Flag of Buddhist India

This is the flag of Buddhist India. It comes from a world where Buddhism remained the dominate religion of India. It began during the reign of Ashoka the Great. As in our world, Ashoka converted to Buddhism after spending much of his life as a warlord who united much of India. Unlike our world, however, Ashoka formalized the relationship between the Sangha and the secular government. Ashoka’s system can be thought of as similar to the role the Catholic Church played in Medieval Europe in our world. Buddhist monasteries received funding via taxes, and the monks often involved themselves in the affairs of the state.

Another result of Ashoka’s reforms was that the Maurya Empire lasted several centuries longer than it did in our world. The empire covered almost all of the Indian Subcontinent, and its continued existence lead to a sense of Pan-Indian identity. In fact, the Maurya Empire would come to hold the same cultural significance in India as the Roman Empire does in the West, and the Han Dynasty does in China. All future Indian empires would, to varying degrees, attempt to emulate the glories of the Maurya Empire.

The changes resulting from Ashoka’s reforms ultimately meant that Vedantic Hinduism never came to be. However, life for the average Indian didn’t really change all that much under Buddhism. Most people continued to worship the same local gods they always had. The old traditions mixed freely with the new. For example, you might go to the Buddhist temple to pray for enlightenment and contemplate philosophy. However, if your child got sick, you would pray to whoever the local healer deity happened to be. The caste system never came to be, but there was a still a strict social hierarchy within Indian society.

In time, several Buddhist monks began to study the natural world, and developed natural philosophy of a sort. This led to several discoveries and innovation, the most significant of which was the discovery of gunpowder. India went on several campaigns of expansion. Several of these were nominally to spread Buddhism, but in practice, were really about expanding India’s political and cultural power. India conquered Persia, and even managed to push as far west as Egypt and the Levant. However, holding these lands proved harder. The empire shrank to only the Indian Subcontinent in a little over 100 years. However, this brief period of expansion did lead to Buddhism spreading further. Iran follows a combination of Zoroastrianism and Buddhism, and Central Asia is majority Buddhist. Southeast Asia is also majority Buddhist. It also helps that Islam was never found in this world.

Buddhist remain a significant minority in the Near East. Unfortunately, there have also been numerous conflicts between Buddhists and Christians in these lands. Buddhism never made major in-roads in Europe, barring a few minor communities in the Balkans. There were some Buddhist communities in Spain and Southern France, but they were whipped-out by Christian forces. Unlike our world, most Westerners do not stereotype Buddhists as being pacifists. In fact, due to a misunderstanding about Buddhist belief in reincarnation, many Christians stereotyped Buddhists as being violent, and having an incredibly cavalier attitude towards human life. However, during this world’s equivalent of the Enlightenment, several European scholars began to re-examine and reevaluate Buddhism. Though, they also often viewed it through a heavily Orientalist lens.

The flag is orange and maroon in reference to the colors of Buddhist monk robes. The white is to offset the orange and maroon. The Wheel of Samsara, also known as the Wheel of Rebirth, is displayed prominently in the center of the flag.

Book Review: The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson

2019 was a year where I got to experience a lot of alternate history books in audio form for the first time.  It was also, like 2018 before it, a year where I finally got around to listening to several alternate history I'd been meaning to get around to.  Case in point, the book we'll be reviewing today.  We're taking a look at the classic alternate history novel The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson.

The Years of Rice and Salt takes places in a world where the Black Death killed ninety-nine percent of Europe's population.  The story follows six or seven individuals, though three in particular, as they are reincarnated over the ages.  Robinson makes it easy by having their names start with the same letter.  The main characters we follow having names starting in K, B, and I.  Secondary characters have names with Z, P, and S.  The novel spans hundreds of years of history, and spans numerous nations, giving it a truly global feel to it.

The novel is divided into ten segments of varying lengths, and I will discuss each of them individually.  For now, I will give some overall thoughts.  I'd been putting off listening to this one, but I'm glad I finally got around to it.  I absolutely loved this book.  I loved its vast global scope, and how it features nations and cultures you don't often see in alternate history.  I also loved the use of reincarnation as a plot device.  It was certainly an interesting twist I haven't really seen in too many other alternate history novels.  The story uses the Islamic Hegira Calendar for dates.  The Islamic year 1 being when Mohammad felid Mecca for Medina in 622 AD.  However, I've rendered the dates in the Gregorian Calendar for convenience sake.  There's a ton of historical and cultural references throughout the novel.  You don't necessarily have to catch them to enjoy the novel, but it adds to the experience.  Thankfully, the Kim Stanley Robinson website has this handy reading guide that catalogs and explains them all.

Well, enough of all that, lets dive in.

Our first segment is titled "Awake into Emptiness."  It takes place from 1381-1424.  It follows a Mongol warrior named Bold who is serving in the army of Timur.  Timur has sent Bold to scout ahead into the Hungarian Basin.  Bold find a land almost totally devoid of humans.  Bold travels through the depopulated Balkans until he is captured and sold into slavery by Arab slavers.  During his time aboard a slave ship he meets an African slave named Kyu.  As the ship makes its way to China, Kyu and Bold discover that their lives are destined to be intertwined.

This segment sets things up for the rest of the novel.  The descriptions of the depopulated Europe were evocative and haunting.  There are multiple mentions of cathedrals being only partially built because everyone died in the middle of construction.  Medieval cathedrals took decades, if not centuries, to be fully constructed.  Often, those who began work on the cathedrals would do so knowing that they would not live to see them completed.

There's a particularly sad scene where Bold encounters the sole European in all of his travels.  The man can't speak any of the languages Bold know, but he gets his point across with gestures.  He was just a fisherman, and was out fishing when the plague hit.  He came back to find everyone, including his wife and children, dead.  Now he's all alone, and due to the language barrier, Bold isn't much company.  They share food and camp together, but the very next day the man is gone.  His footsteps lead to the riverbank, which strongly suggests he might have committed suicide out of despair.  What would it be like, I wonder, to be like the lone European?  What thoughts would go through one’s head as the sole survive of a once prosperous village?  To know that you might be alone forever?  Chilling stuff indeed.

Bold and Kyu eventually get sold to the admiral Zhang He.  He was the commander of the Ming Dynasty's fleet of treasure ships.  They were massive ships that traveled everywhere from the South China Sea, to India, and even East Africa.  The goal was to proclaim China's power and influence to the world, and to collect tribute.  Zhang He is a staple in alternate histories about China colonizing the New World.  Ironically, that doesn't happen in this book til after Zhang He.  We'll talk more about that in a bit.  We also get a frighteningly detailed explain of how eunuchs, of which Zhang He was one, are made.

