Invasion literature

The Battle of Dorking (1871) by George Tomkyns Chesney first appeared in Blackwood's Magazine, a respected Victorian political journal read by important British politicians. The short story describes the invasion of England by an unnamed enemy (who happen to speak German) in which the narrator, and 1000 citizens, defend the small English town of Dorking, with no supplies or news of outside events. The story then moves forward in time 50 years and England is still devastated. The author, like many British at the time, was alarme ...

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Invasion literature, Invasion literature - Invasion literature, Invasion literature - Political impact, Invasion literature - Before and after the Dorking era, Invasion literature - Influences, Invasion literature - Notable invasion literature

Read more here: » Invasion literature: Encyclopedia II - Invasion literature - Invasion literature

The alien invasion is a common theme in science fiction stories and film, in which a technologically-superior extraterrestrial society invades Earth with the intent to replace human life, or to enslave it under a colonial system. The invasion scenario has been used as an allegory for a protest against military hegemony and the societal ills of the time. Wells' The War of the Worlds is often viewed as an indictment of European colonialism and its "gunboat diplomacy" —setting a common theme for future alien invasion stories, that force audiences in modern societies (U.S., UK) to em ...

Including:

• Alien invasion - Variations
• Alien invasion - Notable examples
• Alien invasion - External link

Read more here: » Alien invasion: Encyclopedia - Alien invasion

Alternative history fiction - Antiquity. The earliest example of alternative history appears to be Book IX, sections 17-19, of Livy's History of Rome from Its Foundation. He contemplates the possibility of Alexander the Great expanding his father's empire westward instead of eastward and attacking Rome in the 4th century BC. Alternative history fiction - 19th century. The earliest alternative history published as a complete work, rather than an aside or digression in a l ...

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Alternative history fiction, Alternative history fiction - History of alternate history fiction, Alternative history fiction - Antiquity, Alternative history fiction - 19th century, Alternative history fiction - Early 20th century, Alternative history fiction - Cross-time stories, Alternative history fiction - Introducing the paratime patrol, Alternative history fiction - Development of more sophisticated framings, Alternative history fiction - The Connecticut Yankee wins at last!, Alternative history fiction - Major U.S. writers explore alternate histories, Alternative history fiction - Contemporary alternate history in popular literature including the s-f genre, Alternative history fiction - Alternate history in the contemporary fantasy genre, Alternative history fiction - Elements of Alternate History, Alternative history fiction - The boundaries of alternative history, Alternative history fiction - Alternative history in other media, Alternative history fiction - Points of divergence, Alternative history fiction - Counterfactual and virtual history, Alternative history fiction - Sidewise Award for Alternate History, Alternative history fiction - Published alternative histories, Alternative history fiction - Online alternative histories

Read more here: » Alternative history fiction: Encyclopedia II - Alternative history fiction - History of alternate history fiction

H. G. Wells - Early life. Herbert George was the fourth and last child of Joseph Wells, a former domestic gardener and at the time shopkeeper and cricketer, and his wife Sarah Neal, a former domestic servant. He was born at 58 High Street, Bromley, Kent. The family was of the impoverished lower-middle-class. An inheritance allowed them to purchase a china shop, though they quickly realised it would never be a prosperous concern. The stock was old and worn out, the location poor. They managed to earn a meagre inco ...

See also:

H. G. Wells, H. G. Wells - Biography, H. G. Wells - Early life, H. G. Wells - Teacher, H. G. Wells - Marriage and liaisons, H. G. Wells - Game designer, H. G. Wells - Writer, H. G. Wells - Legacy, H. G. Wells - Appearances in other contexts, H. G. Wells - Works, H. G. Wells - Footnotes, H. G. Wells - Honours

Read more here: » H. G. Wells: Encyclopedia II - H. G. Wells - Biography

H. G. Wells - Early life. Herbert George was the fourth and last son born at 58 The High Street, Bromley to Joseph Wells, a former domestic gardener and at the time shopkeeper and cricketer and his wife Sarah Neal, a former domestic servant and occasional housekeeper. Both parents were members of the working class, but aspired to lower-middle-classness. An inheritance allowed them to purchase a china shop, which, after they had bought it, they realized would never be a paying propostion. The stock was old and wor ...

