A review of a book that might interest you "What If" buffs.
"Civilizations" is by Laurent Binet, the author of "HHhH "- a retelling of the Heydrich assassination.
Civilizations is on my To Read Next List.
https://www.theage.com.au/culture/books ... 57z5e.html
Cheers
Max
Civilizations - Perfectly believable and totally made up
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Max
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Civilizations - Perfectly believable and totally made up
Greetings from the Wide Brown.
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sailorsam
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Re: Civilizations - Perfectly believable and totally made up
sounds interesting, if unlikely.
mentions the what-if of an Inca army invading Europe! IIRC, the Incas and Aztecs were about as numerous as the Hapsburg empire.
as the Gun Germs and Steel guy might have wondered, suppose Native Americans had had iron weapons and horses? (and ships?) the potential resources were certainly there.
if you like this topic look for 'Years of Salt and Rice', a speculative fiction novel in which Europe is decimated by plague and the Asiatic peoples dominate the world.
mentions the what-if of an Inca army invading Europe! IIRC, the Incas and Aztecs were about as numerous as the Hapsburg empire.
as the Gun Germs and Steel guy might have wondered, suppose Native Americans had had iron weapons and horses? (and ships?) the potential resources were certainly there.
if you like this topic look for 'Years of Salt and Rice', a speculative fiction novel in which Europe is decimated by plague and the Asiatic peoples dominate the world.
Saint Peter, let these men enter Heaven; they served their time in hell.
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T. A. Gardner
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Re: Civilizations - Perfectly believable and totally made up
There's two that are really interesting. One is based on potential historical events, the other is more fantastic.
The first is that the Mongols overrun all of Europe. This only requires that Genghis lives a few more years than he did. With virtually all of Eurasia under Mongol rule, the renaissance and other critical events leading to the scientific and cultural revolutions that occurred don't happen. Now, the Central American Indians have an opportunity to move beyond the stone age and spread technology to roughly match that of Eurasia. Say, a fleet is blown out into the Atlantic and crosses on a current and prevailing winds.
The second requires far more of a stretch. Some how a Roman legion with supporting Romans and camp followers somehow end up in North America. If this happens say slightly into the Current Era (AD), they eventually spread their technological and social developments to organized societies like the Mississippian Mound builders who are already building towns and even small cities. North America becomes technologically equal to Europe and Rome by the time more explorers show up. Already exposed to most of the diseases of Europe they don't get wiped out from that vector.
The first is that the Mongols overrun all of Europe. This only requires that Genghis lives a few more years than he did. With virtually all of Eurasia under Mongol rule, the renaissance and other critical events leading to the scientific and cultural revolutions that occurred don't happen. Now, the Central American Indians have an opportunity to move beyond the stone age and spread technology to roughly match that of Eurasia. Say, a fleet is blown out into the Atlantic and crosses on a current and prevailing winds.
The second requires far more of a stretch. Some how a Roman legion with supporting Romans and camp followers somehow end up in North America. If this happens say slightly into the Current Era (AD), they eventually spread their technological and social developments to organized societies like the Mississippian Mound builders who are already building towns and even small cities. North America becomes technologically equal to Europe and Rome by the time more explorers show up. Already exposed to most of the diseases of Europe they don't get wiped out from that vector.