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Axis of Time #1
Weapons of Choice: World War 2.1
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.
450 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2004
564 people are currently reading
3707 people want to read
About the author
John Birmingham
76 books1,136 followersJohn Birmingham grew up in Ipswich, Queensland and was educated at St Edmunds Christian Brother's College in Ipswich and the University of Queensland in Brisbane. His only stint of full time employment was as a researcher at the Defence Department. After this he returned to Queensland to study law but he did not complete his legal studies, choosing instead to pursue a career as a writer. He currently lives in Brisbane.
While a law student he was one of the last people arrested under the state's Anti Street March legislation. Birmingham was convicted of displaying a sheet of paper with the words 'Free Speech' written on it in very small type. The local newspaper carried a photograph of him being frogmarched off to a waiting police paddy wagon.
Birmingham has a degree in international relations.
While a law student he was one of the last people arrested under the state's Anti Street March legislation. Birmingham was convicted of displaying a sheet of paper with the words 'Free Speech' written on it in very small type. The local newspaper carried a photograph of him being frogmarched off to a waiting police paddy wagon.
Birmingham has a degree in international relations.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 284 reviews
November 5, 2009
5.0 stars (this one may make it on to the 6 star book list). I did not have big expectations about this book when I first started reading it. Being a history buff and a SF reader, I was just hoping for a fun read. What I got was something superbly plotted, very well written and unique. Not unique in so far as the concept of people from the future going back in time (specifically World War II), which has been done many, many times before. Rather, what was unique, and made this book so intriguing, was that the people and countries involved in World War II become aware of how "their future" was supposed to play out and, in the case of the Axis powers, are forced to change their plans in order to try and thwart history. Makes for an incredible novel and I can not wait to read the rest of the series. Highly Recommended!!!
May 12, 2012
This was my first novel by Birmingham, as he came highly recommended by http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/14... (a reviewer everyone should be following). This author had some big shoes to fill as I've been a voracious reader for thirty years.
This novel is equal to Rally Cry, A Hymn Before Battle, and Island in the Sea of Time.
I looked over the weaker starred ratings as always. A noticeable sign again among those reviewers: they have read few if any "military" fiction, let alone "alternate history military fiction". Shame on you.
Some reviewers commented on racism and sexism as complete turn offs. And yet the characters displaying these brutish traits rings true for the 1940's. The author didn't bludgeon the reader with this; at least not in my opinion. Of course I didn't get hung up on it either. Historically in the United States during this time inequality was the norm. And not many decades before, much of the population could not even vote. Not every character can be Clint Eastwood riding into the rescue.
Addressing some of the review points about how this novel was plotted? (An action based novel is NOT going to have long sections of world building or lengthy character development). They are not meant to. I wouldn't pick up a Harlequin Romance novel and then complain about terrible pacing/plotting from the author, quipping, "There is too much lovey-dovey emotional crap going on and not enough ass kicking." A review like that from me would be idiotic. I don't read romance novels, so I am not qualified to judge what makes a good romance novel.
If you like military fiction, you will like this novel. If you are a fan of Tom Clancy or Larry Bond, you will like this book. W.E.B. Griffin anyone? Then you will like this book.
Many of the novels I have read in 2012, came from recommendations here on GoodReads. I'm on the constant lookout for more friends with eclectic reading habits. Mostly so I can tap into your bookshelves and find my next breakout read...
This novel is equal to Rally Cry, A Hymn Before Battle, and Island in the Sea of Time.
I looked over the weaker starred ratings as always. A noticeable sign again among those reviewers: they have read few if any "military" fiction, let alone "alternate history military fiction". Shame on you.
Some reviewers commented on racism and sexism as complete turn offs. And yet the characters displaying these brutish traits rings true for the 1940's. The author didn't bludgeon the reader with this; at least not in my opinion. Of course I didn't get hung up on it either. Historically in the United States during this time inequality was the norm. And not many decades before, much of the population could not even vote. Not every character can be Clint Eastwood riding into the rescue.
Addressing some of the review points about how this novel was plotted? (An action based novel is NOT going to have long sections of world building or lengthy character development). They are not meant to. I wouldn't pick up a Harlequin Romance novel and then complain about terrible pacing/plotting from the author, quipping, "There is too much lovey-dovey emotional crap going on and not enough ass kicking." A review like that from me would be idiotic. I don't read romance novels, so I am not qualified to judge what makes a good romance novel.
If you like military fiction, you will like this novel. If you are a fan of Tom Clancy or Larry Bond, you will like this book. W.E.B. Griffin anyone? Then you will like this book.
Many of the novels I have read in 2012, came from recommendations here on GoodReads. I'm on the constant lookout for more friends with eclectic reading habits. Mostly so I can tap into your bookshelves and find my next breakout read...
May 17, 2013
This is not a bad book.
Just not great and not deserving of 3 full stars.
I'll always give the alt-Earth story a shot and this started off great with a quick precis on the book's modern day world and then quickly jumping into the WW2 PTO.
The initial drama and consequences of that jump were superb.
After that, though, it became a bit of a grind. The author tried to keep too many characters relevant, I think, while at the same time not really being successful with the general story of how 21st century tech changed the course of not just a war but a world.
He did a good job of adding a layer of conflict not often addressed in these books, that being the roles of women and non-white men in the 40s in the United States. I think he did a good job capturing the kind of conflicts that might arise should a black man or half Pakistani woman show up in the 40s in positions of command.
But, despite some really good sections, overall this book was pretty standard alt-Earth cultural collision stuff and I think Destoyermen does it better.
Again, not a bad book, just not for me and I will not be finishing the series.
Just not great and not deserving of 3 full stars.
I'll always give the alt-Earth story a shot and this started off great with a quick precis on the book's modern day world and then quickly jumping into the WW2 PTO.
The initial drama and consequences of that jump were superb.
After that, though, it became a bit of a grind. The author tried to keep too many characters relevant, I think, while at the same time not really being successful with the general story of how 21st century tech changed the course of not just a war but a world.
He did a good job of adding a layer of conflict not often addressed in these books, that being the roles of women and non-white men in the 40s in the United States. I think he did a good job capturing the kind of conflicts that might arise should a black man or half Pakistani woman show up in the 40s in positions of command.
But, despite some really good sections, overall this book was pretty standard alt-Earth cultural collision stuff and I think Destoyermen does it better.
Again, not a bad book, just not for me and I will not be finishing the series.
November 15, 2024
"Axis of Time" trilogy, by John Birmingham
Weapons of Choice (2004), Axis of Time #1
Designated Targets (2005), Axis of Time #2
Final Impact (2007), Axis of Time #3
This review is for the initial three books of the series, which amount to one long novel , so don't start at #3! I warmly recommend the books to mil-SF and alternate-history fans. To reprise, a naval task force from 2021 is diverted to 1942 by a DARPA teleportation experiment gone spectacularly wrong. In the confusion of the transition, the moderns sink most of Admiral Spruance's fleet, enroute to the Battle of Midway. Oops....
The three books go on to re-fight WW2, and show once again that the oldest cliche' can look fresh in the hands of a good writer with a new approach. Birmingham's innovation here is that the world of 1942 suddenly knows how the next eighty years would play out, if nothing changes. So the Big Losers -- Hitler, Tojo and Stalin -- are frantically trying to rewrite history to keep from going down in flames "again". And the winners must guard their "historic" victory... It's a riveting, twisty, violent story, and man, do those pages turn.
