WW1 Undead for "Weird War One"

[Hammers]

I recently read Mike Mignola's "Baltimore", and found it to be richly evocative of the sorts of things I like to see in alternate history.

I had a hunch you had read it. I like it to, a lot, but I don't consider it alternative history or zombiefied WWI. It is one of these disturbing books which is just a story but has a lot off references from our world but it doesn't really take place here. Like a Brothers Grimm story or, perhaps, tLotR.

I am, admittedly, in the minority here in the states, where alternate history involves Turtledove's 37th novel about the Nazis winning WW2 or the Confederacy somehow winning the American Civil War.

I'm a little curious about this Turtledove fellow.  I get the impression that he's created an interesting alternate reality but is not very accomplished as a writer or am I wrong?

[Doc Twilight]

I had a hunch you had read it. I like it to, a lot, but I don't consider it alternative history or zombiefied WWI. It is one of these disturbing books which is just a story but has a lot off references from our world but it doesn't really take place here. Like a Brothers Grimm story or, perhaps, tLotR.


I'm a little curious about this Turtledove fellow.  I get the impression that he's created an interesting alternate reality but is not very accomplished as a writer or am I wrong?

To each his own regarding Baltimore. It's clearly taking place in a quasi Great War environment, at the very least. Still a fantastic story, and very evocative of the kind of atmosphere I imagine when I think of "Weird War One" (or whatever you'd care to call it!)

Harry Turtledove is very popular in the states, and has many, many fans. In my opinion (and that of many others), however, most of his writing is very formulaic and predictable. This is ironic, as his earlier writing was very good, and he's also a very talented historian/historical writer. The general opinion of Turtledove's critics seems to be  that he has become stuck in a rut with writing "alternate history" because it sells well for him. Most of his alternate histories involve one of the following:

a) A different ending for WW1
b) A different ending for WW2
c) A different ending for the American Civil War.

His biggest series includes elements of all three (Ie: Confederacy wins the American Civil War, then fights a second war with the Union during WW1, leading to new events in North America that influence WW2). But he's also written a number of other novels (totally unrelated) on the same subject. One book, "Guns of the South", for example, postulates that the Confederacy is able to win the American Civil War because White Supremacist time travellers bankrolled by South Africa have traveled back in time and provided the CSA with the technology to build AK-47s...  (This is a surprisingly popular book. I actually tried to read it many years ago. Wasn't impressed.)

Apparently he's written short stories about alternate histories in the Byzantine Empire (he's an Eastern Roman specialist, if memory serves), and these are excellent, but I've never been able to locate them.

-Doc

[Tacgnol]

I've always thought this would make for some interesting non-zombie WWWI games. Apologies in advance if I'm pouring fuel on the anti/pro-weird war argument.

http://www.forteantimes.com/features/articles/1518/blasts_from_the_past_the_news_that_time_forgot.html

Captain Newhouse says that the papers show that this hound was the only successful issue of a series of experiments by which Dr Hochmuller hoped to end the war in Germany’s favour. The scientist had gone about the wards of the German hospitals until he found a man gone mad as the result of his insane hatred of England. Hochmuller, with the sanction of the German government, operated upon him and removed his brain, taking in particular the parts which dominated hatred and frenzy.

At the same time a like operat­ion was performed on a giant Siberian wolfhound. Its brain was taken out and the brain of the madman inserted. By careful nursing the dog lived. The man was permitted to die.
The dog rapidly grew stronger and, after careful training in fiendishness, was taken to the firing line and released in No Man’s Land. There for two years it became the terror of outposts and patrols.

[aircav]

I've just read that Fotean times story & i've not heard that story before, its brilliant, I love it 

Now i just need to get hold of an oversized 28mm wolf hound 

Keith 

[Wirelizard]

If you want giant dogs, Dazed do several massive dogs - a Hound of the Baskervilles, and three slightly smaller mastiff-like dogs.

Their Hound of the Baskervilles:

D221 ATTACK DOGS HANS AND ADOLPH:

D222 ATTACK DOG FRITZ


I have "Hans & Adolph", they're at least waist-high on Copplestone or Pulp Figures humans! Lower right corner of the top photo:

Flickr Photo Page.

[Funghy-Fipps]

This could possibly bolt-on quite neatly to my current RCW project and scratch the 'fantasy itch' I occasionally get as a painter/gamer.  I think I've got one of the monacled, MP18.1 toting Brigade Game stormtroopers* kicking around unpainted somewhere who, given a suitible deathly pallor, would look great as a vampiric aristocratic bosche chappie.  And there's Rasputin to think of too...  Come to think of it I've also got an unpainted Heresy werewolf that could surely be utilised.  Oh dear, now all manner of possibilties are taking shape in my diseased mind!  Given the richness of Germanic and Slavic folklore (must dig out my Montague Summers books) combined with the extremely fruity history of Eastern Europe a coherent yet exotic background (somehow involving the Teutonic Knights) shouldn't be too hard to pull together... Okay, that's it, zombies in WW1 German and Russian uniforms are demanded (despite the naysayers)!

Oh yes, the dog-with-a-man's-brain-thing is also a dead cert. What a story!

*http://www.brigadegames.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=BG-WIWG07&Category_Code=BGHMW&Product_Count=56

[dexter]

I've just read that Fotean times story & i've not heard that story before, its brilliant, I love it 

Now i just need to get hold of an oversized 28mm wolf hound 

Keith 

THERE are the Horror clix ones



and the ghost versions

[commissarmoody]

This is all vary intresting, I have never heard about any of these old trench myths. I mean I have heard  about the angles of mons, and read the Lovecraft story about the mad doc makeing zombies of the dead and wounded, but never about the devil hound. Can any one post some links or books that would good are along thouse lines?