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Invasion: Canada at War Book 1
In 2036, after years of political collapse, economic pressure, and authoritarian drift, the United States is no longer the country the world thought it knew. After a devastating attack on American soil, the evidence appears to implicate Canada’s intelligence services. Allies hesitate, markets panic, and Washington moves to settle old scores.
Invasion is a near-future military-political thriller about resistance, loyalty, and the price of survival. As soldiers, spies, politicians, and civilians are pulled into a conflict none of them can escape, each must decide what they are willing to defend—and what they are willing to become.
At the centre of the storm is Alexander Ashcombe, a former SAS officer living under an assumed name, trying to leave the shadows behind. But history has a long memory, and when war comes to his doorstep, hiding is no longer enough.
Grounded, tense, and morally sharp, Invasion is the first book in Canada at War, a series for readers who like intelligent military thrillers, geopolitical danger, and characters forced into impossible choices.
For fans of the geopolitical chess matches of Tom Clancy and the gritty, close-quarters black-ops tension of Mark Greaney.
Invasion is a near-future military-political thriller about resistance, loyalty, and the price of survival. As soldiers, spies, politicians, and civilians are pulled into a conflict none of them can escape, each must decide what they are willing to defend—and what they are willing to become.
At the centre of the storm is Alexander Ashcombe, a former SAS officer living under an assumed name, trying to leave the shadows behind. But history has a long memory, and when war comes to his doorstep, hiding is no longer enough.
Grounded, tense, and morally sharp, Invasion is the first book in Canada at War, a series for readers who like intelligent military thrillers, geopolitical danger, and characters forced into impossible choices.
For fans of the geopolitical chess matches of Tom Clancy and the gritty, close-quarters black-ops tension of Mark Greaney.
749 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 6, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 2, 2026
The chaplain opened the briefing with a prayer, “Almighty God, grant us strength in this [] endeavour. Let our enemies know the futility of standing against your chosen nation. Guide our hands in this training …”
My jaw simply dropped. Author Robert C Hill had perfectly captured the bombastic, self-righteous, narcissistic arrogance of the right wing of evangelical Christianity that drives so much of US conduct to the point where it seems to be an explicit component of their foreign policy decisions and endeavours.
“The enemy’s greatest weakness isn’t equipment or training – it’s their ego. They actually believe they can stand toe-to-toe with the United States of America. They think their socialist fantasies and half-frozen conscripts can match our technology, our firepower, our righteous purpose.”
“But they can’t. And they won’t. With God on our side and the might of the greatest military in human history behind us, they’ll meet us head-on because their pride won’t let them do otherwise. And when they do, we’ll crush them like the paper tiger they are.”
Elbows up, Canada !!
In 2036, all the available evidence seemed to suggest that two low yield nuclear attacks on Buffalo and New York city originated in Canada and were carried out by student civilian terrorists fully briefed and supported by the Canadian government and the military. Markets and the Canadian dollar nose-dive. INVASION’s version of NATO makes the politically expedient – and frankly sensible - decision to decline to join Canada in its defense against the US’s declaration of war. The right-wing separatist movement in Alberta grasps the opportunity to make its move and eliminate the existing elected provincial government. The Canadian federal government is forced to evacuate Ottawa and implement a survival military policy that looks a great deal more like surrender than defense!
“Red Maple is Canada’s doctrine for asymmetric resistance against superior conventional forces … ten years in development. Fully implemented across all commands … The framework assumes conventional defence would fail within days, possibly hours. Instead our response is structured around dispersal, delay, disruption, and denial … Major population centres are designated open cities. No pitched battles, no Stalingrad scenarios. We evacuate what we can, destroy what we can’t, and preserve our forces for extended operations.”
I couldn’t help but rather wryly smile and nod in complete agreement when author Hill outlined the predictable US attempt to “undermine [NATO] cohesion by feigning peace.” The response from Poland’s Prime Minister said it all, “We’ve also seen economic overtures … generous trade proposal, cloaked under "mutual benefits" – though we all know what US trade agreements are worth … As dependable as quicksand. Fine to watch from a distance, perilous to rely upon. Deals today, tariffs tomorrow.”
INVASION is a master work in tension and excitement; a compendium of informative side-bar essays on the techniques and technology of modern warfare including the spectacularly challenging difficulties of war under frigid Arctic conditions; the intricacies of international diplomacy and the legal rules of warfare; gut-wrenching teeth-grinding suspense; and a brilliant narrative outlining the intricacies of how Canada’s government, its Lilliputian military, and emboldened resistance cells might put the lie to that chaplain’s prognostications at the outset of hostilities.
If you are a Canadian with even a drop of patriotism flowing in your veins, you need to read INVASION. If you are an American that has enough open mind left to discover what the rest of the world thinks about your current president, your current government, and your military’s perennial machinations on the world stage, you also need to read INVASION.