The Axis of Time is a good reminder of just how bad the mid-20th century was, and just how monstrous Hitler and Stalin were. And how warfare brings out the best -- and worst -- in "good" people (and bad). Some of the expedients the "good guys" resort to, to win, are appalling. Which isn't to say, not necessary....
Birmingham's near-future is a rather grim place, and the interactions of 2021 with 1942 are very nicely done. The past is a different country, and the multi-racial men and women-warriors from the 21st century make the folk of 1942 *very* uncomfortable. And vice-versa.
And, of course, Birminghams's fictional version of a "future" 2021 is about to become an alternate past itself. The perils of writing novels set in a near-future!
Birmingham, a well-known Australian humorist, made his first venture into SF here. He's done his homework, and he's an exceptionally good storyteller. The Axis of Time books are thoughtful page-turners. His writing style and pacing are still a little rough, and there's a huge plot-logic flaw
in the first book. The books still rock. Start with the first, Weapons of Choice, and you'll soon know if the series suits your taste. I'm thinking it might be time for a re-read.
[Review written 2007]
Weapons of Choice (2004), Axis of Time #1
Designated Targets (2005), Axis of Time #2
Final Impact (2007), Axis of Time #3
This review is for the initial three books of the series, which amount to one long novel , so don't start at #3! I warmly recommend the books to mil-SF and alternate-history fans. To reprise, a naval task force from 2021 is diverted to 1942 by a DARPA teleportation experiment gone spectacularly wrong. In the confusion of the transition, the moderns sink most of Admiral Spruance's fleet, enroute to the Battle of Midway. Oops....
The three books go on to re-fight WW2, and show once again that the oldest cliche' can look fresh in the hands of a good writer with a new approach. Birmingham's innovation here is that the world of 1942 suddenly knows how the next eighty years would play out, if nothing changes. So the Big Losers -- Hitler, Tojo and Stalin -- are frantically trying to rewrite history to keep from going down in flames "again". And the winners must guard their "historic" victory... It's a riveting, twisty, violent story, and man, do those pages turn.
The Axis of Time is a good reminder of just how bad the mid-20th century was, and just how monstrous Hitler and Stalin were. And how warfare brings out the best -- and worst -- in "good" people (and bad). Some of the expedients the "good guys" resort to, to win, are appalling. Which isn't to say, not necessary....
Birmingham's near-future is a rather grim place, and the interactions of 2021 with 1942 are very nicely done. The past is a different country, and the multi-racial men and women-warriors from the 21st century make the folk of 1942 *very* uncomfortable. And vice-versa.
And, of course, Birminghams's fictional version of a "future" 2021 is about to become an alternate past itself. The perils of writing novels set in a near-future!
Birmingham, a well-known Australian humorist, made his first venture into SF here. He's done his homework, and he's an exceptionally good storyteller. The Axis of Time books are thoughtful page-turners. His writing style and pacing are still a little rough, and there's a huge plot-logic flaw
in the first book. The books still rock. Start with the first, Weapons of Choice, and you'll soon know if the series suits your taste. I'm thinking it might be time for a re-read.
[Review written 2007]
May 18, 2013
Weapons of Choice, and the Axis of Time series in general, is one of those things I can't but help evangelize to any sci-fi or historic fiction fans I know. It's really the only alt-history series I've been able to get into, for good reason.
John Birmingham writes like Tom Clancy minus the pompousness, skewed worldview, overly long plot buildups, and inability to write female characters. He grabs a UN peacekeeping naval force, crewed by Millennials battle-hardened by two decades of the War on Terror, and tosses them back in time to the middle of WWII. It could be absurd, but it's grounded by reasonably well sketched characters with real motivations, a wry writing style peppered with pop culture references, and legitimately fun, page-turning action sequences. It's exceptionally well balanced, and the future fleet is just one or two generations away from our current technology (although 2021 is incredibly optimistic for most of the technologies involved) so as to seem exotic and fascinating without being absurdly unrealistic or overly zany. Like many elements of the plot, the future tech is explained well enough to incite nerdish delight, but it's never overburdensome. Birmingham devotes a lot of time not just to how the fleet's arrival upsets the balance of power, but also to its societal impact and resultant culture clashes. To my eyes, Birmingham treats mid-20th century America rather fairly, and despite the comparative social enlightenment of the 21st century characters, he shows the cultural scars and nihilism that two decades of War on Terror will imprint upon Western society.
Several of the reviews I've seen here remark that there are a few too many characters, but I didn't find it bothersome and none of them are paper cutouts. If you do go on to read Designated Targets and Final Impact, you'll see Birmingham focus on a few choice characters a bit more closely.
John Birmingham writes like Tom Clancy minus the pompousness, skewed worldview, overly long plot buildups, and inability to write female characters. He grabs a UN peacekeeping naval force, crewed by Millennials battle-hardened by two decades of the War on Terror, and tosses them back in time to the middle of WWII. It could be absurd, but it's grounded by reasonably well sketched characters with real motivations, a wry writing style peppered with pop culture references, and legitimately fun, page-turning action sequences. It's exceptionally well balanced, and the future fleet is just one or two generations away from our current technology (although 2021 is incredibly optimistic for most of the technologies involved) so as to seem exotic and fascinating without being absurdly unrealistic or overly zany. Like many elements of the plot, the future tech is explained well enough to incite nerdish delight, but it's never overburdensome. Birmingham devotes a lot of time not just to how the fleet's arrival upsets the balance of power, but also to its societal impact and resultant culture clashes. To my eyes, Birmingham treats mid-20th century America rather fairly, and despite the comparative social enlightenment of the 21st century characters, he shows the cultural scars and nihilism that two decades of War on Terror will imprint upon Western society.
Several of the reviews I've seen here remark that there are a few too many characters, but I didn't find it bothersome and none of them are paper cutouts. If you do go on to read Designated Targets and Final Impact, you'll see Birmingham focus on a few choice characters a bit more closely.
Read
October 28, 2017I’m not going to rate this book because I had to put it in my did not finish pile. I was hoping for something similar to Taylor Anderson’s Destroymen series. Too much political correctness just could not hold my attention. ( here’s a tip for you, don’t name a aircraft carrier the Hillary Clinton. You might as well call it the Al Capone. It is a toss up which is the biggest criminal).
January 12, 2011
It’s January 2021, and an international task force headed up by the USS Hillary Clinton (a George Bush class supercarrier), is off Indonesia, responding to a political crisis caused by the overthrow of the legitimate government and its replacement by the extremist Caliphate. Because of the haste with which the task force was thrown together, they’ve got with them a research ship that had to come along with its protective escort—no time and no spare forces available to send it off to a safer distance. While the rest of the task force waits and prepares for action, the scientists continue their experiments—which, contrary to the official story, do not involve sea floor mapping. Something goes horribly wrong, and major pieces of the task force find themselves someplace else, surrounded by unfamiliar ships behaving in a hostile manner. It’s now 1942, and the unfamiliar ships turn out to be very familiar, once the naval history buffs recover enough to identify them. It’s the US fleet steaming toward Midway. Unfortunately, the two fleets do major damage to each other before the 21st century officers realize they’re all ostensibly friendlies, and then manage to convey that message convincingly to the 1942 Americans.
