When Does the Novel "Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty" (2009) Take Place?
"Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty" is a spy science fiction novel written by Raymond Benson [adapting "Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty" (2001) by Hideo Kojima with Tomokazu Fukushima] that released November 24th, 2009. So when is "Sons of Liberty" set?
It takes place on an alternate timeline of the fictional Metal Gear universe in the year:
We know this because during the prologue quite early on a character is making a speech and says, "The National Missile Defense program was initiated at the end of the twentieth century. However, the NMD trial conducted in the year 2000 was a compete faiure." So it must be after 2000 AD.
2009 AD
We know this because during the prologue quite early on a character is making a speech and says, "The National Missile Defense program was initiated at the end of the twentieth century. However, the NMD trial conducted in the year 2000 was a compete faiure." So it must be after 2000 AD.
More specifically, a character says, "A Russian private army that was in line to work the Shadow Moses takeover group, four years ago.", referring to the main action of the previous novel "Metal Gear Solid" (2008), which takes place in 2005 AD.
2,005 + 4 = 2,009.
Furthermore, as the fourth chapter begins and the 2007 AD prologue ends there is a large subheading reading: "TWO YEARS LATER..."
2,007 + 2 = 2,009.
[HOWEVER, at one point Solidus Snake declares, "George Washington took office as the first President of the United States of America two hundred years ago today." The real-world United States of American president George Washington was sworn-in as president on April 30th, 1789 AD. So that would make the current day April 30th, 1989 AD. As this makes little to no sense with all other evidence, it must be assumed to be a production mistake or this novel takes place in an entirely different universe in which the Shadow Moses incident occurred in 1985 AD since all other time references are dependent on the timing of the main action of "Metal Gear Solid" (2008).
4.1,789 + 200 = 4.1,989.]
Additionally, chapter one through three form a prologue and at the very beginning of the book the unnamed narrator tells us, "Snake unzipped the poncho and shrugged it off of his body, revealing the dark sneaking suit that was his trademark uniform, the same old gear he had used during the Shadow Moses affair two years earlier.", again referring to the main action of the previous novel "Metal Gear Solid" (2008), which takes place in 2005 AD. So it is 2007 AD during the prologue.
2,005 + 2 = 2,007.
It is a chronologically late novel in the Metal Gear universe and can be read at its timeline point after "Metal Gear Solid" (2008).
