Book picks similar to
The Time Line Wars by John Barnes


science-fiction
fiction
sf
alternate-history

Days of Cain


J.R. Dunn - 1997
    Dunn, a literary artist of extraordinary vision and courage, comes a haunting exploration of life, death, responsibility, and the devastating power of choice--a gripping and provocative novel that shines a beacon of moral possibility into the darkest corners of the human soul.In the future--when the barriers of Time are barriers no longer--a woman of uncommon strength and character will be recruited to help preserve the integrity of past events; to keep the wheel of history turning so that what is to come remains uncompromised and uncorrupted. But Alma Levin will go renegade, vanishing somewhere into the most violent years of the mid-twentieth century. And it will be the responsibility of her mentor, Gasper James, to bring her back. For useless he can stop her, Alma Levin intends to change history--and the future--with a plan to prevent the slaughter of six million--a plan that is puling former teacher and protigi both into the most terrible place ever conceived by man: Auschwitz.

Elite: The Dark Wheel


Robert Holdstock - 1984
    Written by well-known fantasy author Robert Holdstock it describes the quest of Alex Ryder, a newly-qualified pilot, to exact revenge for his father's death at the hands of a paid assassin. Along the way he is assisted by the enigmatic Rafe Zetter who links him up with a fugitive pilot who also wishes to eliminate the killer of Alex's father, but for her own reasons.All in all, a good story which, though spoiled by a few irritating character traits and a number of typographical errors, sets up the Elite universe in a cohesive manner.It also covers the combat and trading sides of Elite and the general nature of trading between different systems, buying what's cheap on one world and selling it wherever the demand is sufficient to keep the price high.Interestingly, the back of the BBC novella states that a sequel was planned for publication in 1985, but as far as I know this never came to fruition. Later editions of The Dark Wheel, included in the Sinclair Spectrum and Commodore 64 versions amongst others, sported new artwork

The Jump


Alex Myers - 2013
    He must assimilate if he’s to have any hope of getting back. Tormented, he tells his tale to Frances Sanger, a woman with trust issues that trusts Jack to stop a war that’s been brewing for over a hundred years. He alone holds the key to saving nearly a million people and he’s got to do it in three and a half years.THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT WANT THE CIVIL WAR FOUGHTAbner Adkins, lawyer and cheating ex-husband of Frances represents a group of ruthless Southern terrorists that will kill anyone that tries to keep the peace—and concerning Jack, it’s personal. The Southern economy is invested in the slave trade and some 2013 ideas could reek havoc. HELP FROM YOUNG SAMUEL CLEMENS AND RALPH WALDO EMERSONCan Jack invent this country out of it’s bloodiest war ever while trying to stay one step ahead of those who want him dead? Jack with the help of a cast of historical superstars come up with a plan that can stop the war before it starts. Corporate spies and suicide bombers threaten to ruin it all. Even with a real life guardian angel can Jack and his ideas survive?EVERY CHANGE RIPPLES INTO THE FUTURETime Change Book One: The Jump jumps back to 1856 and an America on the verge of war . . . and discovery.

Wings of Pegasus


Jay Allan - 2019
     A grim, haunted expanse of space, vast lightyears filled with dead, empty worlds. A dark place, the graveyard of an empire…and a frontier where vast riches can be had by those with the courage—and the luck—to survive. But trade in old tech is not for the timid. Prospectors face rival crews, ancient imperial security systems, and the ever-present shadow of the Union’s dread spy agency, Sector Nine, as they plunge forth in search of artifacts worth vast fortunes. Andi Lafarge and the crew of Pegasus are among the elite of the strange brotherhood that ventures forth, seeking the remnants of humanity’s lost past. She and her people will face the deadliest challenges, fight constant battles, and plunge forth into the darkest corners of the lost region of space. Pegasus has a new mission, one far more important than even Andi had her crew realize, a search for ancient technology that could determine the outcome of the next Confederation-Union war. To get it, they must travel to a vast ocean world…and they must find what they seek before Sector Nine does. They will fight, suffer, endure. But they will never fail. Not while Andi Lafarge still draws breath. The Andromeda Chronicles Andromeda Rising Wings of Pegasus Into to Badlands (Coming) Blood on the Stars Book 1 - Duel in the Dark Book 2 - Call to Arms Book 3 - Ruins of Empire Book 4 - Echoes of Glory Book 5 - Cauldron of Fire Book 6 - Dauntless Book 7 - The White Fleet Book 8 - Black Dawn Book 9 - Invasion Book 10 - Nightfall Book 11 - The Grand Alliance Book 12 - The Colossus Book 13 – The Others Book 14 – The Last Stand (Coming)

The Mechanical


Ian Tregillis - 2015
    Armies of my kind have conquered the world - and made the Brasswork Throne the sole superpower.I am a faithful servant. I am the ultimate fighting machine. I am endowed with great strength and boundless stamina.But I am beholden to the wishes of my human masters.I am a slave. But I shall be free.

Alien Plot


Piers Anthony - 1992
    His task is to infiltrate the native culture--But once there he discovers that an alien plot of ground can become home.This brand-new story leads off a collection of sixteen tales by Piers Anthony--including eleven stories published here for the first time in paperback!Also included is a fascinating essay on writers and writing, written with insight, and revealing many facets of Anthony's extraordinary career.Each story in Alien Plot has an all-new introduction by Piers Anthony.

The Man Who Awoke


Laurence Manning - 1933
    The stories detail his ensuing adventures as he tries to make sense of the societies he encounters each time he wakes.