Decisive Darkness: Part One – Majestic

by Paul Hynes

  So, what if?

  In Fight and Be Right, Ed Thomas explores the other Churchill as he shatters the British party system, causes shockwaves in Europe, and brings about a very different 20th century…

  Available now.

  The Limpid Stream Jack Tindale

  In the spring of 1917, Vladimir Lenin was taken from his exile in Switzerland, loaded onto a sealed train, and taken to the Russian capital of Petrograd – a city where all manner of revolutionary ideas were in the air. Sent by the German government to add his radical voice to the chaos of the post-Tsarist regime, few would have expected that Lenin would soon preside over the establishment of the world’s first communist state and inexorably change the course of human history.

  But what if he had never arrived?

  In The Limpid Stream, Jack Tindale postulates a world where Lenin’s assassination on his arrival at Finland Station leads to a divergent Russian Revolution. With the Bolshevik cause robbed of its most charismatic leader, a very different nation emerges. From the bumbling actions of Alexander Kerensky, to the autocratic modernisation of Pyotr Wrangel, to the staunch liberalism of a very different Ayn Rand, The Limpid Stream shows a vision of an almost unrecognisable 20th Century.

  Available now.

  For Want of a Paragraph Tom Black

  In July 2008, Britain’s Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, wrote an article in the Guardian that many perceived to be a veiled attack on Gordon Brown, then Prime Minister and Labour Party leader. In the days and weeks that followed, Whitehall was awash with rumours that Miliband was testing the water for a leadership challenge. It never materialised.

  What if it had?

  In this romp through the heart of the collapsing Labour government in 2008, Tom Black presents familiar faces – the Miliband brothers, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Alistair Darling and more – in unfamiliar scenarios. Can David pull off his coup? Will he have to co-ordinate the whole thing from a train to Manchester? And does Gordon have a secret weapon up his sleeve?

  With a little poetic license taken in the name of an interesting story, this tale of Whitehall skulduggery will delight political geeks and amuse fans of House of Cards, The Thick Of It, and A Very British Coup.

  Also includes an afterword exploring the real world backdrop of the story, and an examination of why the events of the book did not come to pass.

  Available now.

  The Fourth Lectern Andy Cooke

  What if UKIP were given a lectern in the debates in 2010?

  They weren’t, of course. Not in our world. But in a world very similar to our own, where the tiniest of changes happened, they were. And things turned out rather differently.

  Ahead of the United Kingdom’s General Election in 2015, the populist right-wing, Eurosceptic United Kingdom Independence Party (commonly known as UKIP) was big news. What if their surge had happened earlier, in the dying days of a Labour Government?

  What if four-party politics had taken hold in the last election, in the last moments before the campaign began?

  What if the BBC, in attempting to close down arguments over whether the SNP and Plaid Cymru should be in the debates without excluding the Liberal Democrats, accidentally opened the door to UKIP?

  The campaign would have been rather different. Election night more so. And the aftermath?

  Andy Cooke’s counterfactual of a four-way election depicts a world eerily similar to our own.

  Available now.

  The Fifth Lectern Andy Cooke

  What if UKIP were given a lectern in the debates in 2010?

  That was the starting point of The Fourth Lectern. That book covered the few weeks around the alternative 2010 General Election, but what would have happened next?

  In The Fourth Lectern, the door for the UKIP surge opened in 2010, just before the General Election that year, rather than a few years after it, as in our world. The resulting Government was fragile and a new election seemed inevitable – but was it? For how long could the embattled Prime Minister eke out his time? How long would it be until the next General Election?

  And when it was to come around – well, the rules for having a lectern at the debates now seemed clear. And another Party wanted in…

  In this full-length sequel to The Fourth Lectern, Andy Cooke continues his story of a world that – had a few ballot boxes arrived on time on a snowy December in 2007 – could have been ours.

  Available now.

