1066 Turned Upside Down
By Joanna Courtney, Helen Hollick, Anna Belfrage, Richard Dee, G.K. Holloway,
Carol McGrath, Alison Morton, Eliza Redgold, Annie Whitehead
With a foreword by C.C. Humphreys
Have you ever wondered what might have happened if William the Conqueror had been beaten at Hastings in 1066? Or if Harald Hardrada had won at Stamford Bridge? Or if Edward the Confessor had died with an heir ready to take his crown? If so – here is the perfect set of short stories for you.
1066 Turned Upside Down explores a variety of ways in which that momentous year could have played out very differently.
Written by nine well-known authors the stories will take you on a journey through the speculative ‘what ifs?’ of England’s most famous year in history.
Excerpt
IF YOU CHANGED ONE THING
By Richard Dee
They were a lively group and we ranged through the ages asking ‘what if’? There was the usual frustration in the lack of good evidence for a lot of history and someone remarked that history would be so much better if we had a time machine and we could just go and have a look for ourselves. All the usual things, we could see if Jesus was real, maybe stop the slaughter of the First World War, or find out what really happened to the dinosaurs were the favourites.
These were all good ideas but not my personal choice; I wanted to see if it was true about the Battle of Hastings. After all, in six months it would be the millennium of the event and it was in the public eye, the last time in our history that foreign troops had been on our soil in any numbers. A few had made it into Wales in 1797 but as far as I was concerned that didn’t count. And the outcome at Hastings, at least according to what we knew, rested on a sequence of small events and a trick. This particular Friday I raised the subject, handing out printed sheets with the historical facts as we knew them.
We discussed the accounts, William of Poitiers, William of Malmesbury and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. Each gave differing stories and we debated them. There was so much conflicting information that it was hard to summarise the events that really mattered. In the end, we agreed that the disbanding of the army on the south coast was the first step.
OK prof,’ said Martin, the most opinionated of the group, ‘This looks like another job for your theoretical time machine.’
I nodded. Martin continued, ‘If you could go back, what would you do?’
‘Any ideas?’ I threw the debate open to the class.
‘You could leave the standing army on the coast?’ and, ‘Split your force and send some north to Stamford?’ were a couple of the more sensible suggestions along with, ‘Send an expedition to France and destroy the ships.’
I decided to throw my curve ball into the debate.
‘I’d go to Winchester,’ I said, ‘to Harold’s court; before the invasion, I’d warn Harold of the danger from William and from the Scandinavians.’
‘Why?’ said Lydia, ‘surely that would change everything. If the army stays then they would not go to Stamford Bridge, maybe the Norse invasion succeeds and who knows what happens, we would be a different country, we might not even exist.’ There was laughter from the group. Some of them suggested that they could think of a few teachers who wouldn’t be missed, I was pleased that my name wasn’t among them.
‘And this is the problem,’ I said. ‘If you change one thing then it changes everything.’
‘You’re right, Prof,’ said Bryan, ‘you must be careful not to change anything.’ He stopped talking as the class realised what he had said and turned to look at him.
Bryan, one of the quiet ones, there’s always one at the back, the girls ignored him, he was safe and therefore boring. He was a brilliant student and his work was insightful and well researched. A little over dramatic occasionally and sometimes he wrote as if he was remembering instead of describing, but that was just his way of expressing himself.
‘Sounds like you’re an expert Bryan,’ said Greg, the class loudmouth, and Bryan coloured and slouched lower in his seat.
Readers' Comments
“1066 Turned Upside Down is the exemplar for how analytical counterfactual history should be done, combining the best elements of fiction and non-fiction to create an immensely impressive achievement.”
“As a collection, the quality of the writing is exceptional and the variety of possible outcomes presented is truly fascinating.”
“The collection is assembled in such a way that between the ‘alternatives’ are the related facts as they happened, as far as historians and archaeologists know – which still leaves room for these experienced writers’ imaginations.”
“A book I will read and re-read. I heartily recommend it”
“The real joy of a collection of stories like this is, of course, that you are likely to be introduced to writers you may not have come across before.”
You can pick up your copy on your favourite online bookstore!
1066 Turned Upside Down is a collection of eleven alternative history short stories of a ‘what if’ nature imagined by nine well-known successful authors:
JOANNA COURTNEY Ever since Joanna sat up in her cot with a book, she’d wanted to be a writer and cut her publication teeth on short stories and serials for the women’s magazines before signing to PanMacmillan in 2014 for her three-book series The Queens of the Conquest about the wives of the men fighting to be King of England in 1066. Her second series, written for Piatkus is Shakespeare’s Queens exploring the real history of three of the bard’s greatest female characters – Lady Macbeth, Ophelia and Cordelia.
