Ratings5
Average rating4.4
A desperate Kremlin takes advantage of a military crisis in Asia to simultaneously strike into Western Europe and invade east Africa in a bid to occupy three Rare Earth mineral mines that will give Russia unprecedented control for generations over the world's hi-tech sector. Pitted against the Russians are a Marine lieutenant colonel pulled out of a cushy job at the Pentagon and thrown into the fray in Africa, a French Special Forces captain and his intelligence operative father, a young Polish female partisan fighter, an A-10 Warthog pilot, and the commander of an American tank platoon who, along with his German counterpart, fight from behind enemy lines in Germany all the way into Russia.
Reviews with the most likes.
I enjoyed this book from start to finish.
First of all, the fast-paced structure was excellent for this genre and (what I assume to be) the target demographic. Nothing was longer or more detailed than it needed to be. We have come to expect that from Greaney but it was clear that Ripley had a heavy hand in this story.
As a veteran, I really enjoyed how thoroughly the military operational details were handled throughout the story. Despite a (very) few instances of narrative-driven decision-making straying from legitimate military doctrine or operational protocol, this was as true-to-form as I've ever read.
I feel obligated to point out that, for those readers in love with Greaney's pin-point technical detailing and rigid adherance to specialized knowledge, you will not be disappointed here. While there is no Gray Man exploiting the shadowy underworld in near superhuman feats of intellectual and physical dominance, what you will get is a realistically structured view of modern warfare.
I was pleased that the authors chose to acknowledge the fact that US Military expertise concerning combat operations have strayed dramatically from kinetic, traditional warfare with the emphasis placed on COIN. This singular detail intrigued me from yhe beginning.
I received an advanced reader copy and I will not hesitate to recommend this book widely.
The teaser at the end was not my favorite but I understand why it was included; both from a creative and a business standpoint.