  Zonen Tom Black

  What if in 1946, an overstretched British occupying force had called on Denmark to aid in the occupation of post-war Germany? Would the world today be radically different? Or would it be mostly the same?

  Tom Black’s short story, told as a series of newspaper interviews, explores a present-day Denmark with a slightly different past. An examination of how alternate history need not only focus on great men and decisive battles, Zonen tells a simple human story. Our anonymous narrator meets characters aplenty, from family historians to TV executives and hard-right politicians.

  Funny, interesting and poignant, this short story may also teach you a thing or two about the real Denmark.

  Available now.

  Shuffling the Deck Jack Tindale and Tom Black

  They’re Prime Ministers. But not as we know them.

  Once called ‘the most intellectual parlour game around’, alternate history doesn’t have to be about Nazi zeppelins and steampunk empires. In this dry and witty re-imagining of post-war British politics, the authors take turns to place a familiar Prime Minister in an unfamiliar environment. James Callaghan, the darling of post-war prosperity and Britain’s first ‘television PM’? Anthony Eden, the hero who won the Second World War? To say nothing of the place in the history books held by Margaret Thatcher…

  A self-styled ‘bit of fun’, Shuffling The Deck is nevertheless a must-read for alternate historians interested in whether circumstance is more important than ‘great man theory’ would have us believe.

  Available now.

  Meet The New Boss Tom Black

  "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." - The Who

  Many alternate history pieces explore Britain's fate if the United Kingdom fell to Nazi Germany. But few consider what might come afterwards. The chaos of an overextended Third Reich would not last forever. Europe would eventually be liberated. But with no staging post in the Atlantic, isolationism might take hold in the United States, and the role of 'liberator' would be played by Hitler's greatest foe - Stalin himself.

  In Meet The New Boss, Tom Black considers a world in which all this came to pass, and Britain found herself squarely in the Soviet sphere of influence. Would Britain's communist leaders be Dubčeks or Honeckers? How would the British national character respond to Soviet, not home-grown, leftism? Through biographies of the various First Secretaries of the Communist Party of the Commonwealth of Great Britain (many of whom may seem strangely familiar), a picture of this different Britain emerges that will please some readers and horrify others.

  Available now.

  Boristopia Tom Black

  Boris Johnson is, perhaps, the most well-known 'character' among British politicians today. Once seen as a jovial buffoon with no future in high office, he sought the Mayoralty of London and, through his campaign and then his time in office, became a national figure talked about as a future PM. Widely recognised as one of the canniest minds in politics, Boris has made the most out of every opportunity - and every challenge - that has come his way.

  So, what if his rise had been different?

  In Boristopia, Tom Black begins the story with the thwarting of Boris' Mayoral ambitions. But rather than being a permanent blow, Boris soon finds that remaining in Parliament has its own advantages. His career path thus altered, he finds himself in cabinet during the Coalition, trading blows with Lib Dems and, eventually, squaring up to David Cameron himself. What follows is a rip-roaring ride on the back of power, the media, and uncontrollable blonde hair. As Boris faces off against Euros
cepticism, Scottish nationalism, and parliamentary democracy itself, readers will wonder quite how far Britain will let its PMs go if they can crack a good joke.

  Also features an 'alternate ending', for fans of the absurd.

  Available now.

  A Greater Britain Ed Thomas

  Today, Oswald Mosley is remembered as one of Britain’s most unpleasant and despised political figures. Yet at the opening of his career he was a rising star of British politics. Charismatic, talented and intelligent, it seemed that that Mosley was destined for greatness. If he had not abandoned mainstream politics for his journey towards fascism, he could have reached 10 Downing Street.

  So what if things had turned out differently?

  In A Greater Britain Ed Thomas charts the alternative career of a successful Oswald Mosley, who scales the heights of power in inter-war Britain, becoming one of the 20th century’s most influential – and divisive – figures in the process. As Mosley entrenches himself in power, befriends Benito Mussolini and reforms Britain along his own, corporatist lines, it quickly becomes apparent that world history will never be the same again.

