--- product_id: 131442690 title: "Weapons of Choice (Axis of Time, Book 1): A Novel of the Axis of Time" price: "¥1778" currency: JPY in_stock: true reviews_count: 7 url: https://www.desertcart.jp/products/131442690-weapons-of-choice-axis-of-time-book-1-a-novel store_origin: JP region: Japan --- # Weapons of Choice (Axis of Time, Book 1): A Novel of the Axis of Time **Price:** ¥1778 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Weapons of Choice (Axis of Time, Book 1): A Novel of the Axis of Time - **How much does it cost?** ¥1778 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.jp](https://www.desertcart.jp/products/131442690-weapons-of-choice-axis-of-time-book-1-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Weapons of Choice (Axis of Time, Book 1): A Novel of the Axis of Time - Kindle edition by Birmingham, John. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Weapons of Choice (Axis of Time, Book 1): A Novel of the Axis of Time. Review: Same Class as Stirling or Turtledove - The very few minor flaws in this otherwise outstanding first effort are simply evidence that no one writes a perfect novel. Alternative history/time travel is a great genre when done right, but more typically is the province of one dimensional, shallow character development coupled with whiz-bangers that require a total suspension of belief and rounded out by plot devices that combine outlandish good fortune and timing with little or no actual relationship to the story line. Not so here. The story flows, the characters are real and the author has his social/technical act together. And, as a bonus, the dialogue has regular moments of humor, cleverness, insight and pain. WEAPONS OF CHOICE falls only a bit short in what the book calls the 'Transition', i.e. that actual temporal displacement itself. The deficiency is that more goes wrong--way wrong--than should be the case. It makes a certain amount of sense for the temporal displacement to have somewhat of a random and unfortunate impact on the time travelers. This is more than adequately captured, and in fact is overdone. The flaw lies in having the displaced fleet land smack dab in the middle of the June, 1942 U.S. Fleet en route to Midway to engage the Japanese invasion fleet. The Pacific Ocean is a damn big ocean and the transported Combined Fleet covered an area perhaps 25 miles in diameter. Its like trying to hit a quarter lying on a football field with another quarter and doing it from another dimension. Having the 1942 U.S. Fleet see and recognize just the lone Japanese Self-Defense Force ship that makes up a small part of the larger Combined Fleet compounds the flaw. This device results in immediate shooting between the two fleets, with the primitive 1942 Fleet giving a pretty good account of itself. Another of the Combined Fleet is split longitudinally, apparently to demonstrate the finite limits of the temporal displacement while yet another is molecularly blended with one of the contemporary U.S. Fleet. Too much of a bad thing, if you ask me. Although flawed in this respect, even this part of the book and the balance are extremely well done and it is a fun read. Other reviewers have noted the references to other AH greats, Stirling and Flint and also to Turtledove's World War series. I'll be the first to note that the references to space lizards by President Roosevelt is directed to Cmdr. Turtletaub, Harry Turtledove's precurser name. Best of all is the blending of cultures, socially, militarily and technologically. Some reviewers are turned off by what they see as a liberal bent. My politics are at least as conservative as most Texans and probably more so. Too bad the ideological blinders we see today on the hard Left are just as prevalent on the hard Right. The fact is, mid-century America was great if you were white and had a job, otherwise, it had its shortcomings. Putting a Mexican or a Black in a superior position to white males back then was beyond the capacity of many, if not most Americans to comprehend, much less accept. This is doubly true for women, and particularly minority women. Face it fellow conservatives, it was this way, no getting around it. Having said that, the author would do well to remember that the armed forces were integrated in 1950 (or a year or two before)and Brown v. Board of Education was decided in 1954. The country was open, at least part of it, to change, although certainly not the level of we have today or are certain to see in 17 years. The times, they were a changin' and they still are. These same reviewers are troubled that Hillary Clinton gets such favorable play. Have they followed her comments post 9-11? I will most likely never buy into most of her domestic agenda, but like Lieberman and Gephardt, and too few other prominent Democrats, she doesn't stutter in the least about the need to fight fundamentalist terrorism with everything we have. Like her or not, you wouldn't want her mad at you and I am pretty sure, as a senator from New York, she is not happy with the bad guys. Now, for the book itself: Birmingham picks up with near perfection on not just the extension of military and social evolution the present day suggests, but he also--and you have to really like this in a time travel novel--describes with what seems to this technologically challenged history major/trial lawyer an entirely plausible (insofar as these things can be plausible) time travel mechanism. Worm holes, singularities, quantum foam--apparently these are words that esoteric physicists actually use. I recognize that they are in English, but that is as far as it goes. One thing for sure, even for scientific illiterates, it reads well. Finally, for military history buffs, Birmingham has done his homework. If you ever wanted a great blending of near future with recent past in a military context this is it, bar none. Highly recommended and looking forward to the next two--too bad the ideologues can't lighten up. Review: Centuries in Collision - Weapons of Choice is the first of a series which begins when a multi-national (Mostly American) carrier task force in 2021 on a United Nations mission in Indonesia is