Another significant aspect of "Awake into Emptiness" is how it sets up the character meeting in the Bardo at the end of each segment.  The Bardo is an afterlife of sorts in Tibetan Buddhism.  It is where souls go as they wait to be judged and then reborn.  I should probably go over the difference between reincarnation in Hinduism and Buddhism.  Hindu reincarnation is like water being passed from one cup to another; your outside changes, but the essence of who you are stays the same.  Buddhist reincarnation is more like one candle passing its flame to another; there is a deep connection between you and your reincarnations, but they are ultimately different people.  Tibetan Buddhism differs in that it is a bit more like the Hindu view of reincarnation.

The character we meet in The Years of Rice and Salt were part of a Jati in Tibet that got killed in an avalanche.  A Jati is type of village or community; sometimes it can also mean clan or group of that nature.  Throughout the book the Jati constantly find each other, often without meaning too, across their reincarnations.  East Asian cultures, and other Asian cultures to an extent, place emphasis on finding your place within the web of other's lives.  The part of this section that muse about the nature of reincarnation and Buddhism have an almost poetic quality to them.  There's also some parts that end with "but if you want to know what happens next, read the next part."  This is a nod to the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West.  

The second segment is titled "The Haj in the Heart."  The bulk is set in the 1560.  It begins in India with two sisters named Kokila and Bihari.  Life is mostly good, and they get married.  Then Bihari dies in childbirth, and Kokila poisons their husbands, for which she is executed.  Kokila is then reincarnated as a tiger named Kya, who is also killed, but not before she saves a wandering Sufi mystic named Bistami.  While on a Hadj to Mecca, Bistami hears of a caravan in North Africa heading to the depopulated land of Al-Andalus.  The caravan is led by the charismatic sultan Mawji Darya, and his beautiful wife Katima.  Bistami finds himself drawn to Katima, almost as though he knows her from somewhere.

This is the only time, barring the last segment, our characters get reincarnated multiple times in one segment.  Bistami at one point finds himself in the court of Emperor Akbar.  He was a real ruler of the Mughal Empire.  It was an off-shoot of the Mongol Empire established by Central Asian Mongols who settled in Northern India.  Akbar was a Muslim, but promoted religious tolerance and understanding.  He often held meetings with representatives of the different religions within his empire.  Unfortunately, subsequent Mughal rulers didn't share his open-mindedness.

I previously mentioned the poetic nature of this book, and it's true in this segment as well.  There is a particularly great scene where Bistami visits the tomb of a great Sufi mystic.  He undergoes a religious experience and has visions, including of his past lives.  The poetic nature, combined with the musings on the nature of reality, reminds me of The Man in the High Castle, another of my favorite alternate history novels.  I should probably talk about Sufism.  Sufism is a type of Islamic mysticism.  They tend to be a bit more peaceful and less politically inclined than Sunni and Shia Islam.  Most Sunnis and Shias, the two main branches of Islam, do not like Sufis very much, and don't consider them real Muslims.  If you've ever heard of the Whirling Dervishes, those are Sufis.  The Medieval Iranian poet Rumi is another famous Sufi.

It does make sense that the Beber, or Amazigh, as they call themselves, were first to resettle Europe.  Towards the end of its history Al-Andalus was ruled by several Beber/Amazigh dynasties such as the Almoravids and Almohads.  I also liked that the alternate Black Death hit all of Europe, not just the Christian bits.  Al-Andalus, and the Muslim settlements in the Balkans, were just as depopulated as the rest of Europe.  It made it feel a bit more realistic.  Granted, having ninety-nine percent of Europe be whipped out wasn't that realistic, but it is a thing I'm willing to accept for the premise of the novel.  Amusingly, even the characters discuss how odd it is that Europe was totally whipped out.

Katima and her caravan are shown to be more open-minded and liberal than most Muslims.  This is partially because they follow Sufism, but also because they are Berber.  Traditionally, most Berber women have not worn the hijab, and woman have play major roles in Berber life.  The caravan eventually moves further north and founds a settlement at the former site of Bayonne, France.  They name their settlement Baraka.  Katima's husband dies, but there's no precedent for women ruling on their own in Islam.  In fact, the Hadith even forbids it.

Thus, Bistami and Katima declare that those Hadith's don't matter and forge their own.  Granted, there's some precedence to this.  Muslims believe that the Hadith is less authoritative than the Koran, but still important.  Several Muslim women, in places such as West Africa and America, choose to ignore the Hadith to justify not wearing the hijab.  The closest the Koran comes is saying that women must cover their breasts.  Throughout the book there is a theme of trying to reconcile Islam with women's rights, and secular liberalism in general.  The Sufis, and those like them, are trying to establish a light in the darkness, but these lights can easily be snuffed out.  Case in point, more conservative Muslims from Al-Andalus come to overthrow Katima, forcing everyone to flee further north to Nantes.  They name this new settlement Nsara.

Interestingly, when everyone arrives in the Bardo they perceive it as being similar to the Islamic afterlife.  Does the Bardo appear different to everyone?  They do seem to realize that it isn't the Islamic afterlife, and do start to remember their past lives before getting reincarnated.  We'll talk more about all that in just a minute.

The third segment is titled "Ocean Continents."  It takes place in the 1620s.  Japan has been a thorn in China's side for centuries.  The emperor orders a huge fleet of ships to conquer the island nation.  However, a few ships get blown across the Pacific and discover two previously unknown continents.  The section follows the crew as they explore this brave new world.

This is the part where China finally discovers the Americas.  Overall, I did enjoy this segment, but the novel does show its age in places.  When the Chinese first arrive, they meet the Miwok people of Northern California.  The Miwok are overall portrayed well, even if it occasionally dips into "paint with all the colors of the wind" territory.  The narration mentions how the natives barely use the land, and how everything is pristine.  We now know that Native Americans played a big role in cultivating land, and played a major role in shaping North America's ecosystem.  They just did so in a way that wasn't always recognizable to the Europeans.  In fairness a lot of this scholarship has only come on in the last decade or so.  Robinson wouldn't have had access to it.

The bigger issue is when the Chinese arrive in the Aztec Empire.  At first, it looked like we might get a nuanced look at the Aztecs.  They performed human sacrifice, but they did so because they believed it was necessary to thank the gods for giving them the world.  Those chosen as sacrifices lives like kings in the year leading up to the sacrifice.  They were also one of the few societies to give mandatory education for both men and women.  I was hoping we'd see all this, but Robinson fell onto the lazy stereotype of the Aztecs as bloodthirsty barbarians.  It got even worse when one of the Chinese fired a gun, and the Aztecs ran around like chickens with their heads chopped off.  There is a reference to something this is claimed to have happened when Pizarro conquered the Inca.  The problem being that there is no historical evidence that the Inca trampled each other to death when Pizarro fired his gun.  It is likely a fabrication by post-conquest chroniclers.

