| "Cayos in the Stream" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Author | Harry Turtledove |
| First Appearance | Tor.com |
| Reprinted | No |
| Collected | No |
| Illustrator | Gregory Manchess |
| Genre(s) | Alternate history |
| Publication date | August 7, 2013 |
"Cayos in the Stream" is an alternate history short story by Harry Turtledove, published online at Tor.com on August 7, 2013.
The story focuses on Ernest Hemingway's 1942 patrols for German U-boats off the cost of Cuba, to get some peace of mind from his failed marriage and do his part for the war effort at the same time. In OTL, Hemingway never found any, and there is actually some suggestion that it was an elaborate stunt on his part. In this story, he does find one, off Cayo Bernardo, and destroys it by throwing a bomb disguised as fire extinguisher down its hatch and ends up lauded as a hero throughout the United States, even though his wife leaves him, saying his immaturity during the whole thing could have endangered his sons, whom he has taken along.
The story is very limited in its alteration to general history. It does not appear that Hemingway's encounter will change the course of the war or any major historical events, although his own life does alter considerably. In that sense, it might better be called an "alternate biography" of Hemingway.
Literary Comment[]
The title "Cayos in the Stream" is an homage to Hemingway's posthumously published novel, Islands in the Stream.
See also[]
- "The House That George Built", an "alternate biography" of Babe Ruth in a similar vein.
- "The Eighth-Grade History Class Visits the Hebrew Home for the Aging", another "alternate biography" about a historical figure, in this case, Anne Frank.
- "But It Does Move", another story that concentrates on altering the life of an individual rather than the whole of history, in this case Galileo Galilei.
- "We Haven't Got There Yet", a story where historical playwright William Shakespeare has a potentially career-altering experience, but the effects of this experience on history aren't explored.
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