2034: A Novel of the Next World War
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- Create Date：2021-04-28 22:35:39
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- Author：Elliot Ackerman
- ISBN：B08BSZRXZ6
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Summary
From two former military officers and award-winning authors， a chillingly authentic， geopolitical thriller that imagines a naval clash between the U。S。 and China in the South China Sea in 2034 - and the path from there to a nightmarish global conflagration。
On March 12， 2034， U。S。 Navy Commodore Sarah Hunt is on the bridge of her flagship， the guided missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones， conducting a routine freedom of navigation patrol in the South China Sea when her ship detects an unflagged trawler in clear distress， smoke billowing from its bridge。 On that same day， U。S。 Marine aviator Major Chris "Wedge" Mitchell is flying an F35E Lightning over the Strait of Hormuz， testing a new stealth technology as he flirts with Iranian airspace。 By the end of that day， Wedge will be an Iranian prisoner， and Sarah Hunt's destroyer will lie at the bottom of the sea， sunk by the Chinese Navy。 Iran and China have clearly coordinated their moves， which involve the use of powerful new forms of cyber weaponry that render U。S。 ships and planes defenseless。 In a single day， America's faith in its military's strategic pre-eminence is in tatters。 A new， terrifying era is at hand。
So begins a disturbingly plausible work of speculative fiction， co-authored by an award-winning novelist and decorated Marine veteran and the former commander of NATO， a legendary admiral who has spent much of his career strategically out maneuvering America's most tenacious adversaries。 Written with a powerful blend of geopolitical sophistication and literary， human empathy， '2034' takes us inside the minds of a global cast of characters - Americans， Chinese， Iranians， Russians， Indians - as a series of arrogant miscalculations on all sides leads the world into an intensifying international storm。 In the end， China and the United States will have paid a staggering cost， one that forever alters the global balance of power。
Everything in '2034' is an imaginative extrapolation from present-day facts on the ground combined with the authors' years working at the highest and most classified levels of national security。 Sometimes it takes a brilliant work of fiction to illuminate the most dire of warnings: '2034' is all too close at hand， and this cautionary tale presents the listener a dark yet possible future that we must do all we can to avoid。
Running Time => 10hrs。
©2021 Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Starvidis （P）2021 Penguin Audio
On March 12， 2034， U。S。 Navy Commodore Sarah Hunt is on the bridge of her flagship， the guided missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones， conducting a routine freedom of navigation patrol in the South China Sea when her ship detects an unflagged trawler in clear distress， smoke billowing from its bridge。 On that same day， U。S。 Marine aviator Major Chris "Wedge" Mitchell is flying an F35E Lightning over the Strait of Hormuz， testing a new stealth technology as he flirts with Iranian airspace。 By the end of that day， Wedge will be an Iranian prisoner， and Sarah Hunt's destroyer will lie at the bottom of the sea， sunk by the Chinese Navy。 Iran and China have clearly coordinated their moves， which involve the use of powerful new forms of cyber weaponry that render U。S。 ships and planes defenseless。 In a single day， America's faith in its military's strategic pre-eminence is in tatters。 A new， terrifying era is at hand。
So begins a disturbingly plausible work of speculative fiction， co-authored by an award-winning novelist and decorated Marine veteran and the former commander of NATO， a legendary admiral who has spent much of his career strategically out maneuvering America's most tenacious adversaries。 Written with a powerful blend of geopolitical sophistication and literary， human empathy， '2034' takes us inside the minds of a global cast of characters - Americans， Chinese， Iranians， Russians， Indians - as a series of arrogant miscalculations on all sides leads the world into an intensifying international storm。 In the end， China and the United States will have paid a staggering cost， one that forever alters the global balance of power。
Everything in '2034' is an imaginative extrapolation from present-day facts on the ground combined with the authors' years working at the highest and most classified levels of national security。 Sometimes it takes a brilliant work of fiction to illuminate the most dire of warnings: '2034' is all too close at hand， and this cautionary tale presents the listener a dark yet possible future that we must do all we can to avoid。
Running Time => 10hrs。
©2021 Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Starvidis （P）2021 Penguin Audio
Reviews
John
，
I’m a former Naval Office （and merchant mariner） so I enjoyed this book。 It of course is a novel， the time is 2034， and we are near world war with the involved parties are China， Iran， Russia and the USA。 It is， as I said， a novel， but is it？ Could we face a similar scenario in the future？
Jeff Johnson
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Great ReadA definite page turner I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 Detailed yet good enough to keep your attention。 Overall a great read。
Matt Williams
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2034 is a cautionary tale addressing the gulf between the dominant American narrative - our collective identity and perceptions of our place in the world - and the reality of a changing world。 It is an exciting read in the style of Clancy’s early novels but with crucial differences。 The optimism， exceptionalism， and technological dominance that characterized Clancy’s novels are conspicuously absent。 Instead， the reader is presented a scenario tailored to present trends and the reality of the nea 2034 is a cautionary tale addressing the gulf between the dominant American narrative - our collective identity and perceptions of our place in the world - and the reality of a changing world。 It is an exciting read in the style of Clancy’s early novels but with crucial differences。 The optimism， exceptionalism， and technological dominance that characterized Clancy’s novels are conspicuously absent。 Instead， the reader is presented a scenario tailored to present trends and the reality of the near future。 The result is a sobering and unsettling story that reveals the danger of failing to adapt to changing realities。 If more Americans would read this book and absorb its message， our nation would be the better for it。 。。。more
Roy Smith
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“No plan survives contact with the enemy，” unless you are the Chinese in this book， in which case your plans will go almost flawlessly the the first several contacts you have。 Also in this book， more description of a divorced couple bickering at dinner and the strangling of a squirrel than many of the most significant events in American history had they in fact occurred， which seems extraordinarily unlikely。 Even more unlikely than naming an attack submarine after a first lady whose greatest acc “No plan survives contact with the enemy，” unless you are the Chinese in this book， in which case your plans will go almost flawlessly the the first several contacts you have。 Also in this book， more description of a divorced couple bickering at dinner and the strangling of a squirrel than many of the most significant events in American history had they in fact occurred， which seems extraordinarily unlikely。 Even more unlikely than naming an attack submarine after a first lady whose greatest accomplishments were wagging her finger at fat kids and having very nice upper arms。 Also， one of the authors should have spoken to someone who knows how the internet and computer viruses work。 。。。more
Anna
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Audiobook app 10。5hrs Read by Emily Woo Zeller （Sarah Hunt's sections） Read by PJ Ochlan （Chris "Wedge" Mitchell's sections） Read by Vikas Adam （Sandeep "Sandy" Chowdhury） Read by Dion Graham （Lin Bao） Read by Feodor Chin （Qassem Farshad） Audiobook app 10。5hrs Read by Emily Woo Zeller （Sarah Hunt's sections） Read by PJ Ochlan （Chris "Wedge" Mitchell's sections） Read by Vikas Adam （Sandeep "Sandy" Chowdhury） Read by Dion Graham （Lin Bao） Read by Feodor Chin （Qassem Farshad） 。。。more
BettyAnn
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Loved that this was character driven。 Realistic and depressing since people are idiots。 But it was an intriguing read and kept my attention throughout。 Like-able and believable characters and situations。 Good pace。
Eric Keur
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It is an interesting concept the 3rd World War。 When we look around us in this day and age we wonder: will it ever happen？ Who will start that war？ We have egocentric politicians that clearly belief that they have the right to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries， other cultures and other believes。 Is it only a matter of time before we shall be in an all-ending 3rd World War？This book describes some events that will escalate into a war between China and the USA。 Other countries a It is an interesting concept the 3rd World War。 When we look around us in this day and age we wonder: will it ever happen？ Who will start that war？ We have egocentric politicians that clearly belief that they have the right to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries， other cultures and other believes。 Is it only a matter of time before we shall be in an all-ending 3rd World War？This book describes some events that will escalate into a war between China and the USA。 Other countries are dragged into this war。 But there are also countries that use this war to gain the upper hand in other situations。 The war escalates into the use of tactical nuclear weapons， some cities on both sides are nuked。 Until another country steps in and mediates a peace。The book is written from the perspective of a number of people。 We have the US Navy Commander of a carrier。 The Chinese Admiral in charge of the nuclear strikes。 Two politicians on both sides of the aisle。 And also military and political people of less involved countries。 All in all you see these normal people coping with the changing world around them。 An interesting way to bring this fictional 3rd World War to our attention。 I loved reading this book， it took me a bit longer due to other responsibilities。 But if I would have had the time， I would have read it in a weekend。 。。。more
Dan Moffa
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The purported goal of this， as advertised in press， is to serve as a warning of how WWIII could happen give the trajectory of geopolitics today， and the consequences of it。 From that perspective， it's a success。 This is a plot-driven page-turner that keeps you coming back to find out what happens next in potentially the worst war that would ever happen。I listened to the Audible version of this book， and what follows is an interview with Stavridis。 What he says right off the bat is that this is a The purported goal of this， as advertised in press， is to serve as a warning of how WWIII could happen give the trajectory of geopolitics today， and the consequences of it。 From that perspective， it's a success。 This is a plot-driven page-turner that keeps you coming back to find out what happens next in potentially the worst war that would ever happen。I listened to the Audible version of this book， and what follows is an interview with Stavridis。 What he says right off the bat is that this is a character-driven book。 From that perspective， this is a colossal failure。 Stavridis （and Ackerman） has clearly modeled the characters off of himself， but instead of 1 complex character that the story centers around， he's broken off aspects of himself into shallow stereotypes who barely seem like real people。 Every time someone speaks， you wonder if this people-driven conflict would actually happen with real people， rather than the singular-minded caricatures Ackerman and Stavridis have invented。 Either he's making a statement that military personnel and politicians are shallow-minded drones， or he's just not that great of a writer of people。 Likely a bit of both。To be clear， everyone SHOULD read this book。 It's important as a warning， to prevent it from becoming true。 That said， bear in mind it's more influenced by the expert in military conflict， not the novelist Ackerman whose name also appears on the cover。 。。。more
Du
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2。5 Stars。 This book started out with a lot of promise and a lot of enjoyment。 The overall concept is good and the starting of the book was solid。 Unfortunately the characters really never develop and they're not all that dense。 About 150 pages in the author is somewhat lose the story though and overall it falls apart in the fifth chapter。 It wraps up， but it doesn't really seem to end。 It's just over。 Meh。 2。5 Stars。 This book started out with a lot of promise and a lot of enjoyment。 The overall concept is good and the starting of the book was solid。 Unfortunately the characters really never develop and they're not all that dense。 About 150 pages in the author is somewhat lose the story though and overall it falls apart in the fifth chapter。 It wraps up， but it doesn't really seem to end。 It's just over。 Meh。 。。。more
Mike McKinney
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Easy good read。 Lots of excitement but scary。
Chris Monceaux
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See more of my reviews here！I picked this book up on a whim while browsing the new release shelves at Barnes & Noble。 I was drawn in by the bold coloring and in-your-face style of the title on the cover， and the blurb intrigued me。 I thought this would be a war book depicting a potential future skirmish （and in some ways it was exactly that）， but it ended up being a character-driven book about the politics behind such a war。From the beginning of this book， I was hooked。 The first two chapters we See more of my reviews here！I picked this book up on a whim while browsing the new release shelves at Barnes & Noble。 I was drawn in by the bold coloring and in-your-face style of the title on the cover， and the blurb intrigued me。 I thought this would be a war book depicting a potential future skirmish （and in some ways it was exactly that）， but it ended up being a character-driven book about the politics behind such a war。From the beginning of this book， I was hooked。 The first two chapters were filled with suspense and the pacing was great。 I enjoyed getting to meet the four main characters， and the situations in which they found themselves were all interesting。 I liked getting to see the perspectives and struggles of the different individuals as they navigated very different aspects of the snowballing crisis。 Then， as the story continued， the pacing bogged down considerably。 The plot also became somewhat stale with repeated attacks and counterattacks in what seemed like a never-ending cascade of one-upping between the major players。 The logic behind the escalating attacks also fell flat and did not make much sense， but maybe that was the point。 