Conveying this message convincingly is somewhat hampered by the fact that they’ve got a Japanese ship with them, as well as some German officers. And of course life is further complicated by the racially mixed crew, and the fact that both women and blacks are well-represented among the officers. But with major damage to both fleets, including the fact that some of the 21st century task force apparently didn’t make the trip successfully, they have to learn to work together if they’re going to prevent a disaster at Midway.
It’s extremely well-done, fast-paced and exciting. The characters, from Admiral Phillip Kolhammer on the Hillary Clinton, down to Able Seaman Slim Jim Davidson, on the USS Astoria, are mostly well-rounded and convincing (although some of the 1942 British officers do seem to have been cobbled together out of left-over cardboard. Birmingham, by the way, is Australian.) And mostly the history seems correct, up to the point where it starts changing, and if any of the military details are wrong, I’m not knowledgable enough to catch them. There is one minor error, though, demonstrating why it’s dangerous for British and Australian writers to assume that America is as much like their homes as the language sometimes suggests: At one point, Birmingham has two of his 1940s American enlisted seamen, Moose Molloy and Slim Jim Davidson, talking about American “Girl Guides.” While it’s perfectly correct that the organization was originally founded as “Girl Guides of America” in 1912, they changed their name to “Girl Scouts of America” in 1913. Moose and Slim Jim would never have heard the name “Girl Guides,” much less used it in casual conversation. This is such an obscure bit of information that googling “Girl Guides of America” takes you to the Wikipedia article that explains this in its first few sentences: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl_Sco... This does give me some concerning, wondering what other details he missed that may be glaringly obvious to someone else.
Nevertheless, it’s a fun book and I recommend it.
Conveying this message convincingly is somewhat hampered by the fact that they’ve got a Japanese ship with them, as well as some German officers. And of course life is further complicated by the racially mixed crew, and the fact that both women and blacks are well-represented among the officers. But with major damage to both fleets, including the fact that some of the 21st century task force apparently didn’t make the trip successfully, they have to learn to work together if they’re going to prevent a disaster at Midway.
It’s extremely well-done, fast-paced and exciting. The characters, from Admiral Phillip Kolhammer on the Hillary Clinton, down to Able Seaman Slim Jim Davidson, on the USS Astoria, are mostly well-rounded and convincing (although some of the 1942 British officers do seem to have been cobbled together out of left-over cardboard. Birmingham, by the way, is Australian.) And mostly the history seems correct, up to the point where it starts changing, and if any of the military details are wrong, I’m not knowledgable enough to catch them. There is one minor error, though, demonstrating why it’s dangerous for British and Australian writers to assume that America is as much like their homes as the language sometimes suggests: At one point, Birmingham has two of his 1940s American enlisted seamen, Moose Molloy and Slim Jim Davidson, talking about American “Girl Guides.” While it’s perfectly correct that the organization was originally founded as “Girl Guides of America” in 1912, they changed their name to “Girl Scouts of America” in 1913. Moose and Slim Jim would never have heard the name “Girl Guides,” much less used it in casual conversation. This is such an obscure bit of information that googling “Girl Guides of America” takes you to the Wikipedia article that explains this in its first few sentences: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl_Sco... This does give me some concerning, wondering what other details he missed that may be glaringly obvious to someone else.
Nevertheless, it’s a fun book and I recommend it.
November 29, 2012
This is my first John Birmingham book. I accidentally stumbled upon it, and once I read the first page, I cannot put it down.
Why? Is it that good? No. But because the background of the story is about my country Indonesia. The year is 2021, not so far from our current time. An American led (yeah, ho hum) multinational force is positioned near East Timor, just outside Indonesia's territory. They are preparing to overthrown the Jihad rebellion who just won the civil war, by retaking Jakarta. Yes, Indonesia has become the next Taliban, in 2021. Maybe it is too far fetch, but still I find the story interesting.
The Background: Indonesian legitimate government (President and loyal staff) is seeking refuge in Geneva. Indonesian Armed Force (TNI) had been divided, some are supporting the Jihad. And the last standing force, protecting the legitimate government, is-yeah-the Marines (Marinir TNI-AL). I believe that the author has done his homework. He used to work as researcher in US Defense Department, and he knows the role played by Marines during 1998 Jakarta riot. Marines was the only effective armed force at that time, the other: army, police, were just disappeared!
And the story goes, the multinational force, accompanied by two of Indonesian frigates, KRI Sutanto and KRI Nuku (yes, the author is using KRI as the term), which are refitted frigates bought from East Germany during Habibie's term as president (yes, he said that), which are a part of national armed force still loyal with the government.
Everything is ready, until something goes wrong. One ship, which is a research vessel is conducting a top secret science experiment, accidentally creates a worm hole which transports the entire fleet backward in time, to 1942, in the middle of Midway naval battle, creating huge confusion in the Allied fleet. The multinational force from the future, is destined to change the history of World War II. Will history repeats itself, or will it change forever?
Well, interesting, right? There are lots of characters, and some of them are historical figures, such as Roosevelt, MacArthur, Churchill, Hitler, Yamamoto, even Einstein. There are also a lot of tension because of the "clash of culture", between the future American, and the old American. The author is also quite accurate in depicting Indonesian culture. The naval officer is hoarding pirated movie and music in his ship, for long period on-board entertainment! He also makes reference to clove cigaret, and rice cake wrapped with banana leaf (or lontong)!
Those are the strong parts, now the weak parts. Birmingham seems undecided about whether he will make this novel a "lesser history", such as Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest, as historical account of the foot soldier, or a "major history" such as The Second World War, as the account of generals. By mixing them, he is loosing the focus.
There are also too many point of view characters. By doing that, each characters only has small portion, therefore the character development is sacrificed. You cannot have a deep sympathy for the character, such as in Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest or A Game of Thrones.
The story also looses the steam in the middle, only to catch up near the end. Birmingham is genuine in creating the social tension caused by the "Transition". But he just failed to blend the tension in the story; it felt like a nuisance instead of strengthening the story line.
Final verdict: 3.5/5. Potential to be a 4 star, actually. Just not enough.
Why? Is it that good? No. But because the background of the story is about my country Indonesia. The year is 2021, not so far from our current time. An American led (yeah, ho hum) multinational force is positioned near East Timor, just outside Indonesia's territory. They are preparing to overthrown the Jihad rebellion who just won the civil war, by retaking Jakarta. Yes, Indonesia has become the next Taliban, in 2021. Maybe it is too far fetch, but still I find the story interesting.
The Background: Indonesian legitimate government (President and loyal staff) is seeking refuge in Geneva. Indonesian Armed Force (TNI) had been divided, some are supporting the Jihad. And the last standing force, protecting the legitimate government, is-yeah-the Marines (Marinir TNI-AL). I believe that the author has done his homework. He used to work as researcher in US Defense Department, and he knows the role played by Marines during 1998 Jakarta riot. Marines was the only effective armed force at that time, the other: army, police, were just disappeared!
And the story goes, the multinational force, accompanied by two of Indonesian frigates, KRI Sutanto and KRI Nuku (yes, the author is using KRI as the term), which are refitted frigates bought from East Germany during Habibie's term as president (yes, he said that), which are a part of national armed force still loyal with the government.
Everything is ready, until something goes wrong. One ship, which is a research vessel is conducting a top secret science experiment, accidentally creates a worm hole which transports the entire fleet backward in time, to 1942, in the middle of Midway naval battle, creating huge confusion in the Allied fleet. The multinational force from the future, is destined to change the history of World War II. Will history repeats itself, or will it change forever?
