17 Alternate History World War 2 Books

One of the main focal points of alternate history is World War 2—for obvious reasons. It’s the bloodiest war in human history and has shaped the world that we know today. From the planned Nazi invasion of Britain to FDR losing his presidential bid in 1940, authors have explored various “what if” scenarios where the war went differently. Mind you, some are more fantastical than others (and you're going to find A LOT of Turtledove on this list), but this list compiles seventeen alternate history World War 2 books.

1. The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick

Set in a world where the Axis powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) won World War II and divided the United States into occupied territories, the story follows several characters whose lives intersect as they navigate this dystopian reality. In the Japanese Pacific States, we meet Juliana Frink, a judo instructor who becomes involved with the Resistance after her boyfriend is killed. She discovers a mysterious book titled "The Grasshopper Lies Heavy," which presents an alternate history where the Allies won the war. Juliana becomes determined to find its author, "The Man in the High Castle."

In the Neutral Zone, a buffer region between the Japanese and German territories, we encounter Frank Frink, Juliana's ex-husband, who is a jewelry maker of Jewish descent. Frank's storyline explores the struggles of minorities under the oppressive rule of the Axis powers. Meanwhile, in the Greater Nazi Reich on the East Coast, we follow Robert Childan, a dealer in Americana artifacts, as he navigates the complexities of living under Nazi rule and his interactions with high-ranking Nazi officials. The paths of these characters converge as they grapple with questions of identity, resistance, and the nature of reality.

2. Fatherland by Robert Harris

A thriller set in 1964 in a world where Nazi Germany emerged victorious in World War II. The novel follows Xavier March, a detective in the Berlin Kriminalpolizei (Kripo), as he investigates the murder of a high-ranking Nazi official. As March delves deeper into the case, he uncovers a conspiracy that threatens to unravel the carefully constructed facade of the Nazi regime.

Alongside American journalist Charlotte "Charlie" Maguire, March discovers evidence suggesting a massive cover-up involving the Final Solution—the Nazi plan to exterminate Europe's Jews—which, in this reality, has been kept secret from the world. March's investigation puts him on a collision course with powerful figures within the Nazi hierarchy who are determined to protect their secrets at any cost.

3. The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

A detective novel set in an alternate history where a temporary Jewish homeland was established in Sitka, Alaska, following World War II. The novel follows Meyer Landsman, a washed-up alcoholic detective in the Sitka District Police Department. Landsman becomes embroiled in a complex murder case when he discovers the body of his neighbor, a heroin-addicted chess prodigy. As he investigates the murder, Landsman navigates the gritty underworld of Sitka, encountering a diverse cast of characters, including Orthodox Jews, Alaskan natives, and members of the local crime syndicate.

As the investigation unfolds, Landsman uncovers a web of conspiracy involving political intrigue, religious fanaticism, and long-buried secrets.

4. The Plot Against America by Philip Roth

Set in the United States during the 1940s, the story unfolds in a world where aviation hero and isolationist Charles Lindbergh defeats Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1940 presidential election, leading to a series of events that dramatically alter the course of American history. Narrated by a young Philip Roth, the novel follows the Roth family, who live in Newark, New Jersey. As Lindbergh's presidency unfolded, the country became increasingly divided, with anti-Semitic sentiments on the rise.

The Roths, who are Jewish, find themselves grappling with the implications of Lindbergh's policies, including the implementation of programs such as "Just Folks," which encourage Jewish families to assimilate into American society by living and working on farms in the Midwest. Against this backdrop of political upheaval, the Roth family faces personal challenges and struggles to maintain a sense of normalcy. Philip's parents, Herman and Bess, disagree on how to respond to the growing threat of Lindbergh's administration, while his older brother, Sandy, becomes enamored with the president's message of isolationism. As tensions escalate and anti-Semitic violence erupts across the country, the Roths are forced to confront the harsh realities of prejudice and persecution.

