John Birmingham Resident Scholar Profiles TOP SCHOLAR: Harriet Klausner SCHOLARS:
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Review Summaries
"
Del Rey, Jun 2004, 15.95, 434 pp.
ISBN: 0345457129
In 2021, a 12,000 United Nations multinational military force gathers in the Pacific to end the ethnic cleansing of Chinese and Christians by a brutal Islamic Fundamentalist regime in Indonesia. However, an experiment goes awry aboard one of the ships, the Joint Research Vessel Nagoya; much of the joint task force is sent through a wormhole to 1942. Most of the vessels end up in the middle of the American fleet heading to battle off Midway Island; however some fall into the hands of the Japanese.
The two allied navies struggle to interrelate as the mid twentieth century one is 100 percent white male while the twenty-first century group is diverse and multiracial with a high percent of human females on board. When the future force fire power comes into being along with their knowledge of the war's outcome, the American navy feels confident until the reality that the crew of the USS Hilary Clinton and others has changed the future. The Japanese now sees the technological means of winning the war with the vessels they have captured.
This is an alternate history tale with battles that military science fiction readers will appreciate. The individual cast members are overshadowed by the varying collective attitudes of the future and “present” militaries. The 1940s navy is racist and sexist while the 2021 navy has women and minority in leadership positions.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident John Birmingham Scholar
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Overall Review
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Plot
Composition of Book Descript. of chases or violence - 10% planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40% Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10%
Tone of book
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?
- science fiction story
Time Travel:
- from our future to our present
War or Invasion
Yes
Major kinds of combat:
- ocean ship battles
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Time Travel story?
Yes
Story largely takes place in
- 1900-1960's
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- navy soldier
Age:
- 40's-50's
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- navy soldier
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Earth setting:
- 20th century
Takes place on Earth?
Yes
Style
Person?
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
scientific jargon? (SF only)
- none/very little science jargon needed
How much dialogue?
- significantly more dialog than descript
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