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Weapons of Choice: World War 2.1 - Alternative History Science Fiction Paperback – 7 Dec. 2006

by John Birmingham (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 1,551 ratings
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The impossible has spawned the unthinkable.

In 2021, a quantum military experiment goes horrifically wrong. A multinational taskforce of ultra-modern warships is suddenly transported back in time to 1942... right into the path of the US naval battle group bound for Midway Atoll.

History is rewritten in an instant as the future smashes into the past, and high-tech hardware goes head to head with World War Two technology. In the chaos that ensues, thousands are killed, but the maelstrom has only just begun. The veterans of Pearl Harbour have never seen a helicopter, or a cruise missile - let alone nanotechnology, ceramic bullets, and F22 Raptor stealth jetfighters.

Allied and Axis forces are then caught in a desperate struggle to gain the upper hand - each hoping to tip the balance with a fist full of twenty first century firepower.

What happens next is anybody's guess - and everybody's nightmare...

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  1. Book 1 of 5
    Axis of Time
  2. Print length
    816 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Penguin
  5. Publication date
    7 Dec. 2006
  6. Dimensions
    11.1 x 4.9 x 18.1 cm
  7. ISBN-10
    0141029110
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0141029115
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Product description

About the Author

John Birmingham lives in Australia, and is the author of the cult classic He Died With a Falafel in His Hand and the award-winning history Leviathan. Between writing books he contributes to a wide range of newspapers and magazines on topics as diverse as biotechnology and national security.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 7 Dec. 2006
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 816 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0141029110
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0141029115
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 435 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 11.1 x 4.9 x 18.1 cm
  • Book 1 of 5 ‏ : ‎ Axis of Time
  • Customer reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 1,551 ratings

About the author

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John Birmingham

John Birmingham

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Hey there. It's me. JB. Right now I'm probably kicking back on my hovercraft somewhere in the Antilles, or the Maldives, enjoying a dissolute, essentially meaningless life funded by your generous book purchases. Please, don't make me go back to selling my bodily fluids to science. Buy my books now and I promise to keep indulging myself in grotesque pleasures and luxury that I haven't really earned.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
1,551 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book action-packed and well-written, describing it as a page-turner with an epic journey. They appreciate its depth, with one customer noting it's well thought out from a linear perspective, and find it fun to read. However, the character development receives negative feedback from multiple customers.

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Story qualityReadabilityWriting qualityDepthEntertainment valueCharacter development
18 customers mention ‘Story quality’16 positive2 negative

Customers enjoy the action-packed story of this alternative history science fiction book, with one customer noting it's the best blend of sci-fi and WW2 action.

"...book, and in terms of the ideas explored in across it's pages, fascinating...." Read more

"...This is the best blending of sci-fi and WW2 action since Neal Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon...." Read more

"...is a master of writing about battle but in this book he maintains a tension, if not just above the surface then hovering just below - even when..." Read more

"...The central premise was good and there were good moments, but on the whole I found it hard to care a great deal about the predicaments of the..." Read more

14 customers mention ‘Readability’11 positive3 negative

Customers find the book absolutely terrific and really great to read.

"...but donot let this put you off, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am over 70! A really great read." Read more

"Interesting premise that was a good read." Read more

"This book is an ok read. I was expecting much more from it...." Read more

"i really liked this book, fantstic read and quite humourous with the un PC dialogue, brilliant idea, cant wait to read the next one!only complaint..." Read more

12 customers mention ‘Writing quality’12 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, describing it as a page-turner, with one customer noting its excellent blend of fact and fiction.

"...Beyond that however, this is a very well written book, and in terms of the ideas explored in across it's pages, fascinating...." Read more

"...Birmingham is a great writer. His characters are flawed, but likeable, three-dimensional entities...." Read more

"...Birmingham is a master of writing about battle but in this book he maintains a tension, if not just above the surface then hovering just below -..." Read more

"...Well written certainly, just a bit too war oriented for my tastes and very little time travel content after the explanation for the 'glitch' that..." Read more

11 customers mention ‘Depth’8 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the depth of the book, finding it well thought out, with one customer noting it has oodles of potential for the author to explore.

"...This book doesn't. It shows us it all, the heroism and the racism and the sexism, the heroes, the lunatics, the geniuses, and the... well, bastards...." Read more

"...But this takes that basic idea and goes a whole lot deeper...." Read more

"...Suddenly, chaos and confusion - too much confusion - we need a clearer picture of what is happening but those few seconds are dragged out... so much..." Read more

"...easy to read romp with a fascinating concept and oodles of potential for the author to explore, and I am looking forward to seeing how they develop..." Read more

4 customers mention ‘Entertainment value’4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining.