Joanna’s fascination with historical writing is in finding the similarities between us and them –with an especial goal to provide a female take on some of the greatest stories we think we know. www.joannacourtney.com
ALISON MORTON writes the award-winning alternative fiction Roma Nova thriller series featuring tough, but compassionate heroines. She blends her deep love of Roman history with six years’ military service and a life of reading crime, historical, adventure and thriller fiction. A ‘Roman nut’ since age 11, she started wondering what a modern Roman society would be like if run by strong women. She has recently branched out into a contemporary crime setting with Double Identity, the first of a planned series.
ANNA BELFRAGE Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy set in 14th century England. Anna has also published The Wanderer, a fast-paced contemporary romantic suspense trilogy with paranormal and time-slip ingredients. His Castilian Hawk - returning to medieval times and her most recent release, The Whirlpools of Time, a time travel romance set against the backdrop of brewing rebellion in the Scottish highlands. Anna has won several awards including various Gold, Silver and Bronze Coffee Pot Book Club awards. www.annabelfrage.com
ANNIE WHITEHEAD is an historian and prize-winning author. Her main interest in history is the period formerly known as the ‘Dark Ages’. Her first novel, To Be A Queen, is the story of Aethelflaed (daughter of Alfred the Great), who came to be known as the Lady of the Mercians. Alvar the Kingmaker, tells the story of Aelfhere of Mercia, a nobleman in the time of King Edgar. Cometh the Hour goes further back in time to the seventh century, to tell the story of Penda, the last pagan king of Mercia. Annie has twice been a prizewinner in the Mail on Sunday Novel Writing competition, she won first prize for nonfiction in the new Writing Magazine Poetry and Prose competition, and was the inaugural winner of the HWA (Historical Writers’ Association)/Dorothy Dunnett Society Short Story Competition and is now a judge for that same competition.
Annie has had two nonfiction books published. Mercia: The Rise and Fall of a Kingdom (Amberley Books) has been an Amazon #1 Bestseller. Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England was published by Pen & Sword Books in 2020.
www.anniewhiteheadauthor.co.uk
CAROL McGRATH is the author of The Daughters of Hastings Trilogy. Her fifth historical novel, The Silken Rose, first in The Rose Trilogy, published by the Headline Group, is set during the High Middle Ages. It features Ailenor of Provence and was published in 2020. The Damask Rose about Eleanor of Castile was published in 2021. The Stone Rose, Isabella of France, follows in 2022. Carol has also written Historical Non-Fiction for Pen & Sword.
ELIZA REDGOLD is an author and ‘romantic academic’. Her bestselling historical fiction includes her Ladies of Legend trilogy, starting with Naked: A Novel of Lady Godiva released internationally by St Martin’s Press, New York. Her historical romances are published by Harlequin Historical, London (Harper Collins). They include Playing the Duke’s Mistress, Enticing Benedict Cole, The Scandalous Suffragette and The Master’s New Governess. They have been translated into multiple languages including Italian, Polish, Czech, Danish and Swedish, and are available internationally.
G.K. HOLLOWAY After graduating from Coventry University with an honours degree in history and politics, he worked in education in and around Bristol, England, where he now lives. After reading a biography about Harold Godwinson, he studied the late Anglo-Saxon era in detail. When he had enough material to weave together facts and fiction he produced his novel. 1066 What Fates Impose, a story of family feuds, court intrigues, assassinations, plotting and scheming, loyalty and love, all ingredients in an epic struggle for the English crown. www.gkholloway.co.uk
HELEN HOLLICK moved from London in 2013 and now lives on a thirteen-acre farm in North Devon, England. Born in London, Helen wrote pony stories as a teenager, moved to science fiction and fantasy, and then discovered the wonder of historical fiction. Published since 1994 with her Arthurian Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy, followed by her 1066 era duo. She became a USA Today bestseller with her story of Queen Emma: The Forever Queen (titled A Hollow Crown in the UK), and its companion novel, Harold the King (titled I Am the Chosen King in the U.S.A). She also writes the Sea Witch Voyages, a series of pirate-based nautical adventures with a touch of fantasy. Commissioned by Amberley Press she wrote a non-fiction book about pirates in fact, fantasy and fiction and a non-fiction book about smugglers, published by Pen and Sword.
Recently she has ventured into the ‘Cosy Mystery’ genre with her Jan Christopher Mysteries, the first of which is A Mirror Murder. She runs Discovering Diamonds, an independent online review site for Historical Fiction, primarily aimed at showcasing Indie writers.
She occasionally gets time to write. www.helenhollick.net
RICHARD DEE was a Master Mariner and ship’s pilot, now living in Brixham, South Devon. His novels include Science Fiction and Steampunk adventures, as well as the exploits of Andorra Pett, a reluctant amateur detective. www.richarddeescifi.co.uk
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