Alternate histories, counterfactuals, "what-if" fiction – these are some of the names given to stories that look back at the past through a kaleidoscopic lens, reimagining historical figures and events to create past worlds that differ in strange and unexpected ways from our own.
I prefer the term twisted histories and in my Twelve Minutes to Midnight series, I've had great fun weaving new stories from the warp and weft of the late Victorian and early Edwardian eras.
My latest book, The Black Crow Conspiracy, takes place in the shadow of King Edward VII's coronation as Penelope Tredwell uncovers a sinister plot that could threaten world peace, yet also prevent the first world war. If you like your history with a twist, here are my top ten recommendations.
1. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
Set in an alternative 19th century where King James III sits on the throne and a cross-channel tunnel has brought ravenous wolves to England's shores, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase is the first in a thrilling series of alternate history adventures from a masterful storyteller.
2. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
One for teens looking to move on from Tolkien, this spellbinding novel took Susanna Clarke ten years to write, interlacing period detail and folklore to create a vividly realised portrayal of an early 19th century England where magic has returned. The prose echoes Austen, whilst historical events such as the Battle of Waterloo are transformed by the presence of enchantment, with the magician Jonathan Strange conjuring monstrous hands from the earth to drag Napoleon's troops to their doom.
3. The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling
Hailed by many as the first steampunk novel, The Difference Engine depicts an alternative timeline where Charles Babbage has succeeded in the construction of his prototype computers, the Difference Engine and its successor, the Analytical Engine. This heralds a technological revolution alongside the industrial one, with steam-powered computers transforming a society now ruled by an intellectual elite. With hackers becoming clackers, the novel presents a fascinating exploration of a Victorian information age, with some adult themes making this one for older teens.
4. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
When Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated, Europe is plunged into war, but this conflict is between the Germanic Clankers, armed with elaborate war machinery, and the Allied Darwinists who have genetically-engineered battle creatures such as the living whale airship of the title. This teen steampunk take on the First World War is a breathless adventure which is continued in its sequels Behemoth and Goliath.
5. Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
I might be stretching my definition of twisted histories to include this novel, but with its world of airships and anbaric power, Northern Lights mixes fantasy with parallel world history to produce one of the outstanding children's books of our age and a heroine for all time in the form of Lyra.
6. The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers
More of a secret history than counterfactual fiction, The Riddle of the Sands is an invasion novel first published in 1903 which predicted the coming conflict with Germany. A civil servant's sailing holiday uncovers a plot to invade Britain and the accuracy with which the novel depicted Britain's defensive weaknesses actually influenced the siting of new naval bases in the run up to the First World War.
7. The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick
From the master of speculative fiction, The Man in the High Castle is a high-concept crossover novel based on the premise that Germany and Japan beat the Allied forces in the second world war, dividing the conquered United States between them. In a typical Philip K Dick twist, there is a novel within the novel, The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, depicting an alternate history where the Allied powers were triumphant.
8. Hitler's Angel by William Osborne
Taking as its jumping off point Rudolf Hess's flight to Scotland in 1941, Hitler's Angel is a high-octane thriller concerning an Allied mission to send two children undercover into the heart of Germany to kidnap a girl who could end the war. Real people and events are mixed in with high-concept twists to create a blockbuster tale.
9. Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Set in an alternate 1985 where superheroes are real, Richard Nixon is still the US president and the doomsday clock is ticking ever closer to midnight, this groundbreaking graphic novel showed that comics weren't just for kids and helped launch geek culture: changing the world of the superhero from four-colour fandom to the 3D Hollywood-devouring spectacle we see today.
10. Doctor Who
Finally, I couldn't omit the 51-year-old Time Lord. For me, the best of the Doctor's adventures are when he travels back in time, twisting history to save the day. From romancing the doomed Madame de Pompadour to solving the mystery of Agatha Christie's disappearance at the mandibles of an extraterrestrial wasp, the Doctor has played a role in many of the great events from history. Hopefully we'll see new Doctor Peter Capaldi doggedly building a parliamentary majority to stop the Rutan from preventing the repeal of the Corn Laws... And there is plenty of Doctor Who fiction to read as well, including the wonderful 11 Doctors, 11 Stories soon to be updated with a Peter Capaldi chapter by Holly Black.
• This article was amended on 3 September 2014 to clarify that not all of the books in the list have been written for children.
You can buy Christopher's latest book The Black Crow Conspiracy from the Guardian bookshop. Find out more about Christopher on his website www.christopheredge.co.uk.
