United States of Japan

United States of Japan is a dystopian alternate history novel written by Peter Tieryas. The book presents the scenario where Japan won the Second World War and now controls most of the Western United States. Americans are brainwashed into obeying the Emperor and anyone who disagrees with him faces certain death.

There are two pivotal characters in Tieryas’ novel: a censor named Beniko Ishimura and a secret police agent named Akiko Tsukino. Working against these two characters is a group of dissidents called George Washingtons who have developed a video game that presents a scenario where the United States won World War II. During the course of the story, we see that the entire situation is much more complicated than it seems at first where both sides have their own agendas.

United States of Japan is much more than your typical alternate history novel. It is also a thriller novel, a spy novel, and a detective story. The author’s imagination is running wild, and we see that with all the cool gadgets and weaponry. Besides the technical wizardry, the book has almost non-stop action. Character development is another strong suit. The two main characters couldn’t be more different. The censor goes to great lengths to ensure that the Emperor is satisfied, and the secret policeman’s main motivation is his career.

I would highly recommend United States of Japan if you’re enjoy reading alternate history and thriller novels.