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Axis of Time #2
Designated Targets
It’s World War II and the A-bomb is here to stay. The only Who’s going to drop it first?
The Battle of Midway was forever transformed by the devastating appearance of a U.S.-led naval task force from the twenty-first century. Since that day, state-of-the-art warships have prowled the Pacific, armed with the latest instruments of mass destruction, as the warring powers of 1942 scramble to be first to wield the weapons of tomorrow against their enemies. Russia and Germany form a deadly alliance, while Admiral Yamamoto moves to seize Hawaii and invade Australia.
Suddenly it’s a whole new war with unimaginable high-tech tools, and high-stakes inter-national betrayals from Tokyo to Washington to the Kremlin. As the world trembles on the brink of anni-hilation, Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt, Hitler, and Tojo confront extreme choices and a future rife with possi-bilities—all of them apocalyptic.
The Battle of Midway was forever transformed by the devastating appearance of a U.S.-led naval task force from the twenty-first century. Since that day, state-of-the-art warships have prowled the Pacific, armed with the latest instruments of mass destruction, as the warring powers of 1942 scramble to be first to wield the weapons of tomorrow against their enemies. Russia and Germany form a deadly alliance, while Admiral Yamamoto moves to seize Hawaii and invade Australia.
Suddenly it’s a whole new war with unimaginable high-tech tools, and high-stakes inter-national betrayals from Tokyo to Washington to the Kremlin. As the world trembles on the brink of anni-hilation, Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt, Hitler, and Tojo confront extreme choices and a future rife with possi-bilities—all of them apocalyptic.
448 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 25, 2005
About the author
John Birmingham
95 books1,215 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 112 reviews
August 3, 2009
5.0 to 5.5 stars. Excellent sequel to the incredible "Weapons of Choice" by John Birmingham. The concept of allowing history to be "rewritten" based on the players having knowledge of how the future unfolded in "our" time has made for an incredible read. Can not wait to read the final volume in this trilogy and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this series.
June 3, 2016
As good as the first book.
The action heats up as Hitler and Stalin change tactics based on discovering what had happened in the past. Now everything is up for grabs as everyone is forewarned.
An exciting read.
The action heats up as Hitler and Stalin change tactics based on discovering what had happened in the past. Now everything is up for grabs as everyone is forewarned.
An exciting read.
October 3, 2011
‘Designated Targets’ (Del Rey, $14.95, 367 pages) is a solid work of alternative history, the followup to ‘Weapons of Choice.’ It continues John Birmingham’s speculation about what would have happened if a 21st battle fleet had been transported, through a somewhat plausible accident, to the middle of the Pacific in 1942.
‘Designated Targets’ follows the characters in the first book as they try to fight World War II not only with exotic weapons (though ammunition is running out) but knowledge of the future. For example, Hitler knows in 1942 which of his apparent supporters will try to assassinate him in 1944; Stalin, Beria and Molotov know that Khruschev will come to power in the 1950s; and Americans know that John F. Kennedy will become president in 1960. All of this colors actions in a world changed by the arrival of the future, as entrepreneurs sign an eight-year-old Elvis Presley to a contract and corporations can see what will succeed and what will fail.
Those who enjoy alternative history will be pleased with ‘Designated Targets,’ but as always, starting with book one is highly recommended. Still, at the risk of sounding like an oldtimer who’s ready for the rocking chair and reruns of ‘Bonanza,’ there is one troubling element of this novel, and with almost every adventure novel in every genre in recent years: A flood tide of blood and gore.
To repeat, Birmingham is no more or less guilty of graphic descriptions of brains being blown out and spattering on point-of-view characters than any other modern author. And there is certainly nothing wrong, as George R. R, Martin pointed out, in making sure readers understand the true nature of war and violence.
But why, as we so innocently asked in the ‘60s, is it better to make war than to make love? Why is it OK to detail the effects of a bullet as it passes through a human body, but not OK to detail the effects of human genitalia as they interact? Why is that death, and violent death, is gone over in delicate detail, but the act that creates lives is considered obscence and uncomfortable to read about?
Just for the sake of argument, what if every scene of bloody death were required to be balanced by an equally graphic scene of lovemaking? In other words, what if every ending were balanced by a beginning? What if the gore quotient had to equal the love quotient?
If such a standard were adopted, my solution would not be to add more sex, but rather to limit violence. Sure, violence is fact of life and history, but novels can be written, and stories told, without an excessive reliance on the deaths of various characters. In fact, fewer such incidents would give the graphic descriptions even more power to shock; as it is, by the time I finish a 21st century adventure novel, of whatever genre, tortured flesh and screams of agony don’t register much, if at all.
Still, I cannot bear to watch athletes getting injured, especially replay after replay of knees twisting and ankles breaking. I tend to skip passages in books that emphasize human pain, as there is plenty of that in the real world and we hardly need add more to the equation. And movies that I would have once wanted to see (‘Gladiator’ springs to mind) I simply skip because I am not entertained by the sight of entrails and exposed bone.
And I know this small essay is but a pebble in the tide of violence that 21st century humanity, here and abroad, revels in. Birmingham and other authors would not write this way if it did not sell; gory movies would not be made if no one wanted to see them. It’s human nature at work more than anything else, and the entertainment industry is the servant, not the master.
Nonetheless, it bothers me, and I don’t think it makes the world a better place. To once again show my age, back in the day we chanted ‘Make love, not war’ -- and though a lot of things we believed in the ‘60s turned out to be misguided, that’s one thing we had right. And of course, it’s one of the things that got left behind.
