“We never know which lives we influence, or when, or why.”
The assassination of President John F. Kennedy has become one of the most defining moments in US history. Plenty have speculated on the mysteries and conspiracies involved, and that fateful day in Dallas has remained one of the most popular ‘what if’ moments for alternative history stories. Arguably the most famous of these is Stephen King’s 11/22/63. First published in 2011, the story centres on high school English teacher Jake Epping. After his friend reveals he is involved in a secret mission to prevent JFK’s assassination, Jake has been chosen to take his place and is whisked back to 1958. There, he immerses himself in the culture, falls in love with a librarian named Sadie and, as the day approaches, encounters a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald. If you love time travel, alternate histories and science fiction, join us at What We Reading for the best books like 11/22/63!
The Time Machine – H.G. Wells
Kicking off our list of the best books like 11/22/63 is H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine. Arguably the story that launched his successful career and led to him being heralded as the ‘father of science fiction’, the story follows an unnamed narrator who recounts the experiences of an inventor only known as the Time Traveller. The Time Traveller has developed a machine that can travel through time and, to demonstrate his theories on the fourth dimension gives a live demonstration to his friends.
He travels to the distant future, to the year 802,701. There, he meets two different species: the Eloi and the Morlocks. The Eloi are gentle and passive but lack curiosity and intelligence. The Morlocks are brutish and industrious, and whose predatory instincts lead to them feeding on the Eloi. With striking social commentaries on class struggle and human evolution, this classic is a must-read for anyone interested in time travel stories.
Dark Matter – Blake Crouch
Nominated for Best Science Fiction in the Goodreads Choice Awards, Dark Matter is a sci-fi thriller by Blake Crouch. Jason Dessen is walking through the streets of Chicago one evening when he is knocked unconscious by a masked assailant. He wakes to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by men in hazmat suits.
In this world he now finds himself in, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is no longer an ordinary physics professor, but rather a lauded intellectual genius who has developed something remarkable. But, if everything he remembers from before is real, is there a way for him to return home? Sweeping and poignant, Dark Matter is a journey into the paths we take, the choices we make and how far we’ll go for the lives we dream about, perfect for any fans of 11/22/63.
Timeline – Michael Crichton
In an Arizona desert, a man wanders in a daze, uttering words that make no sense. Within twenty-four hours, he is dead, his body cremated by his only known associates. Halfway around the world, archaeologists make a shocking discovery at a medieval site. They are suddenly whisked to a top-secret multinational corporation’s headquarters, who have developed an astonishing technology.
In Michael Crichton’s bestselling novel, Timeline, these archaeologists are given the opportunity to not only study the past but to enter it as well. With history opened up to the present, the dead reanimated to the living, these men and women soon find themselves in a desperate battle for survival in a setting six hundred years in the past.
Fatherland – Robert Harris
April 1964; the body of an old man floats down a lake on the outskirts of Berlin. It will be Adolf Hitler’s 75th birthday in a week’s time. And, in the heart of the German Reich, a terrible conspiracy is starting to unravel. Robert Harris’ famous alternate history book Fatherland is set in a world where Nazi Germany won the Second World War. Detective Xavier March is an investigator in the Kriminalpolizei and is called out to investigate the body in the lake.
As March discovers the identity of the body, he uncovers signs of a conspiracy that could stretch to the very top of the leaders in power. With the Gestapo behind him with every step, Xavier teams up with an American journalist to reveal the truth. Like with 11/22/63, it’s a truth that has the power to topple governments and change the course of history.
Replay – Ken Grimwood
Another one of the best time travel books like 11/22/63, Replay is a science fiction story by Ken Grimwood. Jeff Winston was forty-three years old and trapped in a cycle of a dead-end job and unhappy marriage, waiting for when he could be truly happy when he died.
And, when he woke, he was eighteen again, with all the memories of the next twenty-five years still in his head. He has the chance to live his life again, avoiding the mistakes he now knows are coming, making money off of his knowledge of the future, find real happiness. Until he dies again at 43 and wakes up back in college again…
The Guns Of The South – Harry Turtledove
Author Harry Turtledove transports readers back to 1864 and the mire of the American Civil War in his alternate history story, The Guns of the South. Having been broken at the Battle of Gettysburg, General Robert E. Lee knows he is facing defeat. His Army of Northern Virginia is ragged and ill-equipped, and Gettysburg has broken both the backs and the spirits of the Confederacy.
Then, Andries Rhoodie, a strange man with an unplaceable accent, approaches Lee with an extraordinary offer. He demonstrates an incredible rifle; its rate of fire is faster than anything the Civil War has to offer, and Rhoodie guarantees an unlimited supply of these guns for the Confederates. The weapon is an AK-47. Similar to 11/22/63, The Guns of the South centres on one of the greatest ‘what ifs’ in American history, exploring the social structures that came with a victory for the South in the Civil War.
Everfair (Everfair #1) – Nisi Shawl
Nisi Shawl’s Everfair is another alternate history book like 11/22/63, taking readers into a steampunk Neo-Victorian world where African populations outrace their colonisers in the technology race during the Scramble for Africa. The story follows a group of socialists, African-American missionaries and natives of the continent as they work together to create Everfair, a utopian society in the heart of the Congo with the help of advanced steam technology.
Set aside from the brutal colonisation of the Congo under the banner of King Leopold II, Everfair welcomes populations from the continent, former slaves returning from the Americas and other places in the world where African natives and their descendants are mistreated. Tragedy is unavoidable, but these people are determined. This beautifully-told piece of speculative fiction offers new insights into an often-overlooked period of history, reframing the tragedies of colonisation into an exciting exploration of invention, resistance and romance.
All Our Wrong Todays – Elan Mastai
You know the futures everyone in the 1950s predicted? Well, it happened. In the 2016 Tom Barren lives in, humanity thrives in a techno-utopian paradise. Featuring flying cars, moving sidewalks, moon bases, avocados that never go stale, even punk rock never existed because it wasn’t necessary. The only problem is that Tom cannot seem to find his place in this ultra-futuristic dazzling world.
Then a rash decision leaves Tom stranded in our 2016. Compared to what he is used to, our times seem like a dystopian wasteland. But when he discovers wonderfully unexpected versions of his family, his career and potentially even his soul mate, he realises he has a decision to make. Does he fix the flow of history? Or try to forge a new path in this unpredictable reality. Spanning countries, continents and timelines, Elan Mastai’s All Our Wrong Todays follows Tom on his journey to figure out who he really is, and what his future is supposed to be.
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Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
