Genre

Alternate History Books

Alternate history asks 'what if?' — what if the Axis won, Rome never fell, or Babbage's engines launched an information age in 1850? Many steampunk novels are alternate histories at heart.

The Sidewise Award has honoured the best of the genre since 1995; winners are listed in our awards section.

This list collects 598 books tagged Alternate History by 399 authors, published between 1885 and 2026. 11 are free to read and 8 have a free audiobook. Books are ranked by how many readers have shelved, rated or downloaded them.

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Common tropes in Alternate History

From Wikipedia

Alternate history is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which one or more historical events happen differently than they did in reality.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

598 Alternate History books · page 1 of 13

Top Alternate History authors

Related genres

Frequently asked questions

What is the Sidewise Award?

An annual award, founded in 1995, for the best alternate-history novel or long-form work and best short form story.

What are the most popular Alternate History books?

By reader shelving on Open Library and downloads, the most popular include 11/22/63 (1925), The Riddle of the Sands (1903), The Man in the High Castle (1962), The Plot Against America (2004) and Babel (2022).

Are there free Alternate History books?

Yes — 11 alternate history titles are in the public domain and free to read, including The Riddle of the Sands (1903), After London (1885) and The Scarlet Plague (1910).