‘Designated Targets’ follows the characters in the first book as they try to fight World War II not only with exotic weapons (though ammunition is running out) but knowledge of the future. For example, Hitler knows in 1942 which of his apparent supporters will try to assassinate him in 1944; Stalin, Beria and Molotov know that Khruschev will come to power in the 1950s; and Americans know that John F. Kennedy will become president in 1960. All of this colors actions in a world changed by the arrival of the future, as entrepreneurs sign an eight-year-old Elvis Presley to a contract and corporations can see what will succeed and what will fail.
Those who enjoy alternative history will be pleased with ‘Designated Targets,’ but as always, starting with book one is highly recommended. Still, at the risk of sounding like an oldtimer who’s ready for the rocking chair and reruns of ‘Bonanza,’ there is one troubling element of this novel, and with almost every adventure novel in every genre in recent years: A flood tide of blood and gore.
To repeat, Birmingham is no more or less guilty of graphic descriptions of brains being blown out and spattering on point-of-view characters than any other modern author. And there is certainly nothing wrong, as George R. R, Martin pointed out, in making sure readers understand the true nature of war and violence.
But why, as we so innocently asked in the ‘60s, is it better to make war than to make love? Why is it OK to detail the effects of a bullet as it passes through a human body, but not OK to detail the effects of human genitalia as they interact? Why is that death, and violent death, is gone over in delicate detail, but the act that creates lives is considered obscence and uncomfortable to read about?
Just for the sake of argument, what if every scene of bloody death were required to be balanced by an equally graphic scene of lovemaking? In other words, what if every ending were balanced by a beginning? What if the gore quotient had to equal the love quotient?
If such a standard were adopted, my solution would not be to add more sex, but rather to limit violence. Sure, violence is fact of life and history, but novels can be written, and stories told, without an excessive reliance on the deaths of various characters. In fact, fewer such incidents would give the graphic descriptions even more power to shock; as it is, by the time I finish a 21st century adventure novel, of whatever genre, tortured flesh and screams of agony don’t register much, if at all.
Still, I cannot bear to watch athletes getting injured, especially replay after replay of knees twisting and ankles breaking. I tend to skip passages in books that emphasize human pain, as there is plenty of that in the real world and we hardly need add more to the equation. And movies that I would have once wanted to see (‘Gladiator’ springs to mind) I simply skip because I am not entertained by the sight of entrails and exposed bone.
And I know this small essay is but a pebble in the tide of violence that 21st century humanity, here and abroad, revels in. Birmingham and other authors would not write this way if it did not sell; gory movies would not be made if no one wanted to see them. It’s human nature at work more than anything else, and the entertainment industry is the servant, not the master.
Nonetheless, it bothers me, and I don’t think it makes the world a better place. To once again show my age, back in the day we chanted ‘Make love, not war’ -- and though a lot of things we believed in the ‘60s turned out to be misguided, that’s one thing we had right. And of course, it’s one of the things that got left behind.
October 2, 2019
A solid and grounded alt-WWII---with lasers.
Alt-history is usually of two forms: Historical figure makes decision B instead of decision A (cue butterfly effect) or.....TIME TRAVEL...whereby future tech is introduced into a historical war.
This alt-WWII series from Birmingham goes with the latter option but does it in a very grounded and reasonably realistic way. The first novel focused on the immediate aftermath of the "Transition" when a multinational fleet of 21st century ships get transported into the Pacific prior to Midway, disrupting everything accordingly.
This second novel fast forwards a few months and the future folks have established a "Green Zone" of sorts in Los Angeles with modern laws and regulations (no segregation for instance) where development of future weapons to help the Allied war effort continues.
The most interesting aspect of the novel is how the state actors deal with "known" history...in particular...how notoriously paranoid regimes like the Nazis and Soviets deal with learning who was ineffective or traitorous in the "original" timeline. Naturally a series of massive purges begin, yet the Axis powers (Stalin and Hitler sign another cease-fire) also are able to access some future-tech and orient their war-plans around this revealed history and new technology.
So we get a diversionary yet brutal Japanese occupation of Australia as well as a renewed Nazi invasion of Britain and ultimately, a successful Japanese invasion of Hawaii. It makes for great fun JB keeps it reasonably engaging. Another fun subplot is the importation of future books and movies, including those that tell the salacious details of one (still very much alive) J. Edgar Hoover.
Watching the characters react to "new" historical information is the most entertaining and JB does a decent job of keeping that narrative grounded. Ultimately an entertaining take on an alternative WWII.
Alt-history is usually of two forms: Historical figure makes decision B instead of decision A (cue butterfly effect) or.....TIME TRAVEL...whereby future tech is introduced into a historical war.
This alt-WWII series from Birmingham goes with the latter option but does it in a very grounded and reasonably realistic way. The first novel focused on the immediate aftermath of the "Transition" when a multinational fleet of 21st century ships get transported into the Pacific prior to Midway, disrupting everything accordingly.
This second novel fast forwards a few months and the future folks have established a "Green Zone" of sorts in Los Angeles with modern laws and regulations (no segregation for instance) where development of future weapons to help the Allied war effort continues.
The most interesting aspect of the novel is how the state actors deal with "known" history...in particular...how notoriously paranoid regimes like the Nazis and Soviets deal with learning who was ineffective or traitorous in the "original" timeline. Naturally a series of massive purges begin, yet the Axis powers (Stalin and Hitler sign another cease-fire) also are able to access some future-tech and orient their war-plans around this revealed history and new technology.
So we get a diversionary yet brutal Japanese occupation of Australia as well as a renewed Nazi invasion of Britain and ultimately, a successful Japanese invasion of Hawaii. It makes for great fun JB keeps it reasonably engaging. Another fun subplot is the importation of future books and movies, including those that tell the salacious details of one (still very much alive) J. Edgar Hoover.
