Of the many fears looming over our heads these days (and man, it seems like there’s a lot), none seems to loom as large, but also so abstractly, as the potential military conflict with China.
But for people who can’t wait — and who want it to be, well, weird — there’s the new alternative history / military science fiction anthology Weird World War: China (paperback, Kindle), the follow-up to 2020’s Weird World War III and 2022’s Weird World War IV.
In the following email interview, Weird World War: China editor Sean Patrick Hazlett discusses what went into assembling this short story collection.
For people who didn’t read the previous books, Weird World War III and Weird World War IV, or the interviews we did about them [which you can read here and here, respectfully], what were those anthologies about?
Weird World War III is an anthology of stories that explores how a war between the United States and Soviet Union may have unfolded, but with a weird fiction twist. Think Tom Clancy meets H. P. Lovecraft. After all, what is the existential threat of nuclear annihilation but another manifestation of cosmic horror? It includes stories ranging from Soviet shamans summoning demons to cosmonauts and astronauts squaring off against each other and aliens on the moon’s surface to augmented reality games that lead to nuclear annihilation. There’s something in it for everyone.
Weird World War IV is an anthology of stories where every story in the volume is about a Fourth World War that occurs sometime after a third one. However, unlike Weird World War III, it does not have to be about a war between the United States and Soviet Union. Authors had much more flexibility for world-building in this volume, so there’s a much wider range of stories and settings. For instance, there are several stories that involve invasions of Earth from other dimensions as well as a few post-apocalyptic tales. One story’s even about a hyperintelligent, cybernetic war dog in the far future.
As you said, the war in World War IV happens in the same fictional universe as the war in Weird World War III. But are any of the stories in IV directly connected to the ones in III?
None of the stories in Weird World War IV are sequels to those in Weird World War III. As a result, they include a much broader array of stories ranging from a post-apocalyptic retelling of the Arthurian legend to a war between humans and Neanderthals to corporate intrigue in space to a werewolf penal colony on the Moon.
That said, while they do share a fictional universe, both individually and collectively, the stories in Weird World War III and Weird World War IV did not tell a single cohesive story. It’s not like The Ross 248 Project anthology. Why did you decide to have the stories be set in the same war, but not collectively tell a larger story?
Setting constraints for authors can be a very tricky thing. It requires a very delicate balance. Too few, and the stories are all over the place with no cohesive thread that connects each story to the whole. Too many, and you risk stifling an author’s creativity. Since the anthology required authors to satisfy the constraint of writing a story about a world war between the United States and China with weird fictional characteristics, I didn’t want to pile on any additional constraints beyond that.
Maybe next time?
So then what is Weird World War: China about?
Weird World War: China explores how the United States’ reaction to China’s meteoric rise could lead to conflict in the near term and how such a conflict might be fought.
Of course, since this anthology is a weird fictional one, the futures the authors imagine all have weird elements whether they be supernatural or science fictional.
Why did you decide to have the war be with China as opposed to Wales or Wyoming or Walla Walla, Washington?
This will sound dark, but because it’s the most likely one to happen in the future. China has been on a stratospheric rise for the past several decades. It’s only a matter of time before the two superpowers collide.
Is that why, to be more serious, you decided not to have the war be with a different country, like, say, North Korea or Syria?
North Korea and Syria aren’t U.S. peer competitors. Only Hollywood would come up with something as fantastical and absurd a scenario as North Kora invading the United States. Uh, wait… Maybe I spoke too soon.
And does the war in question take place in the same reality as the ones in Weird World War III and Weird World War IV, or is it set in a different reality?
No. Each story takes place in its own unique reality.
Why did you decide to set Weird World War: China in a completely different reality?
You seem to be under the mistaken impression that an editor has godlike powers that determine almost entirely what stories authors submit. The editor is just the tail wagging a bunch of author dogs. In other words, I set the anthology in a completely different reality, because the stories the authors submitted to me are set in completely different realities.
contributors T.C McCarthy, D.J. Butler,
Larry Correia
Right, but when you did Weird World War IV, you must’ve told them the setting was after the war with Russia from Weird World War III, right? Why didn’t you tell the writers contributing to Weird World War: China that all the stories were set after the fourth world war?