Well, interesting, right? There are lots of characters, and some of them are historical figures, such as Roosevelt, MacArthur, Churchill, Hitler, Yamamoto, even Einstein. There are also a lot of tension because of the "clash of culture", between the future American, and the old American. The author is also quite accurate in depicting Indonesian culture. The naval officer is hoarding pirated movie and music in his ship, for long period on-board entertainment! He also makes reference to clove cigaret, and rice cake wrapped with banana leaf (or lontong)!
Those are the strong parts, now the weak parts. Birmingham seems undecided about whether he will make this novel a "lesser history", such as Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest, as historical account of the foot soldier, or a "major history" such as The Second World War, as the account of generals. By mixing them, he is loosing the focus.
There are also too many point of view characters. By doing that, each characters only has small portion, therefore the character development is sacrificed. You cannot have a deep sympathy for the character, such as in Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest or A Game of Thrones.
The story also looses the steam in the middle, only to catch up near the end. Birmingham is genuine in creating the social tension caused by the "Transition". But he just failed to blend the tension in the story; it felt like a nuisance instead of strengthening the story line.
Final verdict: 3.5/5. Potential to be a 4 star, actually. Just not enough.
February 2, 2012
In the book a modern battle fleet travels back in time to WWII and starts to change history. This a definitely interesting read and the author raises some interesting problems that would arise not just because of the technological but also the cultural differences between the time travelers and the people of 1940s. He is also quite competent in giving the different viewpoints (axis/allies, future/past).
So why is it just ok for me (two stars)? First of all although he could just as easily have used today's technology and people going back through time, he chose to use technology 15 years into the future. This was a risky choice and for me it backfired. An example: There are several examples of inconsistent technology improvements and for me (maybe because of background) they stood out. I also felt that some of the decisions of the people involved were strange. Finally something that I didn't appreciate at all was ending with a kind of cliffhanger. I know this is supposed to be a trilogy but still. He could have dispensed with the final section which is just a teaser for the next book.
So why is it just ok for me (two stars)? First of all although he could just as easily have used today's technology and people going back through time, he chose to use technology 15 years into the future. This was a risky choice and for me it backfired. An example: There are several examples of inconsistent technology improvements and for me (maybe because of background) they stood out. I also felt that some of the decisions of the people involved were strange. Finally something that I didn't appreciate at all was ending with a kind of cliffhanger. I know this is supposed to be a trilogy but still. He could have dispensed with the final section which is just a teaser for the next book.
December 1, 2021
Utter Rubbish, I gave up on it about a 1/3 of the way through.
I Love a good action military thriller, and thought this book would be like "The Final Countdown" in 1979. In it, the USS Nimitz is transported back in time to just before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and deals mainly with the decision on whether or not to repulse the attack. If you have not seen the movie, I heartily recommend it as it still stands up today.
This book, published 2004, is a jumble of science fiction and alternative history, It begins jumping about 20 years into the future 2021 although judging from the technology it's more like 100 or 200 years into the future. At the time of this review its 2021....And the technology isn't really any different than in 2004 when the book was written. Dermal implants and nanotech, force field ... Star wars nonsense.
As you jump into the Action ... There are so many characters introduced and killed off, so many jumps of location on ships... you just get lost...
So buy the time I gave up on this book, I didn't know who is alive who is dead, and honestly didn't care... no character development,,, no substance, Not worthy of anyone's time to read further... Save your self a disappointment and leave the book on the shelf.
I Love a good action military thriller, and thought this book would be like "The Final Countdown" in 1979. In it, the USS Nimitz is transported back in time to just before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and deals mainly with the decision on whether or not to repulse the attack. If you have not seen the movie, I heartily recommend it as it still stands up today.
This book, published 2004, is a jumble of science fiction and alternative history, It begins jumping about 20 years into the future 2021 although judging from the technology it's more like 100 or 200 years into the future. At the time of this review its 2021....And the technology isn't really any different than in 2004 when the book was written. Dermal implants and nanotech, force field ... Star wars nonsense.
As you jump into the Action ... There are so many characters introduced and killed off, so many jumps of location on ships... you just get lost...
So buy the time I gave up on this book, I didn't know who is alive who is dead, and honestly didn't care... no character development,,, no substance, Not worthy of anyone's time to read further... Save your self a disappointment and leave the book on the shelf.
October 12, 2014
Meh... I was digging the book at first, but then all of the action got in the way and started to bore me. Not a good sign when too much action is boring. What do I mean? I do not think I'm spoiling anything here when I say quite a few ships go back in time.
.
After that, I was not keen to read the rest, so I flipped to the last thirty pages or so and figured out that I had not missed much in the previous 300 pages.
I'm going back to Taylor Anderson's 'Destroyermen' Series... it's much better than this one.
.
After that, I was not keen to read the rest, so I flipped to the last thirty pages or so and figured out that I had not missed much in the previous 300 pages.
I'm going back to Taylor Anderson's 'Destroyermen' Series... it's much better than this one.
October 27, 2020
Its okay
I will be brutally honest here, the political correctness in this novel is so thick it became a constant distraction. In this alternate history, written during George W. Bush's first term as President, things worked out very differently. The book is set with an American lead international task force that gets dropped from the 2020's into 1942. My main issue with the novel other than the distracting level of political correct sermonising is the projected technology of the future group. These future people who are almost our contemporaries today have a level of technology that puts the real 2020 to shame. Not only do they have fusion reactors as the power source of their supercarrier and other large warships, they have integrated AI and medical implants that nobody n real 2020 has or would trust. The scenario appears to be that Hillary Clinton was elected President in 2004 and at some point after proving to be a kick butt leader in the war on terror she was assassinated by Jihadi believers. The war on terror has been going on for 20 years and the western democracies including USA/UK/Australia have invested enormous sums on developing super advanced weapons.
The transposed crew people are all bright capable politically correct wunderkind who are disgusted by the vert racism and sexism of the 1942 world. I actually found this aspect the most believable premise of the novel. Culture in 1942 was as different from today as 1942 was to 1859.
On the other side of the coin, with the capabilities projected for the international task force just the scientific knowledge from one computer search would allow the 1942 allies to deploy 1950 level nuclear weapons inside six months without all the mistakes made OTL that wasted a great deal of effort. Compared to 2020 the Mk 6 fat man bomb design is very primitive, but it would give the allies an unstoppable advantage and could be mass produced with 1942 technology and historical plans. That would end the war within 12 months of the future task force arrival even if nothing but that knowledge was transferred. With the ships and weapons available that timeline shrinks to a few weeks.
IOW this could have been a stand alone novel detailing how the future won the war in weeks followed by the story of how future people tried to integrate into 1942 culture. Instead everything is drawn out to create a multi volume series which will now be left unread by myself. The characters are just not that engaging, the PC lecturing is too over the top and the technological predictions too unrealistic to get me to purchase additional volumes of this series.
