Wrong future history opinion check

[Leej]

In response to a idiot on wikipedia I have to recreate this poll from some time back.

What is your oppinion on books written in the past about the modern day that have turned out wrong?
Are they today fully alternate history, honourary alternate history or absolutely nothing to do with alternate history and not worth mentioning as being anything to do with it?

Apologies for the last thread, trying to make a poll

[zoomar]

Something between "honorary AH" and "absolutely nothing to do with AH". Personally, I think AH needs to be intended as such to be considered true AH.

This is not to say some books (like the whole series of novels in Heinlein's "future history" timeline) or others cannot be read as if they were AH - which is why some probably are honorary.

[Abdul Hadi Pasha]

I would say that some of it is an inspiration to AH. For instance, many people thought airships would be The Thing, and this has been an important thread in AH.

[Ivan Druzhkov]

I'd count the "good ones" as honorary AH. The only problem is that I don't have a specific set of criteria for determining who stays and who goes. It's more of a "I knows it whens I sees it" thing. For example, I'd count Not This August, since Kornblunth kept it mostly serious, but I, Martha Adams doesn't, as Winslow made it a formulaic, contrived piece.

[Leej]

For me it is 'it is all honourary alternate history'.
If they are not good they are simply very crap examples of alternate history, like those many Rome lasts into the modern day things.

[Mayhem]

Honourary AH; best I've read is Paul Simon's (I think) Total War: 2006. He was completely right up until 9/11, and frighteningly close afterwards (shudder). Who knows, the Arab world might still EMP Israel.

[LordKalvan]

Actually, Heinlein (in the late years) considered them "alternate universes", and included the books of Oz in them! :D

[Leej]

Honourary AH; best I've read is Paul Simon's (I think) Total War: 2006. He was completely right up until 9/11, and frighteningly close afterwards (shudder). Who knows, the Arab world might still EMP Israel.

I've read that too.
It is still being published today as a alternate history view of how things could have gone.

Kalvan-Huh?

[Hermanubis]

I had to vote for option four, because as everyone knows, I am a fool. ;)

[Justin Pickard]

Mr. Orwell's 'ninteen-eighty four' is, for me, definitely an honourary piece of alternate history. As is much of Mr. Verne's stuff...

[jrittenhouse]

In response to a idiot on wikipedia I have to recreate this poll from some time back.

The person you're mention is no fool, dude. And he's right. AH requires a POD, and you can call a piece of paper a five-dollar bill, but that doesn't make it one.