See also:

H. G. Wells, H. G. Wells - Biography, H. G. Wells - Early life, H. G. Wells - Teacher, H. G. Wells - Marriage and liaisons, H. G. Wells - Game designer, H. G. Wells - Writer, H. G. Wells - Legacy, H. G. Wells - Appearances in other contexts, H. G. Wells - Works, H. G. Wells - Footnotes, H. G. Wells - Honours

Read more here: » H. G. Wells: Encyclopedia II - H. G. Wells - Biography

The most well-known alien invasion scenarios involve the aliens landing on Earth, destroying or abducting people, fighting and defeating Earth's military forces, and then destroying Earth's major cities. Usually the bulk of the story follows the battles between the invaders and Earth's armies, as in The War of the Worlds. However, not all alien invasion stories follow this plot. In some accounts, the alien invaders will covertly subvert human society using disguises, shapechanging, or human allies. In other depictions, the aliens scor ...

See also:

Alien invasion, Alien invasion - Variations, Alien invasion - Notable examples, Alien invasion - External link

Read more here: » Alien invasion: Encyclopedia II - Alien invasion - Variations

Several films have been made that exploit the concepts of alternative history, most notably Kevin Brownlow's It Happened Here. Another such film is 2009 Lost Memories, a Korean film supposing that Hirobumi Ito was not assassinated by An Jung-geun in Harbin, China, in 1909. Many movies about alternate pasts, however, focus on individuals rather than historical events and some students of AH would say these are not alternate histories (e.g., Frank Capra’s It's a Wonderful Life, and more recently the films < ...

See also:

Alternative history fiction, Alternative history fiction - History of alternate history fiction, Alternative history fiction - Antiquity, Alternative history fiction - 19th century, Alternative history fiction - Early 20th century, Alternative history fiction - Cross-time stories, Alternative history fiction - Introducing the paratime patrol, Alternative history fiction - Development of more sophisticated framings, Alternative history fiction - The Connecticut Yankee wins at last!, Alternative history fiction - Major U.S. writers explore alternate histories, Alternative history fiction - Contemporary alternate history in popular literature including the s-f genre, Alternative history fiction - Alternate history in the contemporary fantasy genre, Alternative history fiction - Elements of Alternate History, Alternative history fiction - The boundaries of alternative history, Alternative history fiction - Alternative history in other media, Alternative history fiction - Points of divergence, Alternative history fiction - Counterfactual and virtual history, Alternative history fiction - Sidewise Award for Alternate History, Alternative history fiction - Published alternative histories, Alternative history fiction - Online alternative histories

Read more here: » Alternative history fiction: Encyclopedia II - Alternative history fiction - Alternative history in other media

H. G. Wells appears as a character in the Doctor Who serial Timelash. He also appears as a character in the novel and motion picture Time After Time, where he chases Jack The Ripper after the latter stole his time machine and escaped to 1979-era San Francisco. He also appears as a character in multiple episodes of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. The novel The Time Ships, by British author Stephen Baxter, was designated by the Wells estate as an authorised sequel to Th ...

See also:

H. G. Wells, H. G. Wells - Biography, H. G. Wells - Early life, H. G. Wells - Teacher, H. G. Wells - Marriage and liaisons, H. G. Wells - Game designer, H. G. Wells - Writer, H. G. Wells - Legacy, H. G. Wells - Appearances in other contexts, H. G. Wells - Works, H. G. Wells - Footnotes, H. G. Wells - Honours

Read more here: » H. G. Wells: Encyclopedia II - H. G. Wells - Appearances in other contexts

See main articles: historical revisionism, virtual history Historians also speculate in this manner; this type of speculation is known commonly as "counterfactual history" or "virtual history". There is considerable debate within the community of historians about the validity and purpose of this type of speculation. For alternative histories which some assert to be factual rather than speculative, see conspiracy theory and historical revisionism. ...

