2034: A Novel of the Next World War
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- Author：Elliot Ackerman
- ISBN：1984881256
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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 US and China in the South China Sea in 2034--and the path from there to a nightmarish global conflagration。
On March 12， 2034， US 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， US 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 US 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 reader a dark yet possible future that we must do all we can to avoid。
On March 12， 2034， US 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， US 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 US 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 reader a dark yet possible future that we must do all we can to avoid。
Reviews
Whalente
，
I enjoyed the book - it was a quick read with a good plot。 As a veteran， I had to suspend disbelief on a few occasions but the story was riveting and scenario was （mostly） realistic。 （I wouldn't be surprised if a Chinese military/political officer felt the same。） Frankly， I was as sympathetic to the Chinese Admiral as much as the American Commodore/Admiral。 Bottom line: the threat is real and the fictional narrative really made me think about our current political climate and military posture。 G I enjoyed the book - it was a quick read with a good plot。 As a veteran， I had to suspend disbelief on a few occasions but the story was riveting and scenario was （mostly） realistic。 （I wouldn't be surprised if a Chinese military/political officer felt the same。） Frankly， I was as sympathetic to the Chinese Admiral as much as the American Commodore/Admiral。 Bottom line: the threat is real and the fictional narrative really made me think about our current political climate and military posture。 Global alliances are changing - China's $400B investment in Iran was in the news just this week。 I'm optimistic we can all work together to get along so that stories like this stay fictional。 。。。more
Stephen Newman
，
Picking this book up the day after China and Iran announce the signature of a major security deal belies the accuracy behind some of its premise。 But the subject is simply too big to address in one， relatively short and quick read。 The authors point isn’t to tell a Clancy-like story， though。 It is to forewarn the existential nature and danger of great power conflict in today’s world。 That message is a good one， and well made。 This book is well worth the time for a read！
Robert
，
I wanted a war book like Red Storm Rising。 I read the Wired excerpt by mistake。 I thought it would be articles about a real-life possible war with China which is why I bought it。 After finding out it was an excerpt， I still read it and was hooked。 I eagerly waited for the book to come out so I could read it。 That is when the disappointment set in。For a war between China and the United States this book was woefully short on the war part。 The book itself is also too short。 The excerpt in Wired is I wanted a war book like Red Storm Rising。 I read the Wired excerpt by mistake。 I thought it would be articles about a real-life possible war with China which is why I bought it。 After finding out it was an excerpt， I still read it and was hooked。 I eagerly waited for the book to come out so I could read it。 That is when the disappointment set in。For a war between China and the United States this book was woefully short on the war part。 The book itself is also too short。 The excerpt in Wired is a massive chunk of the book。 It is also unfortunately the best part of the book。It has also got all the progressive eye-rolling nonsense that we seem to have to live with these days in everything in life。 Right down to the Michelle Obama attack submarine。 I thought that part was hilarious but then realized that it is possible for today’s White House to name a submarine after her。 It is all part of being woke。Then there is the technological angle。 I can believe the Chinese can mess with America's power structure aka turn off our lights。 I can even believe that the Chinese could temporarily blind our ships with some new technological breakthrough。 I cannot believe that America has no way of dealing with this。 That we are literally crushed。 The American's also lose an F-35 to this new technology and all because they foolishly decided to fly the F-35 with a new stealth package over Iran。 What？ Who would make such a stupid decision to test a new system by flying over Iran？Also， it appears the Indian military has made a significant leap in technology that not even China or America sees coming at the end of the book。 It is literally a Deus Ex Machina。 The Indian military can make major moves that no one on the planet sees happening until it is too late。 It is also implied but never stated out right the Indian military has the same tech China does to shut off an enemy’s systems。 Oh， and somehow the Indians have a diesel submarine with new technology that gives it unlimited range as if it was a nuclear submarine。 It is said right there in the book。 I could not believe it。There were no battles of significance in the book。 In Red Storm Rising you had several battles。 