Branches: A Novel

Adam Peter Johnson

Oct 2020 · Adam Peter Johnson

About this ebook

2021. The pandemic never happened here. That’s the bad news. Now there are tanks in the streets. The good news is that there’s a way out. Amid the chaos, one person is given the chance to escape their dystopian reality. But what will they find on the other side?

Booklife raves that “lovers of alternate histories will find much that fascinates in this bold experiment in timelines and trauma.”

For one man, the past few years have delivered one shock after another. The election of an authoritarian president. The sudden loss of his mother. A series of debilitating seizures. Now, as America rapidly descends into a fascist police state, he’s shocked to discover the explanation for his seizures: He’s in the wrong universe.

A drug trial promises to return him to the timeline where he belongs. But it might be too good to be true.

Take a journey through the multiverse and explore the roads not taken. Question the nature of fate. And find an answer to the biggest question of all: what would it take for one person to truly change things? Branches: A Novel will make you look at the world in a new way in this deeply personal journey through fear, grief and redemption.

First in a series. Book two coming soon.

REVIEWS

“This journey through a thousand possible presents will appeal to fans of alternate histories looking for a cerebral adventure. ... Johnson skillfully captures the grief and trauma of life in a society racked by chaos, brutality, intolerance, and anger. ... Lovers of alternate histories will find much that fascinates in this bold experiment in timelines and trauma.” —Booklife

“Part dystopian, part all-too-familiar reality ... Branches walks an imaginative line between what we think we know and what actually is.” –Stories on Stage Davis

“This is sci-fi with both brains and a heart. It's clever and sad and deeply reflective of the times we live in, as good science fiction should be. ... A brilliantly insightful debut.” –BookBub review

“I did not want to put it down, and I did not stop thinking about it after.” –Amazon review

“I imagine in a few years this will really be ‘that’ 2020 book.” –GoodReads review

Ratings and reviews

If you were alive in 2020, and you hope to be in 2021, but you are nervous about your prospects, you HAVE to read this! This isn’t just a page turner that keeps you guessing - but it’s about relationships and a guy who must reconcile the death of his Mom in order to move on. Not to mention probing the possible outcomes of having a dictatorial President. Great message - great read.

Science fiction with compassion. It’s always a pleasure to read a book that both stretches the mind and the heart. Funny too. Recommend!

About the author

Adam Peter Johnson is a former journalist who lives in Minnesota with his wife, son and golden basset.