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Aggressor #2
Beachhead
With US troops and aircraft on Taiwanese soil, and missiles flying across the Taiwan Strait, the world prepares itself for the war that has been building since the turn of the century …
Will China back down, or double down? Will the fragile Western Coalition hold? Will regional conflict tip over into a global war? And what’s next for the newly raised 68th Aggressor Squadron and the personnel of Aggressor Inc.?
Beachhead is told through the eyes of six combatants from multiple nations, fighting to survive as the two superpowers clash.
Only one of them will be alive by the end of the week.
Featuring a plot taken from tomorrow’s headlines, cutting-edge technologies that are on the drawing board today, and characters you will never forget, the Aggressor series delivers guaranteed page-turners for military fiction enthusiasts.
Will China back down, or double down? Will the fragile Western Coalition hold? Will regional conflict tip over into a global war? And what’s next for the newly raised 68th Aggressor Squadron and the personnel of Aggressor Inc.?
Beachhead is told through the eyes of six combatants from multiple nations, fighting to survive as the two superpowers clash.
Only one of them will be alive by the end of the week.
Featuring a plot taken from tomorrow’s headlines, cutting-edge technologies that are on the drawing board today, and characters you will never forget, the Aggressor series delivers guaranteed page-turners for military fiction enthusiasts.
544 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 16, 2023
439 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
F.X. Holden
22 books192 followersFX Holden writes action thrillers (The 'Aggressor' and 'Future War' Series) and Science Fiction (The 'Coruscant' and 'Red Legion' Series). He has been awarded two US Publishers' Weekly Stars (the Michelin Star of publishing), the US Readers' Favorite award for Best Political Thriller (twice, including in 2025), and the US Book Excellence award for Best Military Fiction!
FX Holden is a pen name for author Tim (TJ) Slee, winner of the HarperCollins Banjo Prize for Australian fiction and the US Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize for Fiction.
FX Holden is a pen name for author Tim (TJ) Slee, winner of the HarperCollins Banjo Prize for Australian fiction and the US Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize for Fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
June 24, 2023
As usual lots of action, intrigue, and dangerous situations where not all survive.
I am looking forward to the next in the series.
I don't know much about the military (let alone what it will be like in the future.) What I do know quite well is foreign policy. The President's desire to have a war with China because, essentially, "it's Communism or us" seems unlikely to be a view held by anyone with some wisdom and flexibility.
Further, at the novel's end, POTUS seems to be trying to get her pacifistic VP set up as an enemy of the state. Disagreements about the desirability of war are always going on. This move seems almost fascist.
I am looking forward to the next in the series.
I don't know much about the military (let alone what it will be like in the future.) What I do know quite well is foreign policy. The President's desire to have a war with China because, essentially, "it's Communism or us" seems unlikely to be a view held by anyone with some wisdom and flexibility.
Further, at the novel's end, POTUS seems to be trying to get her pacifistic VP set up as an enemy of the state. Disagreements about the desirability of war are always going on. This move seems almost fascist.
August 27, 2025
At about 60% in, as I listened to the audiobook, I decided … wait … this is good … I need to stop multitasking and pay close attention! It’s currently rated 4.56 out of 5.00, and I’d say that’s about right.
Beachhead depicts modern war with China trying to take Taiwan, triggering an epic multi-front face off with Taiwan, the US, several allies—though not nearly as many allies as I’d expect—and several “neutral” parties eventually prompted to choose a side. The closest parallel to this book is Red Storm Rising, which was Tom Clancy’s WW3 scenario between the Soviet Union and the US … arguably his best book.
How many times have you seen a book promoted as similar to Tom Clancy? Scores of times.
How many times has such a book even been remotely comparable to Clancy? None … until now. Beachhead is looking like it might … maybe … actually be comparable. You may disagree, but I’m in the middle of a tank battle … and feeling a little bit of that joy of reading high that only comes along so often.
