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Cauldron
In late 1997, world order has been destabilized by recession and extreme nationalism. France and Germany unite to form the " European Confederation." EurCon's attempt to Eastern Europe under its control meets with resistance, particularly from Poland, and soon the U.S. and Britain are pulled into the struggle. The war and its build-up are reported by various the senior CIA field man in Moscow, the private advisor to the U.S. president, a French intelligence agent, a Hungarian police commander, a Russian intelligence man, a CIA economist and officers of the American, German and Polish armed forces. The nonstop action includes massive air, naval and land battles with first-line equipment. “The techno-thriller has a new ace, and his name is Larry Bond.” -Tom Clancy “A superb storyteller. Bond seems to know everything about warfare, from the grunt in a foxhole to the fighter pilots far above the earth.” - New York Times Book Review “Bond clearly knows what he’s doing. Submarine warfare, dogfights in the air, and combat in the trenches are handled with authority and accuracy.” - San Francisco Chronicle “Techno-thriller fans rejoice! Larry Bond is good – very, very good. I started sweating on the first page.” -Stephen Coonts “Bond’s storytelling is superb.” - Cleveland Plain Dealer “Bond displays a firm grasp of how the national security bureaucracy in Washington goes into action and how the military deploys. - Navy Times “Bond does a good Job of conveying the strange exhilaration of combat.” - Newsday “Bond sets a new standard for the techno-thriller.” - Orlando Sentinel
878 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 1993
364 people are currently reading
1539 people want to read
About the author
Larry Bond
75 books412 followersLarry Bond is the author of several bestselling military thrillers, including Crash Dive, Cold Choices, Dangerous Ground, Red Phoenix and the Larry Bond’s First Team and Larry Bond’s Red Dragon Rising series. He was a naval officer for six years, serving four on a destroyer and two on shore duty in the Washington DC area. He's also worked as a warfare analyst and antisubmarine technology expert, and he now writes and designs computer games, including Harpoon and Command at Sea. He makes his home in Springfield, Virginia.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/larrybond
http://us.macmillan.com/author/larrybond
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
December 6, 2017
Summary: The book is competent enough for a long trip when you have literally nothing else to do, your expectations are low, and you need to kill time in a semi-enjoyable fashion. However, I expect much more than explosions caused by see-through characters.
A technical note: Although the book is supposed to be set in the mid- to late-1990s, the book mentions several technologies (F-22 Raptor, V-22 Osprey etc.) that fell behind production schedule and entered service many years later.
The premise of the book is exciting enough: speculative fiction of French and German aggression, fighting against their old American and British allies. However, the book utterly fails in execution.
After I finished reading Tom Clancy's works, I searched for an author with a similar writing style. Larry Bond seemed to fill that gap, especially since the two collaborated on "Red Storm Rising," which was an interesting take on a possible NATO-Warsaw Pact confrontation. "Cauldron" is the second book I have read by Bond, with the first being "Vortex." I didn't much like that one either, and I have some possible ideas why his style doesn't work for me.
1) Characters: Or the lack of believable ones. Real people are complex, which good parts, bad parts, and random parts. Bond's characters always fall to one side, with the heroes always being pure and just, while the enemies are always evil schemers who one suspects are against Truth, Justice and the American Way. Of course, this only applies to the few characters that are explored in depth. All the secondary characters blend together into a hash of names and random faces that come and go with no warning. It is OK that the opening characters turn out to be secondary players, but did they have to go without a mention for the middle 3/4 of the book?
The most laughable part about the characters is
2) Writing Style: Clancy was always content to write his own story and trust the reader to catch up, often sprinkling his works with little details or informative side quests. While these distracted from the main story, they helped to flesh out the universe and character motivation. Bond is the complete opposite, focusing only on the main plotline and nothing else, while always including a line at the end of each section to sum up what just happened. Bond's style is more accessible, but I found it much less enjoyable because it constantly took me out of the narrative. Clancy's books always seemed like they could be memoirs or books on real events, while Bond's works are nothing else but overwrought entertainment, fit only for staving off boredom.
2a) Writing Style: There is a gratuitous lack of specificity. Bond is supposed to be the omniscient narrator. In real life, missiles don't hit ships "slam into the aft" and kill "dozens," they hit "the number 4 arrestor wire," "immolate 26" and "leave the deck awash in flames." Bond uses the first style, and it's these lack of details that keeps Bond's books from being believable.
3) Repetitiveness: I suggest you start a drinking game. Drink every time the French mastermind gets angry, or the Americans rail against trade restrictions, or someone fears a rise of the old Soviet Union. Drink every time someone "pumps" bullets or rounds or missiles or shells at a target. Drink every time the author writes about fragments and shrapnel "spanging" or "bouncing" or "flinging" or "slicing" or "cutting" or being "red hot" and tearing people "to ribbons." Drink every time the bad guys are badly defeated. Then go get your stomach pumped.
4) Tension: SPOILERS:
A technical note: Although the book is supposed to be set in the mid- to late-1990s, the book mentions several technologies (F-22 Raptor, V-22 Osprey etc.) that fell behind production schedule and entered service many years later.
The premise of the book is exciting enough: speculative fiction of French and German aggression, fighting against their old American and British allies. However, the book utterly fails in execution.
After I finished reading Tom Clancy's works, I searched for an author with a similar writing style. Larry Bond seemed to fill that gap, especially since the two collaborated on "Red Storm Rising," which was an interesting take on a possible NATO-Warsaw Pact confrontation. "Cauldron" is the second book I have read by Bond, with the first being "Vortex." I didn't much like that one either, and I have some possible ideas why his style doesn't work for me.
1) Characters: Or the lack of believable ones. Real people are complex, which good parts, bad parts, and random parts. Bond's characters always fall to one side, with the heroes always being pure and just, while the enemies are always evil schemers who one suspects are against Truth, Justice and the American Way. Of course, this only applies to the few characters that are explored in depth. All the secondary characters blend together into a hash of names and random faces that come and go with no warning. It is OK that the opening characters turn out to be secondary players, but did they have to go without a mention for the middle 3/4 of the book?
The most laughable part about the characters is
2) Writing Style: Clancy was always content to write his own story and trust the reader to catch up, often sprinkling his works with little details or informative side quests. While these distracted from the main story, they helped to flesh out the universe and character motivation. Bond is the complete opposite, focusing only on the main plotline and nothing else, while always including a line at the end of each section to sum up what just happened. Bond's style is more accessible, but I found it much less enjoyable because it constantly took me out of the narrative. Clancy's books always seemed like they could be memoirs or books on real events, while Bond's works are nothing else but overwrought entertainment, fit only for staving off boredom.