transported to 1942 and finds itself smack in the middle of the American fleet heading into battle near Midway. I put off reading this book for fear that it would be juvenile, simplistic, and poorly-written. I also braced myself for a smothering and cloying "politically correct" element along with cardboard black and white characters. However the author, John Birmingham, has pulled off a compelling and thoughtful tale of what might happen if people from different times were to meet. Of course, much of the book covers the effect of 21st century technology on World War II with some very imaginative scenarios. However, this is not a story of the future riding in on white horse and bringing light to a welcoming and backward world. For one thing those in the world of 1942 thought they were doing quite well until the visitors (invaders?) showed up! What makes Weapons of Choice especially interesting and a cut above many similar books is the interaction between the people of different centuries. To put it simply, they often don't like each other much. The time travelers arrived with a destructive bang that brought death and mayhem and inadvertently undermined the war effort. Secondly, the people of 1942 find many 21st century social mores and personal behavior shocking, disgusting, and immoral. Meanwhile the 21st century people justifiably see considerable bigotry, ignorance, and crudeness in the world of 1942. Weapons of Choice appears to be written from a moderately liberal perspective (starting with the super carrier U.S.S. Hillary Clinton) which has alienated some reviewers, but the people from the future have faults too. They mean well and wish to help the Allied cause, but many are rude, disrespectful, contemptuous and vulgar at times (the women especially), and on a high horse that begs to be toppled. After all, just because mid-twentieth century people are "ignorant" and backward does not mean they are stupid and do not learn fast. Meanwhile, the Japanese and Germans are aware of what has happened, managed to snag a bit of the future technology, and are determined to use it to change what they found out is their own bleak future. Weapons of Choice does have its problems. 2021 is simply too close to our own world of 2005. The weapons and technology seem too advanced for only sixteen years in the future. Secondly, although our own society is changing rapidly, the part of the world of 2021 the multi-national force comes from seems unreasonably accepting and tolerant of diversity of all sorts. In addition, what happened to the conservatives/religious right? Has it become irrelevant in only sixteen years? Finally the writing is very good for the genre, but don't expect great literature and character development. Despite these quibbles it should be remembered that this is a only a story and Birmingham has written something that will appeal to Alternate History, Time Travel, Science Fiction, and World War II buffs. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | B000FC1QBK | | Accessibility | Learn more | | Best Sellers Rank | #63,566 in Kindle Store ( See Top 100 in Kindle Store ) #83 in Alternative History #88 in Alternate History Science Fiction (Books) #171 in Time Travel Science Fiction (Kindle Store) | | Book 1 of 5 | Axis of Time | | Customer Reviews | 4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars (1,743) | | Enhanced typesetting | Enabled | | File size | 1.8 MB | | ISBN-13 | 978-0345478382 | | Language | English | | Page Flip | Enabled | | Print length | 512 pages | | Publication date | June 1, 2004 | | Publisher | Ballantine Books | | Screen Reader | Supported | | Word Wise | Enabled | | X-Ray | Enabled | ## Images ![Weapons of Choice (Axis of Time, Book 1): A Novel of the Axis of Time - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51d+g+dH4sL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Same Class as Stirling or Turtledove *by M***S on November 7, 2004* The very few minor flaws in this otherwise outstanding first effort are simply evidence that no one writes a perfect novel. Alternative history/time travel is a great genre when done right, but more typically is the province of one dimensional, shallow character development coupled with whiz-bangers that require a total suspension of belief and rounded out by plot devices that combine outlandish good fortune and timing with little or no actual relationship to the story line. Not so here. The story flows, the characters are real and the author has his social/technical act together. And, as a bonus, the dialogue has regular moments of humor, cleverness, insight and pain. WEAPONS OF CHOICE falls only a bit short in what the book calls the 'Transition', i.e. that actual temporal displacement itself. The deficiency is that more goes wrong--way wrong--than should be the case. It makes a certain amount of sense for the temporal displacement to have somewhat of a random and unfortunate impact on the time travelers. This is more than adequately captured, and in fact is overdone. The flaw lies in having the displaced fleet land smack dab in the middle of the June, 1942 U.S. Fleet en route to Midway to engage the Japanese invasion fleet. The Pacific Ocean is a damn big ocean and the transported Combined Fleet covered an area perhaps 25 miles in diameter. Its like trying to hit a quarter lying on a football field with another quarter and doing it from another dimension. Having the 1942 U.S. Fleet see and recognize just the lone Japanese Self-Defense Force ship that makes up a small part of the larger Combined Fleet compounds the flaw. This device results in immediate shooting between the two fleets, with the primitive 1942 Fleet giving a pretty good account of itself. Another of the Combined Fleet is split longitudinally, apparently to demonstrate the finite limits of the temporal displacement while yet another is molecularly blended with one of the contemporary U.S. Fleet. Too much of a bad thing, if you ask me. Although flawed in this respect, even this part of the book and the balance are extremely well done and it is a fun read. Other reviewers have noted the references to other AH greats, Stirling and Flint