Watching the characters react to "new" historical information is the most entertaining and JB does a decent job of keeping that narrative grounded. Ultimately an entertaining take on an alternative WWII.
July 17, 2025
Great continuation of this series. In this one the implications of all the time travel stuff are explored in some super interesting ways that create all sorts of story possibilities—it turns out that if you bring detailed knowledge of the future back in time, you’re going to radically change the way events play out. The action is good, though still edges into the lurid at times. Looking forward to the next one.
January 30, 2021
enjoyed this so much, stayed up way too late to finish it
January 30, 2025
Similar to last book. Started off slower than first but picked up more towards the end. It did take awhile to wrap up some boring plot points.
May 10, 2016
Thots while reading:
I am having mixed emotions while reading this book. It is a great premise: a carrier battle group from the future is sent back through time into the 'middle' of World War II. This is the second book in a series based on that premise. I will say this much about it: it is holding my interest enough to keep reading it. At the same time, I cannot say how impressed I am with how it is going, so far.
Bones to pick: it is beyond irritating that even though the Germans and Japanese end up with only two vessels from the future, they are doing more with what little they have as opposed to the Allies who have a veritable treasure trove and are doing jack with what they 'have.' That probably has a lot to do with the types of governments involved [tyranny versus democracy], but it is still frustrating to read.
The book takes place several months after the first book, so the continuity is lousy. Not only that, starting out with some guy and some woman hunting down Elvis Presley? That's the first chapter in the book? With the book jumping forward several months after the end of the first book, it would probably have been a great idea to have had some kind of introductory 'forward' in the book to bring people up to speed.
Japan pulls back in order to invade New Guinea and Australia. Germany is planning to invade England after arranging another truce with Russia.
It seriously bugs me that some of the 'lost' naval vessels appeared 'elsewhere' when reappearing. Like how the Vanguard supposedly appeared in Russian territory well before the fleet appeared at Midway. Or some French Nemesis-class stealth cruiser appeared off the Canary Islands several days/months after the initial fleet appeared at Midway. Or another vessel was embedded in the side of a mountain in the first book. It's probably 'little stuff' that has some kind of reasonable explanation, but it still bugs me. Perhaps if I ever come across the 'reasonable explanation' it won't bug me as much. I doubt it, but maybe.
I do find it interesting that none of the American naval vessels seem to be carrying any kind of nuclear warheads. Perhaps there was a reason given for it in the first book, and I missed it. Ah, well. It seems a little far-fetched. But then again, so does an aircraft carrier named after Hillary Clinton.
It is almost like there is no longer any kind of fighting going on elsewhere in the world. No battles are mentioned anywhere else, so far. Just Australia and England. It's kinda weird, in a way. I'm about halfway through the book right now, so we'll see how it ends up.
-------------------------
I am done with the book, and rather disappointed with it. For a book that is about 'World War II' and about the entire world being at war, it sure limits its focus. It seems as if the war has essentially stopped except in three places [Australia, England, and Hawaii]. It just seems ... stupid, for lack of a better word.
Despite having finished the book, I am still not quite sure how I feel about it. Neither am I sure as to whether or not I am glad I read it. Other than Hawaii being captured and the invasion of England being thwarted [both of which are 'very big deals', no doubt about it], not much else happens.
The author seems to delve entirely too much into Hoover and the FBI. Who cares about the man? It becomes a distraction in the story. I do not know if the author had some kind of axe to grind about the former head of the FBI, but it grew quite tiresome well before the end of the book.
It still bugs me that the Axis powers are able to use atomic weapons and it seems like the Allies cannot. I realize weapons were used to take out the Tirpitz battle group, but it still seemed anti-climactic. It bugs me that even though the Axis have limited access to uptime technology, they are able to put it to better use than the Allies, which seems completely bogus to me. It feels like shoddy storytelling.
It was an okay book. Instead of focusing on how the technology was changing warfare, the author seemed to focus on unimportant, non-essential stuff in the book. Perhaps some of what he focused on was more important than I realized, but it did not seem that way. It seemed like the author had some kind of axe to grind that the Allies won the Second World War and not the Axis powers.
I do not want to have a completely negative review. The best part of the book was Prince Harry, a leader in the SAS and now stuck back in time before his grandmother was both married and Queen of England. I did enjoy the parts with Prince Harry in them.
I also liked the fact that there were saboteurs who helped spoil the plans of the Axis powers. So there you go. I'm still leaving it at two stars.
I am having mixed emotions while reading this book. It is a great premise: a carrier battle group from the future is sent back through time into the 'middle' of World War II. This is the second book in a series based on that premise. I will say this much about it: it is holding my interest enough to keep reading it. At the same time, I cannot say how impressed I am with how it is going, so far.
Bones to pick: it is beyond irritating that even though the Germans and Japanese end up with only two vessels from the future, they are doing more with what little they have as opposed to the Allies who have a veritable treasure trove and are doing jack with what they 'have.' That probably has a lot to do with the types of governments involved [tyranny versus democracy], but it is still frustrating to read.
The book takes place several months after the first book, so the continuity is lousy. Not only that, starting out with some guy and some woman hunting down Elvis Presley? That's the first chapter in the book? With the book jumping forward several months after the end of the first book, it would probably have been a great idea to have had some kind of introductory 'forward' in the book to bring people up to speed.
Japan pulls back in order to invade New Guinea and Australia. Germany is planning to invade England after arranging another truce with Russia.