2a) Writing Style: There is a gratuitous lack of specificity. Bond is supposed to be the omniscient narrator. In real life, missiles don't hit ships "slam into the aft" and kill "dozens," they hit "the number 4 arrestor wire," "immolate 26" and "leave the deck awash in flames." Bond uses the first style, and it's these lack of details that keeps Bond's books from being believable.
3) Repetitiveness: I suggest you start a drinking game. Drink every time the French mastermind gets angry, or the Americans rail against trade restrictions, or someone fears a rise of the old Soviet Union. Drink every time someone "pumps" bullets or rounds or missiles or shells at a target. Drink every time the author writes about fragments and shrapnel "spanging" or "bouncing" or "flinging" or "slicing" or "cutting" or being "red hot" and tearing people "to ribbons." Drink every time the bad guys are badly defeated. Then go get your stomach pumped.
4) Tension: SPOILERS:
December 22, 2012
About the manipulation of the EuropeanEconomy and a war in Europe caused by France and Germany trying to force other European nations to enter into a single European common market. Very enjoyable and would like to read it again in the future.
April 28, 2020
"CAULDRON" by Larry Bond and Patrick Larkin
This being 2017, 20+ years since this novel was written, it seems easy to say with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight that an ultranationalist and militaristic "EurCon" consortium of France and Germany (especially one wherein the latter plays subordinate and second fiddle to the former) bullying and waging war against Eastern Europe seems awfully farfetched.
But then again, with the current rising tide of populist nationalism and anti-EU sentiment sweeping across Europe, maybe not 100% implausible either.
In any event, a highly entertaining, engrossing, and action-packed thriller, although Larry Bond does commit a few semantic and technical blunders that I wouldn't expect from a former Naval officer (elaborated upon below).
RANDOM STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS (and noteworthy passages):
--Obviously this book was written before the common currency of the EU (the Euro €) went into effect, which makes it a bit dated, but what the heck.
--p. 18: "Alsatian," not to be confused with the other name for the GSD. Aahh yes, the disputed Alsace-Lorraine region of France & Germany.
--p. 21: "Every field operative had only a limited reservoir of courage. When it was used up, you were finished, fit only for a sterile, useless desk job....Action would burn through the fear. It always did."
--p. 40: Lookup: is AA Flt 128 the real-life American Airlines flight from LHR to Dulles?
--p. 41: "Flying first-class had its compensations, and beating the mad rush through carry-on bag-choked aisles was the one he prized most....Huntington believed that coach seats could only have been designed with midgets and screaming children in mind." Haha, oh-so-true! Viva First Class!
--p. 46: "Ever since the time of Louis XIV, the Sun King, the French had shown a taste for being ruled by powerful, domineering men. Even under the republic, its presidents functioned more like elected kings than public servants."
--p. 47: Nicolas Desaix, DGSE = a French version of Vladimir Putin?
--p. 52: "Russian drivers were used to living dangerously and driving badly. Driving defensively would have been out of character." Haha, kinda like GCC drivers!
--p. 93: "Flocks of startled birds and well-dressed bureaucrats scattered out of its path." Ha, interesting descriptive pairing.
--p. 106: Place of Skulls in Moscow: real-world location, and if so, named for the Biblical Golgotha?
--p. 107: "sword and shield," as in KGB?
--p. 115: "Sanctimonious speeches had never toppled a dictatorship or defeated an aggressor." How so very true!
--p. 121: Um, "Stars and Bars" as markings on a U.S. Air Force asset, especially one not assigned to a Southern base??
--p. 139: "The smile she gave him would have launched a thousand special couriers." Ha.
--p. 141: "per square inch?" Wouldn't Poles be using the metric system.
--p. 144: "Politicians, like other finned scavengers, homed in on the first taste of blood in the water." Hey, c'mon now, don't insult sharks by equating them with politicians!
--p. 150: House Majority Leader Richard "Dick" Pendleton (D-MO) = Dick Gephardt? (Except for the silver hair, of course)
--p. 153: "'Germans don't even piss without asking for a receipt.'" Haha, ach Scheisser (or would that be "Ach Pisser?")!
--p. 165: Lookup: German battleship Schleswig-Holstein ("fired the first shots of World War II").
--p. 244: "Lieutenant Dan Maguire"...."with two years of Navy experience under his belt." Wouldn't that make him an LT (j.g.) as opposed to a full LT?
--p: 257: a Frenchman accusing the Germans of being "too soft;" oh, the irony!
--p. 266: Throat-punch, hooah!
--p. 365: "Dziekuje" = Thank you
"Porucznik" = 1st Lieutenant
--p. 411: "Hatchet" Mann already an O-5 in his early thirties? Sounds iffy.
--p. 451: Haha, BCGs!
--p. 518: "Rank should not confer immunity from risk." Amen, or as Demo Dick Marcinko would say, "Lead from the front, not from the rear!"
--p. 553 "mess tin" and not MREs?
--p. 629: An Army NCO using naval slang ("Skipper") to address an Army CPT?!?!
--p. 634: The U.S. Army still had full-auto M16s (as opposed to 3-shot burst M16A2s ) in 1997??
--p. 679: Ahem, that's Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), not Chief of Naval Staff (CNS). C'mon Larry (and Patrick)!
--p. 693: Dragon missile "near-worthless," really?!
CENTRAL CASTING: Jean-Claude Van Damme as Major Paul Duroc and Gerard Depardieu as Michel Woerner, Joseph Ward Haney III as Joseph Ross Huntington III, Joss Ackland as Marshal Kaminov, Alex Lind as Alex Banich, Edward West Headington as the POTUS, Julianne Moore or Heather Graham as Erin McKenna, Harris Yulin as SECSTATE Harris Thurman, Robert O'Quinn as CIA Director Walter Quinn, Michael Lonsdale as Desaix, Ron Levy as SECDEF John Lucier, Robert Shaw (R.I.P.) or Rutger Hauer (R.I.P. again) as Oberstleutnant Willi von Seelow, Billy Dee Williams as Gen. Reid Galloway
This being 2017, 20+ years since this novel was written, it seems easy to say with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight that an ultranationalist and militaristic "EurCon" consortium of France and Germany (especially one wherein the latter plays subordinate and second fiddle to the former) bullying and waging war against Eastern Europe seems awfully farfetched.
But then again, with the current rising tide of populist nationalism and anti-EU sentiment sweeping across Europe, maybe not 100% implausible either.