I will be brutally honest here, the political correctness in this novel is so thick it became a constant distraction. In this alternate history, written during George W. Bush's first term as President, things worked out very differently. The book is set with an American lead international task force that gets dropped from the 2020's into 1942. My main issue with the novel other than the distracting level of political correct sermonising is the projected technology of the future group. These future people who are almost our contemporaries today have a level of technology that puts the real 2020 to shame. Not only do they have fusion reactors as the power source of their supercarrier and other large warships, they have integrated AI and medical implants that nobody n real 2020 has or would trust. The scenario appears to be that Hillary Clinton was elected President in 2004 and at some point after proving to be a kick butt leader in the war on terror she was assassinated by Jihadi believers. The war on terror has been going on for 20 years and the western democracies including USA/UK/Australia have invested enormous sums on developing super advanced weapons.
The transposed crew people are all bright capable politically correct wunderkind who are disgusted by the vert racism and sexism of the 1942 world. I actually found this aspect the most believable premise of the novel. Culture in 1942 was as different from today as 1942 was to 1859.
On the other side of the coin, with the capabilities projected for the international task force just the scientific knowledge from one computer search would allow the 1942 allies to deploy 1950 level nuclear weapons inside six months without all the mistakes made OTL that wasted a great deal of effort. Compared to 2020 the Mk 6 fat man bomb design is very primitive, but it would give the allies an unstoppable advantage and could be mass produced with 1942 technology and historical plans. That would end the war within 12 months of the future task force arrival even if nothing but that knowledge was transferred. With the ships and weapons available that timeline shrinks to a few weeks.
IOW this could have been a stand alone novel detailing how the future won the war in weeks followed by the story of how future people tried to integrate into 1942 culture. Instead everything is drawn out to create a multi volume series which will now be left unread by myself. The characters are just not that engaging, the PC lecturing is too over the top and the technological predictions too unrealistic to get me to purchase additional volumes of this series.
March 15, 2011
An American led Multi-National armada from year 2021 is transported to WW2, right in the middle of the US Task Force heading to Midway for a major battle with the Japanese. The disruption by the time travelers, the resulting destruction of the 1942 Task Force ships changed history. The Japaneses capturing one ship from the future sort of balance the status-quo. The Americans and Allied cannot have all the fun. Embedded in technological structures of the ships, are historical archives of the past. Japan and Germany will discover they will lose the war. They set out to change the history.
The culture differences between 1942 and 2021 are vast. On the ships from the futures, are men and women of all nationalities and races. Blacks, Hispanics, Asians are in position of authority. Women are Captains and LTs of their forces. The women are strong and intelligent as well as in some cases, physically strong, in which men from 1942 cannot even comprehend.
The culture differences between 1942 and 2021 are vast. On the ships from the futures, are men and women of all nationalities and races. Blacks, Hispanics, Asians are in position of authority. Women are Captains and LTs of their forces. The women are strong and intelligent as well as in some cases, physically strong, in which men from 1942 cannot even comprehend.
April 19, 2019
Good enough to read twice.
I like alt-history, and I love to read "Nazis as villains," stories.
I was intrigued by the collision of a 21st century fleet with the second world war and the many social, technological, and historical repercussions that could arise from that.
Overall, an excellent attempt at this sort of story, and now I think about it, I've revised my rating from 4 to 5 stars.
I like alt-history, and I love to read "Nazis as villains," stories.
I was intrigued by the collision of a 21st century fleet with the second world war and the many social, technological, and historical repercussions that could arise from that.
Overall, an excellent attempt at this sort of story, and now I think about it, I've revised my rating from 4 to 5 stars.
September 1, 2019
Hi-tech naval fleet travels back in time to WWII on the eve of the Battle of Midway. Hijinks ensue.
In speculative fiction WWII has been fought/refought about a bazillion times. This version has a mid 21st century multinational fleet caught up in an anomaly and sent back to the Pacific just before the Americans engage the Japanese at Midway. The first half of the novel does an excellent (if a little overlong) job of establishing the utter confusion and chaos that dropping a fleet on top of another one in the middle of the night. Everybody thinks they're under attack and so they react accordingly.
Birmingham does SUCH a good job at sowing confusion that the reader becomes...well....a little confused. Ultimately, things get sorted out and the multi-ethnic future force must try to coexist within this new past they've found themselves in.
The second half of the novel is less engaging as the confusion becomes more of a political/bureaucratic sort as the future force tries to convince the various Allied governments that they *are* from the future and have insight into what happens in WWII while those governments try to assert control over the new hi-technology that exists.
There's a lot of low-level cultural conflict as 1942 sailors grapple with women and minorities serving with distinction in the future force. These small elements are expected but not otherwise that engaging.
Of course the Germans and Japanese get wind of the "transition" and get their hands on some of the technology but the novel doesn't really show them employing or taking advantage of it so it feels a little irrelevant (at least in this novel).
Another interesting dynamic is that elements of the future force decide they prefer the past and decide to the Axis in one way or another (particularly interesting is the introduction of radical jihadis into a WWII context). It doesn't really play out in this novel, but maybe in the sequel.
The "climax" is the future force, making arguably a strategic mistake given their limited resources, stages a massive rescue operation for tens of thousands of POWs captured by the Japanese (including an updated version of the Cabantuan POW camp rescue). It's mildly satisfying as a set-piece but not as an ending to the novel.
Overall, enjoyable even if the plot could have been a bit streamlined.
In speculative fiction WWII has been fought/refought about a bazillion times. This version has a mid 21st century multinational fleet caught up in an anomaly and sent back to the Pacific just before the Americans engage the Japanese at Midway. The first half of the novel does an excellent (if a little overlong) job of establishing the utter confusion and chaos that dropping a fleet on top of another one in the middle of the night. Everybody thinks they're under attack and so they react accordingly.
Birmingham does SUCH a good job at sowing confusion that the reader becomes...well....a little confused. Ultimately, things get sorted out and the multi-ethnic future force must try to coexist within this new past they've found themselves in.
The second half of the novel is less engaging as the confusion becomes more of a political/bureaucratic sort as the future force tries to convince the various Allied governments that they *are* from the future and have insight into what happens in WWII while those governments try to assert control over the new hi-technology that exists.
There's a lot of low-level cultural conflict as 1942 sailors grapple with women and minorities serving with distinction in the future force. These small elements are expected but not otherwise that engaging.
Of course the Germans and Japanese get wind of the "transition" and get their hands on some of the technology but the novel doesn't really show them employing or taking advantage of it so it feels a little irrelevant (at least in this novel).
Another interesting dynamic is that elements of the future force decide they prefer the past and decide to the Axis in one way or another (particularly interesting is the introduction of radical jihadis into a WWII context). It doesn't really play out in this novel, but maybe in the sequel.
The "climax" is the future force, making arguably a strategic mistake given their limited resources, stages a massive rescue operation for tens of thousands of POWs captured by the Japanese (including an updated version of the Cabantuan POW camp rescue). It's mildly satisfying as a set-piece but not as an ending to the novel.
Overall, enjoyable even if the plot could have been a bit streamlined.
April 28, 2018
It just didn't hold my interest.
