Twilight Histories, Alternate History Podcast

Mike Duncan from History of Rome, Interview

Jordan Harbour — Mon, 13 May 2013 03:06:09 +0000

“The enthusiasm for Roman history is never going to leave” Jordan Harbour discovers something new about Mike Duncan, the creator of the History of Rome podcast. What inspired him? What is he studying? Is he working on a new podcast?

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Deep City, part V

Jordan Harbour — Sat, 04 May 2013 06:37:50 +0000

“At the moment of deliverance, it all pours in.” In Deep City Part V, you will be faced with your greatest challenges yet. Can you lead a religion? Can you kill the woman you love? Can you save the lives of a million people? Deep City is an alternate history podcast which takes place in a world 1000 years after nuclear war. Music Credits: Dolomedes Threatening YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/dolomedesthreatening Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dolomedes-Threatening/319059184782842 PDX Voice Teacher YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLpQ_EPWtT0

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Deep City, part IV

Jordan Harbour — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 05:40:12 +0000

“You are greeted by a flood of activity, lights, sounds, bustling people and strange machinery” In Deep City Part IV, you will enter a strange and exotic urban landcape, tunnelled into the bedrock under the ocean floor. Without money, work or identity, how will you survive, let alone escape the clutches of the General? Deep City is an alternate history podcast which takes place in a world 1000 years after nuclear war. Music Credits: Dolomedes Threatening YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/dolomedesthreatening Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dolomedes-Threatening/319059184782842 PDX Voice Teacher YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLpQ_EPWtT0

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Deep City, part III

Jordan Harbour — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 06:40:11 +0000

“Still staring at the light, you hear the clink of the man picking up a tool.” In Deep City part III, you begin strapped in a tin box on the floor and about to be tortured. Meanwhile, the Bagniek is somewhere in the halls with plans to destroy the base–your plans. Is there any hope? Deep City is an alternate history had the Cold War turned hot. What scraps are left of humanity have tunneled into the rock deep underwater. So much time has passed that people have forgotten the surface even exists. It’s a secret the rulers want to keep. Music Credits: Dolomedes Threatening YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/dolomedesthreatening Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dolomedes-Threatening/319059184782842 PDX Voice Teacher YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLpQ_EPWtT0

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Deep City, part II

Jordan Harbour — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 18:30:06 +0000

“You see a giant hunchbacked man. He’s huge and reminds you of an ogre from a fairytale. “ In Deep City part II, you run away from your guards and escape into the depths of the prison sewar–or at least you think you escape. In the darkest chasms lurk things more frightening than guards. Deep City is an alternate history had the Cold War turned hot. What scraps are left of humanity have tunneled into the rock deep underwater. So much time has passed that people have forgotten the surface even exists. It’s a secret the rulers want to keep.

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Top Audio Drama & Radio Theatre Podcasts

Jordan Harbour — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 06:20:17 +0000

Interested in audio dramas or radio theatre? I asked a forum of audio drama producers what they thought the best podcasts in their field were. Here are their answers… Aftermath Welcome to 2016. The threat of war between China and the USA looms. Britain, now a small bankrupt nation, initially sided with the USA. But relations quickly broke down beyond repair between the two nations, leaving the UK an isolated and unimportant outcast in world diplomacy. When an attack on their power and communications followed by a chemical attack, questions not only arise about who did it, but who can survive. Aftermath Website iTunes Feed Darker Project Dark Project is a production house that’s been around for almost a decade. It’s produced a range of shows and featured many writers and voice actors. Some of their feature shows include: Star Trek Dr Who Tales from the Museum Leviathan Chronicles Leviathan is a city that lies deep within the dark trenches of the Pacific Ocean. The city is home to a community of immortals that sought to create a utopia. For 1000 years, they lived in peace and secrecy, gently influencing world events to aid the advancement of mankind. But a terrible secret has been kept deep within the catacombs of Leviathan that threatens the existence of the immortals, and quite possibly the entire world. Leviathan Website The Dixie Stenberg and Brassy Battalion Adventure Theater The Dixie Stenberg and Brassy Battalion Adventure Theater grew out of a shared love for the classic radio theatre shows of the 40s and 50s. Specifically the aerial adventure drama, with shows like Captain Midnight, Hop Harrigan, Adventures by Morse and Speed Gibson. They showcased not only the dramatic range of the writers of the period and the actors and actresses involved, but also a somewhat larger canvas than most other radio serials of the period. Website Gypsy Audio www.gypsyaudio.org http://www.gypsyaudio.org/show/blackburn/ Broken Sea http://brokensea.com http://brokensea.com/maudelayne/ Strange Paradise http://thedramapod.com/drupal/node/433 While Whisper Wait – http://thedramapod.com/drupal/node/296 Unhinged Worlds- http://thedramapod.com/drupal/node/294

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Deep City, part I

Jordan Harbour — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 06:52:59 +0000

“One of the submarines saw a mushroom cloud…” Alternate History. You thought you were signing up for a tour–a little spectator time travelling. But instead, you are sent to a different dimension. In this alternate world, the Cold War turns hot. The year is 1986 and you are at an underwater base. You are an engineer interested in big projects, and this is one of the soviet’s most dramatic. Soon, this base will be one of the last bastions of civilization. But that’s to come…

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Roma Islamica

Jordan Harbour — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 06:17:57 +0000

“The history of his murders are etched into his eyes…” Alternate History. The Roman Empire has been Islamic for almost 500 years. It has grown flexed its muscles and eased into a ripe Golden Age. But the Pax Islamica is about to come crashing to a violent end. The Mongols have stormed into the eastern empire, burning all the great cities. Here the Mongols heard rumors of strange men with pale faces and of booty beyond anything seen in the East. Ghengis Khan’s eyes have hungrily turned to Rome. This is the world you’ve time travelled to… and this is your story. Credits: Michael Drislane: music and soundscaping Jordan Harbour: script, production management Read the companion book to the podcast, Roma Islamica, an Alternate History of Rome

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Roma Islamica, The Book

Jordan Harbour — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 22:21:50 +0000

One small accident can change the course of history. It was possibly the greatest sea battle the world had ever experienced. The full weight of the massive Islamic world–a united empire stretching from Spain to the Indus–was laying siege to Constantinople in 715AD. In a last desperate attempt to break the siege, the Byzantines unleashed their navy. They had a secret weapon–Greek Fire. It seemed as though the battle was lost for the Muslims. Their ships were stretched out on convoys and the Greek Fire was menacing. But then an accident happened–or perhaps is was a miracle. A Byzantine sailor slipped and dropped his torch. The torch rolled across the deck and down the stairs into the hold. A moment later, the centre of the Byzantine navy exploded. The remnants of the Byzantine navy were chased back into port. The city began to starve. Then it opened its gates to the armies of Islam. With the fall of Constantinople, the doors of Europe were swung open. Soon, Muslim missionaries were spreading the word of Allah to the deepest forests of Europe. Some even entered the court of a young Charlemagne who would go on to conquer a new Holy Roman Empire–but this one wasn’t Christian. It was Islamic. Follow the events of the first century of this fascinating alternate history of Rome. You will find Vikings in the desert, a castaway Pope, a mysterious lost Great Library and a renewed Roman pride bolstered by the fanaticism of Islamic Jihad. Read Roma Islamica on your Kindle or as a download on your computer.