It seriously bugs me that some of the 'lost' naval vessels appeared 'elsewhere' when reappearing. Like how the Vanguard supposedly appeared in Russian territory well before the fleet appeared at Midway. Or some French Nemesis-class stealth cruiser appeared off the Canary Islands several days/months after the initial fleet appeared at Midway. Or another vessel was embedded in the side of a mountain in the first book. It's probably 'little stuff' that has some kind of reasonable explanation, but it still bugs me. Perhaps if I ever come across the 'reasonable explanation' it won't bug me as much. I doubt it, but maybe.
I do find it interesting that none of the American naval vessels seem to be carrying any kind of nuclear warheads. Perhaps there was a reason given for it in the first book, and I missed it. Ah, well. It seems a little far-fetched. But then again, so does an aircraft carrier named after Hillary Clinton.
It is almost like there is no longer any kind of fighting going on elsewhere in the world. No battles are mentioned anywhere else, so far. Just Australia and England. It's kinda weird, in a way. I'm about halfway through the book right now, so we'll see how it ends up.
-------------------------
I am done with the book, and rather disappointed with it. For a book that is about 'World War II' and about the entire world being at war, it sure limits its focus. It seems as if the war has essentially stopped except in three places [Australia, England, and Hawaii]. It just seems ... stupid, for lack of a better word.
Despite having finished the book, I am still not quite sure how I feel about it. Neither am I sure as to whether or not I am glad I read it. Other than Hawaii being captured and the invasion of England being thwarted [both of which are 'very big deals', no doubt about it], not much else happens.
The author seems to delve entirely too much into Hoover and the FBI. Who cares about the man? It becomes a distraction in the story. I do not know if the author had some kind of axe to grind about the former head of the FBI, but it grew quite tiresome well before the end of the book.
It still bugs me that the Axis powers are able to use atomic weapons and it seems like the Allies cannot. I realize weapons were used to take out the Tirpitz battle group, but it still seemed anti-climactic. It bugs me that even though the Axis have limited access to uptime technology, they are able to put it to better use than the Allies, which seems completely bogus to me. It feels like shoddy storytelling.
It was an okay book. Instead of focusing on how the technology was changing warfare, the author seemed to focus on unimportant, non-essential stuff in the book. Perhaps some of what he focused on was more important than I realized, but it did not seem that way. It seemed like the author had some kind of axe to grind that the Allies won the Second World War and not the Axis powers.
I do not want to have a completely negative review. The best part of the book was Prince Harry, a leader in the SAS and now stuck back in time before his grandmother was both married and Queen of England. I did enjoy the parts with Prince Harry in them.
I also liked the fact that there were saboteurs who helped spoil the plans of the Axis powers. So there you go. I'm still leaving it at two stars.
November 9, 2012
Interesting premise, failed execution
9 November 2012
I had read the first book in this trilogy and thought it was okay so when I discovered that the second book had been released I decided that I would snap it up as well. Mind you, that was in the days when I seemed to be buying more books than I was reading (and in a way I am still essentially doing that, though I have managed to resist buying too many books of late. However, that doesn't seem to stop me from adding more and more books to my 'to-read' list on Goodreads).
This book continues from where the first book left off: a group of 21st century soldiers are sent back in time to World War II and inevitably disrupt the time continuum and thus send the 20th Century off in a new direction. Initially the concept seemed to be interesting, and the plot was enjoyable, but there was one really big problem: the allies simply seemed to still be on the winning side. Okay, granted, we probably would not like to be living in a world that had been overrun by the facist dictatorships of the 1940s, but that is beside the point. Despite the fact that Hitler had discovered his mistakes, still did not mean that he was able to capitalise on that knowledge. .
In some ways I have liked some of the speculative fiction that comes out of the what would have happened if the fascists won World War II, but in the end the truth is that it would not have been pretty. I suspect what would have happened is that once again the world would have settled into a spot where at the centre of civilisation you would have peace and on the fringes you would have perpetual war. I suspect that the United States may have survived, protected by its moat, though it could have lost Hawaii, and Europe would have been overrun by the Nazi's. Russia would still be under the grip of the Communists, and Asia would be a Japanese empire.
However, the only way Hitler could have won was if he had focused his attacks on the Middle East by striking through Turkey, and then pushing up through the Caucasus. That way he would have had control of major oil regions. I doubt Japan could have managed to conquer China, and even then it would have been a Phyrric victory as it would have been likely that they would be forever putting down resistance (China is just too massive a territory to be able to be controlled by an outside force). I suspect Hitler would have had that problem as well.
Another thing that I did not like about this book was the apparent right wing undertones. I found that his rather brutal descriptions of the behaviour of the extremists was a little off putting, because simply put, not all Muslims behave in that way. We love pointing at the Muslims and labelling all of them as extremists, but Christians also have to put up with that as well. It is true that the extremists seem to rise to the top, and it is their attitudes and actions that people most remember. In reality, the extremists tend to only be a minority, albeit a rather loud minority, and a majority simply want to be left alone and to live their life peacefully.
It is different in places like Palestine and Lebanon where many of them live in abject poverty, and blame the Israelis and the Americans for their situations. The idea of the suicide bomber here is not so much a religious thing (despite it being clothed in religious language) but rather a political issue in regards to human rights and the access to land. It was the same in Iraq. It is true that Al-Queda did attempt to break into Iraq, but the war and the insurgency was more of a nationalist movement than anything else. The Shiites in Southern Iraq had a much stronger following due to the nationalist interests, while the Sunni extremists in central Iraq ended up losing group not because the Americans were winning, but because they simply did not want to give up their freedom to religious extremists.
