The Wages of Sin

About the book

2024 Nominee for Sidewise Award. The Sidewise Awards for Alternate History were founded in 1995 to honor the most outstanding alternate history stories and novels of the year.

A chilling narrative about the spread of HIV in the early sixteenth century penned by an author referred to as ‘The Master of Alternate History’ by Publisher Weekly.

Imagine if HIV began to spread in the 1500s instead of the 1900s. With no modern medical advancements, those infected with HIV face certain death.

In response to this deadly disease, a patriarchal society takes action by segregating women as much as possible, restricting interactions between genders to only married couples. While not perfect, these extreme measures do help contain the spread of the virus.

The ‘Wasting’ (HIV) has ravaged the world and hindered technological progress, resulting in a mid-nineteenth century England and London that is vastly different from our own. This is the world that Viola inhabits. Gifted with intelligence and surrounded by medical books, she yearns to explore distant lands, a dream she can only fulfill through reading since her movements are severely restricted by societal norms and laws.

Thoroughly researched and intricately detailed, this book is a masterpiece by the legendary Harry Turtledove, showcasing his expertise in historical and alternate history literature.

KEY POINTSWhile set in a meticulously reconstructed nineteenth century London, the book addresses timely issues that resonate with today’s society.

Themes include societal and institutional responses to pandemics, access to healthcare, gender disparities, and the exploitation of such inequalities in the search for solutions to gender-neutral illnesses.

The narrative also examines the irrational stigma and discrimination akin to our reactions to the AIDS epidemic and other diseases, including Covid-19.