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Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
The eagerly awaited conclusion to Birmingham's popular Axis of Time trilogy (after Designated Targets and Weapons of Choice) deftly explores how a temporally displaced 21st-century naval battle group changes the outcome of WWII, both militarily and socially. In 1944, the Germans and the Japanese may be close to developing an atom bomb, while the swift Russian advance in the east threatens to engulf all of Europe. Admiral Kolhammer and his future warriors, veterans of 20 or so years of the war on terror, can be just as ruthless as the Axis. How the social changes inspired by Southern California's multicultural "zone" will fare in the face of opposition from the followers of the outed (and self-slain) J. Edgar Hoover remains an open question. Since the western Allies are left facing a Soviet Union that refuses to accept the judgment of history, it's clear that the author has the makings for a sequel. Alternate history fans can only hope Kolhammer and crew will soon be back. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Book Description
“The action is nonstop, the characters very real–and very different from each other–and, to coin a phrase, it makes you think.”
–S. M. Stirling, author of Island in the Sea of Time
In the year 2021 a multinational fleet–experimenting with untested weapons technology–pitched through time, crash-landing in 1942. The world is thrown into chaos as Roosevelt, Hitler, Churchill, Tojo, and Stalin scramble to adapt to new, high-tech killing tools, and twenty-first-century ways of war.
For “uptimers” like Britain’s Prince Harry and the men and women who serve aboard the supercarrier USS Hillary Clinton, war is a constant struggle with their own downtime allies, who are mired in ignorance and bigotry.
As the Allies counter the Nazi assault and set off for the coast of France, Japan begins to buckle, soon every battle will be played out in a lethal dance of might and intelligence, unholy alliances and desperate gambles, and each clash will be fought with the ultimate weapon; knowledge from the future.
Thanks to the historical records, all sides know that two superpowers will emerge, while the losers will be pounded into submission. But time has shifted on its axis, so none know who will survive, or how peace will take hold in a world turned upside down. These are the questions that John Birmingham brilliantly answers in his critically acclaimed adventure of war and imagination.
Praise for John Birmingham’s Weapons of Choice
“Birmingham’s enthralling battleground mixes provocative historical fiction and socially conscious futurism.”
–Entertainment Weekly
“High-tech intrigue and suspense similar to the works of Tom Clancy.”
–Library Journal
From the Trade Paperback edition.
–S. M. Stirling, author of Island in the Sea of Time
In the year 2021 a multinational fleet–experimenting with untested weapons technology–pitched through time, crash-landing in 1942. The world is thrown into chaos as Roosevelt, Hitler, Churchill, Tojo, and Stalin scramble to adapt to new, high-tech killing tools, and twenty-first-century ways of war.
For “uptimers” like Britain’s Prince Harry and the men and women who serve aboard the supercarrier USS Hillary Clinton, war is a constant struggle with their own downtime allies, who are mired in ignorance and bigotry.
As the Allies counter the Nazi assault and set off for the coast of France, Japan begins to buckle, soon every battle will be played out in a lethal dance of might and intelligence, unholy alliances and desperate gambles, and each clash will be fought with the ultimate weapon; knowledge from the future.
Thanks to the historical records, all sides know that two superpowers will emerge, while the losers will be pounded into submission. But time has shifted on its axis, so none know who will survive, or how peace will take hold in a world turned upside down. These are the questions that John Birmingham brilliantly answers in his critically acclaimed adventure of war and imagination.
Praise for John Birmingham’s Weapons of Choice
“Birmingham’s enthralling battleground mixes provocative historical fiction and socially conscious futurism.”
–Entertainment Weekly
“High-tech intrigue and suspense similar to the works of Tom Clancy.”
