McDaid, John. "The Ashbazu Effect"
Divergence: c 2330 BCE
What if: Printing was invented in ancient Sumeria.
Summary: During the reign of Sargon, a scribe of tales — "continuing lines" in which he imagines the outcome of altered events — encounters difficulty in making a living. He travels to meet the inventor of printing for help.
Published: In ReVisions (eds. Julie E. Czernada and Isaac Szpindel), q.v.
Awards: Finalist: 2004 Sidewise Award for best short-form alternate history.