In any event, a highly entertaining, engrossing, and action-packed thriller, although Larry Bond does commit a few semantic and technical blunders that I wouldn't expect from a former Naval officer (elaborated upon below).
RANDOM STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS (and noteworthy passages):
--Obviously this book was written before the common currency of the EU (the Euro €) went into effect, which makes it a bit dated, but what the heck.
--p. 18: "Alsatian," not to be confused with the other name for the GSD. Aahh yes, the disputed Alsace-Lorraine region of France & Germany.
--p. 21: "Every field operative had only a limited reservoir of courage. When it was used up, you were finished, fit only for a sterile, useless desk job....Action would burn through the fear. It always did."
--p. 40: Lookup: is AA Flt 128 the real-life American Airlines flight from LHR to Dulles?
--p. 41: "Flying first-class had its compensations, and beating the mad rush through carry-on bag-choked aisles was the one he prized most....Huntington believed that coach seats could only have been designed with midgets and screaming children in mind." Haha, oh-so-true! Viva First Class!
--p. 46: "Ever since the time of Louis XIV, the Sun King, the French had shown a taste for being ruled by powerful, domineering men. Even under the republic, its presidents functioned more like elected kings than public servants."
--p. 47: Nicolas Desaix, DGSE = a French version of Vladimir Putin?
--p. 52: "Russian drivers were used to living dangerously and driving badly. Driving defensively would have been out of character." Haha, kinda like GCC drivers!
--p. 93: "Flocks of startled birds and well-dressed bureaucrats scattered out of its path." Ha, interesting descriptive pairing.
--p. 106: Place of Skulls in Moscow: real-world location, and if so, named for the Biblical Golgotha?
--p. 107: "sword and shield," as in KGB?
--p. 115: "Sanctimonious speeches had never toppled a dictatorship or defeated an aggressor." How so very true!
--p. 121: Um, "Stars and Bars" as markings on a U.S. Air Force asset, especially one not assigned to a Southern base??
--p. 139: "The smile she gave him would have launched a thousand special couriers." Ha.
--p. 141: "per square inch?" Wouldn't Poles be using the metric system.
--p. 144: "Politicians, like other finned scavengers, homed in on the first taste of blood in the water." Hey, c'mon now, don't insult sharks by equating them with politicians!
--p. 150: House Majority Leader Richard "Dick" Pendleton (D-MO) = Dick Gephardt? (Except for the silver hair, of course)
--p. 153: "'Germans don't even piss without asking for a receipt.'" Haha, ach Scheisser (or would that be "Ach Pisser?")!
--p. 165: Lookup: German battleship Schleswig-Holstein ("fired the first shots of World War II").
--p. 244: "Lieutenant Dan Maguire"...."with two years of Navy experience under his belt." Wouldn't that make him an LT (j.g.) as opposed to a full LT?
--p: 257: a Frenchman accusing the Germans of being "too soft;" oh, the irony!
--p. 266: Throat-punch, hooah!
--p. 365: "Dziekuje" = Thank you
"Porucznik" = 1st Lieutenant
--p. 411: "Hatchet" Mann already an O-5 in his early thirties? Sounds iffy.
--p. 451: Haha, BCGs!
--p. 518: "Rank should not confer immunity from risk." Amen, or as Demo Dick Marcinko would say, "Lead from the front, not from the rear!"
--p. 553 "mess tin" and not MREs?
--p. 629: An Army NCO using naval slang ("Skipper") to address an Army CPT?!?!
--p. 634: The U.S. Army still had full-auto M16s (as opposed to 3-shot burst M16A2s ) in 1997??
--p. 679: Ahem, that's Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), not Chief of Naval Staff (CNS). C'mon Larry (and Patrick)!
--p. 693: Dragon missile "near-worthless," really?!
CENTRAL CASTING: Jean-Claude Van Damme as Major Paul Duroc and Gerard Depardieu as Michel Woerner, Joseph Ward Haney III as Joseph Ross Huntington III, Joss Ackland as Marshal Kaminov, Alex Lind as Alex Banich, Edward West Headington as the POTUS, Julianne Moore or Heather Graham as Erin McKenna, Harris Yulin as SECSTATE Harris Thurman, Robert O'Quinn as CIA Director Walter Quinn, Michael Lonsdale as Desaix, Ron Levy as SECDEF John Lucier, Robert Shaw (R.I.P.) or Rutger Hauer (R.I.P. again) as Oberstleutnant Willi von Seelow, Billy Dee Williams as Gen. Reid Galloway
May 13, 2013
I read Red Phoenix and Vortex by Larry Band a long time ago but I enjoyed them a lot as I recall. I saw Cauldron in the used book store and picked it up.
The events that lead up to the war seem remote today and probably would have felt that way in the mid 90s when this came out. But once you suspend your belief on that, the actual action depicted in the book was interesting and exciting to read. The some of the technology described I believe is old now and the military has even better weapons today. So in that sense (as well as the events leading up to the war) this book hasn't aged all that well but it was still a fun read.
The events that lead up to the war seem remote today and probably would have felt that way in the mid 90s when this came out. But once you suspend your belief on that, the actual action depicted in the book was interesting and exciting to read. The some of the technology described I believe is old now and the military has even better weapons today. So in that sense (as well as the events leading up to the war) this book hasn't aged all that well but it was still a fun read.
June 7, 2018
It's 1997 and and Europe is beset with unrest over the numbers of immigrants from third world countries. Nicolas Desaix, director of external security has been working with multinational French companies to set up factories in Hungary using Hungarian workers at cheap wages and the the workers are rebelling. When the French send in troupes to protect the factories and coerce the workers things go south and riots ensue. Meanwhile the immigrant unrest spreads to other countries and the economic climate deteriorates as countries raise tariffs and trade is hampered causing raising prices and shortages. Desaix puts together a scheme to join with Germany and other countries, some of the smaller ones under duress to join in a coalition which the French will head up. Well the smaller countries, Poland in particular, resist and soon The French and German military are on the move to force Poland to join. The rest of the book follows the battles and plots from both sides of the conflict and the entry of England and the US in to the fray. Many battle scenes and behind the scenes planning sessions. It started out a bit slow, but once it got rolling I found I was engrossed and also reflecting on the current world state with the immigrant problems at home and abroad and pending tariff wars. A good read for those who like military action books.
September 15, 2020
Re-read of a favorite late 90's political techno-thriller. Great story, but of course quite dated - in particular in relation to the 20+ years of Franco-German military decline and decrepitude. The premise rests on a European war between a coalition of western European countries led by France and German against primarily Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic resulting from a world economic crisis. At the time of its writing, it was a far more likely scenario, yet in some ways the chain of events is still plausible if the reader removes certain nation-states and replaces them with others. The combat sequences and descriptions of military hardware, capabilities and operations are quite good.
