Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!ops.uci@Rand-Relay From: ops.uci@Rand-Relay@sri-unix.UUCP Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Subject: alternate universes Message-ID: <4489@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Tue, 23-Aug-83 22:58:21 EDT Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.4489 Posted: Tue Aug 23 22:58:21 1983 Date-Received: Wed, 24-Aug-83 13:00:00 EDT Lines: 32 From: 750a Ops I haven't tossed in my two cents worth until now because I happened to be in the middle of an "alternate universe" novel. It's called THE BURNING MOUNTAIN and it's by Alfred Coppel (my copy is hardcover, Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich). The premise is that the first atom bomb test in July 1945 fails, because the test tower is struck by lightning and so the planned invaision of Japan is carried out. As an alternate universe story, it suffers a little from being too close to the "decisive event," so we don't get to see the long term consequences. It is a very readable book and should be of interest to military and (alternate) history buffs. A question for the network mind: As I began this book, something in themurky bogs at the back of my mind said, "that's true, the tower was struck by lightning." Does anyone know (offhand) if I'm correct? Was the atomic test tower struck by lightning (although not enough to damage the device)? If so, Coppel's decisive event becomes merely a matter of electrical intensity (something to think about). Finally a vague word from the opposition point of view. I begin by asking any reader to preface each following statement by "I THINK" since I am not at all sure of my facts. There is a story written by (I think) Robert Silverberg which takes the view that the stream of history is not that easy to divert. The story is written as a narration by a time agent of some kind and tells about the recruitment of one of their agents. These agents, who are known as "snakes" are people snatched out of time just before they die and the tale is told about one recruit who set out to keep himself from being murdered (by a irrate wife I believe). Well everything he tries fails and so he resigns himself to becoming a snake. It's an interesting story and takes a radically different view from the standard: time-traveller squishes bug by mistake in 3 million B.C. and so the world as we know it vanishes in a puff of temporal smoke. I've got this story at home (somewhere), so I'll pass the title along later. All you Silverberg buffs out there are invited to name it out of hand. /tlj