There are major differences between Red Storm Rising and Beachhead. Clancy was notorious for extreme exposition, setting the stage, plot lines, characters, and so on. And, when conflict began to breakout, you got the full play by play of all the strategic posturing in order to use each weapon system and counter each weapon system. You got political posturing … power plays. All the dynamics. You also got a full-tilt glowing caricature of all ethical and moral and maverick and patriotic and best-in-the-world American ideals that could be glommed on to a character to put him on a white pedestal of good fighting evil that rivaled even John Wayne on a Monument Valley spire. In Beachhead, it’s just a series of battles, one per chapter. It starts off in the thick of it with the war already underway. So, it doesn’t have the same depth as Clancy, but it also doesn’t have characters fit for a comic book. I realize that might be heresy to lambast Clancy’s hagiography of Americans, and for many, that fantasy perspective was probably the primary appeal of Clancy even more so than “the actual story”. Beachhead just sticks to warfighters fighting the fight. He explores current technology that hasn’t actually seen true warfare (similar to Red Storm Rising) and he puts in a fair bit of speculative material with drones and AI, but so far, refreshingly, does not get out over his skis. He keeps the speculative stuff to the very plausible. That’s so rare … and very appreciated. Who does that? Andy Weir … and who else? Select company.
I’m digging it.
Come on …
Jump on in …
I wanted to know more about the mysterious author, FX Holden, and uncovered this much.
Author Tim Slee is a former Australian journalist and, allegedly, a former intelligence officer who writes thrillers under the pen name FX Holden.
I wanted a little better context, and looked at several maps. Here is a fairly good regional map of the countries/islands surrounding Taiwan. I concede that I didn’t know until looking at maps that there are a number of Taiwan controlled islands very close to mainland China, though they are too small to be clearly marked on this map.
Beachhead depicts modern war with China trying to take Taiwan, triggering an epic multi-front face off with Taiwan, the US, several allies—though not nearly as many allies as I’d expect—and several “neutral” parties eventually prompted to choose a side. The closest parallel to this book is Red Storm Rising, which was Tom Clancy’s WW3 scenario between the Soviet Union and the US … arguably his best book.
How many times have you seen a book promoted as similar to Tom Clancy? Scores of times.
How many times has such a book even been remotely comparable to Clancy? None … until now. Beachhead is looking like it might … maybe … actually be comparable. You may disagree, but I’m in the middle of a tank battle … and feeling a little bit of that joy of reading high that only comes along so often.
There are major differences between Red Storm Rising and Beachhead. Clancy was notorious for extreme exposition, setting the stage, plot lines, characters, and so on. And, when conflict began to breakout, you got the full play by play of all the strategic posturing in order to use each weapon system and counter each weapon system. You got political posturing … power plays. All the dynamics. You also got a full-tilt glowing caricature of all ethical and moral and maverick and patriotic and best-in-the-world American ideals that could be glommed on to a character to put him on a white pedestal of good fighting evil that rivaled even John Wayne on a Monument Valley spire. In Beachhead, it’s just a series of battles, one per chapter. It starts off in the thick of it with the war already underway. So, it doesn’t have the same depth as Clancy, but it also doesn’t have characters fit for a comic book. I realize that might be heresy to lambast Clancy’s hagiography of Americans, and for many, that fantasy perspective was probably the primary appeal of Clancy even more so than “the actual story”. Beachhead just sticks to warfighters fighting the fight. He explores current technology that hasn’t actually seen true warfare (similar to Red Storm Rising) and he puts in a fair bit of speculative material with drones and AI, but so far, refreshingly, does not get out over his skis. He keeps the speculative stuff to the very plausible. That’s so rare … and very appreciated. Who does that? Andy Weir … and who else? Select company.
I’m digging it.
Come on …
Jump on in …
I wanted to know more about the mysterious author, FX Holden, and uncovered this much.
Author Tim Slee is a former Australian journalist and, allegedly, a former intelligence officer who writes thrillers under the pen name FX Holden.
I wanted a little better context, and looked at several maps. Here is a fairly good regional map of the countries/islands surrounding Taiwan. I concede that I didn’t know until looking at maps that there are a number of Taiwan controlled islands very close to mainland China, though they are too small to be clearly marked on this map.