5. Worldwar: In the Balance by Harry Turtledove

Set in the midst of World War II, the story takes a dramatic turn when an extraterrestrial race known as the Race, or the Lizards, arrives on Earth in June 1942. The Race is a highly advanced civilization of reptilian creatures on a colonization mission. Their sudden arrival disrupted the ongoing conflict between the Axis and Allied powers. Initially, both sides mistake the Race for allies of the enemy and attempt to communicate and negotiate with them.

However, it soon becomes apparent that the Race is a formidable adversary with its own agenda. As the Race begins its conquest of Earth, it encounters fierce resistance from humans armed with World War II-era technology. The story follows various characters on both sides of the conflict, including military leaders, politicians, scientists, and civilians, as they grapple with the unprecedented threat posed by the alien invaders. Despite their technological superiority, the Race faces unexpected challenges from humanity's diverse cultures and strategies. Meanwhile, humans must adapt quickly to the new reality of an interstellar war, forming unlikely alliances and developing innovative tactics to combat the alien threat.

6. SS-GB by Len Deighton

An alternate history World War 2 book set in Nazi-occupied Britain during World War II. The novel follows Scotland Yard detective Douglas Archer as he navigates the treacherous political landscape of German-occupied London. In this alternate reality, Germany successfully invaded and conquered Britain in 1940, leading to the establishment of a puppet government under Nazi control. As a high-ranking officer in the Metropolitan Police, Archer finds himself torn between his duty to uphold the law and his moral compass in a world where the iron fist of Nazi oppression has replaced the rule of law.

When a murder investigation leads Archer to uncover a conspiracy involving British resistance fighters, German intelligence agents, and a mysterious American journalist, he becomes embroiled in a dangerous game of espionage and betrayal.

7. The Iron Dream by Norman Spinrad

A thought-provoking alternate history novel that presents a fictional scenario where Adolf Hitler, instead of becoming the dictator of Nazi Germany, immigrates to the United States in the 1920s and becomes a successful science fiction writer. The novel is presented as a work of metafiction, featuring a foreword, an introduction, and an afterword by fictional editors, scholars, and critics. The bulk of the novel consists of the text of Hitler's imagined science fiction novel, "Lord of the Swastika," an allegory for Hitler's ambitions and ideologies.

In this fictional narrative, Hitler depicts a dystopian future where a hero named Feric Jaggar rises to power through violence and conquest, establishing a totalitarian empire known as the Domination of the Draka. Through Jaggar's exploits, Spinrad explores themes of fascism, militarism, and the dangers of authoritarianism.

8. The Children's War by J.N. Stroyar

In a haunting alternate reality where Nazi Germany emerged victorious in WWII, Europe remains shackled under its rule, held in uneasy truce with both the Soviet Union and the North American Union, five decades after Hitler’s rise. Into this dystopian world stumbles Peter Halifax, an Englishman arrested for possessing false papers, condemned to imprisonment, torture, and a humiliating life as a household slave within a Nazi family. Yet even in chains, he clings to the fragile ember of hope: he escapes, fleeing into the heart of the Polish Underground (Armia Krajowa), where resistance is as much a burden as it is a cause.

As Peter becomes entangled in a web of espionage, loyalty, and love, he must weigh his humanity against the horrors he’s endured—and those he now inflicts in the name of freedom. Simultaneously, the Polish resistance, led by figures like Zosia and Richard Traugutt, weighs moral compromise against survival, sometimes slipping into the same dehumanizing tactics they once fought to overturn. J.N. Stroyar’s epic novel is a stark, unflinching exploration of occupation, identity, and the chilling cost of resistance in a world where the line between victim and perpetrator blurs under relentless oppression.

