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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
A book I found hard to put down. The core question of this book is two-fold: how could a nuclear war start and what does it mean to be American? I think the book does it’s best to satisfy both questions to differing levels of success. But my main takeaway is that war can truly be started on a dime and therefore we as a country better get our act together before the time comes where we’ll need wise leadership.
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This book was pretty underwhelming. I always compare WW3 books back to Red Storm Rising as the gold standard, so that will form a lot of the basis for my low rating of this book.
My first concern with this book is the technology piece. If this were a fantasy story, it would be employing what is known as "soft magic". A wizard or sorceress waves her hand and magic things happen--don't worry too much about how or if it makes sense. That's how technology is treated in this book. The Chinese do this thing where they gain control of US ships and planes (one of them half way around the world in Iran), but don't question it, just understand that the US has the equivalent of a muzzle loader against the SKS, that is Chinese technology. Tom Clancy explained technology perfectly--just enough for the layman to follow along and understand what was happening, but not too much that your eyes glazed over.
My next concern is with plot holes. The Chinese can spot US ships and planes controlling them from halfway across the world one minute (resulting in the destruction of a destroyer flotilla and then 2 aircraft carrier groups), and then in the next are being blockaded by carrier groups that they are defenseless to stop from dropping tactical nukes (tactical nukes that somehow wipe out entire cities). Speaking of nukes, the US decides to drop a nuke on China because Russia cuts a 10G internet cable in the Pacific? Aside from the fact it's hard to see why those two events would connect, it's even harder to understand why one more in a series of communication blocks, suddenly results in the escalation to nuclear war. Tom Clancy understood that nuclear weapons were not something anybody wanted to use and kept his conflict conventional, because it made sense and reflected the reality of geopolitics.
Lastly, characters. The characters in this book are all placed to tell a story. They are archetypal inserts, plugged into slots that allow the authors to tell their story along political lines that they want to expound on. Tom Clancy's characters may not be the most well developed in literature, but they did seem like real people that the outside world was influencing and shaping. 2034, simply plugged in some standard US based tropes for the various main characters and called it a day. The worst, was the diatribe by the Chinese admiral on the decline of great empires through decadence-yawn, heard it a million times and doesn't make me identify with the character at all, since he is clearly a mouthpiece for a political message.
I am always looking for interesting and forward thinking takes on future conflicts. This is not one of them. I am giving it two stars because it moved along at a good pace, but ultimately this is just a pulp book without a lot of thought behind it.
My first concern with this book is the technology piece. If this were a fantasy story, it would be employing what is known as "soft magic". A wizard or sorceress waves her hand and magic things happen--don't worry too much about how or if it makes sense. That's how technology is treated in this book. The Chinese do this thing where they gain control of US ships and planes (one of them half way around the world in Iran), but don't question it, just understand that the US has the equivalent of a muzzle loader against the SKS, that is Chinese technology. Tom Clancy explained technology perfectly--just enough for the layman to follow along and understand what was happening, but not too much that your eyes glazed over.
My next concern is with plot holes. The Chinese can spot US ships and planes controlling them from halfway across the world one minute (resulting in the destruction of a destroyer flotilla and then 2 aircraft carrier groups), and then in the next are being blockaded by carrier groups that they are defenseless to stop from dropping tactical nukes (tactical nukes that somehow wipe out entire cities). Speaking of nukes, the US decides to drop a nuke on China because Russia cuts a 10G internet cable in the Pacific? Aside from the fact it's hard to see why those two events would connect, it's even harder to understand why one more in a series of communication blocks, suddenly results in the escalation to nuclear war. Tom Clancy understood that nuclear weapons were not something anybody wanted to use and kept his conflict conventional, because it made sense and reflected the reality of geopolitics.
Lastly, characters. The characters in this book are all placed to tell a story. They are archetypal inserts, plugged into slots that allow the authors to tell their story along political lines that they want to expound on. Tom Clancy's characters may not be the most well developed in literature, but they did seem like real people that the outside world was influencing and shaping. 2034, simply plugged in some standard US based tropes for the various main characters and called it a day. The worst, was the diatribe by the Chinese admiral on the decline of great empires through decadence-yawn, heard it a million times and doesn't make me identify with the character at all, since he is clearly a mouthpiece for a political message.
I am always looking for interesting and forward thinking takes on future conflicts. This is not one of them. I am giving it two stars because it moved along at a good pace, but ultimately this is just a pulp book without a lot of thought behind it.
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Found this book through the Wired issue dedicated to its first half and glad that I did. It’s a thrilling fast-paced portrait of a future world war that stays at the surface and does not let itself be bogged down by the details of the politics behind the action it relates. Primarily entertainment with a lesson on modern international politics and warfare as a nice to have.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Couldn't finish it seemed to stupid to keep reading a better alternative to this id say Never by Ken Follet
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Authors: Elliot Ackerman & Adm. James Stavridis
Narrators: Emily Woo Zeller, P.J. Ochlan, Vikas Adam, Dion Graham, & Feodor Chin
Started: June 27, 2024
Finished: July 1, 2024
Format: Audio
Genre: Political Thriller
It's 2034, and USN Commodore Sarah Hunt is on the bridge of the USS John Paul Jones when she notices an unflagged trawler sitting in the South China Sea, so she goes to help. At the same time, US Marine aviator Chris "Wedge: Mitchell, while testing a new stealth technology, flies in Iranian airspace. These two events are the catalyst for the 3rd World War.
Political thrillers are not the norm for me, but when I heard about this on my favorite podcast, I had to give it a try. This book hooked me right from the start. The build-up to the actual war was very well done. The ends that the US went to in order to win were frightening but a very real possibility days. Watching how those in charge dealt with what happened was one of the most interesting parts. This book makes you wonder would happen if this situation truly occurred and how those in charge would handle it. This was a fantastic read.
Narrators: Emily Woo Zeller, P.J. Ochlan, Vikas Adam, Dion Graham, & Feodor Chin
Started: June 27, 2024
Finished: July 1, 2024
Format: Audio
Genre: Political Thriller
It's 2034, and USN Commodore Sarah Hunt is on the bridge of the USS John Paul Jones when she notices an unflagged trawler sitting in the South China Sea, so she goes to help. At the same time, US Marine aviator Chris "Wedge: Mitchell, while testing a new stealth technology, flies in Iranian airspace. These two events are the catalyst for the 3rd World War.
Political thrillers are not the norm for me, but when I heard about this on my favorite podcast, I had to give it a try. This book hooked me right from the start. The build-up to the actual war was very well done. The ends that the US went to in order to win were frightening but a very real possibility days. Watching how those in charge dealt with what happened was one of the most interesting parts. This book makes you wonder would happen if this situation truly occurred and how those in charge would handle it. This was a fantastic read.