"...deep, it did have some good thoughtful moments to complement some fun action and technobabble, as well as the contrast between the clashing cultures..." Read more

"...Personally, while it was engaging enough, it only just held my attention long enough to complete it and I feel that I won't be visiting it's sequels..." Read more

"All sorts of fun..." Read more

"Fun and good..." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Character development’0 positive3 negative

Customers criticize the lack of character development in the book.

"...Birmingham is a great writer. His characters are flawed, but likeable, three-dimensional entities...." Read more

"...No character development I just couldn't get into the story. I didn't care what happened to any of the characters and it lacked any real depth...." Read more

"...Found it to be flat and 1 dimensional and lacked any real character and plot depth!..." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • TomCon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well this is an interesting one...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 November 2012
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    ...for a whole host of reasons. I'll be honest, I bought this having read about it on TV Tropes, and I think the line which sold me on it was 'time traveling, SAS Prince Harry'. Well you certainly get that!

    Beyond that however, this is a very well written book, and in terms of the ideas explored in across it's pages, fascinating. It does show it's age somewhat (like most books set 20 minutes into the future tbh), but even so it gives us a somewhat chilling vision of a world of 2021 as if the War on Terror had actually extended into an all up war that had rumbled on for decades (along with the consequences of such warfare on the world's militaries and the continuance of social trends of today), then goes ahead and juxtaposes that brutally with the martial and popular culture of the 1940s. Could have gone so wrong, so easily, yet it works brilliantly.

    Which leads me onto the other thing about this book (and it's sequels for that matter): it gives us a very close look at the social attitudes of the 1940s and the heroes of WW2. All too often, literature (and just about every form of media) tends to look back on that time as a golden age, where for the Allies, all was noble and grand, and where the figures were genuine all-round heroes of legend, whilst for the Axis, all was oppressive and evil, and all of their soldiers and scientists and leaders were utterly inhuman monsters. This book doesn't. It shows us it all, the heroism and the racism and the sexism, the heroes, the lunatics, the geniuses, and the... well, bastards. Even more refreshingly, it does that for both the Allied and Axis powers, and doesn't pull any punches for either of them.

    And yet along with all of that, it still manages to retain a sense of humour (such as that wonderful moment involving FDR, Eisenhower and a comment about how since he wasn't president yet, Eisenhower still had to work for a living), and despite the introspection, the action sequences are some of the best I've ever read.

    So, all told, this book it very much recommended.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • mikey
    4.0 out of 5 stars All sorts of fun
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 November 2019
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    This is not so much a review of this one book so much as a review of the whole series.

    That’s because I bought this first one and enjoyed it so much I immediately got the next two books in the series.

    Now, in essence this is a goofy idea. It was explored in the thoroughly ridiculous 1980 movie The Final Countdown .

    But this takes that basic idea and goes a whole lot deeper. The examination of culture clashes between the 21st-Century military and their 1940s counterparts are at least as important as the kickass action sequences.

    And, let me tell you, the kickass action sequences are most definitely worth the price of admission.

    Birmingham is a great writer. His characters are flawed, but likeable, three-dimensional entities. Maybe a bit more durable than real-life people but that’s adventure stories for you.

    Couple of minor quibbles:

    The ‘future tech’ the writer imagined for 2021 in 2004 is, for the most part, still not yet realised but maybe in 2031 it will be.

    The 2nd book is definitely the weakest of the series. But it’s worth getting because it sets up the amazing third entry in the trilogy.

    But, that said, even the second book has some seriously fun moments.

    This is the best blending of sci-fi and WW2 action since Neal Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon. And I absolutely do not make that comparison lightly.