See also:

Alternative history fiction, Alternative history fiction - History of alternate history fiction, Alternative history fiction - Antiquity, Alternative history fiction - 19th century, Alternative history fiction - Early 20th century, Alternative history fiction - Cross-time stories, Alternative history fiction - Introducing the paratime patrol, Alternative history fiction - Development of more sophisticated framings, Alternative history fiction - The Connecticut Yankee wins at last!, Alternative history fiction - Major U.S. writers explore alternate histories, Alternative history fiction - Contemporary alternate history in popular literature including the s-f genre, Alternative history fiction - Alternate history in the contemporary fantasy genre, Alternative history fiction - Elements of Alternate History, Alternative history fiction - The boundaries of alternative history, Alternative history fiction - Alternative history in other media, Alternative history fiction - Points of divergence, Alternative history fiction - Counterfactual and virtual history, Alternative history fiction - Sidewise Award for Alternate History, Alternative history fiction - Published alternative histories, Alternative history fiction - Online alternative histories

Read more here: » Alternative history fiction: Encyclopedia II - Alternative history fiction - Counterfactual and virtual history

soc.history.what-if is a Usenet newsgroup devoted to discussing alternative histories. This newsgroup has spawned a number of interesting alternative timelines, including an online role playing game which has run continuously since 2000 called SHWI-ISOT with a POD in 1800 and in which the characters are based on the players being sent from the 21st century back to an alternate early 19th Century, where they have started altering history. Th ...

See also:

Alternative history fiction, Alternative history fiction - History of alternate history fiction, Alternative history fiction - Antiquity, Alternative history fiction - 19th century, Alternative history fiction - Early 20th century, Alternative history fiction - Cross-time stories, Alternative history fiction - Introducing the paratime patrol, Alternative history fiction - Development of more sophisticated framings, Alternative history fiction - The Connecticut Yankee wins at last!, Alternative history fiction - Major U.S. writers explore alternate histories, Alternative history fiction - Contemporary alternate history in popular literature including the s-f genre, Alternative history fiction - Alternate history in the contemporary fantasy genre, Alternative history fiction - Elements of Alternate History, Alternative history fiction - The boundaries of alternative history, Alternative history fiction - Alternative history in other media, Alternative history fiction - Points of divergence, Alternative history fiction - Counterfactual and virtual history, Alternative history fiction - Sidewise Award for Alternate History, Alternative history fiction - Published alternative histories, Alternative history fiction - Online alternative histories

Read more here: » Alternative history fiction: Encyclopedia II - Alternative history fiction - Online alternative histories

H. G. Wells appears as a character in the Doctor Who serial Timelash. He also appears as a character in the novel and motion picture Time After Time, where he chases Jack The Ripper after the latter stole his time machine and escaped to 1979 San Francisco. He also appears as a character in multiple episodes of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. The novel The Time Ships, by British author Stephen Baxter, was designated by the Wells estate as an authorised sequel to The Ti ...

See also:

H. G. Wells, H. G. Wells - Biography, H. G. Wells - Early life, H. G. Wells - Teacher, H. G. Wells - Marriage and liaisons, H. G. Wells - Game designer, H. G. Wells - Writer, H. G. Wells - Legacy, H. G. Wells - Appearances in other contexts, H. G. Wells - Works, H. G. Wells - Footnotes, H. G. Wells - Honours

Read more here: » H. G. Wells: Encyclopedia II - H. G. Wells - Appearances in other contexts

Several films have been made that exploit the concepts of alternative history, most notably Kevin Brownlow's It Happened Here. Another such film is 2009 Lost Memories, a Korean film supposing that Hirobumi Ito was not assassinated by An Jung-geun in Harbin, China, in 1909. A few movies about alternate pasts, however, focus on individuals rather than historical events and some students of AH would say these are not alternate histories (e.g., Frank Capra’s It's a Wonderful Life, and more recently the films ...

See also:

Alternative history fiction, Alternative history fiction - History of alternate history fiction, Alternative history fiction - Antiquity, Alternative history fiction - 19th century, Alternative history fiction - Early 20th century, Alternative history fiction - Cross-time stories, Alternative history fiction - Introducing the paratime patrol, Alternative history fiction - Development of more sophisticated framings, Alternative history fiction - The Connecticut Yankee wins at last!, Alternative history fiction - Major U.S. writers explore alternate histories, Alternative history fiction - Contemporary alternate history in popular literature including the s-f genre, Alternative history fiction - Alternate history in the contemporary fantasy genre, Alternative history fiction - Elements of Alternate History, Alternative history fiction - The boundaries of alternative history, Alternative history fiction - Alternative history in other media, Alternative history fiction - Points of divergence, Alternative history fiction - Counterfactual and virtual history, Alternative history fiction - Sidewise Award for Alternate History, Alternative history fiction - Published alternative histories, Alternative history fiction - Online alternative histories