9. Farthing by Jo Walton

In the spring of 1949, but not our 1949, Britain rests under a taut peace upheld by the elite “Farthing Set,” whose appeasement with Hitler in 1941 reshaped the world. At a stately weekend retreat at Farthing House, Sir James Thirkie, the architect of that fraught peace, turns up murdered, a cruel yellow Star of David cruelly pinned to his chest. Lucy Kahn, the unassuming daughter of the hosts, and her Jewish husband David, were shockingly invited, and even more shockingly framed. Suspicions mount, and only Inspector Peter Carmichael of Scotland Yard sees that this isn’t just a personal vendetta, but a political hit intended to tighten fascist grip on the nation.

But Farthing is more than a murder mystery hidden behind genteel façades. Lucy’s lighthearted observations mask a perceptive soul awakening to creeping authoritarianism, while Carmichael’s steely logic, with his hidden sympathies for the marginalized, begins to unravel a broader conspiracy. As the veneer of decency crumbles, the narrative exposes a Britain slipping dangerously toward fascism, a chilling reflection on how the comfort of complacency can lead to catastrophic moral erosion.

10. Making History by Stephen Fry

A novel that explores the consequences of altering history through time travel. The story follows Michael Young, a history student, who is enlisted by his eccentric professor, Leo Zuckerman, to help prevent the birth of Adolf Hitler. Using a time machine invented by Zuckerman, Michael travels back in time to Vienna in 1889 to thwart Hitler's conception. However, their plan goes awry, leading to unintended consequences that ripple through time and drastically alter the course of history.

As Michael grapples with the ethical implications of meddling with the past, he must confront the paradoxes and complexities of time travel. Along the way, he encounters historical figures such as Sigmund Freud and Gustav Mahler, whose lives are irrevocably changed by his actions. Meanwhile, in the present day, Michael's alterations to the timeline have unforeseen effects on the world, leading to a reality where Hitler never rose to power, but other sinister forces have emerged in his place.

11. The Proteus Operation by James P. Hogan

A science fiction novel that explores the concept of time travel and its potential impact on history. In the story, a group of scientists from the future develop a revolutionary time machine called Proteus, intending to alter key events in the past to prevent the rise of a totalitarian regime in their own time of 1975.

The scientists, led by physicist John Sinclair, embark on a daring mission to travel back to the year 1940 and alter the outcome of World War II. Their goal is to ensure that the Allies achieve victory over the Axis powers, thus preventing the rise of the oppressive government in their own time.

As the team navigates the complexities of time travel and the dangers of altering historical events, they encounter unexpected challenges and moral dilemmas. Along the way, they interact with historical figures such as Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, and Albert Einstein, whose actions could determine the world's fate.

12. Days of Infamy by Harry Turtledove

In an alternate December 1941, the Japanese follow their devastating air raid on Pearl Harbor with a bold invasion of Oahu. A third wave of bombers levels U.S. naval fuel depots, army barracks, and airfields, paving the way for amphibious landings from the north. With air superiority secured and Admiral Halsey’s carriers destroyed, U.S. forces on the island are driven into surrender. Soon, the Territory of Hawaii falls under Japanese control, complete with a puppet monarchy led by Stanley Owana Laanui. This chilling transformation brings the Pacific war closer to American shores than ever before.

Turtledove brings this world to life through a chorus of viewpoints: Japanese commanders like Minoru Genda and Mitsuo Fuchida, Nisei brothers torn between cultures, a surfer-inventor who adapts his sailboard for survival, and POWs struggling amid ruthless occupation. The story captures the grim realism of life under Japanese rule, where cultural codes render surrender dishonorable and survival becomes a test of endurance. Grounded in deeply human, and often harrowing, perspectives, the novel sets the stage for a dramatic U.S. response and a broader Pacific showdown to come.

13. In the Presence of Mine Enemies by Harry Turtledove

An alternate history novel expanded from a short story of the same name, where the original text serves as the book's first chapter. Set in Berlin from the middle of 2010 through the middle of 2011, the novel presents a world where the United States remained isolationist, and Germany and Japan emerged victorious in World War II. The Axis powers, including Germany and Japan, have extended their influence over much of the world, with the U.S. and Canada falling to them during the Third World War. The story revolves around Heinrich Gimpel and a small group of Jews who have survived the mass extermination by concealing their identities under forged "Aryan" credentials. One central plotline follows Alicia Gimpel, who discovers her true heritage and grapples with the prejudice she was taught to uphold.

