SOLVED. older Dystopian Science Fiction novel [s]

[Hollis]

The novel was about an agent (?) of some sort. Early in the novel he is armed with a flechette pistol and uses it to shoot someone. The setting is a very fascist authoritarian American state where a technology has been developed, some sort of screen that allows people to travel to one of 12-13(?) alternate timelines of Earth, some going extremely far back into the past, and two seemingly destroyed by some unknown war. The agent is sent through to find evidence about what caused the war, he finds some and comes back. I feel like he becomes targeted by the government or something afterwards and is on the run from them. I remember him having a flashback to a time when him and his mother were walking home from the store (The Piggly Wiggly) with their food allotment when they were robbed. I read it in the late 90's and I believe the novel is old, possibly back into the 50's - 70's.

[Andy]

This sounds like something I'd like to read. I wonder if it's Keith Laumer's "Other Side of Time" (or another book in that series)?

[Kris]

The Other Side of Time by Keith Laumer and the Imperium series (https://www.goodreads.com/series/4204...) for Andy's suggestion.

[Patnel]

The Empire of Time

This is it. 1000%. There are also two sequels/prequels, if you're interested.

[Andy]

Hopefully Hollis will be back to confirm.

[Hollis]

You guys are amazing! I just remembered about this site and came back hoping for a good result. The Fall of the Republic was the one I had read, I'm going to go order these at some point soon so I can finish all of them.

[Kris]

Thanks for the update Hollis. Here's the link - The Fall of the Republic by Crawford Kilian.