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108 reviews for:
The 2020 Commission Report on the North Korean Nuclear Attacks Against the United States
Jeffrey Lewis
4.18 AVERAGE
108 reviews for:
The 2020 Commission Report on the North Korean Nuclear Attacks Against the United States
Jeffrey Lewis
4.18 AVERAGE
dark
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Super exciting. Short. A strange oscillation between laughing at its own fictionality and mourning its hellish fictional events. Makes an excellent case for how war can come out of nowhere.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Fire/Fire injury, War
Not recommended for people who don't want to read about hypothetical ugly political conflicts & specific infamous real-world politicians.
Gripping, intriguing, detailed and imaginative.
I had my concerns this book would be dry - I was wrong . This book packs many punches, and if you have any interest in Geo-politics or alternative history fiction, I highly recommend it.
I had my concerns this book would be dry - I was wrong . This book packs many punches, and if you have any interest in Geo-politics or alternative history fiction, I highly recommend it.
Odd little book; not quite science fiction, not quite political fiction. Awfully disturbing though, and highly readable. Interesting choice by the author to make Donald Trump and other real people the characters in the book. It makes it already a little dated (the role of Gen. Mattis, for example) but also very believable.
Mostly an excellent cautionary tale about how delicate the world is in the era of nuclear weapons, where just a small miscalculation could cause everything to go to hell.
Mostly an excellent cautionary tale about how delicate the world is in the era of nuclear weapons, where just a small miscalculation could cause everything to go to hell.
As of the date of this review, it's a little over two weeks after the date the eponymous attacks the book speculates would take place. And here we are, in the midst of a national crisis exacerbated by Donald Trump. Fortunately though, this crisis is not the aftermath of nuclear war on American soil. This book is gripping, with imagined events baring frightening similarity to foreign relation events that have occured since this book was published little a year ago. It shows the very dangerous world we live in with a nuclear armed DPRK, and incomplete information and the very different perception of events of rational actors on either side of a conflict could seemlessly escalate into global tragedy.
Additionally, having just finished Raven Rock, by Garrett Graff, whom Dr. Lewis references as an inspirational source for some events in the book, I was primed for the discussion of the events just after a strike, and how the government would continue to function. As befits this well-researched hypothetical, I was captured by believability of the tragic chaos that would follow such an event. This was an excellent, yet devastating book.
Additionally, having just finished Raven Rock, by Garrett Graff, whom Dr. Lewis references as an inspirational source for some events in the book, I was primed for the discussion of the events just after a strike, and how the government would continue to function. As befits this well-researched hypothetical, I was captured by believability of the tragic chaos that would follow such an event. This was an excellent, yet devastating book.
3.5 stars, rounded up
Be rest assured going into this book, Lewis knows what he's talking about. He's a nonproliferation expert specializing in North Korea, has previously worked for the Department of Defense, and hosts the Arms Control Wonk podcast. He puts all that knowledge, from big picture to minute detail, to use here.
The good:
- It reads like what it is - a government report. It felt slightly dry in the beginning but as things picked up the understated tone was an excellent contrast to the big and often scary things happening. There are small bits of transcripts and maps, but not enough to call it epistolary by any stretch.
- Everything that occurs before August 2018 is real, and that's something to keep in mind as you read. I'd see something off the wall and think, "No. Really?" but a quick google search or look at the extensive end notes will assure you yes, it's real.
- Because of that it's astounding how much of this speculative novel is straight up fact. It makes you realize how many pieces are in play that could contribute to a real life nuclear war.
- A not small part of this is the current US president and his staff. Lewis uses many people you know and is artful when adding his own characters. For example, when relations with North Korea start to sour the president fires an entire department of his staff by tweet. Not only is it (sadly) believable, but it lets Lewis bring in fictional characters in key roles. That way there's no second guessing ('Bolton would never do that!') and no predicting how someone will act.
- The actions and psychology ring true and show how the way the president is 'handled' could back fire.
- Much thought and effort was put into sections dealing with South Korea and Japan and it shows. I usually have a nitpick about the representation of Japanese life in novels but not here - well done.
- Lewis' specialty is policy so the plot is almost completely about the lead up to and strategies of the war. It's through and well-paced once you get over a small lump of set up at the beginning.
- The acknowledgements slayed me with the care and respect Lewis shows. You'll see it when you get there.
The not-so-good:
- Details of the aftermath are thin and not particularly well thought out, especially when compared to Warday. There is zero mention of fallout, which I thought odd, and lots of stuff is glossed over.
- There is no mention of how those from bombed cities are treated, or how such massive damage could threaten to fracture the country along regional lines as well as political ones.
- I had a couple of issues with medical content, but I doubt many people will be tempted to shout 'perimortem c-section!' at the page like I was.