14. The Man With the Iron Heart by Harry Turtledove

What if V-E Day didn’t end the nightmare in Europe? In this alternate-history thriller, SS Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich, "The Man with the Iron Heart," survives the 1942 assassination attempt that killed him in our timeline, and goes on to mastermind a relentless Werwolf insurgency across occupied Germany. With car bombs, suicide attacks, and dirty bombs, Heydrich turns the Allied victory into a protracted battle against a shadowy guerrilla force, forcing the conquerors to fight for control rather than celebrate victory.

Turtledove weaves a complex narrative through multiple viewpoints: Heydrich’s cold strategic brilliance, the NKVD’s ruthless countermeasures, the moral dilemmas of American counter-intelligence officers, and the growing unrest back home led by an Indiana housewife turned anti-occupation activist. As political pressure mounts, democratic institutions crack, and public sentiment turns, the Allies find themselves in a grueling campaign eerily reminiscent of 21st-century counterinsurgency missions. This is a deeply resonant, high-stakes story of how the peace after victory can become the most brutal war of all

15. Hitler's War by Harry Turtledove

With a stroke of the pen, the course of history alters dramatically. In 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, determined to avoid war at all costs, signed the Munich Accord, relinquishing part of Czechoslovakia to Hitler. However, the following spring, Hitler seized the remainder of the country and expanded beyond its borders, igniting World War II. England, having appeased Hitler, found itself ill-prepared for the ensuing conflict. In this thrilling alternate history by Harry Turtledove, a different scenario unfolds: What if Chamberlain had refrained from signing the accord? What if Hitler had acted impulsively before his army was fully prepared—would such impatience have bolstered his success or hastened his downfall?

16. Moon of Ice by Brad Linaweaver

In a world where Nazi Germany triumphed—seizing the first atomic bomb and subjugating Europe—a tense cold war simmers between a fractured libertarian America and the authoritarian Reich. Thirty years later, Hilda Goebbels, daughter of Hitler’s propaganda minister, plans to publish her father’s secret diaries, exposing truths far darker than any official history. Through the alternating voices of Joseph Goebbels’s chillingly candid journal entries and Hilda’s defiant narrative, Brad Linaweaver explores the brutal contrasts between oppressive order and chaotic freedom.

But the past refuses to stay buried. Within the shadows of the Reich, a fanatical SS scientist prepares to unleash a genetically engineered apocalypse, determined to rebuild humanity in a warped image of Aryan perfection. As conspiracy, fanaticism, and rebellion collide, Hilda must decide whether exposing her father’s words will save the world—or hasten its destruction. Moon of Ice is a haunting blend of alternate history, political philosophy, and high-stakes drama that challenges the very meaning of power, morality, and survival.

17. Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

In an alternate 1956 where Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan reign supreme, the Axis powers stage the monumental Axis Tour—a grueling, cross-continental motorcycle race from Berlin to Tokyo. Yael, a survivor of horrific experiments in a concentration camp, possesses the uncanny ability to “skinshift.” Tasked by the resistance to impersonate last year’s female champion, Adele Wolfe, she enters the deadly competition with only one goal: to win, earn an audience with Adolf Hitler, and assassinate him from within his inner circle.

But adopting Adele’s identity proves fraught—especially with Adele’s protective twin brother Felix and former love interest Luka Löwe watching her every move. As Yael fights through excruciating terrain, attacks, and the ever-tightening scrutiny of her rivals, she begins to question: can she maintain her deception without losing herself in the process? Wolf by Wolf is a pulse-pounding blend of alternate history, high-stakes espionage, and profound exploration of identity, loss, and what it truly means to become someone else to survive.

Check out The Ultimate List of Nearly 100 Best Alternate History Books