    This is a lot of fun. Check it out.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Mieczyslaw Kasprzyk
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 April 2014
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Like a movie, the book opens with a countdown concentrating on the bevy of characters that will make up the core of the story. Suddenly, chaos and confusion - too much confusion - we need a clearer picture of what is happening but those few seconds are dragged out... so much is happening...
    Boom! mayhem... chaos. Two fleets from opposite ends of time clash! Slowly, out of the noise and light and murder and confusion of battle things calm down as men and officers begin to take control.
    I'm 200 pages in and never noticed...
    I'm halfway through and I feel like I've been dosed up with some sort of high octane drug... I can't put it down!!
    A clash of fleets but a clash of cultures also. The past is another world, alien, unrecognisable because our own attitudes, everything we take for granted, haven't begun to evolve yet...
    Birmingham does something here I've never come across before and I think it shows a depth of perception that has to be applauded. It would be very difficult to deal with this issue in straightforward literature - you need a medium like SF (where anything can happen and any issue can become the chief focus). It's not long before the dangers posed by this alien past become a genuine concern for those who have been thrust - and stranded - there.
    Birmingham is a master of writing about battle but in this book he maintains a tension, if not just above the surface then hovering just below - even when things have calmed down. You want to be a page ahead all the time... what happens next... what happens next... what happens next....
    This one comes HIGHLY recommended.
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Aj
    5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book
    Reviewed in Canada on 13 May 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I loved every thingabout this book. The story line was great and so was the concept. I would recommend this book
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  • Carl Peeters
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great story
    Reviewed in Australia on 26 July 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Great story, very interestingly done
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  • Matt McWhirter
    5.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed it for what it was [may contain spoilers]
    Reviewed in the United States on 13 February 2017
    Verified Purchase
    When I first read this book, I was not able to put it down, and I must of re-read the chapters concerned the initial battle between the 1942 fleet and the 2021 five times. Quite honestly I'd like to see a competent director put it to film. -- This book isn't without its flaws, but I suppose I liked it as much as I did I wasn't expecting the realism and plausibility of how characters from both eras think, speak, behave and approach the situations. As well as how accurately the battles and the technology is depicted. It definitely doesn't read like a overly imaginative teenager wrote it.

    Myself being former military, I had lower expectations on the realism of the modern technology. When I saw "2021" on the plot summary; I was initially expecting to read about far-fetched future war technology that neither exists today, nor likely to exist in 2021 for that matter. The first few pages describe the 2021 ships with fictionalized class names like "Nemesis-Class Stealth Cruiser", and an aircraft named after Hillary Clinton... and so already I was fairly skeptical thinking "Alrighty, .I guess I'm really going to have to turn my brain off before this book even starts".

    Well, I am very happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised. -- What initially seemed like a book I was skeptical of keeping interest in and finishing; turned out to be an intelligently written book where the battles were epically described and entertaining, but also realistic and plausible. It answers the questions of "If the 1942 Midway Fleet got into a all out sea-battle with a present day Naval carrier battle group....how would that happen?"

    Despite the fictional class names of the 2021 Fleet; the descriptions of the cruisers and destroyers themselves were not unlike the Ticonderoga and Arleigh-Burke class ships we currently have. The capabilities of the so called "Nemesis" array is described very similar to the Aegis Combat System. Anyone unfamiliar with how it works might think its far-fetched. The main difference is an "auto-pilot" like capability where the navigation and fire control can be computer controlled in the event the ship's crew is incapacitated or killed by a biological weapon. -- Which is how things go terribly wrong from the outset. -- The only far-fetched part is the research vessel that accidentally sends the 2021 fleet back. With the fleet itself being very close to a present day carrier battle group than a "futuristic" fleet of ships that doesn't exist yet.

    Despite the rest of the book afterward....my favorite part that makes it what it is, was the initial battle. It alternates between the point of view of both the 2021 sailors and Marines of the various ships, as well as the WW2 sailors on the different ships in Spruance's Pacific Fleet, who think the former it the Japanese fleet due to the nearest ship being a Japanese Self-Defense Force cruiser. Their thoughts and reactions are very on point as some sailors remark how the ships appear mostly defenseless "with only one 5" gun" being visible, and for a short-time wonder why they aren't fighting back despite Spruance ordering his fleet to open fire. The descriptions of the triple turrets being fired with their flash-bulb effect immediately brings to mind the documentaries of the Battle of Midway. -- While the 2021 crews are either unconscious or very sick with from the effect of the time travel, and unable to perform their duties.

    When the computerized systems first take defensive action, its told from the point of view of Spruance and the 1942 crews. The book does a great job of painting an unforgettable picture, but to them... the previously unresponsive and 'defenseless looking' mystery ships suddenly send several pillars of white fire that light up the night sky, then blackness, then 20 seconds laters the carriers Yorktown and Hornet, cruisers Portland, New Orleans, Indianapolis, and most of the destroyers are obliterated almost simultaneously with all hands lost. Also seen are impossibly accurate tracer fire that quickly eliminates all of the F4-F Wildcats and Dauntless bombers sent up. -- To the characters, they are unable to process the massacre or the unnamed weapons are seeing; whereas, we the reader have a pretty good idea that the white pillars of fire are anti-ship cruise missiles and the impossibly accurate anti-air are the CIWS. Again, it'd be interesting if someone could make a film of it. -- The only thing is that isn't clear why Spruance's carrier, the Enterprise isn't targeted. The USS Astoria only survives because one of the 21st century cruisers halfway materializes into it.

