by Gideon Marcus
First and foremost, I wanted to thank all of my fellow travelers for being on this Galactic Journey with us. It's hard to believe we've been chronicling science fact and fiction (and so much more) for over six years now!
Second, I want to doff my hat in memory of an event that pummeled the nation exactly one year ago. I don't think any of us have any difficulty remembering the terrible events of Dallas that day. But shortly thereafter, as Beatlemania was sweeping the nation in the wake of the Fab Four's appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, the dark part of my brain came up with a way that November 22, 1963 could have been even worse.
As a special present to all of our loyal fans, I present to you Sad All Over, a short story that takes place today, November 22, 1964…but in a divergent timeline. I don't know if "enjoy" is the right word, but I hope it interests you and stimulates discussion!
Sad All Over (PDF, epub, mobi, kindle)
[Come join us at Portal 55, Galactic Journey's real-time lounge! Talk about your favorite SFF, chat with the Traveler and co., relax, sit a spell…]
Most excellent writing, and thank you. Even a few years delay in a blend might have had interesting results.
I hope you don't mind that I mean to send this link to someone who's a great fan of the Beatles, and has been feeling down.
Goodness! I don't know that it's the kind of story to cheer one up (except, perhaps, so the reader can be grateful for what we have).
But I'd be honored if you spread this around, I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I'm delighted to see your "face" again!
Thank you, and I read it as a tribute, myself.
That's a lovely, if sad story that reminds us that even if the world doesn't look too good right now, it could be worse. And in many ways, "even if things don't look good now, they could be worse" is very much the mission statement of the alternate history subgenre. Or does anybody really want to live in the worlds of "Bring on the Jubilee" or "The Man in the High Castle".
The world of "Sad All Over" is not nearly as bad as those two, but still missing something crucial. And I'm very glad to live in our reality, even sans Kennedy, if only because I like the new beat music coming out of England very much.
Thanks very much, Cora! That means a lot, especially given your writing prowess!
Pretty sure Eric Sevareid was CBS, not ABC.
Chalk it up to an alternate universe?
Thank you for reading!
A heartfelt and convincing portrait of a world that never was. Thank you.