If you like modern war sandbox scenarios (such as Team Yankee or Red Storm Rising) and don't mind going back in time a couple decades I still highly recommend this quick and entertaining story.
If you like modern war sandbox scenarios (such as Team Yankee or Red Storm Rising) and don't mind going back in time a couple decades I still highly recommend this quick and entertaining story.
February 1, 2012
A gripping European WW III novel with France and Germany pitted against a US-UK led coalition. One of the nice features of this long page-turner is that there is adequate character development with some heroic and enviable figures on each side of the fight. The discussion and application of military hardware will be fascinating to any military historian or tactician. Well worth reading.
November 12, 2014
There are a lot of characters in this book.. some major, a lot of minor.. there are a lot of scenes in this book... all tie end together at the end..
It was a tough book to read, but in the end, a great book. Took me longer than usual to complete it, but in the end, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It was a tough book to read, but in the end, a great book. Took me longer than usual to complete it, but in the end, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
December 20, 2017
An excellent story about what the intracies of modern warfare are like
Well written with well developed characters, and an interesting believable plot. I hope this will follow soon with Cauldron ll.
Well written with well developed characters, and an interesting believable plot. I hope this will follow soon with Cauldron ll.
December 22, 2017
Great book.
I really enjoyed reading it. It was a believable scenario with many lessons for today. I highly recommend this book.
I really enjoyed reading it. It was a believable scenario with many lessons for today. I highly recommend this book.
July 1, 2024
An airport novel thriller, if not par excellence, at least par for the course.
I am being harsh by ignoring that it’s a team effort, but trying to unravel who wrote which portion is not worth the effort for this kind of book.
The road to Hell is paved with idiots
Bond loves to create a pathway to conflict – a series of escalatory steps that often include internal dissent, whether from the aggressor or the victim. In Cauldron the description of the “villains” as incompetent moustache twirlers appears accurate. Witness Duroc:
Duroc sneered at the sight of the massive, ragtag mob coming down the street. Numbers meant nothing. He had sufficient strength in hand to crush this demonstration, and more important, the minds behind it.
Then a few pages later:
Duroc looked sourly at the melee developing below him. He’d underestimated the ability of the Hungarians to defend themselves, and now he was running out of time.
…but the funny thing is that Bond has a point in terms of realism, as cartoonish as it may appear in print – people do make dumb decisions. Witness the “three day special operation” in Ukraine as the third year of war rumbles on. Perhaps the main issue with Cauldron is not that the path of escalation is paved with inexplicably dumb decisions, rather it is that the characters themselves are not fleshed out enough to carry the weight of their stupid decisions – a literary issue rather than a plausibility one.
Despite this, Cauldron does have a pretty clear plot with blow and counterblow. You really do see the sausages being made right down to the slaughterhouse but being able to follow what is happening is no bad thing.
To battle
The bulk of the raid was not turning back, but accelerating. He watched as the speed values next to the aircraft symbols changed and changed again, always increasing. They were already well over six hundred knots, while a loaded Intruder could not even make five hundred. “Gibierge, what is this?” Desaix demanded. The admiral was already reaching for a red command phone.
Bond’s naval career and gaming experience with Harpoon is reflected in his description of the various battle spaces. I personally found the naval and air combat portions very very good, with excellent work in setting the scene and describing events. The ground portions seem to work less well in terms of being interesting but they are fine. Unlike Vortex, the nations play to their apparent strengths and weaknesses (pour one out for Cauldron’s portrayal of France’s military reputation though).
At every turn, his best efforts had been thwarted by bad luck or incompetent subordinates. First Duroc’s bumbled attempt to crush the Hungarian resistance. Then the overconfident generals who had promised complete victory in Poland in days— not weeks of futile warfare. Admiral Gibierge’s wasted nuclear strike. The destruction of his nation’s precious nuclear deterrent force. The catastrophe in Moscow. And now this failed attack on Gdansk.
This is an extremely disposable book but I do appreciate my brain not being taxed too hard at times, with appropriate moments of tension and release.
I am being harsh by ignoring that it’s a team effort, but trying to unravel who wrote which portion is not worth the effort for this kind of book.
The road to Hell is paved with idiots
Bond loves to create a pathway to conflict – a series of escalatory steps that often include internal dissent, whether from the aggressor or the victim. In Cauldron the description of the “villains” as incompetent moustache twirlers appears accurate. Witness Duroc:
Duroc sneered at the sight of the massive, ragtag mob coming down the street. Numbers meant nothing. He had sufficient strength in hand to crush this demonstration, and more important, the minds behind it.
Then a few pages later:
Duroc looked sourly at the melee developing below him. He’d underestimated the ability of the Hungarians to defend themselves, and now he was running out of time.
…but the funny thing is that Bond has a point in terms of realism, as cartoonish as it may appear in print – people do make dumb decisions. Witness the “three day special operation” in Ukraine as the third year of war rumbles on. Perhaps the main issue with Cauldron is not that the path of escalation is paved with inexplicably dumb decisions, rather it is that the characters themselves are not fleshed out enough to carry the weight of their stupid decisions – a literary issue rather than a plausibility one.
Despite this, Cauldron does have a pretty clear plot with blow and counterblow. You really do see the sausages being made right down to the slaughterhouse but being able to follow what is happening is no bad thing.
To battle
The bulk of the raid was not turning back, but accelerating. He watched as the speed values next to the aircraft symbols changed and changed again, always increasing. They were already well over six hundred knots, while a loaded Intruder could not even make five hundred. “Gibierge, what is this?” Desaix demanded. The admiral was already reaching for a red command phone.
Bond’s naval career and gaming experience with Harpoon is reflected in his description of the various battle spaces. I personally found the naval and air combat portions very very good, with excellent work in setting the scene and describing events. The ground portions seem to work less well in terms of being interesting but they are fine. Unlike Vortex, the nations play to their apparent strengths and weaknesses (pour one out for Cauldron’s portrayal of France’s military reputation though).
At every turn, his best efforts had been thwarted by bad luck or incompetent subordinates. First Duroc’s bumbled attempt to crush the Hungarian resistance. Then the overconfident generals who had promised complete victory in Poland in days— not weeks of futile warfare. Admiral Gibierge’s wasted nuclear strike. The destruction of his nation’s precious nuclear deterrent force. The catastrophe in Moscow. And now this failed attack on Gdansk.
This is an extremely disposable book but I do appreciate my brain not being taxed too hard at times, with appropriate moments of tension and release.
January 28, 2024
ocr:
p149: "Well, 1 say that's wrong...."
p308: Modem communications would put his message in the President's lap in minutes.
p315: Any hit on a frigate-sized ship by a modem antiship missile would wreak havoc--killing dozens of men in a searing, shrapnel-laced blast, dozens of their friends and shipmates.
p497: He climbed to his feet and stood motionless for several moments, ignoring the explosions plowing the earth alt around.
p533: The last time Mike Reynolds had seen Ferdinand Irizarri up close, the man had been serving as the executive officer of the OPFQR battalion at Fort Irwin, the army's National Training Center.
le mot juste:
p259: Ignoring the pain rocketing all the way up to his shoulder, he rabbit-punched the security agent in the throat.
period:
p588: They faced an array of video cameras and a giant wall screen which showed their British opposite numbers meeting in the Cabinet Room at Number. 10 Downing Street.
space:
p636: Hundreds of M1tanks and M2 infantry fighting vehicles, the rest of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, were further back, moving in columns behind the advance guard.
"Only the dead have seen the end of war." --G Santayana
p149: "Well, 1 say that's wrong...."
p308: Modem communications would put his message in the President's lap in minutes.
p315: Any hit on a frigate-sized ship by a modem antiship missile would wreak havoc--killing dozens of men in a searing, shrapnel-laced blast, dozens of their friends and shipmates.
p497: He climbed to his feet and stood motionless for several moments, ignoring the explosions plowing the earth alt around.
p533: The last time Mike Reynolds had seen Ferdinand Irizarri up close, the man had been serving as the executive officer of the OPFQR battalion at Fort Irwin, the army's National Training Center.
le mot juste:
p259: Ignoring the pain rocketing all the way up to his shoulder, he rabbit-punched the security agent in the throat.
period:
p588: They faced an array of video cameras and a giant wall screen which showed their British opposite numbers meeting in the Cabinet Room at Number. 10 Downing Street.
space:
p636: Hundreds of M1tanks and M2 infantry fighting vehicles, the rest of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, were further back, moving in columns behind the advance guard.
"Only the dead have seen the end of war." --G Santayana
September 13, 2021
Ulasan Kali Kedua (30 Ogos 2021 - 13 September 2021)
Cauldron merupakan sebuah novel thriller politik-ketenteraan yang berlatarbelakangkan alternate world/universe pada lewat tahun 1990-an. Dunia yang diimaginasikan oleh penulis adalah keadaan geopolitik,ketenteraan dan sosial yang tidak stabil di Eropah. NATO dan EU dibubarkan,semangat nasionalisme yang semakin menebal sehingga menimbulkan perasaan xenophobia dan menyaksikan kebangkitan Perancis dan Jerman sebagai dua kuasa politik,ekonomi dan ketenteraan di Eropah Barat. Untuk menguatkan kuasa antara dua negara ini khasnya,dan Eropah amnya,European Confederation (EurCon) ditubuhkan. Namun penubuhan organisasi ini dilihat membuli negara-negara kecil seperti Hungary,Austria,Belgium,Belanda dan lain-lain negara dengan menggunakan kuasa dan pengaruh yang dimiliki. Justeru itu,terdapat beberapa buah negara yang menentangnya seperti Poland,Republik Czech dan Serbia. Bermula dengan kebangkitan rakyat di Hungary,pertembungan antara negara-negara yang berada di bawah EurCon dan yang menentangnya tidak dapat dielakkan lagi dan menyebabkan Amerika Syarikat juga terpaksa terjerumus ke dalam konflik ini dan menyebabkan berlakunya Perang Dunia Ketiga.
Latar belakang novel ini,saya berpandangan,diinspirasikan dari peristiwa sejarah terutamanya Perang Dunia Kedua. Poland, seperti peristiwa sejarah sebenar, menjadi sasaran pencerobohan. Cuma,bezanya,kali ini,Jerman dan Perancis yang melakukan serangan. Malahan,pada klimaks cerita,Rusia juga dipujuk untuk turut menyerang Poland dari arah timur.
Sebagai kesimpulan,saya boleh katakan Cauldron merupakan sebuah novel yang amat menarik untuk dibaca terutamanya kepada para peminat genre sebegini. Cuma,terdapat beberapa kesilapan fakta yang terdapat di dalamnya. Sebagai contoh,penulis mengatakan kenderaan tempur infantri Marder I dilengkapi dengan meriam berkaliber kecil 25mm sedangkan sebenarnya hanya 20mm saja.
Ulasan Kali Pertama
1997-1998 merupakan jangkamasa yang membawa perubahan kepada benua Eropah. Untuk menguatkan Eropah (dari segi politik,ekonomi dan ketenteraan),di bawah pimpinan Perancis,Francois Desaix (Menteri Luar Perancis) mencadangkan penubuhan European Confederation (EurCon).
Bermula dengan penyertaan secara sukarela Jerman (dan berkepentingan untuk memastikan ekonomi Jerman tetap terpelihara),beberapa negara Eropah turut menyertai. Ada juga negara-negara Eropah ini yang menyertai dalam keadaan terpaksa. Dan,ada juga negara yang enggan menyertainya. Poland,Republik Czech dan Slovakia merupakan tiga negara di timur Eropah yang baharu merdeka daripada cengkaman Komunis yang paling tegar menentang penyertaan negara mereka di dalam EurCon. Konfederasi ini dianggap sebuah neo-kolonialisme yang akan menyaksikan negara mereka bergantung kepada kekuatan politik,ekonomi dan ketenteraan,terutamanya dari dua buah negara kuat EurCon,Perancis dan Jerman. Desaix menyedari bahawa ketiga-tiga negara ini mengancam impian Perancis untuk menjadi peneraju kepada Eropah Baharu. Oleh itu,ketiga-tiga negara ini perlu dipaksa untuk menyertai EurCon,walaupun dengan menggunakan cara kekerasan sekalipun.
Tambahan pula,Hungary yang di bawah pemerintahan tentera,bersetuju menyertai EurCon,berada di dalam krisis politik yang teruk. Rakyatnya yang tidak berpuas hati,berarak di jalan raya,menuntut pembaharuan politik Hungary yang bebas dari kawalan 'tangan ghaib' EurCon. Kebangkitan kuasa rakyat ini menyaksikan peralihan kuasa ke atas tangan kerajaan awam yang baharu. Kebangkitan ini perlu dibanteras dengan kuasa ketenteraan oleh EurCon. Tambah merumitkan keadaan,Rusia juga mengalami krisis politik dan ekonomi yang membimbangkan sehingga menyebabkan presiden negara tersebut hanya menjadi 'boneka' dan kuasa sebenar terletak kepada kuasa tentera. Melalui rundingan,Perancis mengharapkan Rusia membantu EurCon menewaskan negara-negara musuhnya dengan menyerang dari arah timur. Jika ini berlaku,Perang Dunia Ketiga pasti berlaku kerana Amerika Syarikat perlu mengaturgerakkan angkatan tenteranya untuk menjamin kepentingan negara-negara yang bersahabat dengannya.
Seperti Vortex,Couldron juga merupakan sebuah novel yang bergenrekan modern/techno-military-political-thriller. Novel ini juga boleh dikategorikan sebagai historical fiction. Tidak banyak yang saya boleh ulaskan di sini. Cuma mungkin saya ingin melakukan sedikit penambahan maklumat yang berkaitan dengan novel-novel yang ditulis oleh Larry Bond ini.
Walaupun baru sahaja membaca dua buah novel karya Larry Bond ini,tetapi,terdapat beberapa ciri unik yang digunakan oleh penulis di dalam setiap novel tulisannya. Untuk membantu pemahaman para pembaca,penulis menyediakan peta,senarai nama dan peranan watak-watak penting dan bahagian glosari khusus yang kebiasaannya membincangkan istilah-istilah atau peralatan-peralatan ketenteraan yang mungkin agak asing bagi sesetengah pembaca yang mungkin tidak begitu biasa atau pertama kali membaca novel yang sedemikian rupa.
Cauldron merupakan sebuah novel thriller politik-ketenteraan yang berlatarbelakangkan alternate world/universe pada lewat tahun 1990-an. Dunia yang diimaginasikan oleh penulis adalah keadaan geopolitik,ketenteraan dan sosial yang tidak stabil di Eropah. NATO dan EU dibubarkan,semangat nasionalisme yang semakin menebal sehingga menimbulkan perasaan xenophobia dan menyaksikan kebangkitan Perancis dan Jerman sebagai dua kuasa politik,ekonomi dan ketenteraan di Eropah Barat. Untuk menguatkan kuasa antara dua negara ini khasnya,dan Eropah amnya,European Confederation (EurCon) ditubuhkan. Namun penubuhan organisasi ini dilihat membuli negara-negara kecil seperti Hungary,Austria,Belgium,Belanda dan lain-lain negara dengan menggunakan kuasa dan pengaruh yang dimiliki. Justeru itu,terdapat beberapa buah negara yang menentangnya seperti Poland,Republik Czech dan Serbia. Bermula dengan kebangkitan rakyat di Hungary,pertembungan antara negara-negara yang berada di bawah EurCon dan yang menentangnya tidak dapat dielakkan lagi dan menyebabkan Amerika Syarikat juga terpaksa terjerumus ke dalam konflik ini dan menyebabkan berlakunya Perang Dunia Ketiga.
Latar belakang novel ini,saya berpandangan,diinspirasikan dari peristiwa sejarah terutamanya Perang Dunia Kedua. Poland, seperti peristiwa sejarah sebenar, menjadi sasaran pencerobohan. Cuma,bezanya,kali ini,Jerman dan Perancis yang melakukan serangan. Malahan,pada klimaks cerita,Rusia juga dipujuk untuk turut menyerang Poland dari arah timur.
Sebagai kesimpulan,saya boleh katakan Cauldron merupakan sebuah novel yang amat menarik untuk dibaca terutamanya kepada para peminat genre sebegini. Cuma,terdapat beberapa kesilapan fakta yang terdapat di dalamnya. Sebagai contoh,penulis mengatakan kenderaan tempur infantri Marder I dilengkapi dengan meriam berkaliber kecil 25mm sedangkan sebenarnya hanya 20mm saja.
Ulasan Kali Pertama
1997-1998 merupakan jangkamasa yang membawa perubahan kepada benua Eropah. Untuk menguatkan Eropah (dari segi politik,ekonomi dan ketenteraan),di bawah pimpinan Perancis,Francois Desaix (Menteri Luar Perancis) mencadangkan penubuhan European Confederation (EurCon).
Bermula dengan penyertaan secara sukarela Jerman (dan berkepentingan untuk memastikan ekonomi Jerman tetap terpelihara),beberapa negara Eropah turut menyertai. Ada juga negara-negara Eropah ini yang menyertai dalam keadaan terpaksa. Dan,ada juga negara yang enggan menyertainya. Poland,Republik Czech dan Slovakia merupakan tiga negara di timur Eropah yang baharu merdeka daripada cengkaman Komunis yang paling tegar menentang penyertaan negara mereka di dalam EurCon. Konfederasi ini dianggap sebuah neo-kolonialisme yang akan menyaksikan negara mereka bergantung kepada kekuatan politik,ekonomi dan ketenteraan,terutamanya dari dua buah negara kuat EurCon,Perancis dan Jerman. Desaix menyedari bahawa ketiga-tiga negara ini mengancam impian Perancis untuk menjadi peneraju kepada Eropah Baharu. Oleh itu,ketiga-tiga negara ini perlu dipaksa untuk menyertai EurCon,walaupun dengan menggunakan cara kekerasan sekalipun.
Tambahan pula,Hungary yang di bawah pemerintahan tentera,bersetuju menyertai EurCon,berada di dalam krisis politik yang teruk. Rakyatnya yang tidak berpuas hati,berarak di jalan raya,menuntut pembaharuan politik Hungary yang bebas dari kawalan 'tangan ghaib' EurCon. Kebangkitan kuasa rakyat ini menyaksikan peralihan kuasa ke atas tangan kerajaan awam yang baharu. Kebangkitan ini perlu dibanteras dengan kuasa ketenteraan oleh EurCon. Tambah merumitkan keadaan,Rusia juga mengalami krisis politik dan ekonomi yang membimbangkan sehingga menyebabkan presiden negara tersebut hanya menjadi 'boneka' dan kuasa sebenar terletak kepada kuasa tentera. Melalui rundingan,Perancis mengharapkan Rusia membantu EurCon menewaskan negara-negara musuhnya dengan menyerang dari arah timur. Jika ini berlaku,Perang Dunia Ketiga pasti berlaku kerana Amerika Syarikat perlu mengaturgerakkan angkatan tenteranya untuk menjamin kepentingan negara-negara yang bersahabat dengannya.
