The Revisionists - Thomas Mullen

When I first started to read  The Revisionists by Thomas Mullen, I immediately thought of the film/novel The Adjustment Bureau . Although there are similarities in the beginning, The Revisionists takes the story much farther, questioning many things in our society, but the ultimate question is - does the means justify the end?

Operative "Z" is from the future - a time they call the Perfect Present. His job is to make sure that things progress as they should - marching towards the Great Conflagration the marks the beginning of the Perfect Present. But others, known as hags (historical agitators) are also working - but to alter events and therefore change history. Although he is supposed to leave no trace of having been there,  Z finds himself involved with Tasha - a young lawyer whose brother died in Iraq while serving in the military. As she questions the government's role in his death, Z begins to question his own society and sacrifices in fulfilling the role he has been assigned. An almost parallel story is of Leo, a disillusioned operative who also questioned his role in the CIA and left under cloudy circumstances. He too see a chance for redemption when he offers to help a young Indonesian woman escape her tyranical employers.

Although The Revisionists falls under the sci-fi umbrella, I really found the time travel aspect to be a vehicle for an exploration of what is happening in the world now and what the future may hold for the global village. The characters's explorations of their own beliefs, emotions and actions will provide many questions readers will find themselves asking.

I read the ending more than once, as I think it could go several ways.  I quite enjoyed the uncertainty Mullen left me with. This was definitely a different read for me.

Read an excerpt of The Revisionists.  You can find Mullen on Facebook or on his blog.