9 November 2012
I had read the first book in this trilogy and thought it was okay so when I discovered that the second book had been released I decided that I would snap it up as well. Mind you, that was in the days when I seemed to be buying more books than I was reading (and in a way I am still essentially doing that, though I have managed to resist buying too many books of late. However, that doesn't seem to stop me from adding more and more books to my 'to-read' list on Goodreads).
This book continues from where the first book left off: a group of 21st century soldiers are sent back in time to World War II and inevitably disrupt the time continuum and thus send the 20th Century off in a new direction. Initially the concept seemed to be interesting, and the plot was enjoyable, but there was one really big problem: the allies simply seemed to still be on the winning side. Okay, granted, we probably would not like to be living in a world that had been overrun by the facist dictatorships of the 1940s, but that is beside the point. Despite the fact that Hitler had discovered his mistakes, still did not mean that he was able to capitalise on that knowledge. .
In some ways I have liked some of the speculative fiction that comes out of the what would have happened if the fascists won World War II, but in the end the truth is that it would not have been pretty. I suspect what would have happened is that once again the world would have settled into a spot where at the centre of civilisation you would have peace and on the fringes you would have perpetual war. I suspect that the United States may have survived, protected by its moat, though it could have lost Hawaii, and Europe would have been overrun by the Nazi's. Russia would still be under the grip of the Communists, and Asia would be a Japanese empire.
However, the only way Hitler could have won was if he had focused his attacks on the Middle East by striking through Turkey, and then pushing up through the Caucasus. That way he would have had control of major oil regions. I doubt Japan could have managed to conquer China, and even then it would have been a Phyrric victory as it would have been likely that they would be forever putting down resistance (China is just too massive a territory to be able to be controlled by an outside force). I suspect Hitler would have had that problem as well.
Another thing that I did not like about this book was the apparent right wing undertones. I found that his rather brutal descriptions of the behaviour of the extremists was a little off putting, because simply put, not all Muslims behave in that way. We love pointing at the Muslims and labelling all of them as extremists, but Christians also have to put up with that as well. It is true that the extremists seem to rise to the top, and it is their attitudes and actions that people most remember. In reality, the extremists tend to only be a minority, albeit a rather loud minority, and a majority simply want to be left alone and to live their life peacefully.
It is different in places like Palestine and Lebanon where many of them live in abject poverty, and blame the Israelis and the Americans for their situations. The idea of the suicide bomber here is not so much a religious thing (despite it being clothed in religious language) but rather a political issue in regards to human rights and the access to land. It was the same in Iraq. It is true that Al-Queda did attempt to break into Iraq, but the war and the insurgency was more of a nationalist movement than anything else. The Shiites in Southern Iraq had a much stronger following due to the nationalist interests, while the Sunni extremists in central Iraq ended up losing group not because the Americans were winning, but because they simply did not want to give up their freedom to religious extremists.
July 11, 2014
This adrenelin-packed, hard-to-put-down sequel to "Weapons of Choice" is as thrilling and gripping as that was. Whereas the first book in the series dealt with the culture shock of 21st century attitudes and advances coming into rude contact with mid-20th century prejudices early on in the Second World War, this book looks at the attempt by the Nazis and the Japanese (and to some extent, the Soviets) to rewrite the history books. Things don't always work out well for our 21st century heroes - there are, after all, problems with logistics and they are, after all, only human - but it is very easy to take sides and cheer them on as the nightmare unleashes.
November 25, 2025
Birmingham got too deep into the weeds for me. Almost an entire chapter describing the torture and death of Nikita Khrushchev and another couple about some guy making a fortune using information obtained from a woman from the future, signing up Elvis Presley and Norma Jean Baker (AKA, Marilyn Monroe). I guess I should have expected the exploration of an alternate history, uth tghis one is not to my liking.
May 13, 2012
It is my hope that Birmingham does more alternate fiction. I can't get enough.
January 13, 2022
Much better than the first book. Far less cheese.
July 25, 2011
This is the second novel in the Axis of Time trilogy. I reviewed the first book, World War 2.1: Weapons of Choice over a year ago and enjoyed it, although it did fall a little towards being a stock military thriller, despite the excellent premise. The sequel represents a significant improvement in quality.
World War 2.2: Designated Targets picks up the story a couple of months later. Thanks to a wormhole experiment gone badly wrong, a UN multinational taskforce en route to relieve Jakarta from a terrorist incursion in 2021 has been transported back to 1942. Its arrival destroys the American Pacific Fleet just before it defeats the Japanese at the Battle of Midway. Despite this, the arrival of the UN taskforce and its pledge of allegiance to the Allied cause initially looked set to swing the war decisively in the Allies' favour, hopefully ending it months or years earlier than it would have done otherwise. Unfortunately, this proves not to be the case. The Russians, Japanese and the Germans all capture ships from the taskforce which ended up being transported further away and their foreknowledge of the future has enabled them to make drastic changes to their war plans far more quickly than the Allies can adapt.
The Germans and Russians have negotiated a ceasefire and now the Germans are concentrating their forces in Normandy and Calais, aware that capturing Britain before the US begins building up its invasion force there in strength is critical. The Japanese have withdrawn significant troops from China in order to launch a full-scale invasion of northern Australia, forcing MacArthur to divert resources to the building of immense fortified lines around Brisbane. The UN taskforce's precious stocks of missiles and advanced ammunition, which cannot be replaced, are running low. However, the US industrial machine is already rapidly adjusting to the information the taskforce has brought with it, with more advanced tanks (to replace the deathtrap Sherman M4s), aircraft and weapons from later in the war being rushed into production early.
