Awhile ago, I placed a post regarding a serialized grand sci-fi/fantasy adventure. I have begun developing my ideas and at its core, the story is about a world war that occurs during the late 19th Century disrupting the Gilded Age in the US, the Belle Epoque in France, and the Pax Britannica in the British Empire. Rather than create an entirely alternate history/ planet/ dimension to set the events of the story and its characters, I'd like for it to occur in a slightly tweaked (both geographic and technological) version of the recent past. Given the context, the nature of the fiction is improbable but not impossible; so what is the best way to inject fantasy into a faithful historical setting while accounting for the discrepancies? Cheers, Dangerboy
I would say that you cannot do without creating an alternate history, though how deeply is only something you can judge. You need to be clear in your mind about the what and the why in order to be consistent in your writing. If you clearly understand how your setting works then it should not cause a problem further down the line. I hope that makes sense. All the best.
It's fantasy. Do it however you want. If the history differs from known history, the reader will assume it's an alternate reality. No explanations or justifications needed.
Thanks, Igor. I'd prefer not to cause too much disruption in the known historical record, which is what I think you mean by the depth of alteration. Thanks in large part to the historical context, my fiction is improbable but not impossible. I'm considering it as "lost" or "missed" history based heavily on verisimilitude and the device of "Meanwhile, in ____ part of the world..." within the framework of "This (blank) happened, but you might not have heard about it..." But I don't want to get bogged down in garrulous exposition. I know that authors like Alexandre Dumas (I), Twain, and Verne, were painstakingly accurate in their treatments of history. Is it worth looking at similar stories? Cheers, Dangerboy450