Some may think it is unfair to compare this book to Red Storm Rising but again I wanted a war book on the level of Red Storm Rising。Russia decides to seize the moment and invade Poland to take back some land so it can connect Kaliningrad to Russia。 A single Polish plane survives long enough to attack the Russian invasion fleet and that is it。 The rest of the battle is not described and frankly is forgotten about in the rest of the book。 We never learn if Poland gets the land back or for that matter what is NATO doing since Poland is a member of NATO。 （member since 1999）China wipes out 37 American ships including two Aircraft Carriers yet again the battle is talked about after it has happened。 We do not actually see the battle on paper。 A massive disaster for the United States Navy and given the number of ships sunk you easily have over 10，000 dead sailors。 But it is not in the book。 It is just described afterwards in a few tidbits here and there。 That is not enough。China invades Taiwan。 We never see this battle。 We hear only its outcome which of course is a Chinese win。 After that we hear nothing else about Taiwan。 Looks like China got to keep it after the war。Russia decides instead of helping the Chinese like agreed to by cutting a couple internet wires on the bottom of the ocean so America's internet is only slowed down the Russians stab China in the back and just blow up all the wires and almost take out America's entire internet。 The Russians apparently want total war between the United States and China。At this point， America believing that China took out the internet， hits a Chinese port with a tactical nuclear weapon。 Only one problem; this nuke is a 150-kiloton nuclear weapon。 That is not a tactical nuclear weapon。 That is a strategic level nuke。 At least it would be in the eyes of the Chinese government。 Also， this weapon kills millions。 Nuclear weapons are nasty， and I hope they are never used but a single nuclear weapon， even a 150 kiloton one， is not going to kill millions of people in a city。 I know China has a lot of people packed into cities， but it is still not going to happen。 The target was the port。 Not downtown。China of course retaliates and nukes two US cities also causing millions of deaths。 Again， not going to happen。 Yes thousands， hundreds of thousands， could die in such an attack but the nukes just are not big enough to do it。 You would need to use multiple nukes on each city to make sure you covered every square foot of the city in a nuclear fireball to get a kill number into the millions。 But since the book makes no mention of how many nukes China used on each city; we have no idea。 As far as we know only a single nuke was used on each city。And just three nukes are enough to interfere with weather patterns around the whole world。 So much so that Iran defeats a Russian surprise invasion （the Russians are just bastards in this book LOL） by sheer luck。 The Russian troops parachute into the water by accident and that is the end of that invasion。 Since Iran and Russia are friendly towards each other no one knows how to handle this invasion of Iranian territory。America of course decides to retaliate with more nukes and instead of using ICBM or SLBM missiles they use F-18 aircraft that have been stripped of all the electronics to the point the pilots have to fly using maps， watches， and pencil to navigate。 The Indians meanwhile have sunk the Chinese aircraft carrier。 The Indians then magically chase down the American F-18 aircraft and shoot them all down except for one。 That one manages to make it to Shanghai and detonate its nuke and kill 30 million people。 30 MILLION。 Chinese response？ Nothing。 The war essentially stops because of India。 I'd think that in real life if we hit a Chinese city and killed 30 million people the Chinese would tell India where it could go， and China would nuke America and we'd have an all-out nuclear war。But the book essentially just stops。 World economy is wrecked。 America is wrecked economically。 The current administration does not survive a scandal where someone in it did not listen to India which could have prevented Shanghai's destruction。 The state of China’s government and economy is not mentioned but both are assumed to have survived。 India is now the world’s top dog apparently as both China and America are kowtowed。 We get some character closures and that is it。 It is all over。We get no real battles on the page。 We also get no explanation for how the Chinese technological perfidy works。 We also get no explanation as to why American submarines are not out there hunting down Chinese ships。 It is as if the submarine fleet， including the USS Michelle Obama， took the war off。 They will show up in the next war。And how did this war start？China decided that it wanted the South China Sea to itself， so it lured America into a trap。 Sunk three American destroyers killing hundreds of American sailors and stole an F-35 （that landed in Iran thanks to the unexplained Chinese technology）。 It expected that America would back down in such a situation and let China take the area。 Then when America does not back down the Chinese sink a further 37 American ships， two of which are aircraft carriers， and still expects America to back down。Japan in real-life believed that it could hit Pearl Harbor， a bunch of other American bases across the Pacific and we would back down and let them run the western Pacific。 That did not work for Japan。 Why would China think a similar scenario， attacking and killing Americans， would work for them？Let us hope the real-life Chinese are not that stupid。 America would not back down in such a situation。 No administration could afford to， and the nation would not allow it。And I seriously doubt that China would accept India sinking it's aircraft carrier with no response。This book was a disappointment。 :（ 。。。more
