I recently read a book by Johnny O'Brien called
Day of the Assassins. This book is a science fiction novel about the use of time travel to fix the past for a better future. The main character in this book, is a young Scottish boy by the name of Jack Christie who has lived without a father for nine years of his life. Although he was not told of the complications to his parents' marriage he was without a doubt curious as to what caused his father to leave. Then, one day while playing video games in the basement of his house, Jack and his friend Angus discover a hidden library in his basement. In this library there are books, computers, maps, old soldiers' uniforms and old weapons. The two friends decide to take the artifacts to their history teacher to find out more information as to how these items entered Jack's household. What their teacher told them was something that they could not have ever anticipated. He told them that underneath the school grounds was a time traveling machine. This machine was not allowed to be used due to the great impact that it could have on history. Fate could be rewritten in the wrong and even in the right hands. Their professor was going to take the two back in time in order to be safe from those who opposed the use of time travel. Once in the past, they were to travel back to the future to an alternate time machine in a secluded area. But these plans go terribly wrong as members of an organization called VIGIL discovered their plans and while trying to escape, Jack Christie ended up in the year 1914. He was unaware of it at the moment, but he would attempt to stop the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, the cause of World War I and possibly the reason for World War II. I thought that this book was very interesting and it was very factual. I like this book because although it was fictional, it was based on the real events. I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys history and militarism.
~Joseph, Teen Book Reviewer