–Library Journal
From the Trade Paperback edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A strong ending to an excellent trilogy,
By J. Friesen "Avid Reader" (Edmonton, Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Final Impact: A Novel of the Axis of Time (Paperback)
The story picks up where Designated Targets left off, and describes in detail how the Transition has altered history. The action starts quickly and we see an alternate D-Day invasion of Europe - with airborne troops escorted by helicopter gunships landing at Calais in stead of Normandy. The underlying story in this book is everyone's race for a nuclear weapon, which all consider a war-winning weapon.The writing is even better than the firs two novels, and the story moves along at a rapid pace. The big difference between this book and the previous two is that many of the characters have either been killed off or simply written out of the main storyline. This makes for a tighter, better read IMHO. This is the last book in the Axis of Time trilogy, although Birmingham has also suggested he will write two more books in this alternate universe - one immediately following the end of the war and the other to take place sometime in the 80s (and reputed to star Richard Branson as a brash RAF pilot). However, given that he has begun another trilogy detailing a 21st century with no USA (Without Warning), who knows if/when they will be available.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars (54 customer reviews) 26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping conclusion to an alternative history epic,
By Marshall Lord - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Final Impact: A Novel of the Axis of Time (Paperback)
I found the first two episodes in this trilogy so fascinating that when I learned that the final instalment had been published in Australia several months before the US and UK releases I could not wait, but had to order this one from Oz. It didn't disappoint me.The full "Axis of Time" trilogy is Weapons of Choice Designated Targets Final Impact In the first book, "Weapons of Choice" a multinational force from the 21st century is accidentally sent back in time to 1942 when a scientific experiment goes wrong. The first unfortunate effect of their arrival is that the Japanese fleet which was about to be sunk at Midway gets wind of something unusual, retreats and consequently survives. The second is that elements of the multinational force turn up all over the world and some are captured by the Imperial Japanese, Nazis, and Soviet Union - all of whom resolve not to repeat the mistakes which in our world consigned them to the dustbin of history. In this volume a very different and even more brutal second world war is grinding towards its conclusion. The Allies, the Soviets, and the Nazis are all desperately trying to expedite their Atomic weapon programmes, and Stalin is determined that when the Axis powers have been defeated he will control much more of the world than in "original" history so as to go into the Cold War in a stronger position. Meanwhile the men and women from the 21st Century face a continuing struggle both to adapt to the very different world they find themselves in, and to persuade the "temps" (short for contemporary) from their own side to accept such things as an African-American U.S. Marine colonel, and an RN Commander who is a half-asian woman. I would like to think that my parents and grandparents' generations would have treated members of the 21st century forces better than they are treated in this book: however, no doubt that Mr Birmingham is right that some people would have treated them well and others very badly. The action scenes in the book are very well done and make it almost impossible to put down; there is also some excellent use of humour. One of the members of the multinational force from the 21st Century is Prince Harry, who has become a Colonel in the S.A.S. and has some very funny lines. Another moment which had me laughing was the incongruity of Himmler struggling with a Windows laptop and threatening dire revenge against the family of Bill Gates. None of the books in this trilogy are suitable for those of a squeamish disposition. Faced with Axis and Soviet powers who have become even more cruel and ruthless in their desperation to avoid defeat, the allies have to be almost equally brutal to defeat them. I can't remember reading a story in which the "good" guys kill so many innocent people since E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman series. Bottom line: if you are into alternative history or war stories, you will almost certainly enjoy the "Axis of Time" trilogy. 28 of 31 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disapointing but Worthwhile,
By John A Lee III "jal3" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Final Impact: A Novel of the Axis of Time (Paperback)
I really loved the first volume of the AXIS OF TIME trilogy. I enjoyed the second one as well, though, like most trilogies, I thought it not up to the first. I was prepared for the third installment to make everything right once again. Unfortunately, it was the least of the series.The scenario is that of a multinational naval task force from the year 2021 finding itself thrust back through time to the second world war. This causes disruptions for both the allies and the axis. Most of the fleet winds up in the hands of the allies but a few wind up in Japanese or Russian hands. The armaments of this fleet of the future are quite welcome but the historical references to things that have not yet happened are bound to be chaotic. Even more intriguing are the interaction between those from the future and those from the 40s. Black or Japanese officers are treated with suspicion and women are not really taken seriously. It would be expected that the Nazis would be insulted by having so many of their plans thwarted by a woman commanding an uptime British ship and they consider their injuries even worse since the woman is of Muslim descent. The really awful thing is that she is treated as a pariah by her own countrymen as well. This is just one of the many examples of cultures in conflict. In this third installment, things finally come to a climax. The Russians under Stalin have been busy and want to avoid the mistakes of the alternate history. That they are the first in this world to develop nuclear weapons seems to put them in the catbird seat. The American admiral from the future recognizes the Soviets as an even bigger threat than the Nazis and Japanese but passions are so inflamed over the latter that his warnings are not taken seriously until too late. The uptimers are in conflict with the downtimers (who appreciate the toys but don't want to play by "modern" rules) and it is a wonder that anybody really has time to fight a world war. In the first two volumes, Birmingham did a good job of setting up conflicts and situations that the reader would reasonably expect to be solved by the third volume. They were but they were not done so in a particularly pleasing manner. What seemed like major story lines are solved with hardly a whimper and the war itself is ended almost on a note of anticlimax. Having read the first two, this one was certainly worth the effort to finish but it could have been more. The story ends with the possibility of further sequels but now I am unsure if I would want to invest time in them. 19 of 22 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Thunder Clap of a Book,
By Mark R. Whittington - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Final Impact: A Novel of the Axis of Time (Paperback)
Final Impact concludes World War 2.1 with literally a bang. Or, perhaps, a whole lot of bangs as the Allies, armed with the weapons developed by crew of the 21st Century battle fleet that popped into the middle of the Battle of Midway, close in on both Nazi Germany and Japan. But the Nazis and the Japanese, armed with their own weapons and a desperation born from the foreknowledge of what was due to happen to them in the old timeline, will not go down without a fight. And the Soviets, who are also armed to the teeth, will not accept the verdict of original history and go into that good night.Though the revised version of World War II concludes with a blood letting even greater than what occured in our history, it may be only the beginning. John Birmingham has allowed himself room for ample sequals for a Cold War 2.0, which may not be "Cold" for very long. Highly recommended for fans of technothriller, action, and historical fiction. |
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