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Weird Tank Designs

Jordan Harbour — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 04:51:55 +0000

Weird Tank Designs: Pre-WWI Flying Unicorn and Tank Concept by Leonardo da Vinci French Tank Concept, 1855 English Tank Concept, 1885 Armoured-Quadricycle-1899 Tank Concept 1906, Cavalry Weird Tanks Designs: WWI WWI American Tank Italian Four Wheeled Tank French trench corsser, the ‘Machine Boirault’, 1915 British Mark IV German AV7 WWI Italian Tsar WWI Tank Design Concepts Weird Tank Designs: Interwar Years (1920s & 1930s) 1922 Christie Amphibious Tank Submarine Land Dreadnaught, 1934 Rolling Ball Tank Venezuelan-Tortuga-tank Soviet TR-26C Weird Tank Designs: WWII Nazi German Motorcycle Tank Russian KhTZ 16 Tractor Tank Russian T-34 Tank with concrete walls Russian T-35 Tank Russian T-39 Tank German Karl-Gerät Tank German P1000 Landkreuzer ‘Ratte’ Tank Russian KV-VI Behemoth Tank Russian T60 Light Tank with an Antonov A-40 glider Russian RBT-5 Premium Light Tank with Rockets American T-28 Super Heavy Tank Weird Tank Designs: Cold War Russian “OBJECT 279″ Tank American Chrysler TV8 Tank American Chrysler TV-1 Tank (Concept) Russian Hover Tank 500-8 American Ontos Tank Destroyer

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Alternate History – Eiffel Tower in London?

Jordan Harbour — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 04:40:26 +0000

An international Eiffel Tower arms race? It could have happened. In 1889, Paris built the Eiffel tower for the world’s fair. It was a raging success and created a sensation throughout the world. It was also highly profitably, increasing tourism and generating revenue for the city. A group of Englishmen decided London should have its own version of the Eiffel Tower. In 1890, they held a competition for the design. They received 68 entries. It was to be called the ‘Great Tower of London’. Unfortunately, it was never built. If London and Paris had their towers, would other cities have follow suit? Would an intricately weaved metal tower be seen as the stamp of a great industrial city, much the same as a cathedral was for all cities in Medieval Europe, or the Great Library in the Hellenistic world? What would an Industrial Age tower look like in Moscow, New York and Berlin? Or Tokyo? Leave your comment below…

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Priestess of Minos, part II

Jordan Harbour — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 04:50:28 +0000

“Sharpen your axe…” It is 7000 BC. The world is somewhere between the Ice Age and civilization. You find yourself in one of the few settlements on earth. And it’s dying. In this time travel adventure, you will travel the Aegean in search of a new home. Will it be Greek or Minoan?

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Priestess of Minos, part I

Jordan Harbour — Tue, 08 May 2012 06:31:34 +0000

“The town bloats like a carcass in the boiling sun…” It is 7000 BC. The world is somewhere between civilization and the Ice Age. You find yourself in one of the few settlements on earth. And it’s dying. In this time travel adventure, you will travel the Aegean in search of a new home. Will it be Greek or Minoan?

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Ice Age Misery, part II

Jordan Harbour — Tue, 08 May 2012 06:24:21 +0000

“The spear slides into his chest…” You are on an alien world–a world covered in ice and snow. On this world are a few small groups of scattered humans trying to survive. As a time traveler, you will wake up 20,000 years ago in the middle of the Ice Age. You can’t be a passive observer. You have to become the people you’re exploring if you hope to make it back alive.

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Ice Age Misery, part I

Jordan Harbour — Tue, 08 May 2012 05:56:03 +0000

“You walk blindly into a wall of white…” You are on an alien world–a world covered in ice and snow. On this world are a few small groups of scattered humans trying to survive. As a time traveler, you will wake up 20,000 years ago in the middle of the Ice Age. You can’t be a passive observer in this journey. You have to become the people you’re exploring. It’s the only way you’ll survive.

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Axis Earth

Jordan Harbour — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 03:41:51 +0000

“And then Moscow is gone…” Alternate History: Hitler does everything right. He pacifies England. He supports Rommel in North Africa. He waits until 1943 to invade Russia. Soon his dream of a Greater Germania is realized and the world is truly Axis. In this alternate history of WWII, you will time travel to a world as it could have been. With the help of music and dramatic sound you’ll be taken on a journey… and you might not like what you see. Music List: Ligeti Lux Aeterna Schnittke Piano Quintet, mvt 2 Shostakovitch Symphony 11, mvt 3 Symphony 5, mvt 3 Wagner Tristan and Isolde Overture Podcast Inspirations: This show was inspired by Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History, Show 27: Ghosts of the Ostfront