The book's storyline follows several military campaigns, notably the invasion of Australia and the German preparations to assault southern Britain, but at the same time also concentrates on the sociological impact of the arrival of the fleet from the future. J. Edgar Hoover's authority has been eroded with the revelation of his personal habits, resulting in him using the FBI's resources to try and destroy the UN taskforce commander's credibility, making great comment of his force's use of women, coloured and (ironically) homosexual troops, not to mention the fact that the taskforce includes German, Russian and Japanese contingents. Meanwhile, the Russian and German high commands are undergoing pre-emptive purges in light of the revelation of the 20th July plot against Hitler and those Soviet leaders who later usurped Stalin's chosen succession after his death (Beria gains some revenge on Khruschev in a rather unpleasant scene). There's also some nice gallows humour here, as Hitler's initial rage at discovering the 'treachery' of several prominent Nazi leaders (notably Goering) late in the war is muted by his tearful appreciation of them going to their graves defending Nazism at Nuremberg.
Birmingham uses the situation for humour to good effect on several occasions, such as Himmler using grandiose musical accompaniment to his PowerPoint presentations (using a captured laptop) and later berating Microsoft for its badly-programmed products. Meanwhile, an American entrepreneur snaps up the rights to represent the 7-year-old Elvis and 16-year-old Marilyn Monroe long before they became famous in the 'other' timeline. As Britain faces the prospect of invasion, the BBC telecopies prints of later WW2 movies and Kenneth Brannagh's Henry V to bolster morale, whilst wiseguys in New York City become overnight fans of The Godfather and The Sopranos. However, the Allies decide to hold back on showing Schindler's List until they really need to fire up the populace against the Nazis.
Birmingham also holds fire on some of the elements he went overboard on in the first book. The poor prospects for black people, women and homosexuals in the WW2 era was rammed home a bit too often to the point where it slowed the progression of the story. In this sequel these elements continue to be pursued, but more subtly through the narrative rather than being info-dumped every few chapters.
There are some weaknesses, most notably the idea that Stalin would agree to a peace deal with Germany when he is told that Russia will win the war in Europe anyway seems massively out-of-character and extremely unlikely. Birmingham suggests that Stalin agrees to this to make preparations for the Cold War against the USA, but this isn't very convincing. Mostly, however, Desginated Targets (****) is a more thoughtful and interesting exploration of the issues raised by its impressive premise, whilst still featuring a lot of action.
World War 2.2: Designated Targets picks up the story a couple of months later. Thanks to a wormhole experiment gone badly wrong, a UN multinational taskforce en route to relieve Jakarta from a terrorist incursion in 2021 has been transported back to 1942. Its arrival destroys the American Pacific Fleet just before it defeats the Japanese at the Battle of Midway. Despite this, the arrival of the UN taskforce and its pledge of allegiance to the Allied cause initially looked set to swing the war decisively in the Allies' favour, hopefully ending it months or years earlier than it would have done otherwise. Unfortunately, this proves not to be the case. The Russians, Japanese and the Germans all capture ships from the taskforce which ended up being transported further away and their foreknowledge of the future has enabled them to make drastic changes to their war plans far more quickly than the Allies can adapt.
The Germans and Russians have negotiated a ceasefire and now the Germans are concentrating their forces in Normandy and Calais, aware that capturing Britain before the US begins building up its invasion force there in strength is critical. The Japanese have withdrawn significant troops from China in order to launch a full-scale invasion of northern Australia, forcing MacArthur to divert resources to the building of immense fortified lines around Brisbane. The UN taskforce's precious stocks of missiles and advanced ammunition, which cannot be replaced, are running low. However, the US industrial machine is already rapidly adjusting to the information the taskforce has brought with it, with more advanced tanks (to replace the deathtrap Sherman M4s), aircraft and weapons from later in the war being rushed into production early.
The book's storyline follows several military campaigns, notably the invasion of Australia and the German preparations to assault southern Britain, but at the same time also concentrates on the sociological impact of the arrival of the fleet from the future. J. Edgar Hoover's authority has been eroded with the revelation of his personal habits, resulting in him using the FBI's resources to try and destroy the UN taskforce commander's credibility, making great comment of his force's use of women, coloured and (ironically) homosexual troops, not to mention the fact that the taskforce includes German, Russian and Japanese contingents. Meanwhile, the Russian and German high commands are undergoing pre-emptive purges in light of the revelation of the 20th July plot against Hitler and those Soviet leaders who later usurped Stalin's chosen succession after his death (Beria gains some revenge on Khruschev in a rather unpleasant scene). There's also some nice gallows humour here, as Hitler's initial rage at discovering the 'treachery' of several prominent Nazi leaders (notably Goering) late in the war is muted by his tearful appreciation of them going to their graves defending Nazism at Nuremberg.
Birmingham uses the situation for humour to good effect on several occasions, such as Himmler using grandiose musical accompaniment to his PowerPoint presentations (using a captured laptop) and later berating Microsoft for its badly-programmed products. Meanwhile, an American entrepreneur snaps up the rights to represent the 7-year-old Elvis and 16-year-old Marilyn Monroe long before they became famous in the 'other' timeline. As Britain faces the prospect of invasion, the BBC telecopies prints of later WW2 movies and Kenneth Brannagh's Henry V to bolster morale, whilst wiseguys in New York City become overnight fans of The Godfather and The Sopranos. However, the Allies decide to hold back on showing Schindler's List until they really need to fire up the populace against the Nazis.
Birmingham also holds fire on some of the elements he went overboard on in the first book. The poor prospects for black people, women and homosexuals in the WW2 era was rammed home a bit too often to the point where it slowed the progression of the story. In this sequel these elements continue to be pursued, but more subtly through the narrative rather than being info-dumped every few chapters.