Anyway, when we get to the Bardo we see that it is falling under the sway of the Chinese celestial bureaucracy.  Does that mean Chinese Mythology is real too?  Overall, not a terrible segment, but could have been better.

The fourth segment is titled "The Alchemist."  It takes place in the Khanate of Samarkand in the 1640s.  It follows three alchemists named Bahram, Khalid, and Iwang.  The start off performing experiments to turn lead into gold.  However, they soon start making discoveries that will overturn all pervious knowledge.  The age of alchemy is over, and the age of science has begun.

I've always loved the history of science, so this segment was pretty fun for me.  The characters make discoveries in all sorts of fields, but the Khan is only interested in military applications.  There's a particularly amusing scene where Khalid complains about Sufis being a bunch of hippies with their heads in the clouds.  He's blissfully unaware that he was a Sufi in a past life.  Another scene mentions that Armenia is a Muslim nation.  That's particularly odd given that pervious segments mentioned them, along with Georgia and Ethiopia, as one of the few Christian nations that avoid the plague.  There's also mention of small communities of Christians in Egypt and the Maghreb.  The characters do speculate that the Armenians might be faking it to get better trade deals, but it is still odd.  Samarkand in our world had some very famous universities, with some very impressive mosaics.  All in all, another great segment.

The fifth segment is called "The Warp and the Weft."  It takes place in North America and follows a ronin named Busho, but his friends know him as Fromwest.  He is severing as a guest to the Haudenosaunee people, and tells of how his homeland was invaded by China.  Busho must convince the Haudenosaunee, and the scattered tribes to North America, to unite and modernize so they can resist colonization from the Chinese and Muslims.

Overall, I thought that Robinson did a much better with his depiction of the Native Americans here.  The Haudenosaunee people are more commonly known as the Iroquois.  They are nation originally made of the five tribes: the Seneca, Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Oneida.  In 1722 they welcomed the Tuscarora tribe to the nation.  Interestingly, this segment mentions that the Haudenosaunee have expanded to nine tribes.  Just who are these additional tribes?  The Native Americans were exposed more gradually to Old World diseases than in our world.  They've had more time to recover their population.  This does give them more of fighting chance than the Native Americans did in our world.  Still, I can't help but feel that the fate is the Haudenosaunee is just a tad optimistic.  Granted, they've got Busho to help them.

Perhaps it is optimistic, but I'm willing to take it.  I've always wished alternate history featured the Native Americans more.  I've also been fascinated at the idea of Native Americans successfully resisting colonialism.  From what we hear, the Chinese invasion of Japan was incredibly harsh.  There was no divine wind to save the Japanese this time.  Busho wonders if the gods were mad because of the Muslim missionaries in Nagasaki.  It's a sly joke, because around the same time in our world, Christian missionaries were in Nagasaki.  In fact, Nagasaki and Hiroshima were the two biggest Christian settlements in Japan.  I wonder if the souls that would have been those missionaries got reincarnated as Muslims?

The Bardo segment is also interesting.  The Jati try to resist drinking the elixir of forgetfulness to try to retain the memories in their next lives, and find each other.

The sixth segment is titled "Widow Kang."  It takes place in South China in the 18th century.  The widow Kang Tongbi has been plagued by strange dreams and strange happenings.  She speaks in strange foreign languages, and finds herself draw to the Buddhist monk Bao Ssu and the Muslim scholar Ibrahim ibn Hasam al-Lanzhou.  It's almost as though she knows them from somewhere before.

The parallelism was very strong in this story.  At times it almost felt more like straight-up historical fiction rather than alternate history.  The Machu overthrew the Ming Dynasty, thus establishing the Qing Dynasty, just as in our world.  There's also a hysteria over supposed queue cutting, just as in our world.  Queues are long braided ponytails the Manchu pushed upon the Han Chinese.  The Han weren't required to adopt Manchu clothing and hairstyles, but the Manchu put indirect pressure on them to do so.  There were also numerous instances of anti-Muslim persecution carried out during the Qing Dynasty.  Yeah, if the goal of the novel was to speculate about a world without Europe, this was not one of its better moments.

Now, I must be fair here.  Robinson utilizes a more leftist view of history that emphasizes intangible forces of history over individual choice.  Additionally, there the wrinkle of people being reincarnated.  Reincarnation might account for why this world had a Renaissance so similar to our world.  Presumably, the Europeans got reincarnated too.  Perhaps the Manchu were destined to overthrow the Ming Dynasty.  It's interesting to speculate, but let's get back to the story.

Kang eventually marries Ibrahim after he helps her with some hypnosis exercises.  They work together on try to find a way to reconcile Islam with Buddhism, and Chinese culture in general.  There one scene where Kang disparages Islam for the way Muslim women are treated.  Ibrahim point that Chinese women don't have it much better.  Kang concedes that women have it pretty bad all the world over.  Kang also takes to collecting poems and mantras.  Her favorite?  It has to do with rice and salt.  There's also an amusing scene where, when discussing the possibility of past lives, Kang insists that she's always been Chinese.  By this point, we know she's also been African, Berber, Muslim, Indian, Iroquois, and even a tiger.  

It seems that Ibrahim, and a few other Muslims, believe in reincarnation.  In our world, there are some Muslims who believe this, but they are fringe groups, and don't represent mainstream Islamic thought.  Granted, with the changes to history, maybe their beliefs became mainstream.  I just loved Kang and Ibrahim's constant back-and-forth.  They argue, but they also clearly care about each other.  We also hear that many Sufi settlements have gotten crushed by Wahhabis.  They're a brand of ultra-conservative Islam; Saudi Arabia is run by them.  Sadly, this isn't too dissimilar to what happened in our world.  Attempts to reform Islam pretty much always ended badly.

Our seventh segment is titled "The Great Age of Progress."  It takes place from 1829-1864.  The Ottoman Empire has long thought of itself as invincible. That all changes when they get into a war with the League of Travancore; an alliance of states in India.  Travancore is a land of mechanical wonders and scientific advancement.  The segment follows an Ottoman doctor named Ismail as he is taken to Travancore to experience these wonders firsthand.

Well, this certainly made up for the parallelism of the last segment.  I love seeing industrial revolution alternate histories in non-Western nations.  I also like that Travancore is an alliance of Indian states rather than a single nation.  India is just as ethnically and culturally diverse as Europe, after all.  The scene where Travancore invades Konstantiniyye is an ironic echo of the Ottoman's sack of Constantinople in 1453 AD.  Of course, this time the Ottomans are in the role of the Byzantines.  Wouldn't it be ironic if they were the Byzantines reincarnated?  We also see that the Haudenosaunee League is an ally of Travancore, and are doing quite well for themselves.  Several Buddhist monasteries have also become centers of science and learning.  Buddhism originated in India, but faded away due to the actions of Brahmins, that is, Hindu priests.  They knew they had to try to discredit Buddhism, or they'd be standing in the unemployment line.  It is fitting that Buddhism has returned to the place of its birth here.

