First Salvo

by Charles D. Taylor

BATTLE IN THE MEDITERRANEANFollowing a catastrophe with the Block Island Ferry, an assassination in Turkey, and the collision of two ships in the Sea of Japan, American forces have only five days to stop a Soviet plot and the prevent start of World War III. Led by Admiral David Pratt, the Americans assemble two teams to strike at the Soviets in their own back yard. The first, a strike force team of Navy SEALS, has the task of infiltrating a base of Black Berets in Spitzbergen. The other, an effort led by Russian-speaking Henry Cobb, is to capture the head of the Strategic Rocket Forces of the Soviet Union. Only their combined efforts can win the day.Filled with non-stop action on the land, air, and sea, death-defying escapes, and tension-filled submarine and carrier battles, First Salvo is a classic tale set against the backdrop of the Cold War era.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction

Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 1985

About the author

Charles D. Taylor is an American author known for his technothrillers, particularly the Bernie Ryng series, which presents Cold War-era naval conflicts set in the near future. His writing emphasizes action at sea and geopolitical tensions.
His Bernie Ryng series includes First Salvo, Choke Point, Counterstrike, and Deep Sting. He has also written standalone novels such as Show of Force, which explores the brink of World War Three, as well as Silent Hunter, War Ship, Boomer, Shadow Wars, Sightings, and Summit.
Taylor's work is marked by detailed military strategy and a focus on naval warfare, reflecting his deep knowledge of the subject.

Reviews

[Michael Redding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dreaded days

Written as though this were a summary after action report. Great story layout and action sequencees. The battle action scenes portray the speed and destruction of todays naval combat. Well written and enjoyable story.

[Sean Hendricks · Rating 3 out of 5]

First 100 pages were a blast, drawn in by the novelty of worldbuilding. Then it got dragged out.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Upon a second read some 20+ years after the first this book lost much of its "charm" and luster. As noted in a progress update this example of Cold War-porn is woefully obsolete thanks to the demise of the USSR proving all these doomsday war scenarios to so-much blood-thirsty fantasy. Aside from that complaint I now found factual errors that I obviously did not recall. Ship names flipped, various positioning of weapons-systems as mounted as mistakenly depicted to be in the wrong locations as attack-damage is gloriously spelled out in detail. I am being generous with the one star-demotion because it could easily be a 2.5 star story after this second read. I may yet re-think my plan to re-read the other Charles D. Taylor novels I've kept archived.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reminds me of Tom Clancy's RED STORM RISING, relocated to the Mediterranean Sea. For the most part, the action, and there is a lot of it, is handled by the naval forces of the combatant nations. The cost of the conflict, in men and material is astronomical. The ending just sort of happens, and even then, the aggressor nation appears to hold on to all of their territorial gains, despite asking for the cease fire.

[Spiro Lezo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good

I liked it. First it is a little difficult to understand what is happening. The storyline is good but in the end the Americans always win. This somehow lets you down. All in all I think it was a good book but I would not recommend it to anyone who hasn't read naval warfare before.

[John Lobenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

I just couldn't put it down. The characters are great and the action keeps you wanting to keep on reading.

[everett kendrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read kept you interested and wonderinwhat

Ering what was going to happen next and
I wasn't exactly sure who the main hero was till toward the end

[Colin Perllman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book several times over the years and always enjoy it. It's just a good old fashioned sea story.

[Crystal Scruggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slow start. Most books are for me. But, a wonderful rising climax.