January 23, 2025
Started out slow but really picked up towards the end
February 6, 2017
Weapons of Choice begins with the sudden disappearance of a near-future NATO fleet off Indonesia (thanks to a singularity experiment gone mostly right and slightly but INCREDIBLY wrong) and its subsequent reappearance off of Midway Island in 1942 mere hours before the fateful battle for control of the Pacific ought to have occurred. Their arrival sets off a series of dramatic shifts in the conduct of the war as both sides are suddenly presented with advanced military technology (to their delight) and (to their horror) the bizarre futuristic sailors and soldiers (of mixed races and genders) who wield it. I came to Weapons of Choice after spending much of 2013 enjoyably chewing through similar "small group of technically-adept Americans get relocated in time/space and make the best of it" series by Anderson (Destroyermen), Flint (1632), and Forstchen (Lost Regiment), and that colors my appreciation of it somewhat. On the one hand, I'd say Birmingham has done an exceptional job show-casing the cultural clash of two groups of people who theoretically are on the same side and even from the same countries, but "just" from different points in time. Some of his name-dropping is a bit silly (for instance, Captain HRH Prince Harry Windsor happens to be attached to the SAS team in the fleet), but generally harmless. Birmingham also goes into a lot of detail on the personalities involved (particularly, the main down-time (to use a flint-ism) figures, such as the Brit-hating Admiral King and the ego-maniacal General MacArthur), though he paints with some disturbingly broad strokes, which leads to the negatives. On the other hand, his down-timers are, apart from their cultural perspective which Birmingham plays for every bit of shock value he can dig up, shockingly flat, almost incapable of coping with new ideas or concepts despite living in a much more dynamic period of time; they repeatedly make bad choices (like Spruance's bizarre decision to fire on the future fleet when it pops into existence at Midway) and when confronted with future knowledge of their time, react one-and-all with mule-like unwillingness to face their flaws. I actually put the book down for the better part of a month because I was increasingly annoyed at the vulgar stupidity of the down-time characters (Birmingham doesn't seem to be much of a fan of the "Greatest Generation," painting the locals as nothing more than close-minded bigots, which seems rather annoyingly unfair, especially given the amount of world-shaking social change they managed to adapt to in their time). A second problem I had was that Birmingham occasionally has the annoying habit of having important things occur off-page. Particularly the sudden brutal murder of two (previous to that moment) main characters. This occurs mere pages after the future fleet and the U.S. Navy have agreed to play nice and then (BAM!) not only is the fleet suddenly in Pearl Harbor but two main characters are dead and the author provides no context but the autopsy, and uses this mainly to point out even more conflicts of culture without regard for the fact that he just killed two of his main characters; it has shock value, yes, but it isn't particularly good story-telling. This is most glaring because the first half of the book is one LONG and detailed battle sequence told in a continuous play-by-play from a dozen or so perspectives that fools the reader into thinking that Birmingham is going to show us all his cards, then the murder comes as a stylistic sucker-punch, and the remainder of the book shifts annoyingly between omniscient and limited perspectives, letting the reader into both sides' councils of war and then hiding seemingly random things to pull off cheap plot-event coups. While Birmingham has certainly written an interesting book, it simply wasn't as enjoyable as other similar books, despite its more realistic handling of its subject matter, and while I'll probably read the sequels, they aren't a priority.
July 10, 2015
A rather dull alternate history sci-fi story
20 October 2012
I picked this book up because I had quite enjoyed Birmingham's non-fiction works, if you can consider He Died with a Falafel in his Hand to be a work of non-fiction (I suspect that it falls into that grey area, much like Chopper's books, where there is truth in the story but much of it has been fuzzed out to protect the guilty) that I thought I might try this book. Anyway, it looked quite interesting, being about a US carrier group being sent back in time, after attempting to use some new technology, to the battle of Midway. As can be expected, when they arrive all hell breaks loose and they end up sinking half of the US fleet with the result of changing the course of history.
Okay, I gave the book a rather low score, more because when I got to the second book, the quality of the story had pretty much degenerated to what is effectively American jingoism. Birmingham's earlier writings were quite good in that we got to experience a side of Australia that many of us have experienced, and the stories that he tells make us look back in amusement to our younger, and wilder, days. However, he has taken a more serious note here, not in the sense that it is dark and gloomy, but rather that he has gone into what one could consider to be pulp science-fiction, and with a story that is not even original.
There is a movie that I saw a while back called the Philadelphia Experiment, and it is about two groups of scientists, one during the modern age and the other during World War II, who are experimenting with invisibility. What they end up doing is creating a worm hole between the two time periods, and thrust people back and forth between them. The sequel involves some scientists experimenting with teleportation technology, and instead of teleporting a stealth bomber (fully loaded by the way) to modern day Hamburg, they teleport it to Hamburg during World War II, with a resultant change in history.
Both of those movies had a much better explanation of what happened, whereas this particular story simply seemed to be random. It is also annoying that all of the sudden the Japanese from the future ships suddenly switch sides and give all of this modern technology over to the enemy (as well as giving them details of how history unfolds) in an attempt to beat back the Allied forces. However, the allied forces suddenly have a kick-arse battle group on their side, so even with that slight advantage, you can still pretty much see how it is going to end.
Okay, he does draw upon some of the prejudices that existed back then, and how the people of the 1940s attempt to come to terms with gay rights and woman's lib, as well as accepting Negroes, but then again they pretty much don't. However, there is also an element of Islamophobia in this work, with this idea that Islamic Fundamentalism will in the future sweep the world, forcing us into a never ending religious war, however I will speak more of that when I get to the second book in the series.
20 October 2012
I picked this book up because I had quite enjoyed Birmingham's non-fiction works, if you can consider He Died with a Falafel in his Hand to be a work of non-fiction (I suspect that it falls into that grey area, much like Chopper's books, where there is truth in the story but much of it has been fuzzed out to protect the guilty) that I thought I might try this book. Anyway, it looked quite interesting, being about a US carrier group being sent back in time, after attempting to use some new technology, to the battle of Midway. As can be expected, when they arrive all hell breaks loose and they end up sinking half of the US fleet with the result of changing the course of history.
Okay, I gave the book a rather low score, more because when I got to the second book, the quality of the story had pretty much degenerated to what is effectively American jingoism. Birmingham's earlier writings were quite good in that we got to experience a side of Australia that many of us have experienced, and the stories that he tells make us look back in amusement to our younger, and wilder, days. However, he has taken a more serious note here, not in the sense that it is dark and gloomy, but rather that he has gone into what one could consider to be pulp science-fiction, and with a story that is not even original.
There is a movie that I saw a while back called the Philadelphia Experiment, and it is about two groups of scientists, one during the modern age and the other during World War II, who are experimenting with invisibility. What they end up doing is creating a worm hole between the two time periods, and thrust people back and forth between them. The sequel involves some scientists experimenting with teleportation technology, and instead of teleporting a stealth bomber (fully loaded by the way) to modern day Hamburg, they teleport it to Hamburg during World War II, with a resultant change in history.
Both of those movies had a much better explanation of what happened, whereas this particular story simply seemed to be random. It is also annoying that all of the sudden the Japanese from the future ships suddenly switch sides and give all of this modern technology over to the enemy (as well as giving them details of how history unfolds) in an attempt to beat back the Allied forces. However, the allied forces suddenly have a kick-arse battle group on their side, so even with that slight advantage, you can still pretty much see how it is going to end.
Okay, he does draw upon some of the prejudices that existed back then, and how the people of the 1940s attempt to come to terms with gay rights and woman's lib, as well as accepting Negroes, but then again they pretty much don't. However, there is also an element of Islamophobia in this work, with this idea that Islamic Fundamentalism will in the future sweep the world, forcing us into a never ending religious war, however I will speak more of that when I get to the second book in the series.
