Who likes 'What if' stories?

[Ladybugs]

WAIT for the poll. OPEN poll, with multiple votes.

Those of you who are into it will know what I mean. For the rest-

You could say that every piece of fiction is a "What if", however the genre is usually considered (and shelved at your local bookstore) as a sub-set of fantasy or science fiction. There are certainly lots of gray areas, but the key difference from other types of speculative fiction is that the change from actual world history happens in the PAST.

The next critical division is between a) 'pure what if' and b) a whole lotta 'what if' novels and short stories that involve Sci-Fi.

a) For a purist, the best tales are based on minimal changes that have HUGE consequences to BIG issues in history (Asimov). For example-
i) South captures Union plans before a key battle, and wins the US civil war.
ii) The Valkyrie Plot kills Hitler because the bomb is NOT moved a few inches.
iii) The UK captures South Africa decades before it actually happened.

b) All kinds of twists are tossed in, often dealing with time travel or alternate universes-
i) Alien lizards attack Earth, right in the middle of WWII:
ii) Nantucket Island and all inhabitants are suddenly transported to 1,250 BCE
iii) Racists from the future go back to 1862, and give the Confederacy lots of AK47s and ammo.

Even example bii) is 'purish'. There is no explanation of what happened, or how. The residents of the island must learn to survive with what is at hand (circa 1990).

Personally I can enjoy all types:great:. A huge part of the relative quality is based on the quality of the HISTORY (minus any Sci-Fi bits). The people, technology, science and society must be as accurate as possible, before and after the 'event'.