There are some weaknesses, most notably the idea that Stalin would agree to a peace deal with Germany when he is told that Russia will win the war in Europe anyway seems massively out-of-character and extremely unlikely. Birmingham suggests that Stalin agrees to this to make preparations for the Cold War against the USA, but this isn't very convincing. Mostly, however, Desginated Targets (****) is a more thoughtful and interesting exploration of the issues raised by its impressive premise, whilst still featuring a lot of action.
June 21, 2018
This is another terrific entry in the Axis of Time series.
Have you ever been reading a book and experienced that sense of frustration when the characters you are rooting for are placed into perilous situations where hope appears lost? Where someone you care about meets an untimely end? When you realize that you cannot think of a way to turn things around so, "The good guys can win? I experienced those sensations a lot in this book. And it drove me to keep going to see how it would all turn out. This is edge of your seat stuff and is very well crafted.
John Birmingham treats characters, technology, tactics and battles with a deftness that melds a large canvas into a seamless whole. There are a number of separate story lines that link together, sometimes in unexpected ways, but always in a fashion that is relatable and believable. In this second volume, the effects of the modern day battle group being transported back to World War II continue to play out. Story lines continue to evolve and it is interesting how each of the warring factions make use of the new technology they have obtained. Alliances are not what they seem, prejudices continue to shape events, and watching how the world evolves in the face of all this is extremely captivating.
If you enjoyed the first novel in the trilogy, I can guarantee you will be swept up by this one. (Also, I am more convinced than ever that John Birmingham is just a pseudonym for Prince Harry. You will see why!) Am absolute must buy for fans of alternative history or military fiction.
Have you ever been reading a book and experienced that sense of frustration when the characters you are rooting for are placed into perilous situations where hope appears lost? Where someone you care about meets an untimely end? When you realize that you cannot think of a way to turn things around so, "The good guys can win? I experienced those sensations a lot in this book. And it drove me to keep going to see how it would all turn out. This is edge of your seat stuff and is very well crafted.
John Birmingham treats characters, technology, tactics and battles with a deftness that melds a large canvas into a seamless whole. There are a number of separate story lines that link together, sometimes in unexpected ways, but always in a fashion that is relatable and believable. In this second volume, the effects of the modern day battle group being transported back to World War II continue to play out. Story lines continue to evolve and it is interesting how each of the warring factions make use of the new technology they have obtained. Alliances are not what they seem, prejudices continue to shape events, and watching how the world evolves in the face of all this is extremely captivating.
If you enjoyed the first novel in the trilogy, I can guarantee you will be swept up by this one. (Also, I am more convinced than ever that John Birmingham is just a pseudonym for Prince Harry. You will see why!) Am absolute must buy for fans of alternative history or military fiction.
June 4, 2022
In the second novel in John Birmingham’s “Axis of Time” trilogy, he capitalizes on the events which took place in Weapons of Choice known as “the Transition” or “the Emergence”. In that novel, a multi-national force set on taking on Muslim extremists in the year 2021 gets caught up in a science experiment gone awry and is transported back in time to 1942, just before the battle of Midway. In fact, most of the ships end up right in the middle of the U.S. Fleet bound for Midway – and I do mean literally “in the middle” in one case.
You would think that the Allies having advanced technology from the year 2021 would make their victory over the Germans and Japanese a given. That’s not the case, however. Not only have some of the ships ended up in the hands of the Axis powers, but by showing what the future holds for them, Hitler is able to forge an uneasy truce with Stalin and keep the U.S.S.R. out of the conflict on the Allies’ side. This frees much of the German forces for a renewed push at Great Britain, including possible invasion forces. The Japanese, in the meantime, have invaded Australia and are committing atrocities there. How far will they push onto the continent? Is that their change in strategy, or is it more about to be let loose? Perhaps the most detrimental thing brought back from the future is the knowledge of what will happen.
To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
You would think that the Allies having advanced technology from the year 2021 would make their victory over the Germans and Japanese a given. That’s not the case, however. Not only have some of the ships ended up in the hands of the Axis powers, but by showing what the future holds for them, Hitler is able to forge an uneasy truce with Stalin and keep the U.S.S.R. out of the conflict on the Allies’ side. This frees much of the German forces for a renewed push at Great Britain, including possible invasion forces. The Japanese, in the meantime, have invaded Australia and are committing atrocities there. How far will they push onto the continent? Is that their change in strategy, or is it more about to be let loose? Perhaps the most detrimental thing brought back from the future is the knowledge of what will happen.
To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
December 10, 2024
Birmingham's "Axis of Time" series continues with this second novel. We continue following the story of the Naval task force from the 21st century that got displaced back to 1942. To make things more interesting, some of the modern technology also fell into the hands of both the Japanese and the Nazis. In both cases, known events from history begin to change as the presence of the "time travelers" impacts events for both the Axis and the Allies.
There are plenty of fascinating "what if" plot elements here, including the idea that the Japanese actually invade Hawaii, using one of the 21st century ships that they captured. The 21st century cruise missiles quickly overpower 1940s era shore defenses. In Europe, having now read the history that the travelers brought with them, Hitler decides not to invade the Soviet Union, but to turn his attention on the invasion of Britain. The allies' one remaining ship that still has stocks of ammunition, HMS Trident, leads the defense as the German forces spill out of the continent.
As with the first book, Birmingham also spends times looking at the clash of cultures between the 21st century personnel and the American population of the 1940s. Mid-20th century America is still shocked at the prevalence of women and minorities in the military and the deep shifts in culture. This aspect of the time shift adds a great deal of depth to the characters and events, as things play out.
