alternative vs novel

alternative

adj
  • Other; different from something else. 

  • Relating to a choice between two or more possibilities. 

  • Presenting two or more alternatives. 

  • Not traditional, outside the mainstream, underground. 

noun
  • A situation which allows a mutually exclusive choice between two or more possibilities; a choice between two or more possibilities. 

  • One of several mutually exclusive things which can be chosen. 

  • alternative rock 

  • A non-offensive word or phrase that serves as a replacement for a word deemed offensive or unacceptable, though not as a euphemism. 

  • The remaining option; something available after other possibilities have been exhausted. 

novel

adj
  • Original, especially in an interesting way; new and striking; not of the typical or ordinary type. 

  • Newly made, formed or evolved; having no precedent; of recent origin; new. 

noun
  • A new legal constitution in ancient Rome. 

  • A work of prose fiction, longer than a novella. 

  • A fable; a short tale, especially one of many making up a larger work. 

How often have the words alternative and novel occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )