Some books I will never read not matter how good they are.

I am pretty sure everyone has their hot buttons. I decided to talk about mine a bit. In general, I love “parallel history” mental exercises. The further down into the past centuries you go the more entertaining it is to ask “what if?” What if A Hittite prince married a Pharaoh’s daughter? What if Greeks lost the war with Persians? What of Rome was never built? What if the plague epidemics of 14th century had been prevented by a spirited young doctor from 20th century? An educated guess can lead to interesting consequences that are of course pure fiction, but often an entertaining and thought provoking one.

However, as soon as the "if" question moves to more recent eras, I start feeling uncomfortable. I am fine with the 19th century, and the beginning of 20th has a lot of room for maneuvers, but the closer it is to the people I know - or knew - my grandparents and great-grandparents, for example, the more sensitive I become to the issue. You see, I am quite attached to the fact I exist and to the fact that many people whom I know and love exist, so any alternative Universe that forbids our existence doesn't have any allure for me.

This thoughts came to my mind when I was reading reviews of Jo Walton's trilogy Farthing, Ha'penny and Half a Crown. The reviews are all good, and the books sound very interesting, and I loved Tooth and Claw, but... but I just cannot read any novel about Germany winning the WWII. It's probably some mental fault of mine, but such stories make no sense to me, no matter how good. I don't think it's wrong to write them - It's right, I just cannot read them.

I am serious about non-existing, by the way. Even if my grandparents would survive (and it's highly unlikely in case of my grandfathers, and almost impossible in case of my grandmothers) they would never meet.