12 Alternate History World War 1 Books

World War I often gets overlooked by World War II, which has received far more attention in the writing world, particularly for alternate history. However, the events of World War I directly affected and led to World War II, making it an interesting divergent point for alternate history writers. From the Confederacy winning the Civil War, affecting the events of World War I, to a German focus on Russia rather than an invasion of Belgium to attack France, there are some alternate history books out there that deal with the Great War. Mind you, there is not a lot, and I will warn the reader that I have featured my own books on this list to fill it out. Here are twelve alternate history World War I books you should check out. 

Leviathan by Scott Westerfield and Keith Thompson 

In an alternate 1914 on the brink of war, two worldviews collide in breathtaking steampunk fashion. The “Clankers” of the Central Powers wield towering, diesel-driven war machines, walking behemoths bristling with cannons, while the Allied “Darwinists” craft living weapons: a giant whale airship, flesh-crested rockets, and message-carrying lizards, all genetically engineered for battle. Amid this mechanized-biological arms race, a hunted prince named Aleksandar, son of the assassinated Archduke, flees across the Alps aboard a battered stormwalker guarding his only claim to survival. Meanwhile, Deryn Sharp, a Scottish girl disguised as a boy named “Dylan,” joins the HMS Leviathan, unaware its secret mission to transport engineered eggs will soon entangle her with fate—and Alek—above war-torn Europe.

When the Leviathan crashes near Alek’s hidden refuge, the two unexpectedly unite. Their fragile alliance merges Clanker mechanics with Darwinist biology, sparking a fragile hope amid global conflict. As they navigate secrets, identities, and shifting loyalties, Alek and Deryn forge a bond that transcends battle lines and changes the fate of their world. Keith Thompson’s vivid, “Victorian manga”-style illustrations bring every living engine and walking war machine to life, enriching a tale that thrives on action, imagination, and unlikely camaraderie.

A Designer With No Name by EA Baker

An alternate history drama set against the backdrop of the outbreak of World War I. Serving as a prelude to The Kaiser's Machines, it chronicles the genesis of the machines Germany will ultimately use late in the war in a last gasp to bring the allies to the negotiating table. It follows Johann Kucinski, an aspiring Jewish artist in Munich, who grapples with a sense of societal displacement. Fleeing the pogroms of the east, his family seeks refuge in Munich, where they strive to build a new life amidst a vibrant Jewish community. As war engulfs Europe, Johann, like many young men, yearns to enlist. However, the army denies him entry, leaving him adrift as his peers march to battle. Determined to contribute to the war effort and honor his family's new homeland, Johann's path crosses with Frederick Brunner, an ambitious engineer seeking a creative collaborator to develop groundbreaking technologies for the German War Department. Under Frederick's mentorship, Johann discovers his purpose, channeling his creative talents into designing innovative war machines. Unbeknownst to him, his quest to bring his friends home will catalyze profound changes, both in his own life and Germany's fate.

Gray Tide in the East: An Alternate History of the First World War by Andrew J. Heller

What if the Kaiser's hesitation became history? In this meticulously researched alternate-history thriller, Kaiser Wilhelm II resists the call to enact the Schlieffen Plan, and Germany avoids invading Belgium in 1914. Instead, German forces pivot eastward, reshaping the war’s entire trajectory. With Britain staying neutral, France hungers for victory but faces a war of maneuver across Russian territory, where the Kaiser gambles on knocking the Tsar’s forces out before they coalesce.

This is a believable “what-if” anchored in real historical debates, deeply grounded in plausible strategy rather than fantasy. Heller weaves scale with immediacy: the war unfolds through multiple perspectives, capturing both battlefield shifts and geopolitical tremors. Unlike many alt-histories that lean into the dramatic, this one feels disturbingly possible, with consequences rippling far beyond the trenches. Readers and reviewers describe it as “well-written and thoroughly researched,” a compelling dive into a world shaped by a single, fateful decision.