We also find out that some European survived in the Orkney, Shetland, and Faroe Islands.  A few also managed to survive in England.  Unfortunately, the Ottomans prized these surviving English for their exotic beauty.  The Ottomans made a point of keeping the English members of their harams ethnically pure.  Eventually, this resulted in some pretty nasty inbreeding.  Yeah, those poor English would have been better off if the plague had taken their ancestors.

We skip ahead a bit where Ismail is serving as Tranvancore's ambassador to Yingzhou.  It's China's colony on the west coast of North America.  We discover that the Japanese people and culture have survived in spite of China's efforts to whip them out.  There's even a strong underground resistance movement brewing in Yingzhou.  There's mention of flood occurring in California, and interestingly enough, there was indeed a flood in California around the time this segment is set.

The eighth segment is titled "War of the Asuras."  It is set in the 1950s.  Tensions between China and Dar-Al-Islam have been brewing for years.  Now they've finally boiled over into an all-out war.  In time, this war will be known as the Long War.  The segment follows three Chinese solders named Bai, Kuo, and Iwa.

This segment was maybe not my favorite, but all the same, not terrible.  The Long War can best be described as World War I leading directly into World War II with no break in-between.  The Long War lasted sixty-seven years in total.  The war is so intense that our character beginning to lose their grasp on reality.  Also, apparently the Muslims blew-up the top of Mount Everest so that K2, a mountain in Afghanistan, would be the tallest mountain in the world.  There was no real point to this, and it probably didn't effect  Chinese moral very much.  It probably also wasted time and resources for the Muslims, and seemed more petty than anything.  On a brighter note, Japan has used the chaos of the war to regain their independence.

The ninth segment is titled "Nsara."  It takes place from 1999-2002.  Budur Radwan is a young woman living in the United Alpine Emirates.  She longs to be free and independent like her aunt Idelba, who works as a physicist in Nsara.  Budur decides to sneak on a train bound for the great Sufi city.  She finds Nsara to be a land of wonders, and is drawn to the study of history and archeology by one of the city's madrasahs.  Life is good, but the effects of the Long War still linger.  How long can this temporary peace truly last?

This segment gets fairly metafictional as Budur and her classmates discuss the nature of history.  They even speculate on how things might have gone had history turned out differently.  One of the class's first projects is considering women's role in history, particularly as it relates to Islam.  Their professor, Kirana Fawwaz, is convinced that it is possible to reconcile Islam with feminism if you throw out the Hadith.  She even claims Mohammad was a feminist.  Yeah...she must be using a different translation of the Koran, because everything I've read of the Koran paints a rather unflattering picture of the prophet.  Feminist is...not a word I'd use to describe him.  For example, he once ordered a village of Jews to be put to death for refusing to convert to Islam.  Then there's the whole marrying an underage girl and consummating the marriage with her thing.  There's a little old lady in the class who says that religion has brought nothing but suffering to people, especially women, and should be done away with.  Well, I guess I know what happened to the soul that would have become me.

As someone with a history degree, I can attest that many of the conversations Budur and her classmates have are quite accurate.  There would certainly be even more archeological sites in Europe than there already ate in our world.  We even get to briefly see some surviving Native Europeans in the Orkney, Shetland and Faroe Islands.  They're under the watchful eye of the Haudenosaunee.  So, we've got Native Americans overseeing what is, essentially, a European reservation.  Oh how the tables have turned.  One of Budur's friends is named Tristan, and he makes music based on that of Medieval Europe.  Strange that more isn't made of his status as one of the only ethnic Europeans we meet.  Unless his name isn't really Tristan, and he's The Years of Rice and Salt version of a weeaboo, but with European culture rather than Japanese.

I probably should have mentioned before that the Muslims renamed Europe as Firanja.  Well, the Middle Eastern and North African ones did.  The Central Asian one's call it Firanjistan.  Most of Western Firanja speaks a language that, while similar to Arabic and Berber, is unique to Firanja.  Though, Skandistan speaks a separate language related to the Turkic languages of Central Asia.  Firanja was placed under heavy reparations following the Long War.  The terms also forced them to allow Buddhist monasteries to be established in their cities.  I guess it makes a sort of sense that Muslim madrasahs and Buddhist monasteries became centers of learning.  In our world, many universities, such as Oxford and Cambridge, started off as places to train/educate Christian clergy.

Budur travels to a science conference in Iran to help deliver a message to her aunt's colleges.  Specifically, about the potential to split an atom, and create new bombs.  This is presented as something that the world must not know of, but I'm not sure about that.  Mutually Assured Destruction, and thus deterrence, could have saved quite a few lives during the Long War.  From what we hear, it got so bad that women and children got drafted.  On the other hand, Dar-Al-Islam does seem just crazy enough to push the button.  Don't forget what they did to Mount Everest.  On a happier note, we do see that the Buddhist monasteries are making bricks to rebuild the summit of Mount Everest.

Budur also attends an archeology conference.  One of the presentations is of a village in Tibet that got caught in an avalanche.  It is the very village the sent the Jati on their journey across the ages.  I also liked how the Middle East is called the Middle West, as a nod to how Sinocentric this world is.  There's mention of scientists wanting to create a new calendar, with the date of their meeting being year one.  Something similar happened in our world, but the Apollo 11 mission was used as the year one.

Post-war Firanja bares more than a passing resemblance to Germany during the Weimar Republic.  It is mentioned that the Sultanate of Rum has experienced particularly bad hyperinflation.  As the segment progresses, there's increasing political turmoil, and many radicals begin to blame minorities  such as Christians, Jews, and Armenians for Firanja losing the Long War.  There's mention here, and in several other segments of a people called Zotts.  Apparently, that's the Arabic word for Gypsies/Romani.  With all the political chaos brewing, it's a good thing the Haudenosaunee keep a military presence in Firanja.

It would seem the Sufis' efforts weren't in vain after all.  Nsara appears to be a liberal modern city.  And yet it is also mentioned that several parts of Firanja, such as the United Alpine Emirates and Skandistan, are rather conservative.  It goes back to the theme of trying to reconcile Islam with liberalism, pluralism, and multiculturalism.  Quite forward thinking for a book published in 2002.  Personally, I'm not sure it's really possible.  Of course, I'm not sure any religion can truly be reformed.  Better to discard them and find our truths and meanings in something more solid and rational.

