'Pothan's A Time to Die portrays the near-future invasion of Australia by Chinesebacked, communist "Indoasia." The novel is prefaced by the verses of a "traditional balad" of the "Third A.I.F." which lament the loss of Australia. The text conforms to the typical conventions of the invasion narrative but is more character based. The story opens in the final stages of the successful Indoasian conquest. Australia is shown to have lacked sufficient defences and the United States fleet offering protection has been forced to withdraw following China's threats of nuclear strikes on American cities. Australia is then quickly defeated, except for two separate groups of survivors living in the bush around Sydney who form themselves into guerrilla bands. The text is mostly a psychological portrait of the leaders of the two groups. Paul Wallace, the leader of the Blue Mountains contingent, is a megalomaniacal dictator who rules by force. He organises his followers into a trained army and formulates a strategy to attack the invaders. Conversely, Clin McKeller, the leader of the group based in caves north of the city, is democratic and inspires loyalty in his people by gaining their respect. Clin's group - which includes an Italian-Australian - acquire a boat and are planning to escape to New Zealand. In the conclusion of the novel, the two groups meet and after tense negotiations it is agreed that they will join forces and try to win back Australia.' (Catriona Ross, Unsettled Imaginings : Australian Novels of Asian Invasion, p 160)