- While perfect for this exact moment I'm not sure it will hold up over time as real events eclipse the time span covered.
All in all it's a quick read full of fascinating what-ifs that have a non-zero chance of happening. If it sounds interesting you may want to pick it up sooner rather than later to enjoy the full effect.
Be rest assured going into this book, Lewis knows what he's talking about. He's a nonproliferation expert specializing in North Korea, has previously worked for the Department of Defense, and hosts the Arms Control Wonk podcast. He puts all that knowledge, from big picture to minute detail, to use here.
The good:
- It reads like what it is - a government report. It felt slightly dry in the beginning but as things picked up the understated tone was an excellent contrast to the big and often scary things happening. There are small bits of transcripts and maps, but not enough to call it epistolary by any stretch.
- Everything that occurs before August 2018 is real, and that's something to keep in mind as you read. I'd see something off the wall and think, "No. Really?" but a quick google search or look at the extensive end notes will assure you yes, it's real.
- Because of that it's astounding how much of this speculative novel is straight up fact. It makes you realize how many pieces are in play that could contribute to a real life nuclear war.
- A not small part of this is the current US president and his staff. Lewis uses many people you know and is artful when adding his own characters. For example, when relations with North Korea start to sour the president fires an entire department of his staff by tweet. Not only is it (sadly) believable, but it lets Lewis bring in fictional characters in key roles. That way there's no second guessing ('Bolton would never do that!') and no predicting how someone will act.
- The actions and psychology ring true and show how the way the president is 'handled' could back fire.
"It was weird," one aide explained. "Normally we just didn't correct him, especially not when it was an excuse not to do something crazy. But now, all of a sudden, all this stuff was working against us. And we didn't know how to push back."
- Much thought and effort was put into sections dealing with South Korea and Japan and it shows. I usually have a nitpick about the representation of Japanese life in novels but not here - well done.
- Lewis' specialty is policy so the plot is almost completely about the lead up to and strategies of the war. It's through and well-paced once you get over a small lump of set up at the beginning.
- The acknowledgements slayed me with the care and respect Lewis shows. You'll see it when you get there.
The not-so-good:
- Details of the aftermath are thin and not particularly well thought out, especially when compared to Warday. There is zero mention of fallout, which I thought odd, and lots of stuff is glossed over.
- There is no mention of how those from bombed cities are treated, or how such massive damage could threaten to fracture the country along regional lines as well as political ones.
- I had a couple of issues with medical content, but I doubt many people will be tempted to shout 'perimortem c-section!' at the page like I was.
- While perfect for this exact moment I'm not sure it will hold up over time as real events eclipse the time span covered.
All in all it's a quick read full of fascinating what-ifs that have a non-zero chance of happening. If it sounds interesting you may want to pick it up sooner rather than later to enjoy the full effect.
A disturbingly believable account of what a slightly alternate universe version of 2020 might have looked like. It feels like a cross between [b:World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War|8908|World War Z An Oral History of the Zombie War|Max Brooks|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528312647l/8908._SX50_.jpg|817] and the [b:911 commission report|22047559|911 commission report|911 commsision|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1399458609l/22047559._SX50_.jpg|41372684], being closer to reality than the former and a much more engaging and readable style than the latter. As chilling as this narrative was, it did give me the moment of relief that the disaster of a year that 2020 is for us here in the United State of America, it is not the worst possible reality, even when constrained to the realm of the plausible. That is cold comfort, but we must take comfort where we can find it.
The report was well written and quite an engaging listen. Perhaps it can serve as a lesson to many not just of how close to the brink we may be standing, but also of all the many fold ways that the intricate systems to prevent such a disaster are fragile and subject to failures both systematic and human.
The report was well written and quite an engaging listen. Perhaps it can serve as a lesson to many not just of how close to the brink we may be standing, but also of all the many fold ways that the intricate systems to prevent such a disaster are fragile and subject to failures both systematic and human.
How can something written in the style of a government commission report be so incredibly terrifying on a visceral level? And why can I basically *HEAR* the words quoted in this (fictional) report coming out of Trump's mouth?
I give the author serious credit for knowing the style of the genre and the man. I even found myself wanting to skim over seemingly less-important parts, just like I would if I were reading an actual report. And then, it all went down, catalogued in clinical government narrative. Holy buckets, man.
I give the author serious credit for knowing the style of the genre and the man. I even found myself wanting to skim over seemingly less-important parts, just like I would if I were reading an actual report. And then, it all went down, catalogued in clinical government narrative. Holy buckets, man.
"Commission Report" implies that the text would be written in the vaguely stale and tediously fact-filled style of a government investigation wrapping up their work. This book is not that. Lewis instead went for a more readable format that felt too spare of detail. It's a good narrative, but expect it to be more of a Michael Crichton page turner than a Tom Clancy tome 'o facts.
dark
informative
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A