Our final segment is titled "First Years."  It takes place from 2030-2088.  The segment follows a Chinese man named Bao Xinhua throughout his life.  He participates in a democratic-ish/socialist-ish movement lead by the Chinese-Japanese philosopher Zhu Isao.  We then follow him as he is assigned to a diplomatic post in Burma, gets married, and then moves to Yingzhou and becomes a history teacher.

I know that doesn't sound very exciting, but I promise this is a good segment.  It appears that, despite winning the Long War, China wasn't much better off than Firanja.  Of course, it was less than China won and more that Dar-Al-Islam lost.  It might seem a little odd that the book doesn't really give as much attention to the social revolution China experienced, but it makes a sort of sense.  The wheel symbol is very important in Buddhism and religions like it.  It symbolizes reincarnation, rebirth, and the cycle of ages.  As you get closer to the center, the arc of the wheel gets smaller.  So, there's that, or perhaps Kim Stanley Robinson felt that, much like this review, the book had gone on for long enough and it was time to wrap things up.  The revolution has aspects of socialist movements, but the philosophy behind it is very much a product of the world of The Years of Rice and Salt.

The real winners of the Long War seem to be the Travancore and Haudenosaunee leagues.  Though there were times where the characters referenced Yingzhou as though it comprised all of North America.  From what I've gathered, Yingzhou seems to refer to China's colonies in America, and North America as a whole.  Sort of like how America can mean either the Untied States, or the Americas as a whole.  Similarly, Inka seems to be South America as a whole, and the Inka Empire.  Anyway, there certainly does appear to be a growing sense of multiculturalism, pluralism, and international cooperation.  All things that are founding principles of Travancore and the Haudenosaunee.  In general, though not completely without flaws, the world does seem to have become a more peaceful place.  There's also reference to a United Nations analogue called the League of All Nations.

Based on what we've seen both here and in the previous segment, it seems that this world is less technologically advanced than ours.  Airships are the primary civilian aircraft, and there doesn't seem to be much mention of any nation having a space program.  There's also not really any mention of television, movies, or computers.  Granted, maybe the characters we follow don't watch much TV, or go to the movies very often.  Still, the lack of computers and the Internet is pretty notable.  It also a shame that, throughout the book, we never really get to see what sub-Saharan Africa is like.  How did they evolve in a world without European colonialism?

It's mentioned that places, such as much of Firanja and Inka, still suffer from widespread poverty, but on the flip side, much of the world has improved quality of life.  In the last segments we did see some Inka in Firanja, so it does seem that they and their culture have survived.  There's certainly a sense of cautious optimism for the future throughout the world.  Bao himself finds a sense of community and belonging in Yingzhou.  His housing complex is much like a modern-day village.  He and his fellow Jati members might not have achieved Nirvana, but they did pretty well for themselves.  It kind of reminds me of the ending of Candide.  Despite all of the hardships, the Jati made it out alive, and are happily tending to their garden, literally and metaphorically.  Well, everyone but the K character.  Of course, Bao does find himself with a new student named Kali towards the end of the book.  Perhaps she'll come around in time.

I'd say, overall, the world of The Years of Rice and Salt isn't necessarily better or worse than ours, but it is very different.  And so, at least for now, the journey of the Jati is at an end.  Well, I think at this point it is pretty obvious that I loved this book.  I also loved the audiobook adaption narrated by Bronson Pinchot.

This was truly epic alternate history.  It spanned, continents, cultures, centuries, and lifetimes.  It shinned a light on cultures and peoples you don't often see in alternate history.  It was an amazing journey, and I'm glad I was along for the ride.  I'm glad I finally got around to listening to this book.  I can't recommend this book enough.  Check it out today, you'll be glad that you did.

Well, I think that's enough from me for now.  I will see you guys next time.  

Book Review: The Peshawar Lancers by S.M. Stirling

There are plenty of books I want to listen to, but they just aren't available in audio form.  It frustrating, but it is what it is.  Sometimes, however, my patience is rewarded in a big way.  Case in point, the book we're reviewing today.  We're reviewing the alternate history novel The Peshawar Lancers by S.M. Stirling. 

The Peshawar Lancers takes place in a world where, in 1878, the Earth was bombarded by a series of asteroids.  This event would later become known as The Fall.  In addition to the chaos of the impacts, there were massive tsunamis and five years of endless of winter.  The European powers fled south to their colonies in warmer climates.  The novel takes place in the year 2025.  The climate has long since stabilized, but the world has been forever changed.  The British Empire, now known as The Angrezi Raj, is centered India and has its capital in Delhi.  They've rather thoroughly gone native and the extended exile has produced a unique Anglo-Indian hybrid culture. 

The novel follows several characters from across the Angrezi Raj, and their plots do intertwine and intersect.  First, we have Athelstan King, and his right-hand man Narayan Singh, of the Peshawar Lancers; an elite military team who guard the frontier of the Viceroyalty of India.  We also follow Athelstan's twin sister Cassandra, a highly respected astronomer who is reaching a way to prevent a second Fall.  We also follow Prince Charles and Princess Sita of the British Royal Family.  Finally, there is Yasmini, a psychic girl on the run from the sworn enemy of the Angrezi Raj, the Russian Empire.  Oh, did I mention that Russia is ruled by satanic cannibals?  

I can say without a shadow of a doubt that this novel was worth the wait.  This is one of the best alternate history novels I've read in quite some time.  S.M. Stirling has long been hailed as a master of worldbuilding, and those skills are on full display here.  The world of The Peshawar Lancers is rich, vibrant and detailed.  I could practically smell the spices on the streets of Delhi, feel the rush the wind on a soaring airship, and overall just really felt like I was going on a swashbuckling alternate history British-Indian adventure.  

Let's delve into the specifics of the worldbuilding.  The Angrezi Raj is divided into three primary parts: the viceroyalties of India, Australia and the Cape.  The Viceroyalty of India comprises India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Malaysia and a bit of Thailand.  It is the one we get to see the most of, and it appears to be where the Anglo-Indian hybrid culture is strongest.  It is the cultural and political heart of the empire.  Each of the viceroyalties operates its own colonies across the globe, and India is in-charge of managing the British home isles.  Oh, how the tables have turned indeed.  For extra irony, the British of the home isles closely follow Indian standards of fashion and the India's spin on English.

I suppose I should elaborate on that bit.  English has gone through a few changes since The Fall.  Several lone-words from a smattering of Indian languages have crept in.  Thus, the Angrezi are prone to say things such as "The Kunwar must fulfill his rajadharma for the good of the Angrezi Raj".  Also, the "Th" sound has been replaced by "Dee" and W has been supplanted by V.  Despite all of this, the Angrezi insist that they are speaking the exact same English as Queen Victoria I. 