Rick Pate
，
Exciting and Terrifying ReadWell written， thoughtful， terrifying， and a book that foreign policy fans should read。 Recognizes that advanced technology is not just owned by American military but those of other countries as well。 Bottom line - nuclear war like President Kennedy said is where the living envy the dead！
Mike
，
I picked up the book as it seem to promise to be about future conflict & a warning about American complacency。 Larry Bond this is not。 It is hyper contrived to get the conflict in place。 Plausible is not the watch word I would use here。The book is as bad as _Ghost Fleet_， which also so happens to use the tagline "Novel of the Next World War。" Contrived as in the Chinese can shut down military communication with a snap of their fingers， with magic cyber weapons。 That a president wouldn't be able I picked up the book as it seem to promise to be about future conflict & a warning about American complacency。 Larry Bond this is not。 It is hyper contrived to get the conflict in place。 Plausible is not the watch word I would use here。The book is as bad as _Ghost Fleet_， which also so happens to use the tagline "Novel of the Next World War。" Contrived as in the Chinese can shut down military communication with a snap of their fingers， with magic cyber weapons。 That a president wouldn't be able to link in to commanders in the USA & no one really does anything about it。 Or that the CCP wants to fight an overt war that leads to a nuclear exchange。 They are more about covert threats and posturing。 They are not stupid。 It is always a bad sign when authors try to sound technical， but come off as ignorant。 "。。。racks of blinking miniature hard drives and plasma screens。" In 2034， such things would not be used。 Especially if it is meant to look super high tech。 The kids on the USA ship would know immediately their phones are more sophisticated。 Add to that characters that are paper thin， it isn't a fun book to read。The only thing I found correct was one of the Chinese admirals making a comment about the lack of imagination。 This is true， as our minds， when confronted with something it doesn't know or understand will attempt to place it into a known mental model。 9/11 is seen as a lack of imagination on the part of the USA to predict or take seriously such an effort。 But that thought is a couple sentences buried in a book that is simply not living up to its marketing of blurb of sounding a warning of future conflicts。 。。。more
Paul Grostad
，
Very scary， very possible scenario by one of the best military minds of our time。 This is a stark warning by Admiral Stavridis penned by a skilled fiction writer （Ackerman）， making it a compelling read。
Hj Reichen
，
I appreciated the book’s plot and rhythm and couldn’t put it down。 Even though the characters lacked a bit of depth and a few more details on the technological side would have been fun， the book is a cautionary tale of the challenges of maintaining peace between today’s global power and the suitors。 The western nations dependence on network technology puts them at risk of the cyber knockout。
Branko Jeličić
，
Not exactly Tolstoy but Wow， wow， wow for the plot。 Admiral makes it believable。 First chapter is BANG， 2nd one is BANG， BANG。。。。It is a pity the writer did not put more effort into building characters， the plot is great， but needs more flavour around it
Steven
，
Really disappointed in this book。 Moderately entertaining pulp fiction。 It seems like the book lacked an editor。 Not very well researched and poorly written。 I expected a better illustration of geopolitical realities from someone who served in such a high position in the DoD。
Tyson Wetzel
，
Sad to say I was disappointed， the book just fell fat with me。 The latest in a series of books that tries （and fails） to replicate the brilliance of Tom Clancy’s “Red Storm Rising。”
Dale
，
Ok 4。5 stars？ Regardless， this is a super read。 It was featured as the whole issue of Wired magazine in February， though it was only the first 5 or 6 chapters there。 I had to finish the rest when it came out recently。 Quite a great geopolitical thriller with several very intriguing twists on what you might or might not expect。 It gives a different view of how the world might be different by 2034 -- or is it just that the world is already different than we might know already？ Almost certainly， th Ok 4。5 stars？ Regardless， this is a super read。 It was featured as the whole issue of Wired magazine in February， though it was only the first 5 or 6 chapters there。 I had to finish the rest when it came out recently。 Quite a great geopolitical thriller with several very intriguing twists on what you might or might not expect。 It gives a different view of how the world might be different by 2034 -- or is it just that the world is already different than we might know already？ Almost certainly， the conventional wisdom is challenged by this book， and appropriately so。 Of course it is not Anna Karenina; the characters aren't really well developed nor it is particularly literary。 But a good way to think about the future？ Yes。 A riveting exploration of a possible future conflict？ Definitely。 If you like that sort of thing， you do not want to miss this one。 。。。more
Timothy Neesam
，
In 2034， the U。S。 is politically isolated and China has a technological advantage。 A military chess game begins when a U。S。 naval vessel captures a Chinese ship that appears to have military technology， a deliberate attempt by China to force a confrontation and， in doing。 so， gain control of the South China Sea。 Meanwhile， an American pilot is captured in a power play by Iran。 Add the involvement of Russia and India and its brinkmanship from all sides， with everyone pushing hard to gain the uppe In 2034， the U。S。 is politically isolated and China has a technological advantage。 A military chess game begins when a U。S。 naval vessel captures a Chinese ship that appears to have military technology， a deliberate attempt by China to force a confrontation and， in doing。 so， gain control of the South China Sea。 Meanwhile， an American pilot is captured in a power play by Iran。 Add the involvement of Russia and India and its brinkmanship from all sides， with everyone pushing hard to gain the upper hand。 The book focuses on events from a variety of points of view， including a sympathetic but out of his depth Iranian with anger management issues; a Chinese Admiral whose mother is American; an Indo-American whose family background gives him more sway than anyone （himself included） could imagine; and， the odd man out， an American who is part of a long line of military pilots， whose penchant for times gone by will either make him a hero or active participant in a horrific military action。 People make life-altering decisions based on how they think other people will react， but the Mike Tyson truism that everyone has a plan until they're punched in the face comes into play。 Here， everyone's plans are affected by human miscalculation， with tragic consequences。 2034 isn't just a Tom Clancy-style techno-thriller。 Using a lean， efficient writing style， the book features empathetic characters who actively demonstrate how things can go devastatingly awry in a situation with enormously high stakes。 。。。more
Kam
，
What a great story！！ I loved the worldwide story of technology， diplomacy， bravery， and military power。 Getting to personally know intelligent players in this international drama was my favorite part of the novel。 If you are interested in the balance of power in the world， you will enjoy this amazing， exciting drama。
Gordon Lalor
，
Decent， i was looking for something similar to Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising， but this isn't it。 Decent， i was looking for something similar to Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising， but this isn't it。 。。。more
Vinod Bhardwaj
，
Just finished reading，" 2034。" A novel of the next World War -3。 A scintillating thriller！ Professionally plotted and elegantly written。 A hypothetical future war between China and the USA。 A single technological leap by China could destroy the internet capability to communicate and blackout any country anywhere in the World。 The plot is based on actual decisions and strategies already enforce。 I could not stop reading 2034 being an officer in the Indian Navy and sufficient knowledge in Artifici Just finished reading，" 2034。" A novel of the next World War -3。 A scintillating thriller！ Professionally plotted and elegantly written。 A hypothetical future war between China and the USA。 A single technological leap by China could destroy the internet capability to communicate and blackout any country anywhere in the World。 The plot is based on actual decisions and strategies already enforce。 I could not stop reading 2034 being an officer in the Indian Navy and sufficient knowledge in Artificial Intelligence。 The icing on the cake was the role of INDIA， to be accepted as the Superpowerin the World。 As a human being， I hope none of it comes true， however， India takes its deserved position in World leadership。 Must read by political and military technological leaders。 We can't afford to ignore the ground realities of China。 Thanks 。。。more
Josef Tadich
，
Ok， I admit I only picked this up because I read the short story in wired magazine。 The full book was only a few extra chapters， so I should have left it at the short story and would have given it a three。 It’s like Tom Clancy was forced to put more character development into his 90s classic novels， however introduced too many characters that you really didn’t care about。 I think the asymmetry of nuclear war washed them out， i just didn’t care about the issues of one individual pilot when 30m pe Ok， I admit I only picked this up because I read the short story in wired magazine。 The full book was only a few extra chapters， so I should have left it at the short story and would have given it a three。 It’s like Tom Clancy was forced to put more character development into his 90s classic novels， however introduced too many characters that you really didn’t care about。 I think the asymmetry of nuclear war washed them out， i just didn’t care about the issues of one individual pilot when 30m people just got obliterated。 。。。more
