In this complex story of alternate history in which Japan and Germany have conquered the world, teens in the United States of Japan are studying hard for their exams, hoping to finish high school and become mecha pilots. Being accepted as a crew member for one of the enormous combat robots is an incredible honor and highly competitive. Makoto Fujimoto is an orphan whose parents both served on mechas and died in combat. He and his friends spend their time playing video games on their porticals (a wireless device) when they aren't doing homework. In class they learn about things like "Abraham Lincoln, an old American warlord who savagely crushed a rebellion started by the southern half of the United States." What they don't seem to realize is how political the appointments to the military academy are, or how very slim their chances of earning a spot.
As readers follow the fates of Mac (Makoto), Hideki, Griselda, Nori, and the others, the events that led to this alternate version of the U.S. are slowly revealed. There are rebels like the "George Washingtons" who want to free the states from Japanese rule, and there are tensions between the Japanese and German forces who divided North America after WWII. The Nazis have their own combat devices known as biomechs, which operate differently from the mecha warriors of the USJ. Not as much is disclosed about the biomechs since the story is told from a USJ citizen's point of view.
Between the historical changes, the resulting cultural changes (Vegas with a Japanese makeover for instance), and watching the struggles of an orphan without connections trying to compete with students who come from prominent families - there is plenty to hold the reader's attention. It may also cause some questioning and wondering what our world would look like today if WWII had ended differently.
Anyone who enjoys stories with a military setting, alternate history, or robot battles (major robot smackdowns), should give this a try. Recommended for ages 12 and up. I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
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