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Rome Industrial

Jordan Harbour — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 17:56:11 +0000

“The phantom hardens into a train…” Alternate History: Rome never fell. Marcus Aurelius left the purple to an able general and the line of good emperors continued. Soon Rome experienced its Industrial Revolution. Steam power, trains, factories and unbelievable conquest took the standard from India to China and beyond… Music List: Zoe Keating Hello Night The Path We Insist Legions (War) Fern Podcast Inspirations: Thank you to Rob Cain of Ancient Rome Refocused for recommending the topic for this show.

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Rob Cain, Interview

Jordan Harbour — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:51:55 +0000

This exclusive interview with Rob Cain, creator of the wildly popular Ancient Rome Refocused, was conducted by Jordan Harbour from the Twilight Histories Podcast in February, 2012. Jordan Harbour: For all those who haven’t listened to your podcast, can you describe what Ancient Rome Refocused is all about? Rob Cain: The podcast can be summed up in a quote from Seneca: “What is then is now.” We are not a show about the past, but about how the past relates to the now. The show is about making comparisons. Our films, plays, art, architecture, law and philosophy have a basis in Ancient Rome. History, in my opinion, cannot be divided into epochs but lays upon a continuous thread. Things change, diminish, die and blossom but never fully disappear. We build on the past or we recreate it to suit our vision of the present. On the show, we interview authors, artists and historians who have used Ancient Rome as their inspiration. No matter what the year, whether 1412, 1812 or 2012 a monk, politician or a guy who sells bikes in Aspin can see similarities between themselves and the Ancient Romans. It is because of this– ROME will never die. On the blog, I play a game with the readers called “Name That Classical Connection” and show a picture of something that could be traced back to Rome or Classical Greece and people consistently guess the right answer. It’s almost like we are hard-wired for it. On the blog and podcast we delve into other subjects: Ancient Troy, Egypt, and Greece. The show is usually divided into three or four parts: a dramatic narration, a small lecture, or an interview with an expert in a field using the past as their inspiration for their art or field of study. The podcast is protected by two muses. Yes, I have called on them for inspiration: Calliope (the muse of epic poetry) and her sister Clio (the muse of history). On each episode we color between the lines, adding color to make the past come alive, but ALWAYS…ALWAYS… respecting the facts. Do I want to be Indiana Jones? I sure do. Do I want to take you on an adventure? Most definitely. Jordan Harbour: What inspired you to make Ancient Rome Refocused? Rob Cain: The truth is I should have been an historian. I would have been happier. My father recognized this in me, but many sons make the mistake of not listening to their Fathers. He loved history. He lived it as a soldier in World War II. There are few that can say they ‘witnessed’ history. The director Bryan Dorries who wrote his own translation of the play AJAX, and took it around the country to perform for soldiers suffering from PTSD, said something that sums it up. “Those that have lived lives of mythological proportions have no trouble relating to ancient myth.” Today, many people are living on that scale. They are on their own ‘Odyssey.’ Soldiers returning from Iraq or Afghanistan have the best understanding–carry an M16 and you have something in common with Achilles. I suspect police officers, doctors, and anyone that must make the BIG decisions between life and death have to wrap their lives around ‘the will of the gods’ or ‘fate’ or ‘luck’ can understand the outcomes of mythology as well. It does not have to be taken literally. Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter to the gods for fair winds. How many professionals have sacrificed family for the sake of their careers? Sysiphus pushed a stone up a hill for eternity, and how many of us have borne an unimaginable weight on a daily basis? The classics live in our everyday lives. What inspired me to start Ancient Rome Refocused? Love of history, and for something else: ‘street cred.’ I am an aspiring writer (which I’ll talk about later) and I feel the podcast allows me to establish some credibility in this genre I have chosen to undertake. Ancient Rome Refocused is my crucible. I made a promise to the listeners I would respect the facts. If I was totally without merit, totally without understanding of the times, the history and without respect for the truth the listeners would have called me on it – and so they should and so they have. So far I have retained a certain amount of credibility. Someone on the blog-o-sphere described me as an enthusiastic amateur. That’s OK I can live with that…but just a reminder that sometimes amateurs have contributed greatly to certain fields. Maybe, my contribution is promoting an interest in the past. I think it’s working. Ancient Rome Refocused has been blessed with over 600,000 down loads across 9 episodes. Someone is listening out there. The show is going to get even better on future podcasts, by the way. We intend to go on location. Jordan Harbour: Many of your podcasts are shaped by creative writing that sends your listener back in time. Are there any authors you look to for inspiration. Rob Cain: Steven Saylor is my hero. I was lucky enough to interview him. He rocks. The man is a wealth of knowledge and is enthusiastic about his subject. If you ever get the chance to hear him lecture, do so. During the interview I found out we owned the same REMCO Roman Galley toy. The oars moved and it propelled itself across the floor. Forget computer games–the 60s had some great toys! Jordan Harbour: Have you thought of delving into some historical fiction writing yourself? Rob Cain: Check out Amazon.com in the near future to see my new ebook. It is a novella. Yes, a gutsy thing to do but what do I have to lose? Ray Bradbury, the author of The Martian Chronicles, and Something Wicked This Way Comes said, “Jump off the cliff and build your wings on the way down.” I am building those wings as fast as I can. In addition, I have finished a full-length historical novel about Ancient Rome. Talk about [...]