Monica
，
Just know that when the smoke clears， one nation gets reduced to a middle to low income country， another rises as an economic， political and military super power and millions upon millions of people around the globe are left dead， displaced or deathly ill。Four stars rather than five because the ending is rushed and full of holes， not something you want in a novel whose expressed purpose is to warn readers of the potential profound and far-reaching consequences of leaving geopolitical conflicts， Just know that when the smoke clears， one nation gets reduced to a middle to low income country， another rises as an economic， political and military super power and millions upon millions of people around the globe are left dead， displaced or deathly ill。Four stars rather than five because the ending is rushed and full of holes， not something you want in a novel whose expressed purpose is to warn readers of the potential profound and far-reaching consequences of leaving geopolitical conflicts， dangers and vulnerabilities unaddressed。 More specifically， I needed to know how the consequences of the conflict played out on the ground for everyday folks， and the one to two paragraph info-dump at the end just didn't cut it。While it was essential that the story be told from the perspectives of those at the top and/or in the thick of things， the complete silence on the experiences of those forced to navigate everyday life in the midst of a third world war is a serious flaw。Bottom line， I wanted to see more of what was happening on the ground。 How， for example， were parents and teachers helping children to cope with the fear of and uncertainty surrounding wartime？What did the economic fallout look like for civilian employees and employers？Other than voting smart （hahahahaha！） and elevating country above party （sigh）， what can or should average citizens do to prepare for the eventuality of such a conflict。 There were also questions about the major players that went unanswered; at the risk of spoiling things ， I'll just disclose that the book is completely mum on the ultimate fait of one of the cheif players in the chest-thumping /dick-waving contest that began and kept things going。 Still， 2034 was a great and thought provoking read ， one that will keep me up nights for years to come。 。。。more
Sanket
，
Simply Poor。 Expected more from the authors。 More of a nostalgic trip than a realistic depiction of anything。
Tim Joseph
，
4。5A strong read that seems ripped from the headlines of today， outlining the path humanity may take in the upcoming future。 With Clancy-style descriptive precision， this military thriller will both get your pulse pounding， and make you think about the future outlined， and how close it may strike to the truth。。。。
George Nap
，
An effective cautionary tale。
Junior
，
Worth a read or listen too。 It really shows that we are in the age where one day a country is on top but the next it could literally be holding out the begging bowl。
Nils
，
A frighteningly realistic account of how the US and China could stumble into World War III， narrated as a classic political thriller。 Essentially， a well written， character-driven scenario exercise。 While it presumes （realistic） advances in cyber capabilities， if anything it underplays how rapidly these technologies could advance。 The way the war is resolved is slightly unrealistic， but overall the book moves at pace around the world。 One striking features is that the powers of Western Europe — A frighteningly realistic account of how the US and China could stumble into World War III， narrated as a classic political thriller。 Essentially， a well written， character-driven scenario exercise。 While it presumes （realistic） advances in cyber capabilities， if anything it underplays how rapidly these technologies could advance。 The way the war is resolved is slightly unrealistic， but overall the book moves at pace around the world。 One striking features is that the powers of Western Europe — France， Germany， Britain — do not warrant so much as a mention， nor does the UN Security Council even get a look-see。 And the economic and environmental dislocations that would be caused by a war of this dimension are alluded to but not explored in any depth。 。。。more
Zak Bonynge
，
I was a bit hesitant to read this first， with many reviews being less than pleased。 I decided it was worth a shot and I can say it was a good choice。The novel centers on five characters， told from their point of view。 I am a geek that prefers focus on technology or science， so this human centered narrative was a turn-off at first。 Further in I became more engrossed with the book and saw the reliance on characters as an efficient means to convey the military-geopolitical dynamics。I certainly pref I was a bit hesitant to read this first， with many reviews being less than pleased。 I decided it was worth a shot and I can say it was a good choice。The novel centers on five characters， told from their point of view。 I am a geek that prefers focus on technology or science， so this human centered narrative was a turn-off at first。 Further in I became more engrossed with the book and saw the reliance on characters as an efficient means to convey the military-geopolitical dynamics。I certainly prefer dry， unsentimental military strategy such as in my science fiction military theory short story "Treason Alaska : The Story of the Treason Trade Route"， which in spite of it's title is more about Chinese-American antagonism and a surprising outcome。Still， I endorse this sentiment drenched 2034 for it's few very important statements Americans need to see。 There are pro-Russian statements， and pro-Chinese statements， and are very counter to the a prior moral assumptions we see in US journalism and State Department policy rhetoric。Here are my favorite quotes:On Russia:"Kolchak began to pontificate about the Rodina， his “Mother Russia，” how in its many iterations， whether they be tsarist， imperialist， or communist， it had never enjoyed the legitimacy of other world powers。 “During the empire our tsars spoke French at court，” said Kolchak。 “During communism our economy was a hollow shell。 Today， under the federation， our leaders are viewed as criminals by the rest of the world。 In New York City， or in London， they don’t respect any of us， not even President Putin。 To them， President Putin isn’t the grandfather of our Federation; no， to them he is simply another poor Russian， a gangster at best， even though he has retaken our ancestral territories in Crimea， Georgia， and Greater Ukraine; even though he has crippled America’s political system， so that now their president doesn’t even have a party but has to run as one of these enfeebled ‘independents。’ We are a cunning people。 Our leader is one of us and is equally cunning。"On America:"The America they believe themselves to be is no longer the America that they are。 Time changes everything， doesn’t it。 And now， it is changing the world’s balance in our [Russia's] favor。”America’s hubris has finally gotten the better of its greatness。 You’ve squandered your blood and treasure to what end？ 。。。 For freedom of navigation in the South China Sea？ For the sovereignty of Taiwan？ Isn’t the world large enough for your government and Beijing’s？On War:"If you know the enemy and know yourself， you need not fear the result of a hundred battles。 If you know yourself but not the enemy， for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat。 If you know neither the enemy nor yourself， you will succumb in every battle。 -Sun Tzu"By the way， the dynamics of escalation in the book match the "If you know yourself but not the enemy， for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat" formula。And finally， the ideal the book pursues is in this passage:"He could feel his loyalties shifting， not from one nation to another， but between those who wanted to avert an escalation and those who believed that victory， whatever that meant， could exist along this spectrum of destruction。 Receiving the appropriate authorizations to visit the Defense Ministry suddenly seemed like an irrelevance。 He increasingly felt as though his allegiance didn’t reside with any government but with whoever could reverse this cycle of annihilation。"Spoiler alert， the geopolitical surprise comes from India:"We are not supporting Beijing。 And we are not supporting Washington。 We are allied with no one。 Our support is for de-escalation。 Do you understand？”Yes the book has a mighty big magic wand in the form of Chinese cyber attack ability， but fiction often relies on these implausible rhetorical devices to get the reader to that place the story needs to go， so the reader receives a much needed message。This book has many such needed messages。 In all， I would recommend this book to any who love war strategy and suspension throughout a novel。 。。。more
Debra Kirkwood
，
Failure of imagination。。。。Reads like a bunch of war memos。 Never given the opportunity to know the leading characters and then all of a sudden at the end of the book they are portrayed as having depth and nuance？ Hmmmm。。。。？
Gary
，
Very quick read and right out of the war games list of possible scenarios for the next World War。 Don't go into this with the idea you'll discover anything new。 It's all predictable， even the squirrel with the white tail。 Very quick read and right out of the war games list of possible scenarios for the next World War。 Don't go into this with the idea you'll discover anything new。 It's all predictable， even the squirrel with the white tail。 。。。more
Timothy M。
，
Too much dialog， not enough combatI would have liked to see more combat。 This book could have been something akin to Red Storm Rising but fell substantially short。
Sean P Lynott
，
Loved this book！ Felt very realistic to me and had me on the edge of my seat。 Reminded me of the World War III book my dad had from the 80's written by a former NATO general。 Definitely a must read for those who love speculative fiction。 Loved this book！ Felt very realistic to me and had me on the edge of my seat。 Reminded me of the World War III book my dad had from the 80's written by a former NATO general。 Definitely a must read for those who love speculative fiction。 。。。more
ROBERT A MCINNES
，
A good story。 Hard to take a break。
Kevin
，