Panzerwanderer by EA Baker

Spring 1918—the Western Front is a graveyard of men and empires. After nearly four years of bloody stalemate, both the Allies and Central Powers are desperate for the decisive blow that will end the Great War. Russia has fallen into revolution, freeing Germany’s eastern armies to join the fight in the west. Yet the German Empire is starving under the British blockade, its supplies dwindling, its people weary. And behind the front lines, an ambitious secret project, conceived by the Kaiser himself, drains resources in pursuit of a radical gamble.

Promised machines that will smash trenches and shatter the deadlock, the Kaiser has staked his faith, and his nation’s future, on towering armored walkers and burrowing behemoths. Now General Ludendorff prepares a massive offensive to unleash them for the first time. In The Kaiser’s Machines: Panzerwanderer, E.A. Baker delivers a vivid, alternate history where mechanical beasts prowl the scarred battlefields of World War I. Through the eyes of a daring German captain, a haunted French reconnaissance pilot, an intrepid American nurse, and two soldiers from opposite sides of the Atlantic, the war’s final days unfold in fire, steel, and mud. Will the Kaiser’s costly dream deliver victory—or doom a crumbling empire?

The Great War: American Front by Harry Turtledove 

War in Europe, but in this version of the world in 1914, the United States and the Confederate States are bitter enemies on the same continent. When their Old World allies clash, America joins forces with Germany while the Confederacy stands with Britain and France. The battle lines stretch from the trenches of Pennsylvania to the burning plains of Texas, with tanks, gas, and machine guns turning cities and farmlands into killing grounds.

In The Great War: American Front, Harry Turtledove launches his epic saga of a divided America at war with itself on an industrial scale. Through the eyes of soldiers, spies, politicians, and civilians on both sides, the human cost of modern warfare unfolds—where loyalty can mean treason, and survival often demands sacrifice. As the conflict grinds on, one question looms over the continent: will this war finally unite America, or destroy it forever?

Sturmspinnen by EA Baker

The second book of The Kaiser’s Machines picks up with the characters of Panzerwanderer as the Germans turn their eyes to the north to the channel ports. Major Otto König, recently promoted and tasked with leading a unit of sturmspinnen, faces a daunting challenge. As he contends with the resistance of his unit's former commander, Otto must prove himself in a trial that could shape not only his career but the outcome of the war itself.

Meanwhile, John Billings, Paul Davies, and Sarah Anderson reunite in Colonel Campbell's special unit, charged with hunting down and destroying the German walkers. Across enemy lines, Henri Marcel receives new orders to join a secret aerial observation unit. But as he embarks on a crucial mission, Henri grapples with conflicting versions of himself, torn between caution and newfound daring. Haunted by the loss of his comrade, James Thompson, William Winter embarks on a perilous journey across war-torn France to a secret assignment. Unbeknownst to him, JT is alive and trapped by a deranged German officer, uncovering sinister plans that threaten to devastate Allied forces.

Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire By Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden 

When Lord Henry Baltimore leads his men across the battlefields of World War I, he unwittingly unleashes an ancient evil. Wounded in both body and spirit, Baltimore becomes the sole survivor of a massacre—and the target of a vengeful vampire lord whose plague is sweeping across Europe. As the Great War collapses into something far darker, a small band of allies gathers to hear Baltimore’s tale: a relentless hunt for the creature that cursed him and the world.

Baltimore is a grim, richly illustrated Gothic epic blending war story, vampire myth, and dark fairy tale. Mignola and Golden deliver a haunting saga of obsession and vengeance, where a soldier’s iron will is the last defense against a spreading darkness. From muddy trenches to shadowed ruins, Baltimore’s path is littered with horrors—both human and inhuman—and the question is not whether he will find his quarry, but what will be left of him when he does.

Eisenwürmer EA Baker

Desperate to seize victory on their terms, the Germans muster every remaining resource for one final, decisive strike.

