Aden’s Chance is the fourth book in a time-travel/alternate history series by Michael Roberts. The premise here is a bit different, in that the main character is from a future that is different from what we know. In that future, the British won the Revolutionary War, and the United States were just colonies in rebellion who were quickly put down. Thomas Cain was sent back from a future where the British ruled most of the world with an iron fist. His job was to help the United States win the Revolutionary War and create a very different future.

When last we left “Pale Rider” (Thomas Cain’s alias as he helped the rebels beat the British) he had settled into a comfortable life following the war with a widow and her children. Thomas began manufacturing matches (or “strikers” as he called them) in order to support his family. One day, though, and old friend from the future appears at his doorstep and tells him that while trying to solve another point in history where the British prevail over the Americans, they messed up.

Jake had brought Thomas back to the Revolutionary War era, then returned to the future. It was different, but not terribly so. Jake met with Aden who financed their first operation but had no memory of it since things had changed. Jake convinced Aden what he said was true by showing him the alien ship they had used to time travel. The two know the next turning point was around the time of the War of 1812, and travel back to that time to try to fix things. However, it goes wrong, and Aden is captured by local pirates in New Orleans.

Afraid to return to the future due to the damage they potentially caused, Jake turns to Thomas as the only person he can think of that can possibly fix things. Dutifully, Thomas leaves his wife and family and travels to 1814 in an attempt to put things right. There, he encounters a number of historical figures including Andrew Jackson as he attempts to give the edge to the Americans in this war and rescue his friend.

There are a lot of details in Aden’s Chance that make this an intriguing story. Thomas is leaving a lot more behind to embark on this adventure. He has a family now to worry about. It’s on his mind, even as he has to take risks that might keep him from returning to them. It might be a little hard to believe that Thomas is as capable as he is of doing some of the things he does. Suspending disbelief is usually required for alternate history and science fiction to a degree, and this book stretches it quite a bit. Still, it’s a lot of fun to follow along with the story.

The historical setting and situations are interesting. I was recently to St, Augustine and seeing the characters travel to there in the same historical places I’d been was fun. His trip to Pensacola also hit on places I’d been. I had no idea just how rough New Orleans had been at this time. We hear about things in history class but understanding what it was like in that time and place is another altogether. Michael Roberts has done a terrific job with the setting.

Roberts keeps the action going throughout the story. It’s a lot of fun to watch “Pale Rider” outwit and outgun the opposition. A few times there are some innocents along the way which bothered me. This was particularly the case in St. Augustine where the Spanish soldiers really weren’t involved in the mission, they were just soldiers doing what soldiers do and happened to run across him. Still, the way Pale Rider disposes of them was a bit humorous.

Aden’s Choice does have the feel of a book that’s an afterthought after the author concluded the series, but Roberts does a good job with it. He covers his bases and weaves a tale that is a lot of fun and a good postscript for the previous three novels. There’s a fifth book in the series that I hope concludes it in fabulous fashion.

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