I'm delighted to report that my novelette "Something Real" has been nominated for the Sidewise Award for Alternate History. The Sidewise judges nominate in both short-form (fewer than 60,000 words) and long-form (longer than 60,000 words) and "Something Real" is one of the five short-form stories to make finals. I'm really happy to see the story make the short list for this terrific award. The winner will be announced at Lonestarcon 3, the 71st annual world science-fiction convention, over Labord Day weekend in San Antonio. the You can read the details about the award here: http://www.uchronia.net/sidewise/about.html and the complete list of finalists is below.
"Something Real" appeared in the April/May 2012 Asimov's Science Fiction magazine, and it features baseball player and spy Moe Berg. In our world and our history, Berg was a maj0r-league catcher who actually did become a spy for the OSS during World War II.
Berg spoke several European languages and had an Ivy-League education, but he had the opportunity to play ball in the majors and he took it and did pretty well well for 15 years until his big-league career ended in 1939. You can read more about the real Moe Berg here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bergmo01.shtml.
In my alternate-history version of Moe, he is still playing into the 1940s when he's recruited to become involved in stopping the Nazi development of the atom bomb. Through a mix of various realities each with their own history, Moe tries to get that job done.
The second Moe Berg story, "At Palomar," appeared in the July 2013 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction and I'm at work now on the third Moe story, where he's involved with inventor and Hollywood bombshell Hedy Lamarr, whose work on a radio-directed torpedo may or may not find success. In our world, Lamarr's invention was never used during the war. In Moe's alternate history, things go rather differently. Watch for the story in 2014.
Finalists for 2012 Best Short-Form Alternate History
Lou Antonelli. "Great White Ship"
Posted on Daily Science Fiction, May 11, 2012.
Sean McMullen. "Steamgothic"
In InterZone #241 (Jul-Aug 2012).
Ian Sales. Adrift on the Sea of Rains
Whippleshield Books 2012.
Catherynne Valente. "Fade to White"
In Clarkesworld Magazine #71 (Aug 2012).
Rick Wilber. "Something Real"
In Asimov's Science Fiction, April 2012.
Finalists for 2012 Best Long-Form Alternate History
Thomas Brennan.
Doktor Glass
Ace 2012.
Mark Hodder.
Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon
Pyr 2012. Also Snowbooks 2012.
Jack McDevitt & Mike Resnick.
The Cassandra Project
Ace 2012.
Matt Ruff.
The Mirage
Harper 2012. Also Harper Perennial 2013.
C.J. Sansom.
Dominion
Mantle 2012. Also Pan Macmillan 2012.
Congratulations on the nomination! My first reaction when a new Asimov's issue arrives is to look for a new Moe Berg story. I'm looking forward to your third - perhaps we'll see a three-story compilation on the Kindle soon?
Posted by: mattmags | 07/02/2013 at 06:10 AM