Been?"

[Jenna]

Hi, so there have been some related queries, but not exactly the same (I'll post links below) and there is a Listopia with Parallel Universes.

What I am specifically interested in:

Parallel Universe with Alternate (often "Evil") versions of characters.

Often one person from "real" side somehow travels (intentionally or not) to other side.

What I find interesting is how the author envisions the "evil" versions of their characters, and how those characters deal with meeting/encountering (or hearing) about their "evil" versions.

Two books that fit what I am thinking of are Dark Mirror (Star Trek: The Next Generation), when Captain Picard has to cross over to evil universe and try to impersonate evil version of himself to save his own universe. Also Wizard Squared (which is the third or fourth book in the series) when Gerald's friend Monk goes to alternate universe and finds his friend Gerald has become evil, sadistic dictator. (Not to mention the several Star Trek TV episodes that deal wth this...). Even the Regency riff on Dicken's Christmas Carol sort of deals with this in A Regency Christmas Carol when hero sees future version of himself as incredibly selfish, etc.

I suppose to truly appreciate the "evil" versions, one probably has some appreciation/time with "original" (nice) versions of characters, so one can see how author deals with alternate/evil version and keeps them the same...but different. (Although I am open, just pondering the idea.)

Can anyone think or specifically point to books from Listopia that fit this theme?

Thanks so much!

Related Links:
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[Ann aka Iftcan]

Double Exposure this is an entire trilogy that is somewhat like what you are looking for.

Wraiths of Time is vaguely similar. Only the MC never gets to actually "meet" her alternate, since the alt died bringing her into the new world, and wasn't evil either. So, not sure if you'd like it or not, but thought I'd throw it out there.

The Shadow of Albion is book 1 in a 2 book series (there was a third one planned, but unfortunately, Ms. Norton died before it was written.) This one is entirely set in the alternate universe. What Ms. Norton did with the parallel world is really interesting.

And, having suggested the previous book, more for the interesting world that was invented, I'm also going to suggest the Temeraire series for an interesting alternate world. His Majesty's Dragon is the first book in this series.

I'm not totally sure if any of these will fit what you are looking for, but thought I'd throw them out there, since they are some of the more interesting of the parallel world books.

[Jenna]

Ann aka iftcan,
Thanks for your suggestions. I have read the Temaire series.
I will look up other series.

[Anna]

I think in the second book of The Chronicles of Amber (The Guns of Avalon) Corwin found shadow world that was once ruled by his evil shadow self.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Dying Bites is another series that is set where an FBI agent from our world is deliberately pulled into an alternate world. In the alternate world there are werewolves and vampires as well as a few (VERY few) humans. As a result of a spell that was unleashed on the population, all of a sudden vampires and werewolves are going insane, and someone who knows how to deal with that type of criminal is needed. It's an interesting take on things.

[Jenna]

I just watched the BBC (loose) adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier's The Scapegoat -- which reminded me that a) I had read the book (which fits this theme rather in reverse) and b) the book/film also fit this theme (in reverse); c) the BBC adaptation is set in 1950s Britain and...spoiler...is much happier

[CaptKirk42 Classic Whovian]

I loved Star Trek: TNG "Dark Mirror". Read it quickly shortly after it was first published. Sadly don't recall too much of it. Yet another re-read book to add to the never ending always growing TBR pile (To Be Read)

[Lena]

Tandem by Anna Jarzab is about parallel universes. I'm not sure it fits the evil/good versions of characters you seem to be looking for, but I enjoyed it.

[Nente]

Are you only interested in fantasy/sci-fi?
If not, there's Stephen Fry's Making History alternate universe, as in "what if we go back in time and kill Hitler?"

[Jenna]

Regarding Alternate History...not so much. I think I've read some mysteries about a British detective in world when the Nazis win and take over England. It doesn't have to be fantasy/sci-fi (per se) but "evil/parallel universes" generally seem to fit into the genre I am thinking of. (I've read some alternate history essays, which I enjoy on a different level/different style.)

In theory, I guess some time-travel romances could sort of fit the general idea: like when person going back (or forward in time) takes over some one else's body (versus getting plopped in the middle of Main Street Old West) -- the two that I can think of there are Once in Every Life and When There is Hope in which heroine gets put back into body of someone in the past (who was really mean) and heroine a) has to figure out how to live "life back then" and b) try to figure out how to act like the person they are now occupying or convince everyone they've "reformed" -- it's not quite the same, but sort of fits...

[Jenna]

@David @CaptKirk42 -- I agree that Dark Mirror was good --I always wished they'd made an episode in ST:TNG with parallel evil universe. But they never did.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

They did use it a few times in the DS9 series Jenna.

[Aggie]

Maybe The Love that Split the World (it's definetely the "parallel universe-what might have been" type)? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Also A Thousand Pieces Of You (Definetely something with "evil" versions)
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

These are both YA romance...

[Courtney]

Agatha H and the Airship City is an alternate world. There are mad scientist involve and the authors were the first to coin the term "gas lamp".

The Man in the High Castle is an alternate universe where Germany won WWI. There isn't an "evil" person necessarily.

[CraftyChara]

Following this one!

[[deleted user]]

The Female Man. Almost impossible to describe without spoilers, very experimental style. Had to really keep my mind on it, but worth the effort.

[Jenna]

Thanks for all suggestions; I will have to look them up!

[Jenna]

This sort of fits my own query...

Nick of Time Hero goes back. Person he replaces was a jerk; hero has to navigate new period and learning all these things about "himself"...

[Jessica]

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Vol. 1

[Jessica]

Terraplane and this too

One

InterWorld

A Crack in the Line

[Julia ♡ Sarcasm and Romance Addict ♡]

Fantastical and the other Fantasyland series books by Kristen Ashley. #3 and #4 do the “evil twin” theme more, but #2 is still the better overall book tbh

[Keith]

One of the books in the Skulduggery Pleasant series (I think it's Kingdom of the Wicked) has the main character travel to a parallel universe where the villains won in the past.

The second book in the Wheel of Time series (The Great Hunt) has the main character glimpse parallel universes in which various villains are/were more successful.

[Jessica]

The Talisman

[Andy]

The Coming of the Quantum Cats by Fred Pohl The Coming of the Quantum Cats

[Sydney]

The Circle Series (or books of history chronicles) by Ted Dekker would be kinda similar to your description, though not entirely the same.

[Rosa]

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two

[The Reading Raccoon]

A Thousand Pieces of You
Ten Thousand Skies Above You

[Rachel]

Jingo by Terry Pratchett has a version of this. Vimes (the main character) gets his personal organiser switched with a parallel world version of himself. When he listens to his to-do list it reveals what the parallel version of Vimes is doing, so he realises how things would have gone differently if he had taken a different course of action.