IN RETROSPECT

Murder in the far future has a time traveler seeking answers in the recent past.

Raised before the war, Merit Rafi was trained at a young age to become Selected, one of the elite members of the Oku people trained to move between now and retrospect. Now that the Rasakans have taken over the Oku, Merit is considered an enemy of the new regime, especially because of her desire to fight with the resistance after the formal war has ended. While Merit continues to be loyal to her people, she is forced into the service of the Rasakans through some well-designed threats when the ruling people need to use her powers to flex through time. The murder of the Oku Gen. Zane has the Rasakan authorities in an uproar even though he has already surrendered, paving the way to their ultimate victory. Now, Merit has three days to decide if she will aid the enemy. Along the way, she must face her former friend Eric Torre, who has joined her crew for the duration, as well as her schoolmate Lena, who has taken on the role of Prioress in the new world. Will Merit choose to challenge her values for the sake of her family and crew, or is the past too far out of reach?

The twisty plot almost makes the futuristic confusion worthwhile. Perhaps more explication by Larson (Abdul Rahman Guards the Bridge, 2010, etc.) could guide readers through the rough path to the year 3324.