Read more here: » Alternative history fiction: Encyclopedia II - Alternative history fiction - Alternative history in other media

A partial listing of his works: (Entries marked with an * are available at the Project Gutenberg website.) The Chronic Argonauts (1888) The Time Machine (1895)* The Stolen Bacillus and Other Incidents (1895)* The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896)* The Red Room (1896)* The Wheels of Chance (1896)* The Invisible Man (1897)* The Star - short story, Graphic, Christmas (1897)* The War of the Worlds (1898)*< ...

See also:

H. G. Wells, H. G. Wells - Biography, H. G. Wells - Early life, H. G. Wells - Teacher, H. G. Wells - Marriage and liaisons, H. G. Wells - Game designer, H. G. Wells - Writer, H. G. Wells - Legacy, H. G. Wells - Appearances in other contexts, H. G. Wells - Works, H. G. Wells - Footnotes, H. G. Wells - Honours

Read more here: » H. G. Wells: Encyclopedia II - H. G. Wells - Works

The classic treatment was The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. Other treatments have posited biological invasions (Invasion of the Body Snatchers), or cultural invasion (The Uplift Wars by David Brin). The 1988 cult film They Live uses its own alien infiltration backstory as a satire on what some perceived as Reagan's America and the 1980s as an era of conspicuous consumption, in which the hidden aliens and human members of the elite oppress po ...

See also:

Alien invasion, Alien invasion - Variations, Alien invasion - Notable examples, Alien invasion - External link

Read more here: » Alien invasion: Encyclopedia II - Alien invasion - Notable examples

There are certain elements which are common to all alternate histories, whether they deal with history on the micro-level (personal alternate histories) or the macro-level (world-changing events). These elements include A point of change from the history of our world prior to the time at which the author is writing A change which would alter history as it is known An examination of the ramifications of that change Alternate histories do not Need to be set in the past Need to show the point of divergence Need to ...

See also:

Alternative history fiction, Alternative history fiction - History of alternate history fiction, Alternative history fiction - Antiquity, Alternative history fiction - 19th century, Alternative history fiction - Early 20th century, Alternative history fiction - Cross-time stories, Alternative history fiction - Introducing the paratime patrol, Alternative history fiction - Development of more sophisticated framings, Alternative history fiction - The Connecticut Yankee wins at last!, Alternative history fiction - Major U.S. writers explore alternate histories, Alternative history fiction - Contemporary alternate history in popular literature including the s-f genre, Alternative history fiction - Alternate history in the contemporary fantasy genre, Alternative history fiction - Elements of Alternate History, Alternative history fiction - The boundaries of alternative history, Alternative history fiction - Alternative history in other media, Alternative history fiction - Points of divergence, Alternative history fiction - Counterfactual and virtual history, Alternative history fiction - Sidewise Award for Alternate History, Alternative history fiction - Published alternative histories, Alternative history fiction - Online alternative histories

Read more here: » Alternative history fiction: Encyclopedia II - Alternative history fiction - Elements of Alternate History

This leads to readers encountering stories which read as though they were alternate history, but which are not. An example would be Robert A. Heinlein's The Man Who Sold the Moon. Written in the 1940s, it posits that the first moon launch is run by a private organization rather than a government agency in the 1960s. New readers encountering the book may well presume that this is alternative history since it is clearly a counter-factual depiction of the first moon launch, now almost 40 years in the past. However, when written ...

See also:

Alternative history fiction, Alternative history fiction - History of alternate history fiction, Alternative history fiction - Antiquity, Alternative history fiction - 19th century, Alternative history fiction - Early 20th century, Alternative history fiction - Cross-time stories, Alternative history fiction - Introducing the paratime patrol, Alternative history fiction - Development of more sophisticated framings, Alternative history fiction - The Connecticut Yankee wins at last!, Alternative history fiction - Major U.S. writers explore alternate histories, Alternative history fiction - Contemporary alternate history in popular literature including the s-f genre, Alternative history fiction - Alternate history in the contemporary fantasy genre, Alternative history fiction - Elements of Alternate History, Alternative history fiction - The boundaries of alternative history, Alternative history fiction - Alternative history in other media, Alternative history fiction - Points of divergence, Alternative history fiction - Counterfactual and virtual history, Alternative history fiction - Sidewise Award for Alternate History, Alternative history fiction - Published alternative histories, Alternative history fiction - Online alternative histories