The Church of England has pretty much become Hinduism in all but name; though it is mentioned a more conservative version, closer to the original thing, exists as well.  Characters frequently swear in the name of various Hindu deities.  Though it was also mentioned that Benjamin Disraeli, who lead the evacuation efforts during The Fall, has become a saint.  Perhaps in the biggest bit of irony, the Angrezi consider beef-eating to be extremely taboo, and Angrezi cuisine has fully embraced Indian ingredients.  Charles and Sita shudder at the thought that their ancestors ate cows.  There's a particularly amusing scene where Henri de Vascogne, a visiting French diplomat, is amazed at how flavorful and tasty Angrezi cuisine is; noting the old stories about British cuisine being bland must have false.  In fact, he finds Angrezi breakfast foods to be a bit over spiced for his taste. 

Most of Britain's colonies in Southern Africa, plus a few Portuguese and would-have-been German colonies, have become the Viceroyalty of the Cape.   They're pretty much Apartheid Era South Africa, but bigger and with a steampunk-lite level of technology.  There's talk of them breaking away from the Raj, but they're still loyal...for the moment.  Afrikaans has become a dead language, but it, along with Bantu, still managed to contribute several words to the Kapenaar dialect.  

Australia and New Zealand form the Viceroyalty of Australia.  Out of all of the viceroyalties it is probably closest to the version from our world.  Fiercely loyal to the Raj, but culturally more conservative, meaning closer to what we'd recognize as Victorian culture.  Their English is the closest to our own, to the point that Athelstan can't understand an Australian member of the Peshawar Lancers.  Australia has a colony in the Pacific Northwest of North America. 

Speaking of which, what happened to America?  It got hit hard by The Fall, and the resulting tsunamis.  The less effected region couldn't handle the influx of refugees, and America collapsed into Neo-Barbarism and tribalism.  There are a few civilized places; Texas has a semi-civilized tribal confederation, California is home to a series of theocratic city-states, and the Mormons are doing pretty well in Utah.  The Angrezi have a few outposts at the major rivers, but no serious settlements.  

Now let's talk about the rest of the world.  France, which is now known as France-outre-mer, evacuated to its North African colonies.  They've held onto Marseilles and a few other places in Southern France, and have retained most of their original culture.  They've also begun resettling Italy and the Iberian Peninsula, though that's being slightly complicated by the Caliphate of Damascus, the successor to the Ottoman Empire.  Egypt has managed to become independent, and acts as a buffer state between France and the Caliphate.  It's also mentioned that Brazil is doing fairly well for itself, albeit they also happen to be members of the caudillo of the month club.  The Dutch evacuated to Indonesia and exist as a client state of the Raj as the Republic of Batavia.  They've got a hybrid culture with Indonesia like the British do with India.  

The Raj's main rival for power is Dai-Nippon.  They're a union of China and Japan, and by that I mean Japan invaded China during The Fall.  They control the Japanese home isles, China, a good chunk of Eastern Asia and they have a colony on the west coast of North America.  They are ruled by a Mikado who, these days, spends just as much time, if not more, in Peking as he does in Edo.  And yeah, Beijing and Tokyo are still called Peking and Edo.  From what we glimpse it appears the Westernization has slightly reversed, with the Nippiness favoring traditional clothing, and samurai still play a role in society. 

By far the most notable resident of the post-Fall world, other than the Angrezi themselves, is the Russian Empire.  The Fall has a massive impact on the Russian psyche.  As a result, they turned their backs on Christianity and embraced Satanism.  Nobody know how exactly this happened, but it is speculated that it might be a very corrupted version the Yazidi belief in Melek Taus, the peacock angel.  Indeed, the Russians often refer to Satan as Melek Taus; though they also associate him with the Slavic god Chernobog.  

Russia retreated to their Central Asian territories, and their capital is Samarkand.  Russia makes a point of keeping its Kazakh and Uzbek subjects terrified and in-line by, among other things, eating them.  At one point Count Ignatieff, the main villain of the book, looks forward to getting home to Samarkand to enjoy a delicious suckling Uzbek.  So yeah, the Russians literally eat babies. 

The one of the most notable features of the Russian Empire are the Sisters of the True Dreamer.  They're descended from a nun who had psychic powers, which they all inherited.  Boys go mad around puberty, but girls keep for several years before their madness sets in.  The madness can be averted with sex, but that also removes their powers, so the Russians make a point of ensuring that doesn't happen.  You might wonder why they never try to run away, but there could be several reason for this.  If the girls never see themselves getting away in their dream, they won't try, and thus you get a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Alternatively, they do try, but their sisters rat them out.  The Sisters are the one true fantasy element in an otherwise mostly steampunk-lite sort of novel.  There is one particularly amusing scene where Yasmini gets a glimpse of several alternate worlds, including our world. 

So, how is this story for realism?  Well, perhaps not the most realistic, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.  The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs was about the size of Mount Everest, so I'm not sure if humanity could have realistically survived The Fall.  Of course, that depends on how much total mass those asteroids amounted to.  Stirling has said that he wrote The Peshawar Lancers because he want to write something that like the adventures stories of Rudyard Kipling, which you can't really do in the modern explored world; but he also wanted to avoid the disappointment of historical fiction. 

He knew what he wanted to happen, built the story around that, and the book is all the better for that.  As you may have guess, I adore the worldbuilding Sterling put into this book.  This book is often described as being steampunk, but I'm not sure if I entirely sure if I agree with that label.  It is certainly true that the book includes several things often found in steampunk works, such as airships and Babbage Engines, but for the most part the technology is typical Victorian and Edwardian stuff. Of course, in the grand scheme of things, the exact labeling is fairly inconsequential.  At the end of the book there is a very large appendix that really fleshes out the details of the history of this alternate world.  

It was kind of amazing to think that Athelstan and Cassandra, both in their mid-twenties, were about the same age as me when I was reading this book.  I felt the same way about Jazz Bashara when I read Artemis, which I will get around to reviewing at some point.  Prince Charles was, I would say, probably different from the Prince Charles of our world.  He certainly sounds younger and more handsome than the Prince Charles of our world.  Well, that and he's the son of King-Emperor John II, who has no analogue in our world that I can think of.  One touch I liked is that the British Royal Family is still called Saxe-Coburg Gotha.  Germany was destroyed during The Fall, and thus World War I never happened, so they never changed their name to Windsor.  

Cassandra's romantic struggles give us insight into the society of the Raj.  It's mentioned that women have made considerable strides and advances, but they still lack the vote.  Cassandra is attracted to Charles, but if she marries him, she'll have to give up her hard-won position at the university.  So it seems that, beneath the adventure and exoticism, the Raj still has its share of issues to sort out.  Of course, for me personally, the lack of air conditioning would be a real killer.   