With their assault on the Channel ports faltering, Ludendorff and Hindenburg turn to the Crown Prince’s audacious gambit: sack Paris. The plan merges Major Bagger’s diversionary blow at Verdun—the unbreakable heart of French resistance—with a daring, hidden thrust through a tunnel carved by the fearsome Eisnewürmer machine. If it works, the Allies will be forced to the negotiating table, momentum firmly in German hands.

But as the offensive begins, Major Otto König faces court-martial, his only path to redemption lying through a glory-hungry captain he cannot trust. Veterans John Billings and Sarah Anderson, surrounded by green recruits, confront impossible odds that will push their loyalty to the brink. After a harrowing stint with Ghost Squadron, Henri Marcel earns the transfer he’s longed for—only to find his new mission hides dangerous secrets. And separated by a failed raid, James Thompson and William Winter fight the same battle from different, desperate fronts.

In this bloody conclusion to The Kaiser’s Machines, man and machine clash in a final contest for supremacy.

Anno Dracula: The Bloody Red Baron by Kim Newman

Set against the backdrop of World War I, The Bloody Red Baron immerses readers in an alternate history where the infamous Graf von Dracula, ousted from the United Kingdom in 1897, extends his malevolent influence by spreading his volatile brand of vampirism and lycanthropy throughout the Russian Imperial Family.

Now at the helm of Germany and the Central Powers, Dracula orchestrates a dark campaign against the Entente, where vampires have become an integral part of daily life, entrenched on both sides of the conflict and facing mortality alongside human soldiers. At the heart of this gripping tale stands the iconic figure of Manfred von Richthofen, known as the Red Baron, a renowned ace fighter pilot who, in this alternate timeline, commands a squadron of monstrous flying vampires. As alliances shift and betrayals loom, the fate of nations hangs precariously in the balance, weaving a narrative of horror, intrigue, and peril on the war-torn fields of battle.

Detachment M: A Kaiser’s Machines Story by EA Baker

After the crushing defeat at Kut, the British campaign in Mesopotamia had ground to a halt. Lieutenant Edward Goodspeed—Gallipoli survivor and reluctant trench warrior—finds himself summoned by Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick Stanley Maude, the new commander of Allied forces in the region. For Edward, the deserts of the Tigris and Euphrates hold childhood memories and the promise of a war far from the mud of France. But his new assignment is far from the romantic adventure he imagined.

Tasked with investigating a mysterious new Ottoman transportation system that could turn the tide of the campaign, Goodspeed must lead a mismatched unit—an ambitious Royal Navy officer, wary Indian Army soldiers, and vengeance-driven Armenian rebels—deep into enemy territory. The mission is perilous, the allies uneasy, and failure could mean another disaster for the British Army…with the blood of Allied soldiers on Edward’s hands. Detachment M, a gripping alternate-history tale set in the deserts of World War I Mesopotamia, expands the world of The Kaiser’s Machines with a high-stakes clandestine operation in the cradle of civilization.

The Peshawar Lancers by S.M. Stirling

While not quite a WW1 story, it deals with two major powers that fought in the Great War. On an alternate Earth forever reshaped by a devastating comet strike in the 1870s, civilization has been forced to adapt to a harsher, more unpredictable world. The British Empire, having relocated much of its power to India, and a resurgent Russia dominate the planet, each building vast militaries and empires in the shadow of catastrophe. Tensions rise as the two superpowers edge toward a conflict that could engulf the entire globe.

Standing in the way of disaster is Captain Alfred King, a brilliant and daring superspy whose loyalty, courage, and cunning are tested at every turn. From scorched deserts to frozen wastelands, he must navigate treacherous political plots, shadowy assassins, and deadly technologies that could tip the balance of power. With time running out and the fate of nations hanging in the balance, King faces the ultimate challenge: prevent a war that could destroy everything—or watch civilization burn. From the author of On the Oceans of Eternity, this is a thrilling, high-stakes adventure in a richly imagined alternate history.

The People's Machines: Sequel to the Kaiser's Machines by EA Baker

With the armistice signed, the guns have fallen silent—but peace is fragile, and revolutionary fervor is sweeping through Germany.

Alfred Bagger, now back in Berlin under his true identity as Gorm Hansen, finds his old operations shuttered and is thrust into a new mission: to infiltrate the inner circle of a powerful communist organization, guided by his devotion to the pagan gods who shape his destiny. Across Europe, U.S. Marine Corps veteran Corporal James Thompson reports to British Intelligence in London. The only man alive who can identify Bagger, James, is tasked with tracking his former captor, seizing the chance for both revenge and duty.

Meanwhile, Otto König returns to his family farm outside Munich, only to be swept into the revolutionary tide consuming the city and rekindling an old romance. Ida Wild, mourning her lost lover Anton and trapped in the rigid expectations of her social class, must rely on friends old and new to escape a prescribed life—and finds herself at the heart of a political upheaval threatening to reshape Bavaria.

The People’s Machines, the sequel to The Kaiser’s Machines, is an alternate-history military epic set during the turbulent final days of World War I in Germany. Follow familiar faces as war ends, empires crumble, and the German Revolution ignites a new and uncertain era..

Short Stories and Supplemental Content Set in The Kaiser's Machines timeline

If you're looking for some more alternate history set during this period, check out my Patreon marketplace, where I've published additional content in The Kaiser's Machines timeline.

Check out what I have for sale below:

Project Vienna: A Short Story

Part of The Kaiser's Machines Timeline.

Characters and story related to A Designer With No Name: Prequel to the Kaiser's Machines.

Oberleutnant Walter Klampe, a German intelligence officer in Vienna, debriefs his command on a recent failed operation involving the Russian Okhrana, the Austro-Hungarian Evidenzbureau, and Klampe's organization, Abteilung III b. After being blindfolded and guided to a secret location, Klampe finds himself at a table in a cold, dark room across from a mysterious man. He

quickly realizes that this isn't a debrief but an interrogation and finds himself in the middle of a larger plot that threatens his plans for the future.

The Domino Effect: A Novelette

Part of The Kaiser's Machines Timeline.

Characters and story related to A Designer With No Name: Prequel to the Kaiser's Machines.

Georg Kucinski is a Polish Jew whose family fled the pogroms in the east to Germany. When war breaks out, he attempts to sign up with his brother, Johann. But for medical reasons, his brother is disqualified from military service. Now, after training, he finds himself at the front. Surrounded by friends in arms, he's thrown into the melee. As his unit, the 6th Bavarian Reserve Regiment, fights over the town of Wytschaete, he'll face the reality of war and the price it asks of man.

The Venetian Pocket: A Novelette

Part of The Kaiser's Machines Timeline.

Lieutenant Károly Bako is an Austro-Hungarian soldier in the first company of the 18th Royal Hungarian infantry regiment. After their command takes a direct hit from an artillery attack, he is forced to command the first company. Pulled off the line for a special mission, Lieutenant Bako leads his company as the regiment spearheads a new offensive against the Italians near Mt. Grappa, hoping to break the stalemate with new machines that promise to turn the tide.

Behind the kaiser's Machines: A patreon Exclusive Release

Dive deeper into the world of The Kaiser's Machines with this 53-page guide that provides the juicy engineering details of every machine featured in the series, background information on each character, the original units that appear in the story, detailed maps and descriptions of the battles, and a timeline that spans all three books.

Get your hands on this book of intel that takes you down the rabbit hole of my world, helping bring the battles, the people, and the units to life as if they very well might have existed in some other reality.

Check out my other blog, 17 Alternate History World War 2 Books, and The Ultimate List of Nearly 100 Best Alternate History Books.