    Despite the fact that Navy carrier battle group is sent back to World War 2, to include troop transport ships with a Marine Expeditionary Unit, Abrams tanks, Cobra gunships, Harrier jets; they won't be able to win the war as quickly as one might think. Despite being able to wipe out most of the 1942 fleet, due to it being within visual range of the ships; none of the satellites made the trip back severely diminishing the long-range capabilities; and that before the computerized defenses came online, the 1942 fleet did quite a bit of damage, namely a Dauntless bomber destroying most of the F22s and F35s on the flight deck and the carrier's catapults before the CIWS took over. And last but not least....not all of the 21st century ships ended up in the same place, which is where things really start to get interesting.

    The only part of the book I'm not sure what to make of, is the whole political one. While I do know that racism, homophobia and sexism were very common in the 1942, I'm not sure whether the author may be overly exaggerating it... or telling it like it really was. The N-word appears over 30 times, which...to each their own, but its why I have my doubts on this series becoming a movie anytime soon. -- That being said, the Commanding Officer of the 2021 Marine Expeditionary Unit is a 6'4 African-American Colonel and the way he handles it and puts a few in their place is rather satisfying: ( "You don't know me yet, so I'll let your disrespect pass...but I know ya know THESE dont ya boy! *pointing to his silver eagles* And you'll respect the uniform of the U.S. Marine Corps or I'll beat that respect into ya!" )

    There are a few over the top characters like Prince Harry being an British SAS leader or the female NY Times reporter that more of a elite solider than an embedded reporter; but these are fairly minor bits that don't really take away from what I liked about it. I've re-read Chapters 2-8 so many times and it never gets old.
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  • Holzwurm
    5.0 out of 5 stars ein würdiger Tom Clancy-Nachfolger ..
    Reviewed in Germany on 31 May 2007
    Verified Purchase
    Wenn man die zugegeben abenteuerliche Prämisse des Buches (Schlachtschiff-Verband aus dem 21. Jahrhundert wird aufgrund eines mißglückten Experiments in das Jahr 1942 versetzt) akzeptiert, ist die Axis of Time-Trilogie ein spannender Techno-Thriller, der angenehm an frühe Tom Clancy-Bücher erinnert. Der Twist, das Technologie aus dem 21. Jahrhundert beiden Kriegsparteien in die Hände fällt, mischt die Karten im 2. Weltkrieg völlig neu. Auch die Charaktere sind gut herausgearbeitet, und ein interessanter Subplot dreht sich um die alltäglichen Konflikte zwischen den konservativen Amerikanern der 40er Jahre und der multikulturellen, liberalen Crew aus dem 21. Jahrhundert. Der Humor kommt auch nicht zu kurz, sei verraten.
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  • T. M. Stamler
    4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Good, But He Should Have Stopped Here
    Reviewed in Canada on 25 November 2009
    Verified Purchase
    Since there have already been several reviews about this book, I'll make this brief.

    One of the things I love about alternate history is that you find out how little you really know about the original history. Birmingham definitely did his research here, and it made the story work well.

    The characters are both interesting and likeable, even some of the more close-minded ones in their way, and their reactions to what they might have ended up becoming is also fascinating. That in mind, I kinda wish the author had spent more time on them and their reactions, instead of bouncing back and forth between our boys and girls from the future and the '42s (as the past folks end up being called).

    And he ended the book well, too. You are just getting to the end, you have enjoyed it, but think, 'I think I'll skip on the other two books', when BAM! He ends the book with an unbelievable hook, and now you have to read the other two. I bought them, got about 100 pages into the second and lost interest. Mostly because, like I said, too much time was spent on the future guys and not enough on the past. I had just finished reading S.M Stirling's Nantucket series when I started this, and that one does focus more on the future people, but that story is set 3000 years in the past, where, or when, we have little to no information of what all was going on. In 1942, going on 70 years ago, we have all kinds of records, journals, reports and footage of what went on, so there's no reason more time couldn't have been spent on that era.

    But that I didn't notice until the second book; like I said, if he had left it off with the first one, it woul've been an invigorating and eye-opening romp, with a great cliffhanger ending to boot, but unfortunately, everyone's gotta be making trilogies these days.
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