Weapons
of choice is Australian
author, John Birmingham's debut novel. It is the first book in his
Axis of time
trilogy. It is a curious combination of alternative history and
science fiction.
The
basic premise is that a technologically advanced naval fleet in 2021
is transported back in time to 1942, via a wormhole, into the
American fleet on its way to the World War 2 Battle of Midway in the
Pacific theatre.
In this
novel Birmingham ignores the Grandfather paradox in backwards time
travel. In this paradox what would happen if someone travelled back
in time and killed his grandfather before his father was born? He
wouldn't have been born of course.
That
aside, in Weapons of choice
Birmingham explores the
far-reaching consequences of modern computerised weapons travelling
back to the time of World War 2.
Birmingham, John. Weapons of choice: World War 2.1, Sydney: Macmillan, 2004.
Axis of time trilogy
- Weapons of choice (2004)
- Designated targets (2005)
- Final impact (2007)
Books in Print Professional reviews
Literary Travesty review
Axis of time Wiki
Goodreads Reader Reviews