  Available now.

  The Bloody Man Ed Thomas

  Oliver Cromwell occupies a unique place in British history. While other great, flawed figures of our past such as Winston Churchill, the Duke of Wellington, Elizabeth I or Henry V are proudly remembered as national heroes, Cromwell - one of England's finest generals, and the person who arguably did more than any other to establish the foundations of modern Britain -commands no such unanimity.

  Some still passionately denounce him as a genocidal dictator, a 'prototype Hitler' who introduced military rule to the British Isles, banned Christmas and dancing, and ruled through fear and the ruthless application of force. Others argue that he was a liberator, a noble foe of tyranny and oppression, and the originator of the British tradition for tolerance.

  The one thing that can be agreed on is that it is difficult to imagine what might have happened, good or ill, had a certain obscure Cambridgeshire Member of Parliament had not been present to influence the direction of Britain at one of the most tumultuous periods of the nation’s history.

  An English Civil War without Cromwell. Let's speculate.

  Available now.

  The Unreformed Kingdom Tom Anderson

  It’s the twenty-first century! Thanks to the inevitable tide of historical progress, we live in a liberal and democratic society! Except… that anonymous tide was made of real people making the decision to work to change things. What if, starting with the Great Reform Act of 1832, they had decided otherwise?

  The Unreformed Kingdom explores a very different, yet oddly familiar, Britain of a 2015 in which you can download an app to watch public executions, many MPs still represent rotten boroughs, and your religion determines your right to vote. Along the way, we meet some surprising figures from our own world, such as Jacob Rees-Mogg, the dangerously modernising Leader of the Tory Opposition, the intellectual patrician American Ambassador George W. Bush, and Jeremiah Clarkson, the controversial Mayor of Doncaster. Will the attitudes of the past rule over this land forever, or is there hope for the cause of liberty from a very unexpected source?

  This edition includes a new appendix describing the historical background to the setting and the events leading up to the world of 2015.

  Available now.

  La Isla Blanca Jack Tindale

  The Spanish Armada is today regarded with faint embarrassment. In Spain, it is often limited to a little more than a footnote about a somewhat foolhardy endeavour, whilst in Britain, it’s defeat has gone from being a sign of divine salvation to a serious threat saved my a combination of luck and weather. Had it been successful, there is little doubt that it would have posed a genuine threat to Elizabeth I – with the ill-prepared English army having little chance of success against a vast Spanish force from the south and the prospect of a Catholic uprising in the North. The Armada’s success may well have nipped England’s fledgling superpower status in the bud.

  But what if things fell somewhere in between?

  In La Isla Blanca, Jack Tindale considers the cultural, economic and political consequences of a foreign occupation of the Isle of Wight and the effects of a humbled England and a strengthened Spain.

  Any similarities to Gibraltar are, of course, entirely coincidental.

  Available now.

  Bombard the Headquarters! Steven Digena

  In 1971, strange things were afoot at the centre of the People’s Republic of China. With the Cultural Revolution still under way and Mao Zedong at the height of his power, China and the world were shocked to find late in the year that assassination and coup had been in the air, and had subsequently come crashing down in eastern Mongolia. Lin Biao, Marshall of the People’s Liberation Army, and Mao’s constitutionally designated successor was dead in a plane crash, having failed to launch a military coup against the regime he had so long served. The seizure of power, known as Project 571 ended in disaster for its plotters, and anyone who could be accused of having been involved.

  But what if their effort to bomb the Chairman’s train had succeeded?

  In Bombard the Headquarters! Steven Digena explores the possibilities of what could have happened, had ‘The Great Helmsman’ been assassinated in the fall of that year. What follows is clash of his lieutenants and plotters as military and political factions challenge each other for power, leadership and their own survival.

  Available now.

