Soldiers Out Of Time - Steve White

Soldiers Out Of Time

Steve White

BAEN, Aug 4 2015, $15.00

ISBN: 9781476780726

In spite of the major find, their enemy Transhumanist’s data chip, at Richmond during the end of the American Civil War, Temporal Regulation Authority Commander Jason Thanou knows this is not a time to rest and pat each other on the back.  Instead, Thanou accepts the technological breakthrough is significant, but also believes the TRA must increase exponentially their efforts to take the time wars to their underground adversaries; whose strategic planning to turn humanity into deities and obedient monstrosities involves centuries not years.

While TRA operatives diligently pursue their foes seemingly everywhere in the galaxy and throughout time, Thanou and his team also uncover a terrifying Transhumanist’s BHAG that deployed the Observer Effect five centuries ago on a Goldilocks planet, astronomically HC-4 9701 III, but locally named Zirandkhu.  The fruition of their brilliant scheme becomes apparent in the 24th century.  After stopping in Zirandkhu, Thanou leads his unit to the British Indian Empire on earth during the Gaslight Era before heading back into space to once again confront their adversary.

Overall the fifth Jason Thanou Temporal Regulatory Authority science fiction (see Blood of Heroes, Sunset of the Gods, Pirates of the Timestream and Ghosts of Time) is a great twisting time travel thriller anchored by real persona.  Thanou and his squad are heroic in their efforts to prevent a devious, intense campaign from succeeding; which only makes the Tranhumanists’ deviant and violent behavior towards civilians feel unnecessary and obligatory seemingly only to paint them as 100 percent evil.

Harriet Klausner