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Mike Resnick
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Alternate Presidents Paperback – February 1, 1992

by Mike Resnick (Editor)
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An anthology of pieces, by such writers as Jack L. Chalker, David Gerrold, Michael P. Kube-McDowell, and others, speculates on what might have happened had the presidential elections over the years ended with different results. Original.
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  1. Print length
    480 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Tom Doherty Assoc Llc
  4. Publication date
    February 1, 1992
  5. Dimensions
    4.25 x 1.25 x 6.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0812511921
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0812511925
  8. See all details
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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
26 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Nikalos Bentley
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book!
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2020
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Great book though the cover fell off after the first week
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Esther Schindler
4.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful short fiction full of political "WHAT IFs."
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2020
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Many of us feel as though we have shifted into an alternate universe, in which the presidency went to someone unexpected. That was one reason that I gravitated to this 1992 collection of short stories, each inspired by the events that might have transpired if a different presidential candidate had won, or if history had gone just SLIGHTLY differently. The other reason I bought this book, sadly, was that its editor Mike Resnick died in January 2020, whereupon I realized how little of his stuff I'd actually consumed. (Granted, he has only one story in this anthology, but I couldn't resist the purchase.)

The result is more than two dozen alternate history short stories, starting with Benjamin Franklin as the country's first president, written by Jody Lynn Nye, and ending in 1988 with Robert Sheckley's "Dukakis and the Aliens." The authors are a 1980s Who's-Who of the SF field, including (a subset) Jack Chalker, Michael P Kube-McDowell, Kirstine Kathryn Rusch, Barry Malzberg, David Gerrold, and Pat Cadigan.

As a collection, it's outstanding. As a bunch of short stories... well, every anthology has some clunkers. In some cases the premise is cooler than the story. None of these are bad, just "Meh, I'll skip the rest of this one."

However, I _loved_ a few of these tales, such as Susan Schwartz's "Suppose They Gave A Peace" about the 1972 election just before President McGovern began the immediate withdrawal of troops from Vietnam. I also enjoyed Janet Kagan's "Love Our Lockwood," in which Belva Ann Lockwood won the 1888 election rather than Benjamin Harrison -- and had to cope with anti-feminist sentiment. And Resnick's own "The Bull Moose at Bay" takes as a premise that Teddy Roosevelt returned to the oval office following Taft, after he dodged the bullet that sidelined him from the election. Roosevelt was such a fascinating dude in real life that any variation seems plausible.

Naturally, given that the book was published in the early 90s, we're left to imagine our own scenarios for the alternate presidents that might have followed, surely starting with how a President Gore might have responded to September 11. The "What If..." situations have already started several conversations among my friends, and I dare say they'll inspire you, too. That intellectual exercise makes the book worth the price.
5 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting alternate timelines
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2013
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I love alternate history, but I would have never though of the alternate election outcomes like they did in this book! I would highly reccomend it to any alternate historian or anyone who loves alternate American history.
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lukemont
3.0 out of 5 stars Fun Read
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2012
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A fun little run through various presidents. Some of the scenarios are more easily believable than others. The last scenario regarding Michael Dukakis was utterly farcical, but the rest of the book wasn't bad.
One person found this helpful
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Jedidiah Abdul Muhib Carosaari
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Anthology with a Few Bad Eggs
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2006
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I learned so much of history from this book. I enjoy American history, and this anthology embraces history with an engaging twist. So many of the stories are excellent in all ways: character development, plot twists, plot development, and historical reality. Just as the best of science fiction changes only one segment of reality and then sees what will happen, the best of alternative history changes only one event in history, and sees what would have happened. This is what these stories do.

Sadly, something begins to happen around 1960. A great positive to this book is that all of the chapters are in historical order, looking at the changes a different president might have made in the march through history. Around 1960 however, the writing starts to seriously decline. It becomes slipshod, boring, and difficult to follow. The final story of Dukakis meeting aliens is simply inane, and has no place in an authentic alternative history anthology. And the chapter dealing with Ford's treatment of the Iranian Hostage Crisis is extremely racist with sterotypical portraits of Muslims and Iranians.

And yet, in the balance, with 28 different possible presidents, the anthology merits a 4.25, as most of the early stories are so excellently done, and worth the reading. Great men and women *can* make a difference in history. Sometimes it's a great shift in events, and sometimes simply a new colouring on events that were predestined in a thousand multiverses. This book can help us explore the varied meanings of our choices.
7 people found this helpful
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jhojnack
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for History Buffs
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2013
I actually read this book in high school where it was in the library; I read it over Christmas Break and loved it! The book explores what the world would be like had some elections gone the other way; What would Thomas Dewey have done with the Atomic bomb, would Adlai Stevenson have been up to the task of running the country? The book also has some whoppers such as Richard Nixon as a talk show host, and Michael Dukakis dealing with space aliens! All in all a lot fun!!
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Amazon Customer
2.0 out of 5 stars Does not fulfill promising concept.
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2000
This is definitely a 'what if' book. Unfortunately, it is 'what if there were any interesting stories in here'? Some merely have a basic PREMISE, establish it in a few unmemorable pages, and then end the story. Nothing very good here.
One person found this helpful
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Coroner
5.0 out of 5 stars Questions for Quizhounds, Quag-tastrophes, and Quicksters
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2006
This will strike readers of this review as either ridiculous or hypocritical...I am VOCIFEROUSLY uninterested in politics. The realm is infested with alcohol-soaked idiocy, feeble-minded starched shirts, and misdirected devotion. It's a fool's joint and it doesn't paint the geographic region in a positive hue. However, Presidential trivia is one of my least offensive hobbies; the "what-ifs" of "also-ran" campaigns for the hot seat in D.C. consistently command the idle unquantifiables of my daily musings. "Alternate Presidents" is congenially low-fat and innocuous literature for the tyros and zealots alike. Other than the vitrol-intensive tale "Fighting Bob", the other contributions to this compilation are definitely worthwhile winter reading. Just great stuff...Hey! What if Disney ran for President in 1960???
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Top reviews from other countries

BLUECAP
4.0 out of 5 stars Different American history
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 12, 2022
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A series of highly enjoyable short stories showing alternate histories where the losers became the victors. Aaron Burr founding a dynasty of never-ending Burr Presidencies. Davy Crocket as President helping slaves. Tom Dewey making the decision over the dropping of the bomb on Japan. Personally I always thought Dewey would have made a fine President and this story does not make him a villain but a thinking honourable man whereas Huey Long is a considerable force for evil quite willing to make a deal with Hitler (and being actually far craftier than the Fuhrer). Lots to enjoy.
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