February 8, 2025
Stunning!
Exciting and fast paced, I realized “Beach head” turned into a real page turner for me, mostly because the author, in my opinion, invested more time developing the characters’ personalities.
Well done!
Exciting and fast paced, I realized “Beach head” turned into a real page turner for me, mostly because the author, in my opinion, invested more time developing the characters’ personalities.
Well done!
June 23, 2023
Not a review, since I am the author! Think of this as 'author notes' instead...
I meticulously research every one of my novels, and that includes understanding the countries in which they are set. This one is set in China and Taiwan and though I have been to both places many times, I had not been to China since COVID-19. So before pushing the button on BEACHHEAD, I wanted to travel to China again and speak with my friends there, to get a feeling for the cultural and political landscape today.
It has changed.
It was fascinating, not least the conversations with Chinese friends who previously very pro regime, but had their faith tested by the crackdown and oppression of 'ordinary chinese' (ie not religious groups, political agitators) under COVID. Xi apparently lost a lot of goodwill, and people were quite open about this, at least to me.
On the other hand patriotism/nationalism has flourished with isolation. There is a real sense of 'us against the west, alone' and a belief the world wants to keep China down - but then again, isn't it easy to see why they think so? They are also quick to repeat government speaking points - that the West is inherently anti Asian and racist, that China's rise as a superpower will benefit everyone, that China is not a warmongering nation like USA ('we haven't been involved in a war since 1979, USA has been involved in 28!' is something I heard several times).
No one I know in Beijing really thinks much about Taiwan, so they don't really 'get' why the West would be so exercised about it, and why it isn't obvious to everyone it is a part of China like Hong Kong. My belief is that nationalism thrives with isolation and the regime is fanning it with movies like the just released Top Gun style blockbuster 'Born to Fly' (see it if you can), so the 'us against the world' narrative is only going to get stronger and stronger, which is going to make avoiding conflict hard.
Regarding BEACHHEAD in particular, it continues the same thought experiment that began with Aggressor. There will be many novels written about a conventional Chinese invasion of Taiwan, and while that may yet come in this series (no spoilers), I did not want it to be the centerpiece because I want to keep exploring the idea that a Chinese landing on Taiwan does not have to be inevitable, or perhaps even necessary, for China to achieve its reunification goal. It will have other means at its disposal than sending waves of troops across the Taiwan Strait into a meat grinder.
Several reviewers of ‘Aggressor’ have written “but it wouldn’t happen that way. China wouldn’t do this, or the US wouldn’t do that.” They could be right, but they miss the point a little. My approach in this series is to look at alternatives to conventional wisdom because in 2038 the conventional wisdom of today won't be relevant, we don’t want to be fighting the last war, we want to fight the next one.
And I do find it mono-dimensional to think China would be allowed to build an invasion force and launch an invasion of Taiwan without any intervention from the US and its allies in advance. So in BEACHHEAD, I have imagined a planned and proactive US intervention in the South China Sea, intended to draw Chinese forces away from the Taiwan theatre. If you are looking for an analogy, think Operation Torch in World War II, when American forces went ashore in North Africa to open a new front against Nazi Germany.
This is very much a 'what if' series. What if China didn't need to physically invade Taiwan to conquer it? What if the US and its allies aren't incompetent bumblers idly watching from the sidelines? What if all the discussions we are having today about AI, all the fears people express about how it could be misused by bad actors, came true?
What if the isolationist and nationalist trends of the major powers today continue to intensify?
One answer to these questions, is BEACHHEAD!
I meticulously research every one of my novels, and that includes understanding the countries in which they are set. This one is set in China and Taiwan and though I have been to both places many times, I had not been to China since COVID-19. So before pushing the button on BEACHHEAD, I wanted to travel to China again and speak with my friends there, to get a feeling for the cultural and political landscape today.
It has changed.
