by John Birmingham
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Product Description
On the eve of America’s greatest victory in the Pacific,
a catastrophic event disrupts the course of World War II, forever changing the rules of combat. . . .
The impossible has spawned the unthinkable. A military experiment in the year 2021 has thrust an American-led multinational armada back to 1942, right into the middle of the U.S. naval task force speeding toward Midway Atoll—and what was to be the most spectacular U.S. triumph of the entire war.
Thousands died in the chaos, but the ripples had only begun. For these veterans of Pearl Harbor—led by Admirals Nimitz, Halsey, and Spruance—have never seen a helicopter, or a satellite link, or a nuclear weapon. And they’ve never encountered an African American colonel or a British naval commander who was a woman and half-Pakistani. While they embrace the armada’s awesome firepower, they may find the twenty-first century sailors themselves far from acceptable.
Initial jubilation at news the Allies would win the war is quickly doused by the chilling realization that the time travelers themselves—by their very presence—have rendered history null and void. Celebration turns to dread when the possibility arises that other elements of the twenty-first century task force may have also made the trip—and might now be aiding Yamamoto and the Japanese.
What happens next is anybody’s guess—and everybody’s nightmare. . . .
From the Trade Paperback edition.
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 One of the best time travel novels ever written?, 2008-09-22
`Weapons of Choice' may very well be the best time travel novel ever written!
A bold statement perhaps, but this is one of the best written and most thought-out stories of the genre.
The book is a bit unusual in that it involves both the future and the past. The premise is twisted from the ones you may have read before:
An advanced mid 21st century battle group is at war with terrorists- terrorists who have frighteningly managed to attain sophisticated weapons systems at a level only an army or navy might have. So even though the coalition forces (including the US, Australia, and England to name a few) fighting them have even more advanced weapons, it is still a struggle.
Suddenly a catastrophic event sends the entire battle group fleet- and many of their enemy ships-back to the early 20th century- during World War II! Advanced ships of unfamiliar design appear in the midst of a naval battle and both sides America and Japan, not knowing who they are, fire upon the new `intruders'.
When the smoke finally clears, the WWII allies have obtained advanced weapons of unbelievable destruction: cluster bombs, guided missiles, cruise missile, lasers, reactive armor,- and even more startlingly for the 1940's soldiers and sailors- computers and information technology. But unfortunately, many of both the future coalition naval vessels and the terrorist's ships have also fallen into the hands of the Japanese and Nazis.
`Weapons of Choice' is a non-stop book of action and John Birmingham does a fantastic job of describing and explaining the advanced weapons technology which he must have culled from present day scientific journals since every element rings so true as to be surely be already on the drawing board. Every weapon seems a logical evolution of what exists today.
Better yet, the characters, many of whom are actual people in the WWII era, are richly drawn and identifiable as real people-whether imagined or part of history. The author does a magnificent job of juggling all these characters and the timelines so there is never a question of what is going on. The reader quickly begins to identify with the characters and care about them and their struggles during their unimaginable journey back in time. The people from the future will never get back and have lost everyone they ever knew. In some cases they even find themselves face to face with distant relatives.
But what sets this novel apart, what makes it truly one of the best time travel novels ever written is the author's attention to the social implications of such a time anomaly. Imagine if you will, the social mores and prejudices of the WWII era- the 1940's coming face to face with the multicultural society of today (which has advanced even more as the future in this novel). This is especially true of the racial and sexual discrimination that was rampant in the early 20th century. John Birmingham has created such a rich and involving social structure that the reader is lost in it.
We couldn't put down `Weapons of Choice', and whether you are a sci-fi buff or not, we encourage you to pick it up anyway. We doubt whether you will be able to put it down either.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Weapons of Choice (The Axis of Time Trilogy, Book 1), 2008-07-02
Get the rest of the series before you start reading book 1; you won't want to wait before starting book 2 - then book 3. Dana in Colorado
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Excellent trilogy, 2008-05-26
Great writing with exquisite detail. Reminiscent of Tom Clancy, S.M. Stirling, and Eric Flint.
Author seems quite knowledgeable and his characters have a lot of depth.
I'll be looking for his next novel.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Axis of Time Trilogy, 2008-02-09
When I read a book of this type, I look carefully for historical/technical accuracy in the "what is" (as opposed to the "what might be") story line. In Birmingham's case, there are lots of little things he missed. The USN flying F-22s off carriers? The USMC still flying Harriers in 2021? What happened to the F-35 (JSF)? Flight Lieutenants in the USN? Flt Sgts in the USAAF? Why not include the RN's new (operational by 2015) QE-class CVs? There are other examples, but the point is Birmingham, like Turtledove, is a better SF writer than he is a techno-thriller writer. Guys like Tom Clancey and Larry Bond nail the details. Doesn't mean "Weapons of Choice" isn't an entertaining read, just that it's not particularly well researched.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Weapons of Choice, 2008-02-08
WoW, this is a great book, anybody that ever saw the move, The Final Countdown, will love this book and the Trilogy, John Birmingham's knowledge of past and future weapons and how they would be used is amazing, This book pulls you in to an alternate time line and you can't help but be sucked in. I was sad when i finnished the third book.
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