The Children's War
Encyclopedia
The Children's War is a 2001 alternate history
novel by J.N. Stroyar. It is was followed by the sequel A Change of Regime. The book was the long form winner of the Sidewise Award for Alternate History
in 2001.
happens in 1941 when Adolf Hitler
's astrologer
convinced him that attacking the Soviet Union
was a bad idea and the German nuclear weapon
s program saw better progress. Fifty years later, the truce between Nazi Germany
, the Soviet Union, and the North America Union is still holding. The main character, Peter Halifax, finds himself betrayed by the British underground and forced into a life as a slave to a Nazi household, but later escapes to the Polish resistance
.
Alternate history (fiction)
Alternate history or alternative history is a genre of fiction consisting of stories that are set in worlds in which history has diverged from the actual history of the world. It can be variously seen as a sub-genre of literary fiction, science fiction, and historical fiction; different alternate...
novel by J.N. Stroyar. It is was followed by the sequel A Change of Regime. The book was the long form winner of the Sidewise Award for Alternate History
Sidewise Award for Alternate History
The Sidewise Awards for Alternate History were established in 1995 to recognize the best alternate history stories and novels of the year.The awards take their name from the 1934 short story "Sidewise in Time" by Murray Leinster, in which a strange storm causes portions of Earth to swap places with...
in 2001.
Background
The point of divergencePoint of divergence
In discussion of counterfactual history, a divergence point , also referred to as a departure point or point of divergence , is a historical event with two possible postulated outcomes...
happens in 1941 when Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's astrologer
Astrologer
An astrologer practices one or more forms of astrology. Typically an astrologer draws a horoscope for the time of an event, such as a person's birth, and interprets celestial points and their placements at the time of the event to better understand someone, determine the auspiciousness of an...
convinced him that attacking the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
was a bad idea and the German nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s program saw better progress. Fifty years later, the truce between Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, the Soviet Union, and the North America Union is still holding. The main character, Peter Halifax, finds himself betrayed by the British underground and forced into a life as a slave to a Nazi household, but later escapes to the Polish resistance
Polish resistance movement in World War II
The Polish resistance movement in World War II, with the Home Army at its forefront, was the largest underground resistance in all of Nazi-occupied Europe, covering both German and Soviet zones of occupation. The Polish defence against the Nazi occupation was an important part of the European...
.
Characters in The Children's War
- Peter Halifax/Alan Yardley (aliases for Niklaus Adolf Chase)
- Richard Traugutt (alias for Ryszard Przewalewski)
- Zosia Król
- Karl Vogel
- Elspeth Vogel
- Julia Hoffmeier
- Katerina Kalischer