Read more here: » Alternative history fiction: Encyclopedia II - Alternative history fiction - The boundaries of alternative history

See also: Vampire fiction The character of Count Dracula has remained popular over the years, and many films have used the character as a villain, while others have referenced him in movie titles such as Daughters of Dracula, Lady Dracula, and Zoltan, Hound of Dracula. An estimated 160 films (as of 2004) feature Dracula in a major role, a number second only to Sherlock Holmes. The total number of films that include a reference to Dracula may reach ...

See also:

Dracula, Dracula - Novel background, Dracula - Historical connections, Dracula - Plot, Dracula - Analysis, Dracula - Dracula in Romania, Dracula - Movie television and play adaptations, Dracula - Universal Studios productions of Dracula, Dracula - Hammer Films productions of Dracula, Dracula - Other productions 1970 - 1979, Dracula - Dracula movies 1980 - 1999, Dracula - Dracula movies 2000 to present, Dracula - Popular culture

Read more here: » Dracula: Encyclopedia II - Dracula - Movie television and play adaptations

See also: Vampire fiction The character of Count Dracula has remained popular over the years, and many films have used the character as a villain, while others have referenced him in movie titles such as Daughters of Dracula, Lady Dracula, and Zoltan, Hound of Dracula. An estimated 160 films (as of 2004) feature Dracula in a major role, a number second only to Sherlock Holmes. The total number of films that include a reference to Dracula may reach ...

See also:

Dracula, Dracula - Novel background, Dracula - Historical connections, Dracula - Plot, Dracula - Analysis, Dracula - Dracula in Romania, Dracula - Movie television and play adaptations, Dracula - Universal Studios productions of Dracula, Dracula - Hammer Films productions of Dracula, Dracula - Other productions 1969 - 1979, Dracula - Dracula movies 1980 - 1999, Dracula - Dracula movies 2000 to present, Dracula - Popular culture

Read more here: » Dracula: Encyclopedia II - Dracula - Movie television and play adaptations

The story begins when Jonathan Harker, an English solicitor, is invited to the Count's crumbling, remote castle (situated in the Carpathian Mountains, on the border of Transylvania and Moldavia), to provide legal support for a real estate transaction on behalf of Harker's employer in London; at first seduced by the Counts gracious manner, he soon discovers he has become a de facto prisoner and begins to see disquieting facets of the Count's daily life. Searching for a way out of the castle one night, he falls under the spell of three ...

See also:

Dracula, Dracula - Novel background, Dracula - Historical connections, Dracula - Plot, Dracula - Analysis, Dracula - Dracula in Romania, Dracula - Movie television and play adaptations, Dracula - Universal Studios productions of Dracula, Dracula - Hammer Films productions of Dracula, Dracula - Other productions 1969 - 1979, Dracula - Dracula movies 1980 - 1999, Dracula - Dracula movies 2000 to present, Dracula - Popular culture

Read more here: » Dracula: Encyclopedia II - Dracula - Plot

The novel is narrated by multiple voices — Jonathan's journal of his trip to Transylvania, Mina's diary, and Seward's recorded journal, as well as letters and newspaper items. Although somewhat crude and certainly sensational, the novel also does have psychological power, and the sexual longings underlying the vampire attacks are manifest. Despite its important contributions to vampire fiction, several popular traits of fictional vampires are absent. Count Dracula is killed by knives, not a wooden stake. The destruction of the vampi ...

See also:

Dracula, Dracula - Novel background, Dracula - Historical connections, Dracula - Plot, Dracula - Analysis, Dracula - Dracula in Romania, Dracula - Movie television and play adaptations, Dracula - Universal Studios productions of Dracula, Dracula - Hammer Films productions of Dracula, Dracula - Other productions 1969 - 1979, Dracula - Dracula movies 1980 - 1999, Dracula - Dracula movies 2000 to present, Dracula - Popular culture

Read more here: » Dracula: Encyclopedia II - Dracula - Analysis