Opinions of the What If books and their many authors I've seen on this site generally seem to range from the negative to the near-homicidal. Sure, they do not have a clear understanding of the butterfly effect. But perhaps a reappraisal of them is in order. They are good resources for the motivations behind actual history, and a nice source of figures. At least in the short term, they are quite plausible, and are a nice reaction against the over-emphasis of butterflies I've seen. Additionally, there are around twenty different authors, with quite different areas of expertise and writing ability. If you got twenty different published AH writers to compile a list of WIs, it might get pretty bad towards the bottom. The main complaint against the series is that people on this forum got it expecting professional grade AH, and were disappointed. But the series isn't meant for denizens of this forum, who are all (with the glaring exception of myself) pretty much experts on the subject. As a guide to the beginner in AH, it is a useful resource that provokes much thought and legitimizes the genre. Thoughts?
A Reappraisal of the What If Books
- Thread starter frustrated progressive
- Start date
It's how I got into the genre, for what it's worth. I haven't re-read it in a while, though, so I can't comment on the quality.