The Long Hard Road

Afterword

According to my computer, I began Second Chance three months ago, around the 19^th of December 2005. The idea had been brewing in my mind for a long time, of course, and writing the entire three volume series, at least the first draft, was the work of roughly a month each. For the record, I finished the last part of The Long Hard Road on 5^th March 2006. It’s been something of a wild ride…

I have always been fascinated with stories that place a small group back in time, but as it went on, it struck me that few of the groups had things their own way. Sure, the original – Island in the Sea of Time – had Nantucket enjoying considerable technology advantages, but their tech base was hardly self-sustaining. The same, more or less, goes for the 1632 universe, and the Axis of Time books. In both cases, the time travellers have a very small tech base, one that has to be geared down to allow them to survive, and, of course, it has to be done under high pressure. Alliances with the locals – agreements of mutual interest – have to be made; it’s the only way they can survive.

And so I started to wonder. What would happen… if an entire tech base – an entire nation – was sent back in time. Of course, it had to be done carefully; a modern nation travelling too far back would end up ruling the world – even France. I decided upon Britain in the Second World War – because America would be too easy – and then I shaped the plot around that. Britain has a working tech base, Britain has a powerful military machine, and while they might not be able to bring the war to an end in three months (as Dave Krudson suggests in AmericaISOT), they can prevent immediate invasion of Britain itself.

All of that, of course, affects the Axis powers as well. Would Japan jump on Britain and France in 1940 – perhaps their best chance to win their part of the war? Would Stalin make a grab for Iran? Would Hitler urge Franco – at gunpoint – to take back Gibraltar? What would the effects of knowing the future be on the Axis powers at large?

And then, finally, the rest of the world. How would American black people react to learning that they would continue to face discrimination for twenty more years; that in fact they would be ‘hewers of wood and drawers of water’ in the Army? How would Hoover react to the rumours about his homosexuality? (I left it unproven because as far as I know it was never proven.) How would America react to knowing about the War on Terror and a constant sore south of the border? How would…?

Well, you get the idea. I started to draw up a loose plan – very loose – and then I discovered that I had a two-book series, and then a three-book series. Jokes aside, I may or may not write a fourth book set in the 1960s, depending on the reception of this one. I’m very pleased with it; its an interesting book, I feel.

Now for the defence…

As I noted way back at the beginning, I can make only guesses as to what the future will bring, technology-wise. Advanced computers, satellites, SSTOs, hydrogen cars, viral contraceptives… these are all supposed to be in the pipeline. I avoided using the Royal Navy’s new carriers – which haven’t even begun construction yet, as far as I know – as no one seems quite certain of their capabilities. By and large, the British have some future weapons, but not many. To some extent, I had to make informed guesses about what the Germans could do with future technology and information; reasonable people can and no doubt will disagree with me.

I make no apologies for my treatment of General MacArthur. Suffice it to say that his blundering in the Philippines cost thousands of Americans their lives (and then he left them to Japanese prison camps (all right, he was ordered out) while he went to Australia), and then his need to satisfy his ego sent thousands more Americans to their deaths in the Philippines and probably put victory back by around six months, fighting an unnecessary campaign. I do feel that the reaction of the average GI, learning of this, would not have been kind… and he was certainly not the type to acknowledge his own flaws.

Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed reading this entire series. If you liked it, let me know; encouragement keeps the engine ticking over.