When I did Weird World War IV, I told the authors that the war had to take place after a World War III, but not necessarily after a war with Russia. In their stories, they had full latitude to decide what the conditions of their conceptions of World War III were.
In Weird World War: China, we return again to the concept of World War III, but this time with China and not Russia. I had never considered having the war with China occur after World War IV because there are far too many speculative leaps that could occur in between, and I wanted to keep the anthology grounded in the near future.
Oh, that makes sense. It’s a reboot of sorts.
Yeah. Just a different scenario.
In the interview we did about Weird World War III you said every story was written for that anthology, a policy you continued for Weird World War IV. Is it also true of Weird World War: China?
Absolutely. Nothing works better for creativity than putting constraints on the authors. They nearly always come up with wildly imaginative conceptions of the theme that stand out from all the others. You’d think you’d see the same types of stories over and over again, but that never seems to be the result.
So, how many of the contributors to Weird World War: China are people who previously had stories in Weird World War III or Weird World War IV? Or both?
Quite a few actually. Nine authors have had a story in all three volumes: Stephen Lawson, Nick Mamatas, T.C. McCarthy, Kevin Andrew Murphy, Erica L. Satifka, Martin L. Shoemaker, Brad R. Torgersen, Brian Trent, and Deborah A. Wolf.
Another three authors had stories in both Weird World War IV and Weird World War: China. They include: D.J. Butler, Michael Z. Williamson, and Freddie Costello.
contributor David Drake
And last, but certainly not the least, is David Drake, who had stories in both Weird World War III and Weird World War: China. Sadly, David passed in December 2023, and I believe Weird World War: China contains the last short story he ever published. I am honored that this story, “Lurking Death,” is in this anthology.
Did anyone ask if they could write a story for Weird World War: China because they had read Weird World War III and Weird World War IV and liked them?
There were a few, but only Julian Michael Carver wrote a story [“Project Blackworm”] that made the cut.
The stories in Weird World War III and Weird World War IV mix alternative history and military sci-fi. I assume that’s also true for Weird World War: China, but what other genres come up in this new anthology’s stories?
You can find everything from humor to fantasy to horror. Michael Z. Williamson and Freddy Costello have another absurdist tale called “Duplicate” about bureaucratic lawfare.
The anthology also features a Larry Correia and Steve Diamond Lovecraftian story, “Eldritch Ops,” about eldritch horrors. There’s something in this book for everyone.
When we did the interview about Weird World War IV you said, “I expect the next book in the weird war series to be Weird World War III: China.” Now that W.W.W.III:C is out, what do you expect the next book to be, and why won’t it be Weird World War Walla Walla, Washington?
If I had my druthers, I would go backward in history and do Weird World War I. Imagine the diversity of crazy and fantastical stories that would emerge from that anthology: undead armies shambling on the Eastern Front; Russian necromancers casting dark spells on the Austro-Hungarian empire; or German scientists opening up a wormhole into another dimension and unleashing an alien intelligence on their enemies. The possibilities would be endless.
So, is there anything else you think people need to know about Weird World War: China?
I want to reiterate that this is a very special anthology because it includes what is very likely to be the last short story legendary science fiction author, David Drake, ever wrote. I was very sorry to hear of his passing this past December, but am honored that his story is featured in this volume. He was one of the original pioneers of the military science fiction genre. While he will be sorely missed, his legacy will echo onward through those of us who continue to write stories about the warriors of the future. Rest in peace, my friend.
Finally, if someone enjoys Weird World War: China, what military sci-fi anthology that someone else edited would you suggest they check out and why that one?
Baen’s anthology series, The Year’s Best Military & Adventure SF, which is edited by David Afsharirad, always has some great military science fiction. What makes it so compelling is there is a much higher proportion of authors with military experience than in other competitive anthologies. This is important because former military personnel have a better grasp of what it’s actually like being a soldier, sailor, Marine, or airman than civilians do, and this rings true in their stories.