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Sir Francis Drake’s World

Jordan Harbour — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:03:55 +0000

Spain was the great power in the 16th century in Europe. It became the dominant figurehead in the Holy Roman Empire, a medieval conglomerate of states that included Italy, the Netherlands, and some German states. Portugal might have been considered the other dominant power, having championed the age of discovery by sailing around Africa and accessing that delicious wealth of India, China and the Spice Islands. But Spain was hot on her tail. With Christopher Columbus, Spain managed to acquire lands in the New World, and soon she encountered a treasure trove equal to–if not even greater than–what Portugal had found. This treasure was the captured from the Aztecs and Incas who had a mass of gold. Spain and Portugal fought over all these lands until the Pope stepped in and arbitrated a deal. Spain was to get half the world, including the Americas, and Portugal was to get the other half, which included the Orient. No other country could legally trade with the world except through these two states. And if they tried, they would be out-gunned before they even left Europe. This was a very tense period where hostilities could break out in flash fires. When Magellan sailed around the world, the most dangerous part of his voyage was not the Pacific or Cape Horn (although these were incredibly dangerous) but the voyage through the Orient in Portuguese ruled waters. One of his ships, laden with spices from Malacca, was sunk by a Portuguese vessel and her crew executed after travelling around half the world. By the time of Sir Francis Drake the hostilities had ended. Spain had conquered Portugal and now ruled the entire world. England, at this time, barely had a navy. She had almost no international trade and watched helplessly as fat treasure ships from America, Malacca, India, China and Japan poured the wealth of the world into her enemy’s pockets. All England could do was try to sell her textiles to a silk-clad Spanish merchant class that likely scoffed at their simple fabrics, dyed black because they had no access to exotic colored dyes. To many in England, and especially to the merchants who eeked out a living from this trade, the status quo was acceptable. Even the English royalty were afraid to rock the boat with Spain. But there were some who saw the Spanish dominance of the seas as unacceptable. They wanted equal access, free trade, and they became convinced that as private investors, they had to take this right by force. I just want to impress upon you the size of the operations that we’re dealing with. If we remember the Sir Francis Drake sci-fi analogy, the ships going into space would probably have had very small crews. You simply can’t send thousands of people into space and not spend an absolute fortune. Things were not so different in the 16th century. The numbers that took part in these voyages would at the very most amount to only a few hundred men, and usually they could be counted at under a hundred. Cortez conquered the Aztecs with a mere 600 men, and Pisaro destroyed the Incas with only 200. These missions were like going to the moon, but the time scales were so much longer and the risk of death was incredible. These missions were so dangerous! If you didn’t die from scurvy, starvation, drowning, infection or other illness, you might easily be killed by natives or by another European man-o-war. The fact that people like Cabot, Magellan, Vasco de Gamba, and Drake are so famous is because so many people died ahead of them. The story of the early age of discovery, when Prince Henry the Navigator sent out expedition after expedition to explore the coast of Africa (and in search of a mystical Christian king who never actually existed), is riddled with tales of ships returning like ghosts… if they returned at all. And the people who joined these ships were immensely superstitious people. Sailors have always had a reputation for being a bit superstitious, but in the High Middle Ages and Renaissance, the range of their imaginations was incredible. These people came from proto-scientific societies where the masses were uneducated, believed fervently in witches and magic and saw their dark forests as refuges for evil spirits and monsters which they colored their maps with. There were creatures that looked like humans but had large faces within their torsos. There were fairies or pixies that would lure children into the woods and steal them away. There were even thought to be men with dogs’ heads who inhabited the far flung world. Missionaries were trained on ways to convert the dog headed people if they came upon them. We still have their training manuels. Imagine if you were on one of these ships, months or even years away from home, and you beached at some exotic land never before seen by European eyes. To us, it might be a postcard image of the coasts of British Columbia or Brazil. But to their eyes, the mists that hung over the dark forests might hide fantastic monsters, savage cannibals and could even be the home of the devil himself. What would they think when they saw a Killer Whale with its bizarre black and white patches, or when they heard the howl of wolves rising from the impenetrable forests with their ominous floating mists. How would they have reacted when they saw the tribes of the Haida for the first time, with their war canoes where warriors would dress in full bear skins and dance on deck to the sound of drums and eerie off-key chanting. We think of places being named after people. But in this age of discovery, places were often named after nightmares: the Bay of Giants, the Land of Fire, or the Island of Death. And the sailors who took part in these expeditions, although they staked their lives against ridiculous odds (and even if they survived, they’d likely return home [...]

