The Free World War: How Much Impact Can One Man Have on the Future?

This disappointing debut, which combines alternate history and near-future fiction, limply explores the possibility of a conflict-free world. The Earth is a technologically advanced utopia in the year 2265, when protagonist Arjon embarks on a curiosity-driven, simulation-based research project on Gen. George S. Patton. In a frame narrative, Frend imagines that the WWII U.S. Army commander did not die in a car crash in 1945, and instead pursued war with the Soviet Union. With the help of unlikely allies, Patton embarks on a battle with the Red Army that will define the political climate of Arjon’s ultramodern world. This military-futuristic hybrid decently relates a nested story of an Allied-Soviet war, but it suffers from weak motivation and conflict. Though the point of divergence holds some interest for alternate history buffs, there’s no sense of urgency in Arjon’s life-changing research. This mix of genres does little to satisfy on either front. (Sept.)