Alternate Universes for Books (Top Ten Tuesday)

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday Topic is technically “Books You’d Mash Together”, but I did a slightly different take today.  Since I couldn’t really think of many ways I’d mash books together (although My New Best Friend technically mashes Divergent and Legend together, I guess), I thought that I’d think of alternative universes for different books instead.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted, as always, by That Artsy Reader Girl.  Follow the rabbit hole down over there and see what other people have to say about this topic as well!

Here’s this week’s list (in no particular order):

Warcross coverWarcross in Wonderland:  If you’ve read Warcross, then you know that it’s a video game that people play with virtual reality glasses.  The possibilities for Warcross worlds are endless.  Why not have Emika fall down the rabbit hole into Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland universe?

Flame in the Mist CoverFlame in the Mists of the Middle East:  Mariko is a fairly badass character.  What would happen if she appeared in a story set in the Middle East, and she was captured by ISIS?  She could escape, then meet up with a rebel group and fight against the terrorist organization.

Legend coverA Legend in Medieval Times:  Maybe this one is cheating, because in April I woke up from a dream and ended up writing the short story Happy Birthday, which basically features some of the Legend characters on June’s 17th birthday, in Medieval times.  I made June a dutchess, Day her Captain of the Guard (previously he had been a brigand and then saved Prince Anden’s life and started working for her), and Natasha Jameson was her Lady in Waiting.  It’s not the greatest story because I put it together in an afternoon, but I do think it makes a cool alternate universe.  I’m probably going to do a fanfic of this fanfic for NaNoWriMo this year (although it’s going to be really different… it’s going to have elves and a different plot and I’m altering the characters quite a bit).

Young Elites coverThe Young Elites in Modern Times:  This is another story that I’m cheating on, because this is basically what my work in progress Gamers is all about.  In this story, Adelina and Magiano would meet in a World of Warcraft guild, then they run away from their abusive parents and end up finding other Elites like them who have already formed The Dagger Society.  Of course, Magiano wouldn’t really be a petty thief stealing candy bars from Walmart; he’d be an expert hacker who stole some of the Bitcoin that the US government had seized from people.

Strange the Dreamer CoverStrange the Dreamer in Space:  I could definitely see this book written in an alternate universe, where instead of having humans and gods, there are aliens instead.

Throne of Glass coverThrone of Glass and Ice:  The cover of Throne of Glass already has kind of an icy feel to it.  I don’t know if the story would change a lot in this one, but it would make the world a little bit different looking.

An Ember in the Ashes CoverAn Ember in the Ashes of the American Revolution:  Elias could be a revolutionary general and Laia could be helping him out.  I haven’t thought this one out much, but it might have some potential.

Caraval coverCaraval in Vegas:  Caraval already has a dangerous, risky kind of feel to it; I could imagine a kind of scenario where the story could take place in Las Vegas.

City of Bones CoverCity of Bones in Old London:  With its werewolves and vampires, I could completely see this story set in some sort of Victorian England setting.  Not the setting of queens and royalty, but the Oliver Twist, workhouses for the poor type of Victorian England.

Kiss Quotient coverThe Kiss Quotient of the Schoolmarm:  I don’t know exactly how this one would work out, as school teachers aren’t paid very much, but we could put Stella in a role as a school teacher in the 1800s in the wild west (maybe she’s an heiress or something).  She could hire Michael because she just can’t figure out how to find the right guy.

So there’s ten alternate universes for books that could have been… or could be, if you write fanfiction.  Are there any books you could imagine an alternate setting for?

32 comments

    1. Maybe I should do a Warcross in Wonderland AU sometime after Wildcard comes out (I don’t like to do fanfiction until the last book of canon has been written). It’d have to be a short story though… I have too many unfinished novellas/novels outstanding right now.

  1. I love your twist on today’s theme! And hahaha – having grown up in Las Vegas, your wanting to set Caraval here made me laugh. Truly, anything can (and does) happen in this town.

    Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thanks!

    1. Ace of Shades has that Las Vegas-ish feel already, but it wouldn’t take much to put Caraval there either! Thanks for reading.

    1. This week has some good ideas for fanfics! If only I was better at writing short stories, because novellas and novels take so much time to write.

    1. Thank you! A lot of people have great ideas this week. I wish that I have read more of them though, because on a lot of them, I haven’t read both books!

  2. I love how you suggested City of Bones in Old London! You should check out Cassandra Clare’s The Infernal Devices trilogy, because it is Victorian London with Shadowhunters! Love your twist on this topic.

    1. That’s cool! I’m currently working through her books starting with The Mortal Instruments. I’ll get there, eventually :-).

    1. I might just have to do it! I’d have to find a way to make it a short story though, because my novella/novel ideas already are taking me into 2019 already…

  3. The Young Elites in modern times? YES!! Gimmme gimme gimme

    Warcross in Wonderland … that would work too. Like the game being supervised by Red Queen.

    Off with the head!

    1. I was thinking of the Red Queen’s croquet game when that idea came to me too.

      I’ll definitely post on my blog when I finish Gamers (my Young Elites in modern times fanfic) and start publishing it. It’s kind of on hiatus until 2019 because I have some WIPs that are farther along to finish up, then there’s NaNoWriMo (plus I actually don’t know in what direction the story is going once they hook up with the Dagger Society and Magiano gets his hands on all that Bitcoin), but I think the premise is really cute (they have some adorable WoW conversations) and I’d love to finish it someday.

    1. I’m really going to have to rewrite Happy Birthday, because I only put it together in an afternoon and it really isn’t as good as it could be. My NaNoWriMo idea was inspired by the idea of Legend in Medieval times, but because I’m hoping to make it really good and submit it, I have to change things… a lot.

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