A great collection of
science fiction short stories by written
Kim Stanley Robinson between 1976 and 1991,
ISBN 0 00 713404 5, copyright Kim Stanley Robinson 2002. There are a few alternate history stories, but the collection spans a wide range of ideas and several planets.
The stories are:
Noded stories are in bold. The stories that I plan to node, eventually, are in italics.
Also the title story of the collection, copyright Kim Stanley Robinson 1991, first published in Remaking History.
An alternate history focussing on the possible North American Viking settlement called Vinland (read the node, Vinland is an interesting idea itself). Many people, on hearing that description, would assume it is an alternate history where Vikings colonize North America and become a superpower. However, this story explains how the myth of Vineland was single-handedly created by one mysterious man who travelled all over North America planting artefacts, building ruins, and doctoring Viking sagas. This becomes a discussion of how much the actual truth has to do with history.
The story has an unusual atmosphere and is oddly reminiscent of Ray Bradbury stories, especially the description of the travels of the creator of the Vinland dream. The only problem I have with this story is that it has no real conclusion.
Update, 31/07/2002: Yesterday, BBC news reported that the Vinland map, one of the main pieces of evidence for the Vinland hypothesis, is a fake made after 1923. This conclusion reached after analysing the content of the ink for various chemicals, one of which was first made in the 1920's. Creepy, eh?