Weapons of Choice
A Novel of the Axis of Time
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4.2 • 126 Ratings
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- $3.99
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- $3.99
Publisher Description
On the eve of America’s greatest victory in the Pacific, a catastrophic event disrupts the course of World War II, forever changing the rules of combat. . . .
The impossible has spawned the unthinkable. A military experiment in the year 2021 has thrust an American-led multinational armada back to 1942, right into the middle of the U.S. naval task force speeding toward Midway Atoll—and what was to be the most spectacular U.S. triumph of the entire war.
Thousands died in the chaos, but the ripples had only begun. For these veterans of Pearl Harbor—led by Admirals Nimitz, Halsey, and Spruance—have never seen a helicopter, or a satellite link, or a nuclear weapon. And they’ve never encountered an African American colonel or a British naval commander who was a woman and half-Pakistani. While they embrace the armada’s awesome firepower, they may find the twenty-first century sailors themselves far from acceptable.
Initial jubilation at news the Allies would win the war is quickly doused by the chilling realization that the time travelers themselves—by their very presence—have rendered history null and void. Celebration turns to dread when the possibility arises that other elements of the twenty-first century task force may have also made the trip—and might now be aiding Yamamoto and the Japanese.
What happens next is anybody’s guess—and everybody’s nightmare. . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
At the start of Australian author Birmingham's stellar debut novel, a United Nations battle group, clustered around the U.S.S. Hillary Clinton (named after "the most uncompromising wartime president in the history of the United States"), is tasked in the year 2021 with stopping ethnic cleansing by an Islamist regime in Indonesia. When an experiment goes horribly wrong on a special ship doing research on wormholes, most of the battle group is deposited in the middle of the U.S. fleet on its way to Midway in 1942. The WWII carriers and supporting vessels attack a Japanese Self-Defense Force ship, triggering devastating computer-operated defensive fire from the 21st-century fleet. While the action sequences are outstanding, this book really shines in depicting the cultural shock that both navies experience. The Clinton group reflects a multicultural society that finds the racist and sexist attitudes of 1942 America almost as repugnant as those of the Axis powers, while the mere thought of non-whites and women not just serving in uniform but holding command drives many Allied officers and civilian officials apoplectic. The author also subtly shows the ways in which 20-plus years of the War on Terrorism have changed our attitudes. Unlike many alternate histories, the novel avoids the wish-fulfillment aspect inherent in the genre. This is the first of what should be a hugely (and deservedly) successful series.
Customer Reviews
Great read!
Birmingham does a great job at incorporating a futuristic approach on a Navy from the future being placed in 1942. He doesn’t just go all out and give all the advantage to one side and give a happy ending approach of everyone working together right away. Showing the social and cultural struggles of both time lines really helps give a stronger grasp on as to how things would most likely be. Phenomenal read from start to finish
Great time travel trilogy with drones but no GPS
If you like the movie “The Final Countdown” and wish there was more to it, these are the books for you. Well written, page turner. Similar but not the same plot as the movie. They are stuck back there after Pearl Harbor. Can they change the couse of history and bring a quick end to WW II using the flagship “The Hil” and her international escorts.
Great Triology
I think these books are a great read. The author does a good job, sometimes too good, developing the story. Parts tend to drag, but overall good.