Reviews and Comments

This was a light and mostly funny read with some (to me) novel ideas, but not hilarious or deep. I was hoping for either. I would probably have enjoyed this book more 20 years ago at the end of my teens.

I recently read American Gods by one of the authors (Neil Gaiman). That book made a much bigger impression with more interesting ideas.

I've been trying to find a visionary book about future warfare - something like White Sun War by Mick Ryan. Based on reviews and mentions online I had high hopes for this book.

But although it was a light and sometimes fun read I was disappointed by both the story line, where attention was places and the language. The book is action packed, but this comes at the cost of what would be more interesting focus on the strategic aspects of this future war.

I will not re-read nor recommend. There are probably plenty of better action filled books out there.

This is a great read for anyone with an interest in international affairs, armed conflict and the future. I tick all boxes.

The book explores a realistic near-future conflict over Taiwan in a realistic and believable fashion.

If you consider this book you should be aware that the author has an agenda, beyond just your entertainment in informing decision makers and military personell on how tactics, strategies and materiell may evolve in the near future. The author is a retired Australian Army Major General and regular writer on these topics.

As he writes in the introduction: "Consequently, I decided that I would eschew non-fiction and instead write the history of the war for Taiwan as a novel" (to make the lessons more accessible - my comment).

I really enjoyed this book. It was both informative and entertaining. My two main takeaways are that dysfunctional politics is not a novel phenomenon in the US and that there's just a lot more history in the US than I previously knew.

It's well worth your time!