Axis of Time
The Axis of Time trilogy is a series of novels written by Australian journalist and author John Birmingham. A US-led task force off Indonesia in 2021 finds itself sent back to 1942, just prior to the Battle of Midway. The novels deal with a rapidly altered version of World War II, and to a lesser extent the social changes that result amongst the Allied powers.
- World War 2.1: Weapons of Choice (2004)
- World War 2.2: Designated Targets (2005)
- World War 2.3: Final Impact (2006)
Easter eggs
Birmingham names several minor characters after contemporary nonfictional people:
- Piers Akerman and Andrew Bolt, right-wing Australian columnists. Appeared as SAS demolitionists.
- Dale Brown, Tom Clancy, Stephen Euin Cobb, and Garth Nix - thriller writers appearing as counterboarding specialists aboard USS Leyte Gulf.
- Eric Flint (alternative history author) appeared as a Secret Service agent. The fictional town of Grantville, West Virginia, from his 1632 series is referred to as Dan Black's home town.
- William R. Forstchen (sci-fi/alternative history author) referred to as a fringe 'professor' who wrote an underground bio of J. Edgar Hoover.
- Bill O'Reilly and Jerry Springer are mentioned as both being United States senators in the 21st Century.
- Matthew Reilly (Australian action/sci-fi author) appears as a lieutenant on USS Leyte Gulf. Redshirted.
- S.M. Stirling (sci-fi/alternative history author), appeared as a Secret Service agent.
- Harry Turtledove, one of the most prominent alternate history authors, appears as "Commander Turteltaub", an aide to FDR.
- Mike Judge Creator of King of the Hill and Office Space, Commanding officer of a ship.
- James H. Cobb, Robert Dessaix, and Jean-Paul Sartre are namesakes for naval ships.
- Phillip McGregor (co-author of Space Opera (FGU), Rigger Black Book #1 (FGU) and many other roleplaying games and supplements) appears as the Pilot of one of the Dakota gunships used to decimate German Paratroops taking part in Operation Sea Leopard, a thank you for helping provide the author with some historical background material as part of a discussion on the book on the soc.history.what-if usenet newsgroup.
- Daleks are mentioned as names for a ship's Metal Storm point defense system arrays, fitting to a Dalek's description as "any of a set of fictional robot-like creations that are aggressive, mobile, and produce rasping staccato speech"
Tim Horan and Peter Fitzsimons (former rugby union players and in 'fitzys' case also journalist and author) appear as Australian military personel
- Contributors of Birmingham's blog, Cheeseburger Gothic, have also scored cameos (Master Chief Madoc, USMC Force Recon Gunnery Sargent Adam Denny for example)
See also
Characters in the Axis of Time Trilogy