It mostly boiled down to each side needing to attack again and again with growing ferocity to make sure they looked the strongest。 If anything， the book gives a dire warning of the potential impacts of escalation rather than diplomacy。I enjoyed all four of the main characters throughout the book。 They all had well-established arcs that ended in satisfying ways。 However， the focus on these four characters is one thing that could be considered a drawback about the book。 For a book about war， there really aren't that many descriptions of battle because most of the main characters are involved in strategizing rather than the fighting。 The authors also skipped over describing some of the most impactful moments of the war and chose to briefly describe them via news headlines seen by the main characters instead of showing them in-depth while they were happening。The thought-provoking hypotheticals about the waning influence of the United States were very interesting。 The book really made me think about what the impacts of hyper-polarization in the post-Trump age will be for the United States' standing on the world stage。 Is the United States still the country that demands the respect of the world and ends conflicts decisively？ Or is it being consumed from the inside by partisan politics and diminishing its impact by spreading military throughout the world in conflicts that cannot be won？ These are all important questions the book attempts to point out。Overall， 2034: A Novel of the Next World War was an interesting， character-driven what-if story about the politics and blunders that could lead to a third world war。 It also provides a grim warning to individuals of the United States and poses interesting questions about the current state of American politics。 If you are looking for a war story with details about battles， this is probably not the book for you。 However， if you want an interesting story following four well thought out characters involved in the politics behind escalation， this book might be for you。 I enjoyed the story for what it was and found the thought-provoking content to be interesting， but I wasn't a fan of the telling rather than showing used throughout the book or the somewhat boring and repetitive plot after the suspense of the beginning was spent。 Therefore， I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars and am glad I picked it up on a whim。 。。。more
Sam Katz
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A barn burner of a book！I literally could not tear myself away from the book。 It was captivating。 A darn good take to read。 Very plausible scenario。
Evelyn
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This is a workmanlike tale that strains credibility。 The characters are wooden stereotypes that appear to have been developed using a paint by the numbers approach。 The plot defies reality although it purports to present a scenario for a future conflict between the US and China with a shoutout to Iranian and Russian involvement， and to India as the world’s savior。 Yet， it fails to provide any background on the events leading up to those depicted in the book， or consider the roles of other Pacifi This is a workmanlike tale that strains credibility。 The characters are wooden stereotypes that appear to have been developed using a paint by the numbers approach。 The plot defies reality although it purports to present a scenario for a future conflict between the US and China with a shoutout to Iranian and Russian involvement， and to India as the world’s savior。 Yet， it fails to provide any background on the events leading up to those depicted in the book， or consider the roles of other Pacific nations including Australia， Japan， Korea， Vietnam， the Philippines and Indonesia， which surely would be involved in any efforts to contain China in the event that China chose to gain control of the South China Sea， and the Pacific and Indian Oceans， aside from saying Japan chose not to be involved， although those nations are very much involved in those geopolitics at present。And the absence of Canada， the United Kingdom and the Scandinavian countries from a scenario that involves an Arctic confrontation， as well as Israel， Saudi Arabia， the UAE and other middle eastern nations from the confrontation between the US and Iran defies belief。 The geopolitical situation will not change so drastically in 15 years that those nations as well as others such as France and Germany will not be involved in the scenarios playing out in the book。The ending is pat as if the authors were trying to tie up lose ends and bring some sort of closure for some of the characters in the book and the storyline。 However， it’s totally unsatisfactory especially with its moralizing statements at the end。The book rates 1。5 stars for being literate。 Aside from its readability， it is a bad book。 The authors should reread Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan books， which appear to be inspiration for this insipid novel， before writing another one。 。。。more
Rick
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This is an extremely compelling cautionary tale of the bleak future that can take place between the US and China。 I was hooked on this one， and listened to the audio book in a day and a half。 I also liked the twist at the end。 Don't sleep on India！"The Americans are incapable of behaving patiently。 They change their government and their policies as often as the seasons。 Their dysfunctional civil discourse is unable to deliver an international strategy that endures for more than a handful of year This is an extremely compelling cautionary tale of the bleak future that can take place between the US and China。 I was hooked on this one， and listened to the audio book in a day and a half。 I also liked the twist at the end。 Don't sleep on India！"The Americans are incapable of behaving patiently。 They change their government and their policies as often as the seasons。 Their dysfunctional civil discourse is unable to deliver an international strategy that endures for more than a handful of years。 They're governed by their emotions， by their blithe morality and belief in their precious indispensability。 This is a fine disposition for a nation known for making movies， but not for a nation to survive like we have， through the millennia。 And where will America be， after today？ I believe in a thousand years， it won't even be remembered as a country。 It will simply be remembered as a moment， a fleeting moment。" - Minister Chiun"In war， it's not THAT you win。 It's HOW you win。 America didn't used to start wars， it used to finish them。 But now。。。now it is the reverse。 Now， you start wars， but don't finish them。"- Pateal"Isn't the world large enough for your government and Beijing's。 Perhaps you'll win this war。 But for what？ To be like the British after the second world war， your empire dismantled， your society in retreat， and millions of dead on both sides？" - Pateal"The end came， as it always does， from within。。。。Look over the ages， from Britain to Rome to Greece。 The empire always rots from within。"- Lin Bao"We are from nowhere and have nothing。 We have come here to be from somewhere and to have something。 That is what makes us American。"- Lin Bao's wife 。。。more
Reuben Trane
，
Frightenly PossibleFast paced with a plot totally within the realm of possibilities。 Characters are al， interestingly drawn in their respective roles。
Eric Haas
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Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis’ “2034: A Novel of the Next World War” was a disappointing read that did not live up to the expectations a reader expected as it started。 As I reader， I felt that this work was trying to be the next “Ghost Fleet，” but instead became a mess of a story that I could never figure out who the intended audience was supposed to be。 Areas where the book really could have used better editing or development:1） There was too much random detail about characters th Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis’ “2034: A Novel of the Next World War” was a disappointing read that did not live up to the expectations a reader expected as it started。 As I reader， I felt that this work was trying to be the next “Ghost Fleet，” but instead became a mess of a story that I could never figure out who the intended audience was supposed to be。 Areas where the book really could have used better editing or development:1） There was too much random detail about characters that did nothing for the plot。 Example: For the character of Sarah Hunt， the reader has to plow through all the different nicknames she earned from her time at the USNA through becoming the commodore of a fleet in the Pacific， yet these nicknames are never used or referenced again。 The tales are not even relevant to how she acts or responds to the stresses she faced in the book。 2） The multiple character POV just does not work and creates some discontinuities for the reader。 3） The actual action all takes place “off camera，” so the reader than has to piece together what happened。 This would not be some bad， if there had not been so many words used for the build up to the action。4） The motivations and actions across all the characters did not feel realistic or informed。 5） There is a heavy （。。。solely） Navy focus for the military component。 This is not surprising since Admiral Stavridis is one of the authors。 However， the complete lack of acknowledgement of the other Services made this book ring incredibly false。 Part of the discontinuity mentioned above is that if you are going to wholly focus on just one Service at least make them seem more competent than what gets presented。 6） Lastly， while trying to be focused on a possible future conflict， this book fell into the “Cyber Trap。” Early on in the book， the main adversary conducts a “cyber attack” that affects all systems， completely shutting everything down， across all areas that the adversary wanted to impact; but， then makes it sound like the U。S has no similar capability。 It was just a little ludicrous and feeds this false narrative about a mythical “Cyber Pearl Harbor Event。” This does not reflect how computer communications really works or the diverse hodgepodge of nodes， networks， hubs， computers， versions of software that actually make up the World Wide Web， and especially systems used for national defense。 Overall， very disappointing read and not informative to help the discussion on possible future conflicts。 Additional note， normally I do not give a review lower than 3-stars on Goodreads since I acknowledge that writing a book is not easy work， but this feels like a hack job that is getting more recognition than it deserves because a retired Admiral is on the cover。 。。。more
Doug
，
Has some thought provoking elements but the storytelling was a bit heavy handed at times and some elements seemed off
Nick
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Fascinating and frightening
Mike
，
It was a few months ago that I started to receive Harper's magazine in the mail for some unknown reason。 Not that I mind， although there is something disconcerting about the idea that a magazine can abruptly begin to appear in your mailbox monthly- or even bi-weekly， for all we know- and that there's nothing you can do about it。 I went to the Harper's website， tried e-mailing them- no answer。 There didn't seem to be the slightest shred of evidence that I was subscribed to Harper's， or any reason It was a few months ago that I started to receive Harper's magazine in the mail for some unknown reason。 Not that I mind， although there is something disconcerting about the idea that a magazine can abruptly begin to appear in your mailbox monthly- or even bi-weekly， for all we know- and that there's nothing you can do about it。 I went to the Harper's website， tried e-mailing them- no answer。 There didn't seem to be the slightest shred of evidence that I was subscribed to Harper's， or any reason that it was being sent to me， meaning that my only course of action has been to accept the insolubility of the mystery。。。and to read Harper's， of course。 A couple of weeks ago， while I was up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night- which happens all the time now， because I'm old- I retrieved the latest issue from the mailbox。 It was about 4:30 in the morning。 The headline （sic？） of the featured story on the cover read: The Next Civil War: Are We Living Through Another Antebellum Era？ As I brought the magazine back to my room， a thought flashed through my mind: "they want it to happen， don't they？" It was just a thought， maybe an uncharitable one。 I even had reason to feel uncharitable。 I was still pretty steamed at Harper's， after all， for neglecting to ask me to contribute a piece to their "what's next after Trump？" issue。 Did they lose my contact information or something？ Bastards。 Anyway， the issue in my hands， as I noticed while looking at the table of contents， also contained a story about the "dangers" of meditation。 As I laid back down， I couldn't help wondering: if meditation is "dangerous"， what isn't dangerous？ Come to find out a few days later that the author of the "next Civil War" piece， former Marine Elliot Ackerman， is also one of the authors of this new book， 2034: A Novel of the Next World War， co-written with Jim Stavridis， retired four-star admiral and former supreme allied commander of NATO。 So what does this mean？ What conclusions should I draw from this？I don't know。 I don't want to slander anyone， especially an ex-Marine。 Never antagonize Marines unnecessarily， as a friend of mine likes to say。 It's good advice。 And it's entirely possible that the novel isn't jingoistic bullshit， even if it is doing its best to look like it。 It's also possible that I'm only superficially reminded of Cold War propaganda movies like the Patrick Swayze vehicle Red Dawn， about a small band of American patriots who have to fight off a Soviet invasion （they re-made it in 2012 with North Korea as the villain）。 But it does make me want to ask: how subversive can you really be， as a writer， when you're co-writing novels with a retired admiral？ Also， do they have a writing office for you at the Pentagon？ I've noticed other talk of coming war。 While masochistically scanning the New York Times editorial page a couple of weeks ago， for example， a page perhaps best described as "a group of people who all agree with each other， and also Ross Douthat"， I noticed that one of Bret Stephens's recent pieces is called， "How Will We Win the Second Cold War？" Damn， I'd completely forgotten about that one。 So just to keep things straight， we have at least three （3） catastrophic wars on the way:（1） the second American Civil War;（2） the third World War， also known as the Sino-American War （estimated date: 2034）;（3） the second Cold War， which may or may not be going on as we speak （also against China， as I understand it）。Of course， you'd think that （2） and （3） couldn't take place at the same time; if anything， （3） would seem to lead into （2）。 Except that if "we" win （3）， as Bret Stephens implicitly assures us we will， wouldn't that preclude the need for （2）？ And wouldn't it make sense to win （3） as quickly as possible， so we can get on with （1）？A friend of mine stopped by last weekend to drop off more of the items I've been packing and mailing for him， having acquired more of the unnamed items in question through his extremely shadowy international distribution network。 The items were delayed， he explained， and he made vague references to problems in the South China Sea， about which I asked no questions; he pays me in cash， after all， which allows me to evade my many vengeful creditors。 I'm sure the calls I've started receiving with nothing but heavy breathing on the other end of the line are just a coincidence。 In any case， he listened patiently to a rough version of what I've just written here。 "Maybe"， this friend suggested， "we'll avoid the next Civil War by uniting in a war against China。"That's perfect。 Now why didn't I think of that？ Well， it's okay- hopefully some people in positions of power are thinking along those lines right now。 But how to impress upon the body politic this vital need for。。。no， no， inevitability of。。。war？ Well， people like stories。 If only we could find some writer。。。 。。。more
Aaron VanAlstine
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This is not a Tom Clancy-style techno-thriller。 There is a lot of talking and not a lot of action， but it is still decent speculative fiction dealing with crisis between China and the United States。
Anthony Urrutia
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Aggression begins and escalates when USA naval ships are on a “freedom of navigation” patrol in the South China Sea。 The flotilla encounters a Chinese vessel on fire and moves in to render aid and inspects the vessel after the fire is put out。 They find unusual technology on the ship。 Chinese naval forces arrive and demand that the US ships leave the area。 Predictably， they do not。 Tensions escalate leading to the destruction of the USA vessels。 Escalation occurs。。。。war。。。。using tactical nuclear Aggression begins and escalates when USA naval ships are on a “freedom of navigation” patrol in the South China Sea。 The flotilla encounters a Chinese vessel on fire and moves in to render aid and inspects the vessel after the fire is put out。 They find unusual technology on the ship。 Chinese naval forces arrive and demand that the US ships leave the area。 Predictably， they do not。 Tensions escalate leading to the destruction of the USA vessels。 Escalation occurs。。。。war。。。。using tactical nuclear weapons。 A third nuclear power steps in and threatens to attack the next country that escalates further aggression。 Four major cities were nuked before cooler heads prevailed。 Millions perished。 Book was difficult to put down but it did have flaws。 Characters were rather hollow and not well developed。。。very little background was given。 I felt that the characters were not the substance of the story。 The intervention of a third nuclear power stepping in and threatening to attack the next government to escalate the conflict had little development in the story but was crucial to how the war ended。 Overall， the story lacked detailed character development。 The outline felt rushed。 The protagonist characters on all sides were hollow。 These characters were deciding what cities would be erased killing millions。 4 stars for its entertainment value and the fast pace。 。。。more
Hassan Haider
，
Trite Crap。 To be frank， it was a last spurt of writing that a dying imagination could muster that graces these pages。 It's as if they read a few news headlines and filled in the blanks。 I've never been genuinely disappointed with a book as I have been with this。 It's shown me how bad writing can actually be。 Don't waste your time reading this。 You could literally read the news and spew a few stories about it in your mind and it would still be better than this published novel by acclaimed author Trite Crap。 To be frank， it was a last spurt of writing that a dying imagination could muster that graces these pages。 It's as if they read a few news headlines and filled in the blanks。 I've never been genuinely disappointed with a book as I have been with this。 It's shown me how bad writing can actually be。 Don't waste your time reading this。 You could literally read the news and spew a few stories about it in your mind and it would still be better than this published novel by acclaimed authors。 I never even post negative reviews。 But I'm doing this out of a compulsion to save human brain cells。 。。。more
Alexandra Tolhurst
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The story was interesting but it never really hooked me。 And just when I was starting to get really into it， the plot fell apart。 I'll start with the major things I disliked:1。 The characters。 They were all so one-dimensional and there was nothing likable about any of them。 I didn't dislike them， but there just wasn't anything distinguishable that had me rooting for any of them or invested in their story。 When you have so many characters， many of which are from different countries and cultures， The story was interesting but it never really hooked me。 And just when I was starting to get really into it， the plot fell apart。 I'll start with the major things I disliked:1。 The characters。 They were all so one-dimensional and there was nothing likable about any of them。 I didn't dislike them， but there just wasn't anything distinguishable that had me rooting for any of them or invested in their story。 When you have so many characters， many of which are from different countries and cultures， you would expect differentiation but I just didn't feel it here。