It was fascinating, not least the conversations with Chinese friends who previously very pro regime, but had their faith tested by the crackdown and oppression of 'ordinary chinese' (ie not religious groups, political agitators) under COVID. Xi apparently lost a lot of goodwill, and people were quite open about this, at least to me.
On the other hand patriotism/nationalism has flourished with isolation. There is a real sense of 'us against the west, alone' and a belief the world wants to keep China down - but then again, isn't it easy to see why they think so? They are also quick to repeat government speaking points - that the West is inherently anti Asian and racist, that China's rise as a superpower will benefit everyone, that China is not a warmongering nation like USA ('we haven't been involved in a war since 1979, USA has been involved in 28!' is something I heard several times).
No one I know in Beijing really thinks much about Taiwan, so they don't really 'get' why the West would be so exercised about it, and why it isn't obvious to everyone it is a part of China like Hong Kong. My belief is that nationalism thrives with isolation and the regime is fanning it with movies like the just released Top Gun style blockbuster 'Born to Fly' (see it if you can), so the 'us against the world' narrative is only going to get stronger and stronger, which is going to make avoiding conflict hard.
Regarding BEACHHEAD in particular, it continues the same thought experiment that began with Aggressor. There will be many novels written about a conventional Chinese invasion of Taiwan, and while that may yet come in this series (no spoilers), I did not want it to be the centerpiece because I want to keep exploring the idea that a Chinese landing on Taiwan does not have to be inevitable, or perhaps even necessary, for China to achieve its reunification goal. It will have other means at its disposal than sending waves of troops across the Taiwan Strait into a meat grinder.
Several reviewers of ‘Aggressor’ have written “but it wouldn’t happen that way. China wouldn’t do this, or the US wouldn’t do that.” They could be right, but they miss the point a little. My approach in this series is to look at alternatives to conventional wisdom because in 2038 the conventional wisdom of today won't be relevant, we don’t want to be fighting the last war, we want to fight the next one.
And I do find it mono-dimensional to think China would be allowed to build an invasion force and launch an invasion of Taiwan without any intervention from the US and its allies in advance. So in BEACHHEAD, I have imagined a planned and proactive US intervention in the South China Sea, intended to draw Chinese forces away from the Taiwan theatre. If you are looking for an analogy, think Operation Torch in World War II, when American forces went ashore in North Africa to open a new front against Nazi Germany.
This is very much a 'what if' series. What if China didn't need to physically invade Taiwan to conquer it? What if the US and its allies aren't incompetent bumblers idly watching from the sidelines? What if all the discussions we are having today about AI, all the fears people express about how it could be misused by bad actors, came true?
What if the isolationist and nationalist trends of the major powers today continue to intensify?
One answer to these questions, is BEACHHEAD!
July 17, 2023
You better be airborne soon Bunny
I can see why some people would be surprised with premise of how this future war would be fought.
Do you have to remember most of the tech be developed by military’s or classified or so comparmitized that it won’t even now there true capabilities till there put in a real conflict to see what ways it change the textbook of warfare’s once aging.
I hope this helps the nay sayers to keep a more open minds like the empress said not one ore 10 years but the next hundred years. Has we unable to define the future has bouth technology and politics will be truly different with each generation. This book showed that has us old timers saw beachhead and though ground war in Taiwan or island-hopping not the figures story change Holden gave us.
I can see why some people would be surprised with premise of how this future war would be fought.
Do you have to remember most of the tech be developed by military’s or classified or so comparmitized that it won’t even now there true capabilities till there put in a real conflict to see what ways it change the textbook of warfare’s once aging.
I hope this helps the nay sayers to keep a more open minds like the empress said not one ore 10 years but the next hundred years. Has we unable to define the future has bouth technology and politics will be truly different with each generation. This book showed that has us old timers saw beachhead and though ground war in Taiwan or island-hopping not the figures story change Holden gave us.
