The Great Destroyers

The Great Destroyers is an amazing story set in an alternate history. In this story, nuclear weapons were never invented, and instead, battles are fought between mechas, which are giant suits of mechanical armor. Following World War One, the sport of mecha fighting was invented. The most well-known tournament for mecha fighting is the Pax Games, where fighters from different countries compete every four years. The main character, Jo Linden, has always dreamed of going to the Pax Games. She is one of the best fighters in California but isn’t very well known. After one of their best fighters suffers an injury, Team USA picks Jo to replace him. Tension at the games is high, with fighters from NATO countries working together against communist fighters, who have won the last few games. However, something about the games seems off, a series of accidents leaves one of the fighters dead and a few others in critical condition. I really enjoyed reading this book, it is really well written and addresses several problems of the Cold War era. I would recommend this book to kids in junior high and high school that like reading about history.