2。 The ending。 What the heck。 There were SO many holes。 For a book that is supposed to serve as a warning， it does nothing to show what a war like this would mean for the everyday citizen。 The whole story is told through the government officials that are carrying out the tasks， which I actually really enjoyed， but the end was lacking because of this。 There were like 2 paragraphs that sort of touched on the fallout from the war and its implications for everyday citizens which felt like a real lost opportunity。3。 It's unrealistic。 Maybe because my field is political science and this is what I do， I just couldn't get so invested in the unfolding events of the story。 Maybe if I could take off my political scientist hat and only read with my American citizen hat I'd have a different view。What I did like:Even though I just said it's unrealistic， the general plot and idea are not super unrealistic。 Yes， our next big war could very well be with China， it could very well begin due to posturing in the South China Sea， and it will most definitely have a lot to do with cyber capabilities。 I especially liked that much of the book is a commentary on the American reliance on technology and overconfidence in our abilities because it is very true and will probably bite us in the booty at some point。 I also really liked the structure of the book。 I liked that we saw the events unfold through the eyes of the government officials making the orders and the military officers tasked with carrying them out。 I like that， for example， we could see the same event through the eyes of a Chinese official， an Indian official， and an American pilot。 My only two caveats to this are what I mentioned above - for having so many different characters that are unique， the views stayed shockingly the same。 The characters were bland and I would have been unable to differentiate them without certain cues that were always there。 And it worked until it didn't work at the end。 Civilian characters were introduced throughout the book， so I wish the end would've more heavily focused on them and their experiences after the war。 Without that， this "cautionary tale" loses a lot of its impact in my opinion。 。。。more
Bern J
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Unfortunately this scenario is all too plausible。 This runup to WWIII is written by two veterans with extensive military experience & knowledge。 An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth and eventually the world is blind & toothless。 Well written and scary
Jon
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Very enjoyable。 The book starts out fast and keeps going。
Megan
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I feel like I’ve finished the trifecta of terrible 。。。 between this， 2017 War w/Russia and Ghost Fleet 。。。 none of the stories are any good。 Characters and dialog are blah， there’s a strange reliance on technical jargon followed by completely ignoring the technical when it doesn’t fit the fiction。 Could some of it happen？ Yep。 Would it really suck？ Yep。 Why is there an Iranian/Russian side bar in this story anyways？ But nice that some nation “saves the day” and India makes as much sense as anyon I feel like I’ve finished the trifecta of terrible 。。。 between this， 2017 War w/Russia and Ghost Fleet 。。。 none of the stories are any good。 Characters and dialog are blah， there’s a strange reliance on technical jargon followed by completely ignoring the technical when it doesn’t fit the fiction。 Could some of it happen？ Yep。 Would it really suck？ Yep。 Why is there an Iranian/Russian side bar in this story anyways？ But nice that some nation “saves the day” and India makes as much sense as anyone， I suppose 。。。 might be the most logical part of the entire book。 That and the LtCol who got fired 。。。 Read anything else on your list before this。 。。。more
David
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A very scary look at theworld of cyber and what could happen if we don't start changing how we think of War。 I highly recommended this book A very scary look at theworld of cyber and what could happen if we don't start changing how we think of War。 I highly recommended this book 。。。more
Keith Beasley-Topliffe
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As WWI was between Germany and England （among others） but finished by the US intervention and led to the US becoming the top power in the world， so this book asks if a （nuclear） war between China and the US began， who could finish it？ The sequence of events is well thought out， with special emphasis on electronic and cyber war。 The characters are well drawn。 I really wish I could feel it was a just a fantasy and could never really happen。
David Sowers
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Ugh。 Just ugh。 One-dimensional boring unsympathetic characters， transparent plot， just like every second-rate World War 3 techno-thriller you’ve read。 The first page was quite good and gave me high expectations which were undermined by page 10 or so， then dashed by the introduction of the Marine Major。
Benjamin Dean
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