July 6, 2023
Not fiction anymore
"The American AF-K9 Bird-Dog and Chinese Tianyi autonomous drones are fictional, but they’re based on prototypes in development in Israel, Turkey, China, India and the USA. Developments in AI are likely to make them a reality on the battlefield"
As seen in recent news stories on TV, the Chinese have already shown hundreds of dog-type drones acting in unison. That they will be armed in some fashion is pretty much a guarantee. The goal of crushing Taiwan into submission is not a pipe dream anymore.
"The American AF-K9 Bird-Dog and Chinese Tianyi autonomous drones are fictional, but they’re based on prototypes in development in Israel, Turkey, China, India and the USA. Developments in AI are likely to make them a reality on the battlefield"
As seen in recent news stories on TV, the Chinese have already shown hundreds of dog-type drones acting in unison. That they will be armed in some fashion is pretty much a guarantee. The goal of crushing Taiwan into submission is not a pipe dream anymore.
June 26, 2023
DECEIVE IS A BETTER TITLE
The plot is very good and the tension is high. So many unexpected twists in the plot. But there's a caveat, to increase tension, the author uses a technique that is sometimes annoying. He cuts the narration at the ends of chapters and leaves the results of the action to be revealed latter. Nonetheless, this series is extremely good and above average. I can't wait for the release of the third book.
The plot is very good and the tension is high. So many unexpected twists in the plot. But there's a caveat, to increase tension, the author uses a technique that is sometimes annoying. He cuts the narration at the ends of chapters and leaves the results of the action to be revealed latter. Nonetheless, this series is extremely good and above average. I can't wait for the release of the third book.
June 30, 2023
Fast paced and scary future war centered on US v China
FX Holden has written an excellent future war book, 2 of 3, on a potential US-China conflict over Taiwan but really about each power and world dominance. Bunny O’Hare is one of the lead characters with other characters introduced in hero roles. Fast-paced, scary, and occasionally frustrating. But you can’t put it down.
FX Holden has written an excellent future war book, 2 of 3, on a potential US-China conflict over Taiwan but really about each power and world dominance. Bunny O’Hare is one of the lead characters with other characters introduced in hero roles. Fast-paced, scary, and occasionally frustrating. But you can’t put it down.
August 4, 2023
Disappointed
The action was very good and the pace seemed right. What was disappointing then? I read this in July 2023. Spoiler alert! Guess what the ending was? To be continued in December of this year. Really? What a disappointment. By then I will have trouble remembering the characters and plot.
The action was very good and the pace seemed right. What was disappointing then? I read this in July 2023. Spoiler alert! Guess what the ending was? To be continued in December of this year. Really? What a disappointment. By then I will have trouble remembering the characters and plot.
March 12, 2025
An eye widening look into the future--and it's scary!
Plausible premises and credible background information make this a very compelling read. The lines between what's real and what's fiction are tantalizingly blurred. I keep wanting to fact check things but then I think, "well if this technology isn't real yet, it soon will be!".
Plausible premises and credible background information make this a very compelling read. The lines between what's real and what's fiction are tantalizingly blurred. I keep wanting to fact check things but then I think, "well if this technology isn't real yet, it soon will be!".
June 25, 2023
Aggressor Series book two Beachhead
Well done characters and action. Political scenes, shifting windows of combat scenes, all mixing together in a story of Taiwan vs. China. US sends in ‘Contractor’ air forces to Taiwan to help resist Mainland China air and sea forces.
Well done characters and action. Political scenes, shifting windows of combat scenes, all mixing together in a story of Taiwan vs. China. US sends in ‘Contractor’ air forces to Taiwan to help resist Mainland China air and sea forces.
July 3, 2023
Keeps getting better and better
Lots of interesting characters developed into real people. I like That it is done on all sides making the "bad" guys almost likeable. Don't become too attached as it is war and people die. Very real to do so. Next book please!
Lots of interesting characters developed into real people. I like That it is done on all sides making the "bad" guys almost likeable. Don't become too attached as it is war and people die. Very real to do so. Next book please!
January 5, 2024
Military Pageturner
If you like technology based military thrillers, this is impossible to put down and thank goodness there are more books in this series. Scarily, this story is instructive about one possible future, I do not want to see; but one we should be prepared for.
