North and South America have remained separated; the Western Seaway still divides North America into three; Columbus discovered America for his home country of the Republic of Genoa; Sir Francis Drake finds Vinland established in Maryland and Virginia and the Conquistadors discover another empire has beaten them to controlling Mexico; the Thirteen Colonies failed in their bid for independence; Loyalist refugees are hunted in Canada by victorious US troops; US expansion is halted by the Indian Reserve; Abraham Lincoln is assassinated in January 1863 and President Gore in 2003; the Wall Street Crash has never occurred; Thomas Dewey wins the 1948 election and Ronald Reagan’s blunder means he loses in 1980; the Bay of Pigs Invasion succeeds and General MacArthur gets to use atomic bombs in Korea, both outcomes with big implications.
These and other stories all feature in Alexander Rooksmoor’s latest book - ‘Taking the Detour: What If? Stories of Americans’. It is a collection of 20 short stories about different paths that could have been followed in the history of North America and the countries established there. Some of the differences featured would only have had small impacts, but many would have had vast implications for America and the wider World. These stories are bound to both fascinate and entertain anyone interested in how North American history could so easily have turned out differently.

Alexander Rooksmoor is the author of a number of popular counterfactual books. His publications draw on over twenty years’ experience in researching and teaching history and discussing ‘what if?’. He has even longer experience in writing fiction. This background has enabled him to produce stories that are both liable to intrigue you and to provoke you to think.

NOTE: Unlike a number of Alexander Rooksmoor’s books, this one contains stories, not chapters of historical analysis of potential counterfactuals. Please ensure that this is the type of book you want before buying it.

This book contains dynamic links between the stories and historical notes to provide background on them.