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Sir Francis Drake, Sci Fi

Jordan Harbour — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:00:44 +0000

If you’ll allow me, I’d like to go a little bit sci-fi here for a moment. I want to create a ‘what-if’ scenario. Imagine for a moment that Communism never fell. There was no Peristroika, no tearing down of the Berlin Wall, no collapse of the Soviet Union. In fact, in our alternate reality, the USSR flourishes. Russia does so well that it takes on America’s star wars challenge (you remember that program when the Americans tried to bankrupt Russia by creating an arms race in space). Putting weapons in space is so prohibitively expensive that neither country can handle the financial pressures. They are both haemorrhaging money. And that’s the whole idea. The first one to collapse loses. Then Russia makes a discovery. They uncover valuable minerals on the moon. Energy deposits. Perhaps a hydrogen source that can supply their latest powerplants. America realizes that if it’s to survive, they must have access to these minerals. So ships are launched by both countries to the moon, en mass. Inevitably, there is conflict, and soon these ships are armed with weapons. Some of the ships are lightly armed transport vessels, and others are deadly war ships, like nuclear submarines in space. You can just imagine the scale and intensity of a cold war like this. It’s one of those historical moments that, while it seems horrible and costly, it nevertheless brings about a massive technological shift and shoots us into the next Age. And here’s the thing about this new Age in humanity: it’s an exclusive club. There’s only room for the first, the biggest and the best. And these positions are taken up by two countries, Russia, and America. Now here’s the next twist in our story. After about a century of conflict with massive wins and losses and huge technological leaps, America loses the war. Despite having a large fleet of space destroyers, the Russians manage to defeat America on the home front. The US is incorporated into Russia and her fleet is annexed. Russia doubles in size and wealth over night. You might think at this stage that that’s it for international competition. Russia is simply too powerful. There’s nothing any other country can do, and they’re all doomed to fall into a world empire. But how this little story turns out, you’d be wrong in assuming this. England, although it relied perhaps too heavily on the might of the US for its defence, has built up at least a small fleet of space ships. Of course they have nothing to match the colossus of the combined Russia and USA, but that doesn’t stop one brave captain from deciding that he wants a piece of this galactic pie. So he engages in a private war, funded by private investors in England, against Russia. He takes a small fleet out, sneaks his way to the moon, and attacks Russian bases. He is counter-attacked by the Russians everywhere he goes, and looses almost all of his men and ships. But he returns with a cargo of such wealth, enough to pay for the entire English armed forces for a year, that all the people of England are amazed. Parliment decides that they must have access to this wealth somehow. They send him out again this time with a government funded fleet to explore the moon and perhaps lay a claim to some of its wealth. So off he goes once more. On his way, he chances upon a Russian transport laden with riches. He sacks it and continues to the moon. But the transport managed to send word back to Russia about the attack and soon the entire Russian space fleet is after him. He races to the moon, desperately trying to evade the fleet, plants a flag for Britain, then dashes off. The Russian fleet is hot on his tail. There is no way for him to go back to earth the way he came. So what does he do? He flies off into the solar system. After months of travel, he comes to Mars. The last time a mars mission was attempted, some 60 years earlier by a Russian cosmonaut, only a handful of dying men returned, warning that it should never be done again. It wasn’t just the trip to Mars, but the trip back that killed them. Lack of oxygen, lack of spare parts to repair engines that are put under too much strain, peoples’ nerves shattered by the incredible dangers and long distances… and then there was the war with America on top of that. After years of travel, one Russian craft, out of a party of 5 ships, returned looking like a death ship. And now, 60 years later, this English captain finds himself on the same deadly trail. Circling around Mars to gain momentum, he fires off into the inky blackness. Another year passes as he floats through space, waiting for the Earth to revolve around the sun until he is aligned with it once more. The closer he gets to Earth, the more dangerous it becomes as he enters Russian territory once more. Yet he manages to evade the enemy and returns to England with only one ship, after spending almost 3 years in space. This English captain becomes an instant hero. But if you think the story ends here, you’re wrong. Russia is enraged. They demand that England should pay for the transport that was plundered. They demand the captain’s head. The price for failure: war. And does parliament concede? No. They ask the captain instead to go on a special mission. They send him out to space where the Russians are massing their fleet for a grand assault. The English captain puts a bomb on one of his ships, fires off in a capsule and launches the massive bomb into their midst with a Russian flag strapped on the side. In one huge explosion, England, which had never been a contender for space, wins star wars. From then on, [...]

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Top History Podcasts

Jordan Harbour — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:27:08 +0000