If you like technology based military thrillers, this is impossible to put down and thank goodness there are more books in this series. Scarily, this story is instructive about one possible future, I do not want to see; but one we should be prepared for.
January 8, 2024
Excellent
This was an interesting war story, which, unlike others consisted, mostly a various combat scenes. The weapons being used were very interesting and the characters gave real depth to the whole story.
This was an interesting war story, which, unlike others consisted, mostly a various combat scenes. The weapons being used were very interesting and the characters gave real depth to the whole story.
February 19, 2024
Multi-encounters each get their own chapter. Love this format. Hidden weapons, motives and tech on China's menu. Strong leaders on the US-led coalition. Deadly attacks on the US NSC and Taiwan. Payback. And the story continues...
June 25, 2023
Wow
Just excellent. Page turner with plenty of pages which is nice. Hard to put down. 5 stars. Looking forward to the next
Just excellent. Page turner with plenty of pages which is nice. Hard to put down. 5 stars. Looking forward to the next
June 26, 2023
a fabulous read
Non stop action with great stories in each theatre of war.
I’ve enjoyed all FX Holden’s book and they just keep getting better
Bring on the next book!
Non stop action with great stories in each theatre of war.
I’ve enjoyed all FX Holden’s book and they just keep getting better
Bring on the next book!
July 6, 2023
A real pageturner
Would highly recommend this series, look forward to the last book in the series. I love the theme because of the current political situation.
Would highly recommend this series, look forward to the last book in the series. I love the theme because of the current political situation.
July 17, 2023
Gripping
Continuing the probable war between the East and West with highly likely tech development ... scary in its realities. Don't Panic, yet...
Continuing the probable war between the East and West with highly likely tech development ... scary in its realities. Don't Panic, yet...
August 8, 2023
good series
Though some friendliest died, I still liked the story. This series keeps expanding and really makes you think about evolving weapons systems an d “what if
?”
Though some friendliest died, I still liked the story. This series keeps expanding and really makes you think about evolving weapons systems an d “what if
?”
September 8, 2023
Another good book from a great author!
September 20, 2023
A great conception of future war
FX Holden has researched his subject and has created a realistic scenario. If you like Tom Clancy, this author is for you.
FX Holden has researched his subject and has created a realistic scenario. If you like Tom Clancy, this author is for you.
October 5, 2023
Whew!!
What a complex but totally engaging read. So many stories, plots, and subplots. Wondering if I should start book 3 or wait a day or two to decompress.
What a complex but totally engaging read. So many stories, plots, and subplots. Wondering if I should start book 3 or wait a day or two to decompress.
October 19, 2023
Best war action book around!
If you like naval, air ground war action this is the one. Also surprises later in the book will round out the entire story.
If you like naval, air ground war action this is the one. Also surprises later in the book will round out the entire story.
February 10, 2024
What a exciting book. Great writing makes for fun reading. Now I need to back and finish The future of war series.
February 17, 2024
Excellent follow-up to Book 1
Interesting story line with a great deal of technical realism. The hook is firmly anchored for me to finish the series.
Interesting story line with a great deal of technical realism. The hook is firmly anchored for me to finish the series.
April 2, 2024
Excellent writing lots or action
I thought the first book was good but this one was even better. I can't wait to read the next one.
I thought the first book was good but this one was even better. I can't wait to read the next one.
April 18, 2024
Very good read.
August 23, 2024
Outstanding
Another Outstanding Book in the Aggressor Series. I found it very hard to put down. It is an exciting read. I have already downloaded Book # 3, Swarm.
Another Outstanding Book in the Aggressor Series. I found it very hard to put down. It is an exciting read. I have already downloaded Book # 3, Swarm.
July 10, 2025
F X Holden ROCKS!
I am thoroughly enjoying the series of books! I am looking forward to the next book called. We bring it!
I am thoroughly enjoying the series of books! I am looking forward to the next book called. We bring it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews