By Gary Oswald
The answer is, of course, all of them. But if you are the mood for something in particular then follow this handy guide by answering the following questions! This guide contains some spoilers for the general thrust of these works, so if you're really spoiler averse stop reading here, though no specific twists are revealed.
Question 1: Do you want to read an AH book based around WWII?
If yes go to Question 2, if no, you're in luck, we have many not WWII based AH books for sale over here.
Question 2: Are you in the mood for a full story on one scenario or a number of shorts on different scenarios?
If a full story go to Question 3 if the shorts, then I recommend Fight them on the Beaches: a collection of shorts about a German invasion of the UK during WWII.
Question 3: Do you want your story firmly based on OTL's WW2 or are you happy to read about just some sort of conflict in the time period involving Germany?
If you want Nazis vs Allies go to Question 6 and if not go to Question 4.
Question 4: Do you want an aggressive Germany just on different ideological lines or one where the Weimer consensus manages to hobble on?
If you want Germany to still invade the West go to Question 5. If not then try Streseland by Alexander Rooksmoor, wherein a German government agent, in a 1930s Germany where the Nazis never gained power, must go undercover among the far-right to try and keep Hitler from seizing a second chance.
Question 5: Do you want this non Nazi Germany to be Communist or Monarchist?
If Red, then try the ongoing Red Fuhrer series by Paul Hynes. Part 1 is The Red Fuhrer and part 2 is Revolution. It's the story of the injustices and sufferings of interwar Germany and the charismatic but scary leader claiming to be able to solve those problems told through the eyes of the people on the ground who are caught in his wake. Only in this world, Adolf Hitler is a Communist not a Nazi.
And if Prussian then try The Misfit Squadron series by Simon Brading. An Epic collection of steampunk war books (The Battle over Britain, The Russian Resistance, A Misfit Midwinter, The Lion and the Baron, The Maltese Defence, Tales from the Second Great War, The Siege of Gibraltar and The King's Mission) wherein the Second Great War is going poorly for the Kingdom of Britain - the British Isles are under siege and the only thing standing between the all-conquering Prussian army and victory is a thin strip of blue water and the gallant men and women of the Royal Aviator Corps. And in particular the Misfit Squadron, an elite group of pilots who don’t always pay strict attention to military discipline. All books also available in paperback.
Question 6: Do you want the Allies to do better than OTL?
If you're looking for an easier Allied victory go to Question 7 and if you're not go to Question 9.
Question 7: Do the Allies win because they avoid appeasement and attack Hitler prior to Poland or because they handle the Battle of France better?
If you want a lack of guilty men to go Question 8. If you want a blunted sickle try Chamberlain Resigns and Other Things that did not Happen by Charles E. Murphy. This is a collection of essays about possible AH scenarios, only it is written from the perspective of an historian in a different world where WWII was much a shorter less brutal affair. Creating a double blind what if, as historians in that world speculates on how things could have been different.
Question 8: So the allies stop Hitler before he grows to powerful but fascism is not revealed as the monster as it is. Do you want this story told through the big picture politics of people making decisions or the intimate portrayal of a single man?
if you want big picture than try A Greater Britain by Ed Thomas. A classic AH story which answers what the 20th Century would have been like if Oswald Mosely had stayed with Labour and became PM with them. Also available in paperback.
If you want small picture than look at A Bright Cold Day by Mark Ciccone. The combat experiences of Eric Blair, better known as George Orwell, in a slightly different Spanish Civil War.
Question 9: If the allies don't do better do the Axis?
If you want to explore bad guys winning and see the Axis enjoy more victories go to Question 11, if you don't want that go to Question 10.
Question 10: So if the Allies still win but not prior to 1945 do you want any substantial changes at all or only minor ones?
For micro alternate history with few changes try Zonen by Tom Black. A look at the Alternate history of a Danish occupation Zone in post WWII Germany told through a series of interviews conducted by an unnamed journalist visiting the area.
And for major changes that benefits neither the Allies or the Axis try Decisive Darkness by Paul Hynes. Available in e-book as Parts 1 and Part 2 or in paperback as a single story. This tells the story of a bloody American invasion of Japan in a world where they don't surrender in 1945.
Question 11: So a story set in an Axis Victory setting?
If no go to Question 12, if yes go to Question 14.
Question 12: You want a story about the Axis doing better but still being defeated. Are you more interested in the Aftermath of that or the War itself?
If the war itself go to Question 13, if the aftermath then try Meet the New Boss by Tom Black. A history of Soviet Britain from its liberation by Soviet troops in the Second World War to the modern day.
Question 13: So you're looking for a story on a longer World War II that sees the Axis triumph to some extent but nonetheless sees the Allies end up winning in a later campaign? Do you want the focus to be firmly on the war itself or to include changes in the inner war period as well?
If you just want pure WWII action try Festung Europa by Jon Kacer. A straight forward history of a campaign wherein Germany wins in the Eastern Front of WWII leading to the UK and the USA having to go alone in the Western Front with all the bloodshed that implies.
If you are interested in a much larger and more detailed take on the scenario then try The Drakes Drum series by Nicholas Sumner. A three book series (Peace of Amiens, The Reckoning, Currents of Fate) on Britain's history through WWI and WWII where things go subtly different. These are our most popular and best selling books, which are all available in paperback.
Question 14: So you're interested in a Fatherland esque tale of people in a Nazi victory scenario. Do you want a broad look at how a European spanning German Reich could function or a more personal tale of someone under occupation?
For a personal tale go to Question 15 and for a broad look try In and out of the Reich by Paul Leone. The book consists of three short newspaper pieces about different elements of post Nazi Victory Europe which paint a picture of life in a regime which has defeated all its external enemies and strangled all beauty and freedom out of its internal citizens.
Question 15: So a personal tale about an English speaking protagonist in a country ruled by the Nazis? Do you want the main character to be a good person beaten down by the occupation or a bad person who has benefited from it?
For the former try The Boy In The Storm by Nick Peel. This moving and personal tale of human survival under totalitarianism chronicles three days in the lives of a family and a government agent in Nazi-occupied Britain in 1957.
And for the latter, you can't beat How tall is the Grass in Germany? by Wm. Garrett Cothran. The plot is that in a Nazi ruled America a rich ad man has his own dark secrets to hide.
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