Hardcore History Dan Carlin is the master of the history podcast form. Anyone new to podcasting who enjoys a great story should start with Hardcore History and expand out. Although I love all his episodes, there are some I listen to more than others. I’m especially fond of the Ghosts of the Ostfront series which describes the little discussed Eastern Front during WWII. You might also enjoy Dan’s Punic Nightmare, the story of Rome vs Hannibal. Listen to the Hardcore History Podcast Ancient Rome Refocused This is a personal favorite history podcast and one that was a huge inspiration for the Twilight Histories. Rob Cain is a brilliant writer and is able to transport his listener to an ancient landscape with his creative words. His ‘time travel’ idea (episode 2: Time Travel is Easy, History is Hard) was what gave the Twilight Histories its final icing on the cake. I’ve been lucky enough to speak with Rob and was able to thank him personally for his fantastic podcast series. Listen to the Ancient Rome Refocused Podcast The History of Rome The History of Rome is a titanic podcast by Mike Duncan that tracks the rise of Rome all the way to its Western collapse in around 200 fantastic shows. If Mike turned his podcast into a book (and we do hope he does), it would probably be longer than Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and certainly more approachable (I don’t think Gibbon ever used the word ‘awesome’). Listen to The History of Rome Podcast Twilight Histories Podcast Time travel to exotic worlds, some of which only exist in the imagination. This alternate history podcast will explore Rome had it industrialized, WWII had Hitler won, Europe under a victorious Napoleon and much more. Each show is infused with music and sound effects to heighten the dramatic narrative, giving a chilling effect that has caused more than one listener to miss his turn off. Why not start with Rome Industrial to start… if you dare. 12 Byzantine Rulers & Norman Centuries Lars Browsworth created these two podcast series and we can’t thank him enough for them. I’ve listened to each podcast series more than once and still there’s information which falls through the cracks. His story telling style to history brings to life events from a rarely told yet fascinating era. This podcast is a classic and well worth the listen. Listen to the 12 Byzantine Rulers Podcast or the Norman Centuries Podcast First World War Centenary What’s fascinating about the First World War Centenary podcast is that it seems to replicate WWI in real time. Every week that passes sees a new installment representing what was going on almost a hundred years ago. The podcast starts out in June, 1914 and will presumably continue until the end of the war in 1918. Using interviews from people who went through WWI, the podcast is more than just information. It gives an emotional kick. Listen to the First World War Centenary Podcast Ancient Greek History Dr. Donald Kagan made this fantastic introductory series on Ancient Greece (iTunes U). It’s a lecture series from Yale and Dr. Kagan flexes his scholastic muscle in an incredibly entertaining way. There is a strong focus on the story which keeps the listening experience