Seperti Vortex,Couldron juga merupakan sebuah novel yang bergenrekan modern/techno-military-political-thriller. Novel ini juga boleh dikategorikan sebagai historical fiction. Tidak banyak yang saya boleh ulaskan di sini. Cuma mungkin saya ingin melakukan sedikit penambahan maklumat yang berkaitan dengan novel-novel yang ditulis oleh Larry Bond ini.
Walaupun baru sahaja membaca dua buah novel karya Larry Bond ini,tetapi,terdapat beberapa ciri unik yang digunakan oleh penulis di dalam setiap novel tulisannya. Untuk membantu pemahaman para pembaca,penulis menyediakan peta,senarai nama dan peranan watak-watak penting dan bahagian glosari khusus yang kebiasaannya membincangkan istilah-istilah atau peralatan-peralatan ketenteraan yang mungkin agak asing bagi sesetengah pembaca yang mungkin tidak begitu biasa atau pertama kali membaca novel yang sedemikian rupa.
September 18, 2019
Ordinarily I dislike war novels and war movies. Ordinarily, in fact, I avoid them. But "Cauldron" is an astonishingly detailed and well-written book.
It's very disturbing because, although the premise of a new military alliance set in the 1990s is already out of date and disproven, we are still burdened by governments and their component politicians and bureaucrats.
And governments, with their component politicians and bureaucrats, seem always all too willing to start or join another war. (As Randolph Bourne said so accurately, "War is the health of the state.")
And people, the individuals who have to work and produce in order to be then robbed in the name of "taxation" to pay for the war machine, just don't figure very prominently in the minds, or whatever they use in lieu thereof, of those politicians and bureaucrats.
Even in "Cauldron," the individual military people are not taken into consideration by the highest-ups, whether politician or general. And that attitude goes back to the human wave assaults by North Vietnam and earlier by North Korea and still earlier by the Northern armies led by Ulysses Grant -- and, of course, even earlier than that, perhaps to the beginnings of governments and mass movements.
Only individuals should count. Really, only individuals do count, but governments, and those component politicians and bureaucrats, treat individuals only as cogs in the great machine of the state, to be used as cannon fodder in order, as von Clausewitz said, to carry on the politics by another means.
But "Cauldron" specifically is, again, very well written, beautifully detailed, apparently from a lot of research. I do recommend it. But I also urge everyone to consider the fact wars are unnecessary, and would be a far less likely fact of our lives if we chopped governments down to rational size.
It's very disturbing because, although the premise of a new military alliance set in the 1990s is already out of date and disproven, we are still burdened by governments and their component politicians and bureaucrats.
And governments, with their component politicians and bureaucrats, seem always all too willing to start or join another war. (As Randolph Bourne said so accurately, "War is the health of the state.")
And people, the individuals who have to work and produce in order to be then robbed in the name of "taxation" to pay for the war machine, just don't figure very prominently in the minds, or whatever they use in lieu thereof, of those politicians and bureaucrats.
Even in "Cauldron," the individual military people are not taken into consideration by the highest-ups, whether politician or general. And that attitude goes back to the human wave assaults by North Vietnam and earlier by North Korea and still earlier by the Northern armies led by Ulysses Grant -- and, of course, even earlier than that, perhaps to the beginnings of governments and mass movements.
Only individuals should count. Really, only individuals do count, but governments, and those component politicians and bureaucrats, treat individuals only as cogs in the great machine of the state, to be used as cannon fodder in order, as von Clausewitz said, to carry on the politics by another means.
But "Cauldron" specifically is, again, very well written, beautifully detailed, apparently from a lot of research. I do recommend it. But I also urge everyone to consider the fact wars are unnecessary, and would be a far less likely fact of our lives if we chopped governments down to rational size.
March 28, 2020
Like finding an old friend!
I hate to think, how long ago I first read this book, but it had just been first published and was lent to me by a good friend, whose love of military action novels was legend. He finished the book in 3 says and raved about it. Telling me it was "one of the best books he had read" . Likewise, I read it and was captivated by Larry Bonds writing style, character use and technical knowledge. Producing at the time one of my favourite works of military fiction. Many years past and memories dim, but I always had a memory of that "great book, you know? The one about the war in Europe, written by that guy, whose name you forgot". A short while ago,I was reminiscing of good times spent with my book mad friend and I tried to recall this book and author. I could not ask my friend who sadly was taken from us by cancer, yet his memory spurred me on to find that elusive book. Google became my friend and many spurious search strings were typed, until Cauldron by Larry Bond appeared. Thanks to Amazon I was able to read a few sample pages and after all these years,I recognised the character of " Willy von Selow" from the sample and knew my search was over. I have just finished 're reading Cauldron and it has not dated a bit, still a great read, well structured and superbly paced. We didn't have Amazon and Kindle when I first read it, but now we do, you get the five stars that you would have back then. I must admit I was sobbing like a child as I finished, remembering a good friend who loved a great battle story, but lost the battle with the big C. Thankyou.
I hate to think, how long ago I first read this book, but it had just been first published and was lent to me by a good friend, whose love of military action novels was legend. He finished the book in 3 says and raved about it. Telling me it was "one of the best books he had read" . Likewise, I read it and was captivated by Larry Bonds writing style, character use and technical knowledge. Producing at the time one of my favourite works of military fiction. Many years past and memories dim, but I always had a memory of that "great book, you know? The one about the war in Europe, written by that guy, whose name you forgot". A short while ago,I was reminiscing of good times spent with my book mad friend and I tried to recall this book and author. I could not ask my friend who sadly was taken from us by cancer, yet his memory spurred me on to find that elusive book. Google became my friend and many spurious search strings were typed, until Cauldron by Larry Bond appeared. Thanks to Amazon I was able to read a few sample pages and after all these years,I recognised the character of " Willy von Selow" from the sample and knew my search was over. I have just finished 're reading Cauldron and it has not dated a bit, still a great read, well structured and superbly paced. We didn't have Amazon and Kindle when I first read it, but now we do, you get the five stars that you would have back then. I must admit I was sobbing like a child as I finished, remembering a good friend who loved a great battle story, but lost the battle with the big C. Thankyou.
February 1, 2021
Another good outing from Larry Bond. Whilst there is the usual element of doubt that you have has the reader as to whether leading politicians would go to war for the reasons expounded by Mr Bond once you get passed this the rest is all too believable. At the writing this review (early 2017) some of the political background set out is all too real. The fear of foreigners, politicians that preach isolationism and our country first are all growing in popularity. While the world doesn’t have the lack of food in the plot with the ongoing global warming this might not be too far away.
