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Dragon Falls: Standing Up to Beijing’s Shadow War
Dragon Falls isn’t just a thriller, it’s an insider’s view of how cyber warfare and high-tech attacks are currently threatening our world. No one knows the details like Bob Gourley. Terrifying and utterly authentic.
- Brad Meltzer, bestselling author of The Viper
When retired Navy Commander Jack Tanner arrives in Malaysia on a cybersecurity book tour, he discovers Beijing's shadow war is far more sophisticated than anyone imagined. Chinese Ministry of State Security and their cyber operatives known as the Three Immortals are orchestrating a devastating espionage campaign combining intelligence, financial manipulation, autonomous drone swarms, and jungle-based insurgents to destabilize Southeast Asia's strongest democracy.
Armed with his revolutionary Virtual Intelligence Center, a team of AI agents, Tanner races to expose the plot before Malaysia falls. But when the MSS strikes back with cyber warfare that turns his own AI against him, the battle escalates from digital espionage to kinetic warfare in the Malaysian rainforest.
At Dragon Falls, where ancient waterfalls meet cutting-edge technology, Tanner faces the future of warfare itself. Artificial intelligence, drone swarms, cyber war, and human courage collide in a fight that will determine whether free societies can survive Beijing's new form of conquest.
Dragon Falls delivers the complexity of Ludlum-inspired spy conspiracies with Clancy-style techno thriller sophistication, revealing how today's real technologies are reshaping global conflict. This is the warfare we must master if our way of life is to endure.
"A rare thriller that actually understands the battlefield- and proves it on every page. The tradecraft is real, the sequences are spot on, and the stakes are exactly where they should on America’s need to understand Beijing’s shadow war. Read it for the pulse; keep it for the warning order.”
- Shyam Sankar, CTO, Palantir
"Dragon Falls crackles with authenticity. The tradecraft and cyber-ops depicted here are true to life, and terrifyingly real. This is the techno-thriller the cyber age deserves."
- Bob Flores, Former CTO, Central Intelligence Agency
"I was enchanted, thrilled, amused and frightened in equal parts by this superb espionage thriller. Bob Gourley leverages his experience as the former Chief Technology Officer of DIA with his keen perception of human nature and the fine nuances of human intelligence. It is a spy novel that is predictive of our near future as forecast by a top notch intelligence officer with an outstanding technical background."
- James Lawler, retired CIA officer and author of Living Lies, In the Twinkling of an Eye, and The Traitor's Tale.
"With Dragon Falls, Bob’s pioneering work in cyber defense and his frontline intelligence experience infuse every page of this pulse-pounding techno-thriller, creating a story that captures the intersection of AI, cyber warfare, and geopolitical tension with an authenticity only someone of his background could achieve."
- David Bray
About the Author
Bob Gourley is a recognized authority at the intersection of national security and emerging technology. A former U.S. Navy intelligence officer with operational experience throughout Asia and Europe, Bob later served as Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of OODA.com, where he guides organizations through cybersecurity, AI, and big data challenges.
- Brad Meltzer, bestselling author of The Viper
When retired Navy Commander Jack Tanner arrives in Malaysia on a cybersecurity book tour, he discovers Beijing's shadow war is far more sophisticated than anyone imagined. Chinese Ministry of State Security and their cyber operatives known as the Three Immortals are orchestrating a devastating espionage campaign combining intelligence, financial manipulation, autonomous drone swarms, and jungle-based insurgents to destabilize Southeast Asia's strongest democracy.
Armed with his revolutionary Virtual Intelligence Center, a team of AI agents, Tanner races to expose the plot before Malaysia falls. But when the MSS strikes back with cyber warfare that turns his own AI against him, the battle escalates from digital espionage to kinetic warfare in the Malaysian rainforest.
At Dragon Falls, where ancient waterfalls meet cutting-edge technology, Tanner faces the future of warfare itself. Artificial intelligence, drone swarms, cyber war, and human courage collide in a fight that will determine whether free societies can survive Beijing's new form of conquest.
Dragon Falls delivers the complexity of Ludlum-inspired spy conspiracies with Clancy-style techno thriller sophistication, revealing how today's real technologies are reshaping global conflict. This is the warfare we must master if our way of life is to endure.
"A rare thriller that actually understands the battlefield- and proves it on every page. The tradecraft is real, the sequences are spot on, and the stakes are exactly where they should on America’s need to understand Beijing’s shadow war. Read it for the pulse; keep it for the warning order.”
- Shyam Sankar, CTO, Palantir
"Dragon Falls crackles with authenticity. The tradecraft and cyber-ops depicted here are true to life, and terrifyingly real. This is the techno-thriller the cyber age deserves."
- Bob Flores, Former CTO, Central Intelligence Agency
"I was enchanted, thrilled, amused and frightened in equal parts by this superb espionage thriller. Bob Gourley leverages his experience as the former Chief Technology Officer of DIA with his keen perception of human nature and the fine nuances of human intelligence. It is a spy novel that is predictive of our near future as forecast by a top notch intelligence officer with an outstanding technical background."
- James Lawler, retired CIA officer and author of Living Lies, In the Twinkling of an Eye, and The Traitor's Tale.
"With Dragon Falls, Bob’s pioneering work in cyber defense and his frontline intelligence experience infuse every page of this pulse-pounding techno-thriller, creating a story that captures the intersection of AI, cyber warfare, and geopolitical tension with an authenticity only someone of his background could achieve."
- David Bray
About the Author
Bob Gourley is a recognized authority at the intersection of national security and emerging technology. A former U.S. Navy intelligence officer with operational experience throughout Asia and Europe, Bob later served as Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of OODA.com, where he guides organizations through cybersecurity, AI, and big data challenges.
379 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 22, 2025
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About the author
Bob Gourley
6 books3 followersJust finished my first fiction book, Dragon Falls. It leverages my deep experience in Agentic AI and military technology in a thrilling adventure showing the difference a small group of focused individuals can have on global geopolitics.
Bio: Bob Gourley is an experienced CTO, Board Qualified Technical Executive (QTE), and researcher with a career dedicated to advancing technology, security, and decision-making. As a co-founder of the OODA Network, Bob enables a community of global experts, executives, and innovators focused on navigating disruption, emerging technologies, and global risks. The OODA Network provides members with exclusive insights, research, and networking opportunities to enhance decision-making and drive innovation. Explore the OODA Network and access actionable intelligence at OODALoop.com.
Bio: Bob Gourley is an experienced CTO, Board Qualified Technical Executive (QTE), and researcher with a career dedicated to advancing technology, security, and decision-making. As a co-founder of the OODA Network, Bob enables a community of global experts, executives, and innovators focused on navigating disruption, emerging technologies, and global risks. The OODA Network provides members with exclusive insights, research, and networking opportunities to enhance decision-making and drive innovation. Explore the OODA Network and access actionable intelligence at OODALoop.com.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 27, 2025
Please forgive me for rating my own book, but hey, this is a first for me. So excited to bring realistic PRC espionage tradecraft and real world cyber conflict to print in this military techno-thriller.
Displaying 1 of 1 review