Once There Was a Way - (Breakpoint) by Bryce Zabel (Paperback)

About the Book

Imagine that The Beatles never broke up but instead worked out their differences, continuing to make history as the greatest rock-and-roll band ever while living new adventures and creating a soundtrack for generations of fans to come.

Book Synopsis

Imagine that The Beatles never broke up but instead worked out their differences, continuing to make history as the greatest rock-and-roll band ever while living new adventures and creating a soundtrack for generations of fans to come.

Review Quotes

"The attention to detail is amazing and the way the author weaves in truth and fiction is remarkable." - Barb Fischer, reviewer/blogger, Married Book Nerds

"Once There Was a Way's greatest strength is its [historical] divergence and subject are not based on war and politics. The real stars of the show are the Beatles and how they overcame their egos to play on as a unified band... a refreshing change of pace. If you want to see how a rock band can change history, then [this book] is worth checking out." - Matt Mitrovich, alternate history reviewer, Amazing Stories

"Once There Was a Way offers Beatles fans a glimpse into moments with the band which never happened in our own timeline. When Zabel describes their concert in Central Park, he brings the event to life in a way that makes the reader wish the concert had actually happened." - Steven H. Silver, founder, Sidewise Award for Alternate History

"A fun ride... a believable alternate version of 1968-1976." - Edward S. Chen, Podcast Host, When They Was Fab: Electric Argument About The Beatles

"I love the way Bryce has combined his vast knowledge of the Beatles with his fabulously, wild imagination. This is an alternate history of the Beatles that at times makes you wonder which parts are real and which ones are made up. So much fun! So inventive! A great read!" - Donny Most, Actor/Director, Happy Days

"Early in the book there is a meeting between John, Paul, Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon. As I was reading I found myself wondering why I had never heard the story before, and how great it would have been to be a fly on the wall that night... totally forgetting it NEVER HAPPENED. So skilled is the writing that not 50 pages in and I had already completely accepted Bryce's reverse engineering of history. If you are a Beatles fan, you really need to read this. If you are not a Beatles fan, you really need to read it anyway." - Josh Kaplan, Executive Producer, Good Day LA

"What a joy! The challenge of an alternative history novel is to make it as rich and detailed as an actual history book-in other words, the author needs a fertile mind capable of true world-building. Zabel has that kind of mind. He clearly has encyclopedic knowledge of the seminal events and personalities of the 70s and 80s and puts it to great use as he transports the Beatles from one iconic person/event to another. Small spoiler alert here - if you get a little thrill imagining the Beatles onstage at Woodstock, this book is for you. Some quantum physicists say that in one universe or another, all paths are taken. If that's true, then what Zabel writes here is really happening on an alternate plane-and I for one would like to visit it! This book is a triumph." - Brad Lemley, Author, former Contributing Editor, Discover magazine

"As a semi-avid Beatles fan, I'm pretty familiar with the band's history, but this book provides fascinating additional detail, then embellishes it with imaginative what-might-have-beens! For instance, I was unaware that the Beatles and Stanley Kubrick were considering making a Lord of the Rings film together. (This is actual fact, which I looked up after reading about it here.) Zabel takes this premise and develops it in a whole new direction, which is wildly entertaining while remaining completely plausible. There are numerous, mind-blowing examples throughout the book, and I don't want to spoil them here, but it was great fun to learn actual Beatles lore and then see it sprout into well-told fiction. Zabel's background as a news-man and dramatic storyteller serves him and his readers well!" - Eric Estrin, Editor, Movie Smackdown

"This book is devilishly clever while never treating the subject matter with disrespect. If you are a fan of the Beatles, if you grew up in the 60's and 70's, or if you just like crisp, entertaining writing, this is a