There are plenty of fascinating "what if" plot elements here, including the idea that the Japanese actually invade Hawaii, using one of the 21st century ships that they captured. The 21st century cruise missiles quickly overpower 1940s era shore defenses. In Europe, having now read the history that the travelers brought with them, Hitler decides not to invade the Soviet Union, but to turn his attention on the invasion of Britain. The allies' one remaining ship that still has stocks of ammunition, HMS Trident, leads the defense as the German forces spill out of the continent.
As with the first book, Birmingham also spends times looking at the clash of cultures between the 21st century personnel and the American population of the 1940s. Mid-20th century America is still shocked at the prevalence of women and minorities in the military and the deep shifts in culture. This aspect of the time shift adds a great deal of depth to the characters and events, as things play out.
May 20, 2020
Una gran continuación del magnífico Weapons of Choice. El curso de la Segunda Guerra Mundial alterado por completo tras la aparición de una flota multinacional con origen en 2021 toma derroteros muy peligrosos: El almirante Yamamoto con la flota japonesa intacta tras evitar el desastre en Midway ha desarrollado una nueva estrategia para impedir que los Estados Unidos puedan derrortar al Japón. Australia ha sido invadida por el ejercitó nipón forzando a MacArthur a una defensa que drena las reservas y efectivos venidos del futuro. Los alemanes inician una carrera contra reloj para desarrollar armas atómicas e invadir Gran Bretaña, negando el punto de origen del desembarco de Normandía. Stalin firma una paz apresurada con Alemania e inicia un programa secreto para asegurar la perviviencia de la URSS y, mientras, los desplazados temporales luchan contra la incomprensión y los prejuicios de los años cuarenta encarnados en J. Edgar Hoover, director del FBI. Desde Kennedy a Kim Philby pasando por el (futuro) principe Phillip, Nikita Krushev o Elvis, un elenco de figuras históricas rellena estas páginas en una versión completamente divergente de sus vidas. Una gozada.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2025
I was delighted to find the follow-up to the first in the series, Weapons of Choice, in the Audible Plus catalogue and thus a free download for members/subscribers. The previous novel dealt with the fallout when a 2021 naval task force is somehow transplanted into 1942 Midway. The sequel moves onto to how this affects the ongoing Second World War. It's a mix of the old and the new, both equipment-wise and personnel-wise, with all sides rushing to make use of any of the newer technology that has come into their hands, and some of the 1940s crowd not happy at the arrival of the 2021 lot and their views and values. The story skips around between several characters on various sides, with a lot of gung-ho attitude, wisecracking, metaphorical fist-bumping and high-fiving. It's very much good Allies vs baddie Axis at every turn and everything is over the top. Of course, the subject matter and style mean that it's no literary masterpiece and I shouldn't really like it so much... but it's so damn entertaining!
July 28, 2017
I'm truly sucked into this series. There are times where it can get kind of cheesy and lame, but those instances are few and far between. The violence is there and it is good: 21st-century Prince Harry going back in time and knifing Nazis in the throat is my jam. I just wish that John Birmingham had added illustrations to the book; that's to say, maps that show where the fleets are, borders, etc.
August 3, 2018
Very good follow up to Weapons of Choice
If you like time travel and alternate history “what if” stories, as well as Tom Clancy-esque military thrillers, this is the book series for you. However, read Weapons of Choice first, as this is a direct sequel. It’s not deep, and the characters, while interesting, are paper thin. But it’s well researched, thought out, and written, plus fast paced.
If you like time travel and alternate history “what if” stories, as well as Tom Clancy-esque military thrillers, this is the book series for you. However, read Weapons of Choice first, as this is a direct sequel. It’s not deep, and the characters, while interesting, are paper thin. But it’s well researched, thought out, and written, plus fast paced.
February 1, 2024
The sequel also get 2.5⭐ ... Solid reimagining of an alternative WW2 with 21stC technology. But you know how it you get dressed up and told to take one thing off, this feels like you need to remove two or three things. I skipped some chapters so I only had to follow the storylines and not the details on how weapons operate - lots of detail that felt irrelevant. I will do book 3, knowing I will probably only read about half of what's written.
September 17, 2017
AMAZING SERIES. Stop whatever you are doing, don't walk, RUN to the book store (you need a actual physical copy these are so good) and call work faking a cough, because you are going to be doing nothing but reading these books for at least a few days. I don't give many books 5 stars and even less series but these are worth every star and every minute you will spend reading them. Enjoy.
January 17, 2023
It's not quite accurate to say I read this. I stopped after a little more than a third. It's a great plot with fascinating details. However, it's also really long and overly detailed.
I might come back to this because again, it's fascinating to consider, but for now, it's going back.
I might come back to this because again, it's fascinating to consider, but for now, it's going back.
February 24, 2023
The last one was flawed but this was one was almost unreadable. I stopped a quarter of the way through. No one acts the way real people act. And the stupidly advanced technology for the future people meant it would have felt dated as soon as it was written.
September 9, 2017
I couldn't read it fast enough
It was certainly a page turner. Characters were
Well drawn. The author was wise to humanize them with emotions both. positive and negative
It was certainly a page turner. Characters were
Well drawn. The author was wise to humanize them with emotions both. positive and negative
January 3, 2019
Andy's review
Thoroughly enjoyed this - as good as the first one, it really is a page turner. I am now going to start the third one in the trilogy!
Thoroughly enjoyed this - as good as the first one, it really is a page turner. I am now going to start the third one in the trilogy!
August 22, 2019
Plenty of plot twists & action, with the characters becoming more "fleshed out" so that you think of them as real people. The permutations stay interesting. A good series for military SF!
July 7, 2021
Good book (Audio) but annoying narration
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