Once we move from the political manoeuvring to set up a new power block in Europe transforms itself into armed conflict we see what happens when power hungry leaders lead a country into war. When things start to wrong, rather than take a step back and consolidate (as they fear that this would show weakness on their part) the keep pressing on with more and more desperate plans. They blame generals and soldiers alike for the failures rather than their plans /ideals. These are replaced with new leaders who do no better and the cycle continues.
As the reader would expect the battle scenes from Mr Bond are brilliantly enthralling and believable. His consummate skill as geo-political thriller/ conflict novel keeps the reader page turning and on the edge of their seats.
Once we move from the political manoeuvring to set up a new power block in Europe transforms itself into armed conflict we see what happens when power hungry leaders lead a country into war. When things start to wrong, rather than take a step back and consolidate (as they fear that this would show weakness on their part) the keep pressing on with more and more desperate plans. They blame generals and soldiers alike for the failures rather than their plans /ideals. These are replaced with new leaders who do no better and the cycle continues.
As the reader would expect the battle scenes from Mr Bond are brilliantly enthralling and believable. His consummate skill as geo-political thriller/ conflict novel keeps the reader page turning and on the edge of their seats.
October 13, 2017
Read this 1993 novel and you can't help but see a few comparisons to the current geopolitical situation.
Trade wars, embargoes, tariffs, imbalance of wealth, immoral politicians — see if Putin doesn't come to mind more than a few times.
This would be five-star except for the trite romance; boy-meets-girl, they don't like each other, they get thrown together into situation, they fall in love. Could have been snatched from the plot of a 1930s film.
On the other hand, the battles on land, sea and in the air are captivating. Author Larry Bond writes the action scenes so well you feel as if you are in uniform.
Trade wars, embargoes, tariffs, imbalance of wealth, immoral politicians — see if Putin doesn't come to mind more than a few times.
This would be five-star except for the trite romance; boy-meets-girl, they don't like each other, they get thrown together into situation, they fall in love. Could have been snatched from the plot of a 1930s film.
On the other hand, the battles on land, sea and in the air are captivating. Author Larry Bond writes the action scenes so well you feel as if you are in uniform.
March 6, 2019
Cauldron by Larry Bond and Patrick Larkin was published by Warner Books in 1993, ISBN 0-446-51567-1, Price $11.99, Standard edition.
The front of the book includes various maps and graphs to give the reader an understanding of some of the landscapes described in the book. In my opinion Cauldron is another home run by Larry Bond and is a fantastic book for military/technology enthusiasts. This book pits France and Germany against Eastern Europe in a somewhat older techno thriller landscape. Larry Bond writes books that readers of Tom Clancy will enjoy and I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys edge of the seat action.
The front of the book includes various maps and graphs to give the reader an understanding of some of the landscapes described in the book. In my opinion Cauldron is another home run by Larry Bond and is a fantastic book for military/technology enthusiasts. This book pits France and Germany against Eastern Europe in a somewhat older techno thriller landscape. Larry Bond writes books that readers of Tom Clancy will enjoy and I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys edge of the seat action.
July 18, 2017
War, from a soldier's point of view
Having read the author's two intense novels on new Korean wars, I dove into this realistic portrayal of a WWIII starting in modern Europe. As with his earlier novels, the author spells out the awful details of mortal combat from national leaders, military brass down to the cockpit and foxhole realities. A spellbinding adventure from cover to cover, this is a must read for military enthusiasts and action readers.
Having read the author's two intense novels on new Korean wars, I dove into this realistic portrayal of a WWIII starting in modern Europe. As with his earlier novels, the author spells out the awful details of mortal combat from national leaders, military brass down to the cockpit and foxhole realities. A spellbinding adventure from cover to cover, this is a must read for military enthusiasts and action readers.
December 12, 2018
A story of war. Somewhat long but very detailed describing the development of a war in Europe due to the egotistical desire of a Frenchman to be the head of a European Union. An engrossing story with both personal and political themes woven into the story. A chilling preview of the possible outcomes of the world's current trade disputes. Not a simple, superficial, easy-to-read book but a worthwhile read.
July 9, 2014
Very good techno-thriller. Larry Bond has done the WWIII genre in the past, teaming with Clancy on "Red Storm Rising". I enjoyed this book a lot, it was a cheap download and well worth it. Portions seemed predictable but maybe I need to break away from this type for awhile. One of these times the "bad guys" will win...
June 2, 2016
Some of his books are really excellent. This one has a huge problem: it's completely impossible to believe a single second in the global scheme. France and Germany against Poland? No way! Well, it's possible but you would need a major shift and half a century to reach this point.
The second problem is that the book is really not accurate when it comes to French / German weapons and tactics.
The second problem is that the book is really not accurate when it comes to French / German weapons and tactics.
February 19, 2008
"Full war in Europe precipitated by world wide economic crisis brought on by protectionist policies. Given that this absolutely did not happen in the 1990s, the premise suffers a bit, but still a fascinating view of the actual warfare."
March 2, 2008
An interesting account of a war between a Franco-German led alliance and a US-UK-Polish-Hungarian alliance. Good technical details and interesting politics. Let down a little by very negative French characters. Recommended for fans of Clancy's earlier books.
March 24, 2010
Economic recession throughout Europe creates an unholy alliance between France & Germany. Their efforts to persuade other countries to join them causes a virtual WWIII. This one is a page turner.
July 3, 2010
Before the European Union, Bond wrote of the dangers of such an alliance in this page turner. The economic turmoil is very relevant for today's readers, even though the book was released 17 years ago. As always, Bond tells a masterful story with epic battles in this chilling tale.
April 30, 2013
Excellent read, angled to the young adults books section. Action, a bit of romance, plot that is far-fetched but full of heroes and villians.
Fanciful what-if? novel about terrorism and the heroes of Delta section. Great escapist fiction.
Fanciful what-if? novel about terrorism and the heroes of Delta section. Great escapist fiction.
December 1, 2014
This is a book after the likes of Ludlum Nd Clancy! It was very long and, at some points, very tedious, but taken as a whole it provided plenty of reading pleasure, no matter how realistic it was. I'll be reading other books by this author.
February 19, 2017
Cauldron
A very well written book based on fiction, or not. This is a fast read that sounds like it could come true at any moment. If you like military action books, you will love this book.
A very well written book based on fiction, or not. This is a fast read that sounds like it could come true at any moment. If you like military action books, you will love this book.
February 27, 2017
Excellent reading!
Well written and easy to follow. Not as far out as one would think in the current economic climate in the world today. I highly recommend this book to all who enjoy a good story and action! E
Well written and easy to follow. Not as far out as one would think in the current economic climate in the world today. I highly recommend this book to all who enjoy a good story and action! E
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews