Wednesday, April 27, 2016

W = War



War has served as a major plot device in several works of alternative history. As the catalyst behind the branch into alternative timelines in many of those works, it has driven some of our most interesting takes on our past, present and future

Ground Zero is set roughly 30 years after a Third World War. In it the Cold War between the US and USSR had escalated into a brief but deadly exchange of nuclear firearms. The soviet nation was all but obliterated as a result, while the city of New York was destroyed by a salted bomb that also transformed much of the American east coast into an irradiated wasteland.

The story explores the aftermath of the war, and how it had shaped the lives of the survivors living just outside Ground Zero. Theirs is a world that must be explored through the safety of hazmat suits, but it is ultimately one that is quite familiar, although hauntingly so.

Ground Zero is just one of the 10 stories featured in the IWSG Anthology, and I sincerely hope you enjoy reading them all, when the anthology launches next week.

11 comments:

  1. Considering the radiation levels still found at Chernobyl, one can only imagine what a bomb of that size would do to an area for years to come.

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  2. Post nuclear war stories are always horrifying...

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  3. With crazy North Korea, it's still a threat today.

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  4. Using the words Ground Zero for a nuclear bomb detonation in NYC after what happened in 2001 has a creepy echo effect that is perfect for an anthology about parallel universes.

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  5. This was wonderful Michael - I truly enjoyed your story and I hope you'll continue the tale one day!

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  6. I've always been drawn to War stories, especially Vietnam. Maybe because I grew up during the VN war. But I think it appeals to me because war is the worst possible thing to happen, but authors are always willing to bring the story to a hopeful ending. Yours was very well written and something that moved me. Congratulations.

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  7. I loved this story. It really captured my imagination...had my mind racing...
    Writer In Transit

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  8. Michael, congrats on Ground Zero! I definitely want to read it ... and the whole anthology. Sounds amazing and riveting. I've always been fascinated by war for some reason, especially the Vietnam War. I went to a journalism school back in 1979 -- back when I was really young! -- and wrote a feature article in which I interviewed Vietnam Vets in this small town in an effort to explore how they integrated back into society. Because it always baffled me how some of these guys would come back so messed up and I wanted to know what was it that affected them so deeply. It was a great article and one that I'm most proud, even though today I'd certainly give it a few rewrites! I should do that, as a matter of fact.
    I'm fond of war movies too. I can't wait to read Ground Zero!
    Congrats again. And stop by my place if you get a chance. Would love to have you visit.

    Michele at Angels Bark

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  9. This was a great story and surprising interpreted wrong in the Publishers Weekly Review. Makes you wonder if the writer of the review actually read any of the stories.
    Congratulations, Ground Zero is a great story!

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