May 15, 2020
I flip flopped a lot in my opinion of this book during the first half until I ultimately gave up on it (audio edition). There are some interesting ideas ruined by bad writing (some groaners) and unrealistic situations. I applaud the author's attempt to throw men and women together in a tense situation, separated by 80 years of societal evolution. But he really flopped it with too much of what I might call the "early, untempered, unbalanced 'woke' period of political correctness" that WILL, by the way, correct itself in time to being less insane. Like financial equality for women in the workplace, and in balance, reversal of some very bad feminist legislation against men. These things are already sorting out a bit now, 10 years after the heyday of Barack Hussain "I apologize for being American" Obama. But I digress badly... My point is, this author took some early 'woke' nonsense and inflated it beyond reason. And that's funny coming from an Australian. Judging American culture. That's funny.
No but all that aside, my problem with the book is the technology. I didn't like the 'woke' crap, but can live with it and don't mind it, even when it's overblown. But the technology is just stupid. This book came out in 2005, portraying military technology only 16 years later, and yet it's fantastical stuff more properly set 30 years further on. Such as the "Combat Intelligence" or CI, which is conversant and basically intelligent, taking initiative. No one would ever put powerful, devastating weapons in the control of a CI. The weapons are ludicrous for 2021. I was expecting to read about Gerald Ford-class carriers.
Did this author even bother to do any naval research? It seems he read a few books about Midway, because he mentioned the main players and the subjects of some biographies (like "Dusty" Kleiss and Wade McClusky), but a ship named after Hillary would be decades away, with the present hulls already christened (CVN-80 "Enterprise" is the only Ford-class ship to not bear the name of a president). So, this author was writing about the year 2050, more like, and set it to 2021? I don't get it. The ship armaments might as well be sci-fi.
So, I really was eagerly expecting to read about present-day (with a slight "look-ahead") naval technology clashing with WWII-era navies. Instead, we have Battlestar Galactica going back in time. Very disappointed. And yet another alt-history series worth flushing. There are so few as it is.
No but all that aside, my problem with the book is the technology. I didn't like the 'woke' crap, but can live with it and don't mind it, even when it's overblown. But the technology is just stupid. This book came out in 2005, portraying military technology only 16 years later, and yet it's fantastical stuff more properly set 30 years further on. Such as the "Combat Intelligence" or CI, which is conversant and basically intelligent, taking initiative. No one would ever put powerful, devastating weapons in the control of a CI. The weapons are ludicrous for 2021. I was expecting to read about Gerald Ford-class carriers.
Did this author even bother to do any naval research? It seems he read a few books about Midway, because he mentioned the main players and the subjects of some biographies (like "Dusty" Kleiss and Wade McClusky), but a ship named after Hillary would be decades away, with the present hulls already christened (CVN-80 "Enterprise" is the only Ford-class ship to not bear the name of a president). So, this author was writing about the year 2050, more like, and set it to 2021? I don't get it. The ship armaments might as well be sci-fi.
So, I really was eagerly expecting to read about present-day (with a slight "look-ahead") naval technology clashing with WWII-era navies. Instead, we have Battlestar Galactica going back in time. Very disappointed. And yet another alt-history series worth flushing. There are so few as it is.
November 8, 2020
(This review concerns Weapons of Choice, by John Birmingham, in case Goodreads does this stupid thing where it collapses multiple entries into some type of anthology edition)
General impressions
NB: This book is part of a series. I may or may not have focused my efforts in reviewing the last part of the series.
Rating (Intuitive*): 3
Rating (Weighted**): 2.59
RMSE***(Intuitive,Weighted): 0.431
Mean error***(Intuitive,Weighted): -0.034
Format: Ebook
Language: English
Setting and premise
Aesthetic: 3/5 [w:2.5]
Verisimillitude: 3/5 [w:2.5]
Originality: 3/5 [w:1]
The premise is solid (a near future coalition carrier strike group is time travel'd back to WW2), and the surrounding worldbuilding is serviceable (although the carrier being named after president Hillary Clinton aged like milk).
Plot
Design: 3/5 [w:2]
Verimillitude: 2/5 [w:2.5]
Originality: 3/5 [w:0.5]
Characters
Design: 1/5 [w:1]
Verimillitude: 2/5 [w:2.5]
Development: 2/5 [w:2]
Sympatheticness: 2/5 [w:2]
The characters are OK at best. BLUFOR antagonists are uniformly bigoted assholes who are explicitly not there to be sympathetic, and are also pretty much uniformly incompetent (because sympatheticness and competency go hand-in-hand, don't you know?). The REDFOR antagonists are more interesting, being both more diverse in terms of outlook, and being, paradoxically, not as immediately bad people. I also like the semi-antagonists of the Indonesian sailors. The protagonists are probably the worst, being very much Big Damn Heroes and vindicated by author fiat. The journalist characters are especially jarring, being Action Girls and for some reason being able to pick and choose munitions from the CVN's armory. CNN combat correspondents routinely get decked out in exoskeletons and run-and-gun through the combat zone instead of doing journalism, apparently.
Additional modifiers
Page turner factor: 4/5 [w:3.5]
Mind blown factor: 2/5 [w:2.5]
*The rating I felt this deserved before thinking about it too much.
**Weights displayed next to each applicable scoring criterion. (Weights version 3.1)
***Root mean squared error and mean error calculated for all reviews using this format for books read from 2020-07-12 up until this book (33 reviews).
July 7, 2014
This book nicely illustrates my own interests, as well as John Birmingham's. Birmingham is clearly into military history and wants to see future US Navy vs. WWII US Navy, so he sets the stage. Of course 80 years of development should give unbeatable advantages to the future navy -- radar, drones, and cruise missiles should let them sink the WWII ships before they can even engage. So Birmingham "evens the odds" by fiddling with proximity, formation, arrival timing, nausea, etc. It feels like military slashfic, where the characters don't belong together but the encounter is irresistible to the author.
Personally, I can swallow a time travel black hole eating a large naval task force and transporting them back to WWII -- ALIVE. But I am choking on nobody noticing they went through a black hole. They all think the enemy (WWII US Navy) just magically materialized while they blinked, apparently. Why don't the hand-to-hand fighters notice their "Japanese boarders" are English-speaking mostly-Americans? All those WWII soldiers assume the Japanese somehow built a secret insanely large fleet, and teleported it into their own formation.
Apparently none of the future sailors has ever seen (The Philadelphia Experiment) or read novels like (S.M. Stirling's Island in the Sea of Time. They just uniformly assume an secret antique fleet teleported among them. I choked on it.
I preferred the second part, where they tried to figure out the new history and integrate future tech and politics with the WWII USA. It helps that Birmingham understands what happened and my reaction.
I was also a bit put off by the product placements. Oakley HUD shades & Brooks Brothers personal armor, cool. Guns fine. But who cares who made an LCD panel?
Personally, I can swallow a time travel black hole eating a large naval task force and transporting them back to WWII -- ALIVE. But I am choking on nobody noticing they went through a black hole. They all think the enemy (WWII US Navy) just magically materialized while they blinked, apparently. Why don't the hand-to-hand fighters notice their "Japanese boarders" are English-speaking mostly-Americans? All those WWII soldiers assume the Japanese somehow built a secret insanely large fleet, and teleported it into their own formation.
Apparently none of the future sailors has ever seen (The Philadelphia Experiment) or read novels like (S.M. Stirling's Island in the Sea of Time. They just uniformly assume an secret antique fleet teleported among them. I choked on it.