I haven't really been talking about the characters.  That not because I thought they were bad, or that I didn't enjoy them.  I did, very much so, but when I think of The Peshawar Lancers I always think first and foremost about the amazing worldbuilding.  Hey, if nothing else, it gives you something to discover when you read this book. 

I would also like to take a moment to plug the awesome audiobook version.  The audiobook version is, of course, the whole reason we're having this review.  It is narrated by Shaun Grindell, who perfectly captures the story.  I'm very happy that this amazing work of alternate history is available in audiobook form at long last.  

Well, there you have it.  I've been waiting for The Peshawar Lancers to come out in audio for quite some time, and it was well worth the wait.  Easily one of the best alternate history novels I've read in a while.  Well, I think that should do it for now.  I will see you guys next time. 

Hannibal One: Twilight Histories Maps

I've got new maps for my readers based on the Twilight Histories episode Hannibal One.  I've got two maps, one of Earth and one of Mars.  So, among other things in this world:

Carthage, under the leadership of the general Hannibal, won the Punic Wars and thoroughly obliterated Rome.  Carthage would go on the expand and create and empire spanning all the continents of the world.  Several great cities, libraries and centers of learning were established throughout the Carthaginian Empire.  The canal was established in Egypt to allow for easier trade with the east.  

Gwanggaeto the Great managed to survive longer than he did in our world.  Eventually, Gwanggaeto was able to take advantage of political turmoil in China to cease the Mandate of Heaven and establish a massive Korean Empire.  The Korean Empire would go on to become Carthage's primary rival for world domination.  

As Carthage and Korea began to expand their empires they frequently got involved in boarder skirmishes, and territories often passed back and forth between the two empires.  In particular, this occurred in India on more than a few occasions.  However, the frequent invasions did wonders for Indian unity as now Indians throughout the subcontinent had a clear goal: keep Carthage and Korea out.  In time India established its own empire that, while not as vast as Carthage or Korea, could still give the empires a run for their money.  

With Carthage occupied elsewhere, the Lithuanians were able to able to expand throughout Eastern Europe and establish and small empire of their own.  Lithuania fell increasingly within Carthage's sphere of influence as the years went on, but ultimately remained independent.  The two empires remain on good terms with each other, and their citizens have been known to get into friendly rivalries over whether Baal or Perkunus would win in a fight.  

Carthage and Korea discovered new lands, such as Australia and the Americas, as they continued to expand.  However, they weren't alone in their exploration.  The Norse also sent expeditions to North America and established settlements; all the while forging alliances with multiple tribes of natives.  Eventually, the Norse settlements and tribal alliances grew into the nation of Skraland.  The Norse we able to establish good terms with Carthage and Korea, but still had to frequently deal with both empires nibbling around the edges of Skraland.  

The Mayans formed an alliance to resist colonization as Carthage expanded into Central America.  Like India before them, this unity allowed for the establishment of a Mayan Empire.  India has also historically been a supporter of the Mayans against Carthage and Korea.  The natives of the Great Plains also faced the prospect of colonization, but they managed to avoid this mostly due to Carthage and Korea being occupied elsewhere.  Unlike the Maya, however, they failed to adapt to the reality of the new socio-political landscape.  As a result, combined with their lack of natural resources, the Confederation of the Plains has the highest poverty and unemployment rate of any nation on Earth.  

The Incan Empire managed to survive by playing Carthage and Korea off of each other.  They've allied with India and the Maya.  The Inca have managed to take quite a bite out of South America, the bits Carthage didn't claim anyway.  Meanwhile, the Creek Confederation decided the best survival strategy was an alliance with Carthage.  They're well within the Carthaginian sphere of influence, but remain independent, if somewhat in name only.  

The Zulu were able to establish an empire in Southern Africa at a time when Carthage was dealing with the effects of accidental hyperinflation resulting from their gold and silver mines in the New World.  With Carthage's relentless expiation temporarily paused, the Zulu were able to use their vast mineral wealth to fund their new nations and their diplomas courted good relations with other nations.  The Kingdom of Lunda also experienced a period of growth and expansion around this time.    

Carthage, Korea and India produced several inventions and advances in technology over the centuries.  Before long all three nations experienced industrial revolutions, and it wasn't long before several other nations industrialized as well.  Within a matter of decades air travel was achieved, and before long the first manned missions to space were launched.  Carthage was the first to launch a human into space, but Korea was first to land on the Moon.  

Korea's victory in the Moon Race prompted Carthage to achieve their next goal.  They vowed not only to send a manned mission to Mars, but a one-way mission of colonization.  Carthage achieved this goal with its mission Hannibal One; launched on the 1000th anniversary of Hannibal's sacking of Rome.  The success of the Hannibal One mission prompted Korea to speed the production of their own Mars mission known as Gwanggaeto One. 

 Both missions suffered numerous set backs.  The crew of Hannibal One experienced bouts of religious fanaticism to the point of performing multiple human sacrifices.  Meanwhile, the crew of Gwanggaeto One suffered multiple technological failures and were forced to throw one of their one out of the airlock after the life support systems received critical damage.  Despite the hardships, both missions were ultimately successful in no small part due to international cooperation.  The crew of Hannibal One provided critical  replacement equipment, while the crew of Gwanggaeto One provided human companionship in the harsh and isolated environment.  

Over the years several more missions were sent to Mars; including ones funded by third party nations.  Numerous discoveries were made, but perhaps the biggest the the discovery of native Martian microbial life.  This provided a major moral quandary due to the discovery occurring in the middle of terraforming negotiations.  Ultimately, it was decided that terraforming would be delayed, but only by fifty years.  Currently, terraforming efforts have raised temperatures and atmospheric pressure to Earth levels.  

The immense distances between Earth and Mars have created challenges for the administration of the colonies.  Recently, a Carthaginian colony declared its independence with little resistance.  Other off-world colonies have also begun to consider self-governance, and this has prompted a revaluation of the administration of the colonies.  In any event, the Martian colonies have always been friendlier with each other than their mother countries ever were with one another.  

Having said that, there's still been quite a bit of increased international cooperation recently.  Old tensions are dying down and the world in general is becoming a more peaceful place.  Attendance at the temples of the gods is slipping, and secularism is on the rise, but there is still religion.  Missions have been sent to the other worlds of the Solar System, and there is now talk of a possible mission to Proxima Centauri.  Geneticists have been able to revive long dead Ice Age animals, but it's still a matter of debate whether Neanderthals should be revived.  Recently, advances have been made in the field of AI technology to the point that a scientist is currently on trial for the attempted murder (read: deletion) of an AI.  

It's a crazy and different world, but they're working out the kinks.  Hey, they made it this far and the future is looking pretty bright for everyone.  