and also to Turtledove's World War series. I'll be the first to note that the references to space lizards by President Roosevelt is directed to Cmdr. Turtletaub, Harry Turtledove's precurser name. Best of all is the blending of cultures, socially, militarily and technologically. Some reviewers are turned off by what they see as a liberal bent. My politics are at least as conservative as most Texans and probably more so. Too bad the ideological blinders we see today on the hard Left are just as prevalent on the hard Right. The fact is, mid-century America was great if you were white and had a job, otherwise, it had its shortcomings. Putting a Mexican or a Black in a superior position to white males back then was beyond the capacity of many, if not most Americans to comprehend, much less accept. This is doubly true for women, and particularly minority women. Face it fellow conservatives, it was this way, no getting around it. Having said that, the author would do well to remember that the armed forces were integrated in 1950 (or a year or two before)and Brown v. Board of Education was decided in 1954. The country was open, at least part of it, to change, although certainly not the level of we have today or are certain to see in 17 years. The times, they were a changin' and they still are. These same reviewers are troubled that Hillary Clinton gets such favorable play. Have they followed her comments post 9-11? I will most likely never buy into most of her domestic agenda, but like Lieberman and Gephardt, and too few other prominent Democrats, she doesn't stutter in the least about the need to fight fundamentalist terrorism with everything we have. Like her or not, you wouldn't want her mad at you and I am pretty sure, as a senator from New York, she is not happy with the bad guys. Now, for the book itself: Birmingham picks up with near perfection on not just the extension of military and social evolution the present day suggests, but he also--and you have to really like this in a time travel novel--describes with what seems to this technologically challenged history major/trial lawyer an entirely plausible (insofar as these things can be plausible) time travel mechanism. Worm holes, singularities, quantum foam--apparently these are words that esoteric physicists actually use. I recognize that they are in English, but that is as far as it goes. One thing for sure, even for scientific illiterates, it reads well. Finally, for military history buffs, Birmingham has done his homework. If you ever wanted a great blending of near future with recent past in a military context this is it, bar none. Highly recommended and looking forward to the next two--too bad the ideologues can't lighten up. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Centuries in Collision *by B***S on August 12, 2005* Weapons of Choice is the first of a series which begins when a multi-national (Mostly American) carrier task force in 2021 on a United Nations mission in Indonesia is transported to 1942 and finds itself smack in the middle of the American fleet heading into battle near Midway. I put off reading this book for fear that it would be juvenile, simplistic, and poorly-written. I also braced myself for a smothering and cloying "politically correct" element along with cardboard black and white characters. However the author, John Birmingham, has pulled off a compelling and thoughtful tale of what might happen if people from different times were to meet. Of course, much of the book covers the effect of 21st century technology on World War II with some very imaginative scenarios. However, this is not a story of the future riding in on white horse and bringing light to a welcoming and backward world. For one thing those in the world of 1942 thought they were doing quite well until the visitors (invaders?) showed up! What makes Weapons of Choice especially interesting and a cut above many similar books is the interaction between the people of different centuries. To put it simply, they often don't like each other much. The time travelers arrived with a destructive bang that brought death and mayhem and inadvertently undermined the war effort. Secondly, the people of 1942 find many 21st century social mores and personal behavior shocking, disgusting, and immoral. Meanwhile the 21st century people justifiably see considerable bigotry, ignorance, and crudeness in the world of 1942. Weapons of Choice appears to be written from a moderately liberal perspective (starting with the super carrier U.S.S. Hillary Clinton) which has alienated some reviewers, but the people from the future have faults too. They mean well and wish to help the Allied cause, but many are rude, disrespectful, contemptuous and vulgar at times (the women especially), and on a high horse that begs to be toppled. After all, just because mid-twentieth century people are "ignorant" and backward does not mean they are stupid and do not learn fast. Meanwhile, the Japanese and Germans are aware of what has happened, managed to snag a bit of the future technology, and are determined to use it to change what they found out is their own bleak future. Weapons of Choice does have its problems. 2021 is simply too close to our own world of 2005. The weapons and technology seem too advanced for only sixteen years in the future. Secondly, although our own society is changing rapidly, the part of the world of 2021 the multi-national force comes from seems unreasonably accepting and tolerant of diversity of all sorts. In addition, what happened to the conservatives/religious right? Has it become irrelevant in only sixteen years? Finally the writing is very good for the genre, but don't expect great literature and character development. Despite these quibbles it should be remembered that this is a only a story and Birmingham has written something that will appeal to Alternate History, Time Travel, Science Fiction, and World War II buffs. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review *by A***J on May 13, 2013* I loved every thingabout this book. The story line was great and so was the concept. 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