I preferred the second part, where they tried to figure out the new history and integrate future tech and politics with the WWII USA. It helps that Birmingham understands what happened and my reaction.
I was also a bit put off by the product placements. Oakley HUD shades & Brooks Brothers personal armor, cool. Guns fine. But who cares who made an LCD panel?
January 3, 2023
The idea that a spread of American torpedoes launched in early '42 would all manage to run true, and would immediately destroy a supercarrier? That kind of killed the immersion for me. The initial battle manages to mix overwhelming technological superiority and injured/incapacitated humans and bad luck in such a way as to render the entire narrative less believable than the *much* more plausible explanation of close action from 8" guns aboard heavy cruisers scoring critical hits against ships optimized for missile defense.
I mean, seriously, a fuel-air catapult taking a "500 kg" bomb hit causing crippling damage?
Aside from that, the sense of time in battle sequences is disjointed at best, leaving the impression that large amounts of the ships just aren't doing anything while we watch the various protagonists. There are seven heavy cruisers between TF 16 and TF 17 plus an absolute assload of dual purpose weapons on the American carriers - are there seriously only one or two turrets engaging the Clinton after fifteen minutes? Does no other tin can have a firing solution for their torpedoes? How did any 1940s aircraft get fueled and armed and in the air under fire in fifteen minutes?
I didn't get to the political parts of the book, but I wish the author had plotted out the naval engagements a bit more carefully and with less reliance on widespread adoption of far future tech like combat AIs and armor suits and quantum computers in CIC. I really, really wanted to see two intelligent sides working under limited information to figure shit out, not both sides receiving, in turn, the idiot ball (why doesn't Spruance even try to organize a line of battle and get it between his carriers and the enemy surface units? Why doesn't anyone attempt to communicate in the clear with the enemy, since we see very clearly the 1942 fleet broadcasting English voice comms in the clear (shouldn't some of that be Morse, with possibly signal lamps?). I want smart viewpoint characters that aren't doomed to failure despite all the advantages in the world because the author needs them crippled to tell his story.
I mean, seriously, a fuel-air catapult taking a "500 kg" bomb hit causing crippling damage?
Aside from that, the sense of time in battle sequences is disjointed at best, leaving the impression that large amounts of the ships just aren't doing anything while we watch the various protagonists. There are seven heavy cruisers between TF 16 and TF 17 plus an absolute assload of dual purpose weapons on the American carriers - are there seriously only one or two turrets engaging the Clinton after fifteen minutes? Does no other tin can have a firing solution for their torpedoes? How did any 1940s aircraft get fueled and armed and in the air under fire in fifteen minutes?
I didn't get to the political parts of the book, but I wish the author had plotted out the naval engagements a bit more carefully and with less reliance on widespread adoption of far future tech like combat AIs and armor suits and quantum computers in CIC. I really, really wanted to see two intelligent sides working under limited information to figure shit out, not both sides receiving, in turn, the idiot ball (why doesn't Spruance even try to organize a line of battle and get it between his carriers and the enemy surface units? Why doesn't anyone attempt to communicate in the clear with the enemy, since we see very clearly the 1942 fleet broadcasting English voice comms in the clear (shouldn't some of that be Morse, with possibly signal lamps?). I want smart viewpoint characters that aren't doomed to failure despite all the advantages in the world because the author needs them crippled to tell his story.
April 26, 2014
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.
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.
March 26, 2018
I like alternative history, the whole "what if..." mindset. While we could never know, it's an interesting thought experiment to change something small or big in the past and try to figure out what the result would have been.
This book, published 2004, is a mix of science fiction and alternative history since it begins jumping 20 years into the future (though judging from the technology it's more like 100 years into the future), followed by moving that future back to 1942 and the second word war.
The result of this alternative history is a lot of clashes on both social and military levels so it's absolutely an interesting idea. The problem is that the author uses a lot of stereotypes to illustrate those conflicts and those stereotypes become nothing but the stereotype. No depth, nothing but surface.
One thing in particular grates me. To create interesting scenes the author had to gift some characters with a great deal of single minded stupidity. Stupidity of a kind that is incompatible with the positions they occupy. It just does not make any sense.
For people considering this and the series it starts, I can at least say that the end is better than the beginning. It's possible the rest of the series is better.
This book, published 2004, is a mix of science fiction and alternative history since it begins jumping 20 years into the future (though judging from the technology it's more like 100 years into the future), followed by moving that future back to 1942 and the second word war.
The result of this alternative history is a lot of clashes on both social and military levels so it's absolutely an interesting idea. The problem is that the author uses a lot of stereotypes to illustrate those conflicts and those stereotypes become nothing but the stereotype. No depth, nothing but surface.
One thing in particular grates me. To create interesting scenes the author had to gift some characters with a great deal of single minded stupidity. Stupidity of a kind that is incompatible with the positions they occupy. It just does not make any sense.
For people considering this and the series it starts, I can at least say that the end is better than the beginning. It's possible the rest of the series is better.
September 22, 2011
I am such a sucker for alternate history and when that book has a 21st century naval battle group whisked through a wormhole (yeah, right) to 1942 and into the midst of the battle of Midway, well, then, put down the serious novel and jump right in. I quite liked it, a mix of SF and historical novel. Birmingham is particularly good at highlighting the nuances of 1942 especially the world of social difference between 2021 and 1942 . I've started the second book in this trilogy and it's looking good so far.
June 24, 2014
Book is just flat and the never seems to get going the plot and ideas where fantastic but just delivered poorly! I'm gutted about this as I was looking forward to reading it I hate it when books do that to you! Won't be ordering the sequels!
I don't understand why he had tried to do it future and past why not present and past just seems he's put too much effort in and fell flat I feel the less is more principal would work better here!
I don't understand why he had tried to do it future and past why not present and past just seems he's put too much effort in and fell flat I feel the less is more principal would work better here!
January 19, 2016
The premise of the trilogy (a near-future naval group is thrown back in time to 1942, ending up scattered all over and everywhere, although mainly staying together) is interesting, but what I want to know is: "What's the point?"
Was the Axis not defeated thoroughly enough in our timeline for Mr. Birmingham's taste?
The culture clashes between the near-future types and the 1942 "natives" are interesting, but get rather repetitive after a bit.
Was the Axis not defeated thoroughly enough in our timeline for Mr. Birmingham's taste?
The culture clashes between the near-future types and the 1942 "natives" are interesting, but get rather repetitive after a bit.
July 15, 2009
It's not a bad book but the pace is too slow, and the style contains too much slang for me (I'm not a native English speaker...)
Reason for rating it only 1 star : my rating scheme is pretty strict, 1 star means that I didn't even finish the book... Two stars would have meant that I finished it nonetheless, and it was not the case :(
Reason for rating it only 1 star : my rating scheme is pretty strict, 1 star means that I didn't even finish the book... Two stars would have meant that I finished it nonetheless, and it was not the case :(
January 3, 2015
An intense, exciting and oftentimes uncomfortable look at what would happen if a modern military force were to be thrown back in time into the middle of the Pacific in World War II.
Fascinating in both a military and anthropological sense, it's better than the best Tom Clancy I've read and I'm definitely going to see this series through to the end.
Fascinating in both a military and anthropological sense, it's better than the best Tom Clancy I've read and I'm definitely going to see this series through to the end.
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