A Pharaoh and The Sun

Thought I'd put out another map while I'm working on that post about my good fanfiction.  This one is an original of mine that I call A Pharaoh and The Sun.  It takes place in an alternate 17th century and among other things:

Atenism managed to last a few Pharaohs longer than it did in our world.  Despite this Egypt still returned to the worship of the traditional Egyptian gods.  However, Atenist are still a notable minority within Egypt and have managed to spread their religion to other nations.  Speaking of Egypt, they've continued to expand southwards.  The wealth of goods and minerals acquired by this conquest meant that even after Egypt's gold mines ran dry the empire was just as powerful as ever.  Egypt now controls an empire stretching from the Cape to the Nile Delta; as well as a canal connecting the Mediterranean and Red Sea.

The empire of Carthage, always a popular destination for Atenist escaping persecution in Egypt, was the first nation to convert to Atenism.  Without competition from Rome, and with the Greek Empire occupied in Asia, Carthage has thrived as a trading empire.  Despite some recent colonial loses to Ghana in South America, Carthage is remains fairly well respect in the international community.

The scattered Celtic tribes were united under a great warrior chieftain, known as Brennus, who formed them into a mighty empire.  The Celtic Empire has adapted many new technologies from its neighbors.  Most significantly, the Celts have developed a system of writing based largely off of the Greek alphabet.  Missionaries from Carthage ensured that it wasn't long before the Celtic Empire converted to Atenism.  Carthaginian shipbuilding expertise has allowed the Celts to establish colony along the eastern coast of North America.  

The Republic of Novgorod has benefited greatly from its alliance with the Celtic Empire.  As the Celts expanded eastward they were able to keep potential threats to Novgorod at a minimum, and trade between the two nations helps to supplement the republic's food supply during its harsh winters.  Novgorod is renowned as a center of culture and scholarship as well as being a regional trading hub.  Celtic merchants have also brought the word of Aten to the snowy republic.  

Judaism, and that's using the term somewhat loosely, is still a polytheistic faith.  The great temple of Jerusalem is dedicated to Baal and Asherah, but all of the gods and goddesses have temples of their own.  Judaism never evolving beyond polytheism meant that none of the Abrahamic faiths ever formed.  

Alexander the Great managed to live longer than he did in our world.  He not only sired plenty of heirs to his empire, but focused on centralizing and maintaining the empire itself.  The Greek Empire has gone on to expand into Central Asia and Italy, and is a major conduit in the exchange of ideas and goods between East and West.  Alexander's goal of reconciling the many faiths and cultures of the empire resulted in the creation of a new religion: the Diamond Path.  

The Diamond Path teaches that there is a universal divine essence which permeates all all things knows as The Truth.  The Truth is unknowable in its pure form, but it makes itself more understandable via four paragons known as the Father, Mother, Son and Daughter.  The four paragons were originally identified as Zeus, Cybele, Mithras and Isis; however they have since been identified with all the gods and goddesses.  The Diamond Path teaches that the various gods are merely mask that the four paragons wear to make themselves better understood by humanity.  The Diamond Path is followed by Greece, Egypt and the Norse.  

The Norse control Scandinavia and the British Isles as part of their Empire of the North.  They've long since given up raiding to become the dominant trading power of the northern seas.  The Norse began colonizing the New World in the 10th century, but they didn't start arriving en mass until the mid 14th century.  Their largest colony is Markland, located along the St. Lawrence river valley.  

Buddhism has found its way west thanks to merchants and missionaries from Bharat and Vijayanagara.  Buddhist have found moderate success in Diamond Path nations due to their willingness to incorporate local deities; and are treated with suspicion by Atenist nations because of this.  However, it was in the Empire of Arabia that Buddhist found the greatest success.  A merchant turned conqueror, in time known as Mohammad the Great, united the tribes of Arabia around a new religion combining traditional Arabian beliefs and deities with Buddhist teachings.  This new faith, known as Zensunni, has proven somewhat controversial among other Buddhist do to its somewhat violent origins.  

Gwanggaeto the Great managed to live longer than he did in our world and united the Korean Peninsula.  Taking advantage oft he chaos of China's Six Dynasties era, Gwanggaeto ceased the Mandate of Heaven and established the Goguryeo Dynasty.  Gwanggaeto expanded into Manchuria and Japan to eliminate any potential threats to the Korean Empire.  Recently, Korea has established colonies on the western coast of North America.  

The Khmer and Srivijayan empires have developed into minor trading powers.  Both nations are closely allied with fellow Hindu nations Bharat and Vijayanagara, and are the primary Pacific trading partners of the Mayan and Incan empires.  Though both Khmer and Srivijaya currently lack colonies in the New World they have sent expeditions to scout for possible locations.

The Mayan city-stated were united into a single empire by charismatic warrior king.  The Mayan Empire stretches from the Yucatan Peninsula to the central valley of Mexico.  In many ways the Mayan Empire can be seen as a more peaceful version of the Aztec Empire.  The Mayan religion places more emphasis on personal offerings of blood rather than mass sacrifice.  Overall, the traditions of the conquered tribes are tolerated as long as they pay tribute to the emperor.  The Mayans have developed an immunity to Old World diseases following an expedition of very lost Vikings landing on their shores in the 12th century.  

Though Egypt remains the dominate power of Eastern Africa, there are several notable empires in Western Africa.  Ghana has grown rich from the gold and salt trade; they also stand of as the center of learning and scholarship in West Africa.  Ghana has recently asserted its power on the world stage by capturing Carthage's former colonies in Brazil.  Meanwhile, the Ashanti Empire remains an economic power house despite its small size.  A more centralized Kingdom of the Kongo is a regional power further to the south.  Though all three are technically Atenist, they're willing to work with the Diamond Path nations if it benefits them.  

The international situation is complex to say the least.  Traditionally, Atenist and Diamond Path haven't gotten along with each other, and over the years there have been more than a few wars of religion.  Having said that, many of these wars were just as much, if not more so, due to secular concerns.  For example, several of the Atenist nations mounted a war to "liberate" Egypt from the followers of the Diamond Path.  However, this war was just as much due to Egypt having recently bared Atenist nations from using its canal.  Eventually, the war ended with the Atenist being expelled from Egypt.  In more recent times the number of wars of religion has decreased dramatically, and both Atenist and Diamond Path are beginning to grow more tolerant of religious differences. 

 Atenist are currently experiencing a schism between those who follow the traditional strictly monotheist version and those who want reform.  The reformers claim that just as rays emanate from the sun, so to do less divine beings emanate from Aten.  Praying to these beings is still forbidden, but praying through them, and having them intercede to Aten, is acceptable.  Critics say this is nothing more than polytheism in disguise; and polytheism is considered the worst of all crimes in Atenism.  Supporters, however, say that it is a great way to reach out to polytheist for conversion.