lively from the Bronze Age right through to the Classical. It is interesting the way Dr. Kagan gives the benefit of the doubt to the ancients. Given the choice between doubting their stories and believing them, Dr. Kagan will generally believe what the ancient authors say if no evidence counters them. This is a unique perspective in the scholastic world and it can be quite refreshing, especially when a good story is involved. To listen, visit iTunes U and type in ‘Ancient Greek History’ Hannibal This is a great lecture series by Dr. Patrick Hunt from Stanford and can be found on iTunes U. ’Hannibal’ completely changed the way I think about the ancient world. We never really talked about child sacrifice when I was studying the Greeks and Romans. He gives a fascinating spin on ancient religion. Once you hear this lecuture, you’ll never be able to separate the ancients from their ideologies. For instance, think of Hannibal’s name, ‘Hanni-bal’. The god Bal is a part of his name, as it was with most other Cartheginians. They were a highly religious culture as were the Israelites. Once you start to understand their religion, you start to understand who these people were and why they were fighting. To listen, visit iTunes U and type in ‘Hannibal’ Memory Palace Nate Dimeo created this fantastic podcast which is a hybrid of storytelling and historical events. Nate’s writing is superb, his music enchanting and his stories always leave the listener with a deep sense of satisfaction. The theme for the stories is often one of wonder with a tinge of pathos. They are often set in the 1800′s when the world was just starting to open up and people were riding Ferris Wheels, trains or cars. My personal favorite is Episode 24: The Moon in the Sun. It’s a true story about a journalist who makes up a story that captures the world for a little while. It’s about an astronomer–a real astronomer who was quite upset about the whole thing when he found out–with the world’s biggest telescope who one day points it at the moon. And oh the wonders he saw! Check out the Memory Palace. Each show is its own little gem. Listen to the Memory Palace Podcast

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Show 1: Lord of the Flies

Jordan Harbour — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 22:09:09 +0000

“Take a deep breath and step out of your ship…” In this first episode of the Twilight Histories, you will leave your safe and civilized home and time travel back to the nightmare circus that is the ancient world. Child Sacrifice, roaming armies, civilization collapse and all the sights and smells of the ancient world are wrapped up in an experience that will leave you awed… and perhaps even chilled. Music List: Stravinsky, the Rite of Spring Borodin, In the Steppes of Central Asia Ravel, Daphne et Choloe Podcast Inspirations: Rob Cain, Ancient Rome Refocussed, Episode 2: Time Travel is Easy, History is Hard Patrick Hunt, Hannibal, (iTunes U) Dan Carlin, Hardcore History, Show 9: Darkness Buries the Bronze Age Dan Carlin, Hardcore History, Shows 21-23: Punic Nightmare Other: Star Trek Next Generation, Inner Light, Season 5; Episode 25

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