Any Day Now is the new alternate history novel by Terry Bisson, of Fire on the Mountain. It's written almost as a series of small vignettes, with a spare, simple style; the story of a baby boomer from Kentucky and his experiences growing up in a turbulent period of history, from small town suburbia to college, the big city, and the freewheeling beat/hippie life, with all its perils. The actual AH content sneaks up on you slowly, in divergences so minor you might miss them, before finally blooming into a nightmare version of our own late '60s. The timeline itself is not perhaps plausible - but then again, the changes go back at least to the mid-50s, there's no defined POD that we're shown, and it's not gone into in our sort of "November 18, 1955, 4:32 P.M.: Dwight Eisenhower blah blah" manner. It's more of a realistic view from one normal person's experiences - history lived through snatches of news caught over TV and radio, confused experiences, personal effects. I was content to take the timeline as presented, because what it's really about is showing what it was like living in the uncertainty of the '60s by making them new and uncertain again, what it's like being a prisoner of history. I thought it was a good book, and very readable.
Any Day Now
- Thread starter Sicarius
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Things being as they are, I supposed some might be interested in the world of the book and not the book itself. Deets below in white text.
Okay, as best I can recall, the first thing that changes is cultural stuff. Of course, it happens at an age at which the protagonist would mainly notice that kind of stuff. James Dean doesn't die, Miles Davis does. Revealed later, Pete Best never left the Beatles, and Paul made some controversial pro-war statements (I have no idea if that's OTL). The Soviets seem better placed in this timeline, and with their support the Arab states win the 'Eight Day's War', pushing Israel back to earlier boundaries. The UN is both a little overpowered and Soviet controlled, as it later sanctions Israel and recognizes a Palestinian representative (causing an Israeli exodus to Texas, California, and ANC-controlled South Africa). The big changes start when Johnson resigns rather than just announcing he won't be running for re-election. Humphrey is President, MLK gets shot but lives, and RFK gets shot at the convention - and also lives, turning up fresh from the hospital for a surprise 11th hour seizure of the nomination, after which he announces his running mate - Doctor King. RFK beats Nixon in a squeaker, and with his plans to end the war soon after entering office, there's a lot of problems with AWOL soldiers and mutineers, who don't want to be the last to die in the final days of a stupid, soon-to-end war. There's social unrest at home by people who want to end the war now, and by troops returning or refusing to leave. Humphrey declares a state of emergency and manages to push the inauguration back, a bit. Eventually it goes down, though, only to see RFK shot to death by an assassin while taking the oath of office.
Humphrey refuses to vacate the White House over legal wrangling about whether RFK had been President at the time of his death, a flimsy pretext so he can continue 'holding the country together'. A lot of Congressmen resign in protest. The rump Congress demands a Supreme Court ruling, and starts impeaching Justices when they don't get it. The other Justices resign, some joining King and the ex-Congressmen across the border in Canada, and the newly appointed Court declares Humphrey in charge. The Black Panthers, the Weather Underground, and AWOL and mutineer troops combine into a fractious militia supporting King, but disavowed by him. Humphrey tries to lock the country down further, and an attempted march by King and his supporters from Canada to Washington ends in violence. Street fighting breaks out in major cities. Humphrey goes into the hospital and dies suddenly, and the government falls into the hands of Emergency Coordinator Alexander Haig, who retreats to Colorado. After attacks on the UN headquarters, UN troops are sent in. Mexico has a communist revolution. Somehow the Soviets strongarm Cuba and Revolutionary Mexico onto the Security Council (!). Reagan's California declares independence, Mormon Utah declares neutrality. Mexico makes a brief play for the Southwest, which seems to peter out, leaving bored troops smoking on county courthouse lawns until they all just go home. The Oglala indians declare independence, and the UN recognizes them so they can use their territory for air raids against the Colorado government. MLK's forces slowly are filling up with black radicals, as he tries to prevent the whole thing from becoming a race war, tamping down black nationalist movements in the deep south.
In the end the Colorado government collapses, and the US is being administered by the UN (even printing its own, blue money), with King as the Interim Administrator. A general amnesty is declared, and travel restrictions begin to loosen.
That's just as I recall; in the book it's trickled out over hundreds of pages, and much better presented than my summary.
Okay, as best I can recall, the first thing that changes is cultural stuff. Of course, it happens at an age at which the protagonist would mainly notice that kind of stuff. James Dean doesn't die, Miles Davis does. Revealed later, Pete Best never left the Beatles, and Paul made some controversial pro-war statements (I have no idea if that's OTL). The Soviets seem better placed in this timeline, and with their support the Arab states win the 'Eight Day's War', pushing Israel back to earlier boundaries. The UN is both a little overpowered and Soviet controlled, as it later sanctions Israel and recognizes a Palestinian representative (causing an Israeli exodus to Texas, California, and ANC-controlled South Africa). The big changes start when Johnson resigns rather than just announcing he won't be running for re-election. Humphrey is President, MLK gets shot but lives, and RFK gets shot at the convention - and also lives, turning up fresh from the hospital for a surprise 11th hour seizure of the nomination, after which he announces his running mate - Doctor King. RFK beats Nixon in a squeaker, and with his plans to end the war soon after entering office, there's a lot of problems with AWOL soldiers and mutineers, who don't want to be the last to die in the final days of a stupid, soon-to-end war. There's social unrest at home by people who want to end the war now, and by troops returning or refusing to leave. Humphrey declares a state of emergency and manages to push the inauguration back, a bit. Eventually it goes down, though, only to see RFK shot to death by an assassin while taking the oath of office.
Humphrey refuses to vacate the White House over legal wrangling about whether RFK had been President at the time of his death, a flimsy pretext so he can continue 'holding the country together'. A lot of Congressmen resign in protest. The rump Congress demands a Supreme Court ruling, and starts impeaching Justices when they don't get it. The other Justices resign, some joining King and the ex-Congressmen across the border in Canada, and the newly appointed Court declares Humphrey in charge. The Black Panthers, the Weather Underground, and AWOL and mutineer troops combine into a fractious militia supporting King, but disavowed by him. Humphrey tries to lock the country down further, and an attempted march by King and his supporters from Canada to Washington ends in violence. Street fighting breaks out in major cities. Humphrey goes into the hospital and dies suddenly, and the government falls into the hands of Emergency Coordinator Alexander Haig, who retreats to Colorado. After attacks on the UN headquarters, UN troops are sent in. Mexico has a communist revolution. Somehow the Soviets strongarm Cuba and Revolutionary Mexico onto the Security Council (!). Reagan's California declares independence, Mormon Utah declares neutrality. Mexico makes a brief play for the Southwest, which seems to peter out, leaving bored troops smoking on county courthouse lawns until they all just go home. The Oglala indians declare independence, and the UN recognizes them so they can use their territory for air raids against the Colorado government. MLK's forces slowly are filling up with black radicals, as he tries to prevent the whole thing from becoming a race war, tamping down black nationalist movements in the deep south.
In the end the Colorado government collapses, and the US is being administered by the UN (even printing its own, blue money), with King as the Interim Administrator. A general amnesty is declared, and travel restrictions begin to loosen.
That's just as I recall; in the book it's trickled out over hundreds of pages, and much better presented than my summary.