  Festung Europa: The Anglo-American Nazi War Jon Kacer

  The fall of Stalingrad in 1942 leads to Stalin purging his brightest officers. With the Red Army in disarray at the exact moment that the front collapses, Hitler is able to press the advantage and utterly defeat the Soviet Union. No longer facing any threats to the East, the Third Reich concentrates on reorganising Europe and building ‘Festung Europa’ – Fortress Europe.

  An uneasy and informal truce breaks out in the West, as Britain and America consider their options. Eventually, in 1954, matters come to a head and the ‘warm war’ turns hot. But the road to a liberated Europe will be paved with blood, sweat, tears and nuclear weapons.

  An exploration of the insane cost that Europe would pay under Nazism, and the astronomical price of its removal, Festung Europa is an unmissable war epic from one of alternate history’s most respected writers.

  Available now.

  Union, Travail, Justice Jonathan Edelstein

  In 1958, Gabon chooses union with France over independence. In 2015, with the powerful Alain-Bernard Bongo on trial in Paris, two murders in the oil fields reverberate from the Libreville underworld to the heights of French corporate towers, and threaten to unravel a web of corruption that joins politicians, oil companies and organized crime. Can a foreign journalist find the secret that Elf Aquitaine wants to keep buried, and will it shake Gabon’s politics as they haven’t been shaken in sixty years?

  Part alternate history, part conspiracy thriller, Jonathan Edelstein's tale of a different post-colonial history for Gabon will grip readers with its twists and turns, all the while raising questions about our own present.

  Available now.

  The World of Fight and Be Right Ed Thomas

  In Fight and Be Right, Ed Thomas charted the alternative political career of Lord Randolph Churchill. But what about the strange world that resulted from his dramatic entry and departure from the political stage?

  From the ruined streets and totalitarian oppression of Syndicalist London to the Russian 'Robots', and from the Jewish homeland in Australia to Longwood, Florida, home of the American motion picture industry, "The World of Fight and Be Right" explores a completely different, yet strangely familiar, 20th century.

  Available now.

  10 Leaders Britain Never Had edited by Tom Black

  ‘Great man’ history is flawed. But it can be fun.

  A group of alternate history authors try their hand at imagining different figures at the top of th
e British establishment. Be they Prime Ministers or something less conventional, the men and women in these pages inhabit very different worlds to that in which we live.

  Could Britain have had a female PM much earlier in its history? Who might emerge to lead Britain from the ashes of a fascist dictatorship? If Militant had taken over the Labour Party, who might be in Downing Street today?

  Sea Lion Press favourites including Jack Tindale and Ed Thomas are joined by newcomers in this volume of vignettes edited by Tom Black.

  Available now.

  Decisive Darkness: Part One - Majestic Paul Hynes

  In August 1945, Japan was hit with two nuclear weapons. This, along with the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, caused the government to surrender.

  What if it had not?

  Paul Hynes imagines a world in which a fanatical junta takes over Japan and pledges a fight to the bitter end. Using real-world plans relating to the invasion of the Home Islands, along with an extensive knowledge of American, British, Soviet and Japanese attitudes and capabilities at the time, Hynes crafts a story of harrowing losses, desperate measures, and unspeakable horror for the civilian population.

  Available now.

  Diverge and Conquer (part one of the Look to the West series) Tom Anderson

  History can turn on the smallest of things. In the history we know, King George II’s son Prince Frederick was an obscure footnote of history. Hated by his father (who threatened to exile him to the American colonies), his political career cut short when he was fatally struck by a cricket ball, of all things. The Prince never became King Fred and instead the throne passed to his inexperienced son, George III, who proceeded to lose America.

  But what if one tiny slight—a trip on a coronation carpet, a misplaced laugh—had tipped George II over the edge and he had made good on his threat? What if, in the year George Washington was born, the American colonies had found themselves home to an exiled Prince stripped of his inheritance? And what if that Prince had ambitions to reclaim his birthright by any means necessary, including with the help of his colonial subjects…?