A Midsummer Tempest is an alternate history fantasy novel by Poul Anderson. In 1975 , it was nominated for the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel and Nebula Award for Best Novel and won the Mythopoeic Award. Alternative history or alternate history can be: A History told from an alternative viewpoint, rather than from the view of imperialist, conqueror, or explorer. ... Poul William Anderson (November 25, 1926 – July 31, 2001) was a prolific science fiction author of the genres Golden Age; some of his short stories were first published using the pseudonyms A. A. Craig, Michael Karageorge, and Winston P. Sanders. Poul Anderson also wrote fantasy such as the King... This World Fantasy Award is given to the fantasy novel or novels voted best by a panel of judges, and presented each year at the World Fantasy Convention. ... Winners of the Nebula Award for Best Novel. ... The Mythopoeic Awards for literature and literary studies are given by the Mythopoeic Society to authors of outstanding works in the fields of myth, fantasy, and the scholarly study of these areas. ...

The setting in a parallel world where William Shakespeare was not a dramatist but the Great Historian; the events in Shakespeare's plays were, in fact, historical in this world. The plays having depicting anachronistic technology, Anderson extrapolated that the world was, in general, more technologically advanced. The novel takes place after Shakespeare's death, in the era of Cromwell and Charles I, but as well as the English Civil War, the characters are also dealing with the Industrial Revolution. Parallel worlds started as a plot device in science fiction. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Cromwell is the name of the following places: Cromwell, New Zealand Cromwell, Connecticut, United States of America Cromwell, Indiana, United States of America Cromwell, Iowa, United States of America Cromwell, Minnesota, United States of America Cromwell Township, Minnesota, United States of America Cromwell Township, Pennsylvania, United States of America People... Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, King of Ireland, and King of Scots from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. ... The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians (Roundheads) and Royalists (Cavaliers) from 1642 until 1651. ... A Watt steam engine in Madrid. ...

Although various of the plays are aluded to, the plot is chiefly shaped by A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Tempest. Title page of the first quarto (1600) A Midsummer Nights Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare written sometime in the mid-1590s. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Synopsis

Prince Rupert is taken by the Roundheads; held captive at a country house, he falls in love with his captor's niece, Jennifer. One of his troopers, Will Fairweather, followed him to the house where he was held captive; with the help of Jennifer, Will brings him to Oberon and Titania, who offer magical aid. Rupert and Jennifer exchange magic rings that will aid them as long as they are true to each other. Rupert sets out with Will to find the books that Prospero sank, in order to aid King Charles. Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria (German: Ruprecht Pfalzgraf bei Rhein, Herzog von Bayern), commonly called Prince Rupert of the Rhine, (17 December 1619 – 19 November 1682), soldier and inventor, was a younger son of Frederick V, Elector Palatine and Elizabeth Stuart, and the nephew of King... Oberon, also Auberon, King of the Fairies, is most famous as a character in William Shakespeares play, A Midsummer Nights Dream, written in the mid-1590s. ... Titania was the name of a character in William Shakespeares play A Midsummer Nights Dream. ... Magic ring is an article of jewlery that appears frequently in fantasy and fairytale. ... Prospero is the protagonist in The Tempest, a play by William Shakespeare. ...

Rupert, fleeing Roundheads, finds refuge in a magical inn, The Old Phoenix, which proves to be a nexus between parallel worlds; there he meets Valeria Matucheck, a character from an alternate fantasy twentieth century America (Anderson's Operation Chaos), and Holger Carlsen, a character born in a world where the Matter of France is history, later trapped in twentieth century (non-fantasy) America (Anderson's Three Hearts and Three Lions. Valeria explains what happens in the English Civil War, including the king's execution, strengthening Rupert's determination. He finds a Spanish ship that will transport him; it is carrying an ambassador and his wife. Operation CHAOS was a domestic espionage project conducted by the CIA. A department within the CIA was established by President Lyndon Johnson which then came to be known as the Domestic Operations Division (DOD). ... The Matter of France, also known as the Carolingian cycle is a body of legendary history that springs from the Old French medieval literature of the chansons de geste. ... The original alignment system of Dungeons and Dragons (which grouped all players and creatures into Law and Chaos) was derived from the Three Hearts and Three Lions novel by Poul Anderson, where a troll is also described from whence derived the D&D description of the monster. ...

Jennifer's uncle discovers her on her return and resolves to use the ring to find Rupert. She is brought, captive, to a port, where the ring enables her to steal a boat and set sail. The ambassador's wife uses a magical potion to seduce Rupert, and the rings fail. Rupert can not find his way to the island, and Jennifer is stranded at sea. Despairing, Rupert takes to the library at Milan to try to work out where to find the island and so the books. Jennifer's plight becomes desperate from thrist, but Ariel finds her and brings her to the island. Rupert works out the location, and meets Jennifer; they are reconciled. Ariel is a fictional sprite who appears in William Shakespeares play The Tempest. ...

They retrieve the books and magically bear them back to England. Charles I has taken up a position near Glastonbury Tor for reasons he does not himself understand. Rupert attempts the magic; Will Fairweather is possessed by a spirit of England and stirs up the magic of the land. The Roundheads are defeated.

Rupert and Jennifer return the rings to Oberon and Titania, and retire to a peaceful married life.

Other works

The Old Phoenix appears in several of Poul Anderson's short stories as a nexus between worlds.