It’s a 700+ page doorstopper but, unless you’ve got four or five completely clear days, I recommend you don’t start … because you won’t be putting it down until you’re finished and your heart is pounding.
Paul Weiss
My jaw simply dropped. Author Robert C Hill had perfectly captured the bombastic, self-righteous, narcissistic arrogance of the right wing of evangelical Christianity that drives so much of US conduct to the point where it seems to be an explicit component of their foreign policy decisions and endeavours.
“The enemy’s greatest weakness isn’t equipment or training – it’s their ego. They actually believe they can stand toe-to-toe with the United States of America. They think their socialist fantasies and half-frozen conscripts can match our technology, our firepower, our righteous purpose.”
“But they can’t. And they won’t. With God on our side and the might of the greatest military in human history behind us, they’ll meet us head-on because their pride won’t let them do otherwise. And when they do, we’ll crush them like the paper tiger they are.”
Elbows up, Canada !!
In 2036, all the available evidence seemed to suggest that two low yield nuclear attacks on Buffalo and New York city originated in Canada and were carried out by student civilian terrorists fully briefed and supported by the Canadian government and the military. Markets and the Canadian dollar nose-dive. INVASION’s version of NATO makes the politically expedient – and frankly sensible - decision to decline to join Canada in its defense against the US’s declaration of war. The right-wing separatist movement in Alberta grasps the opportunity to make its move and eliminate the existing elected provincial government. The Canadian federal government is forced to evacuate Ottawa and implement a survival military policy that looks a great deal more like surrender than defense!
“Red Maple is Canada’s doctrine for asymmetric resistance against superior conventional forces … ten years in development. Fully implemented across all commands … The framework assumes conventional defence would fail within days, possibly hours. Instead our response is structured around dispersal, delay, disruption, and denial … Major population centres are designated open cities. No pitched battles, no Stalingrad scenarios. We evacuate what we can, destroy what we can’t, and preserve our forces for extended operations.”
I couldn’t help but rather wryly smile and nod in complete agreement when author Hill outlined the predictable US attempt to “undermine [NATO] cohesion by feigning peace.” The response from Poland’s Prime Minister said it all, “We’ve also seen economic overtures … generous trade proposal, cloaked under "mutual benefits" – though we all know what US trade agreements are worth … As dependable as quicksand. Fine to watch from a distance, perilous to rely upon. Deals today, tariffs tomorrow.”
INVASION is a master work in tension and excitement; a compendium of informative side-bar essays on the techniques and technology of modern warfare including the spectacularly challenging difficulties of war under frigid Arctic conditions; the intricacies of international diplomacy and the legal rules of warfare; gut-wrenching teeth-grinding suspense; and a brilliant narrative outlining the intricacies of how Canada’s government, its Lilliputian military, and emboldened resistance cells might put the lie to that chaplain’s prognostications at the outset of hostilities.
If you are a Canadian with even a drop of patriotism flowing in your veins, you need to read INVASION. If you are an American that has enough open mind left to discover what the rest of the world thinks about your current president, your current government, and your military’s perennial machinations on the world stage, you also need to read INVASION.
It’s a 700+ page doorstopper but, unless you’ve got four or five completely clear days, I recommend you don’t start … because you won’t be putting it down until you’re finished and your heart is pounding.
Paul Weiss
August 15, 2026
It is amazing when you get the opportunity to discover a "new" author. As an assistant admin for a Facebook page titled "Military Thriller Book Group," that is an opportunity that I have been blessed with on multiple occasions (actually, in this situation, the author messaged me approximately two weeks ago and offered me the opportunity to read his debut novel "Invasion: Canada at War Book 1").
This novel, which was released on 12 July 2026, examines a near-future world in which the United States and Canada explore a terrifyingly plausible geopolitical nightmare: a United States invasion of Canada. This novel was written by Robert C. Hill (a nom de guerre).
The story is set in the year 2036. After a decade of political collapse, economic instability, and an authoritarian shift, the United States has fallen under a totalitarian regime. Also, in those ten years, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has been dissolved (and subsequently replaced by The Compact). The Compact plays a major role in some of the backstory of this novel.
A devastating terror attack occurs on American soil. Fabricated or highly controversial evidence surfaces, implicating Canada’s intelligence services (CDIS). With global allies hesitating and financial markets panicking, Washington uses the attack as a pretext to settle old scores and launch a full-scale military invasion of Canada
_________________
The story behind the story
What many readers do not realize is that almost every country has developed contingency and operational plans for potential conflicts with other nations, including hypothetical invasions. These plans are standard military practice designed to prepare command structures for a wide array of geopolitical scenarios, regardless of how likely or peaceful relations might be at the time. It isn't just the US that does this. Contingency planning is something every military does. There are people in the military who do this as their day job. Every day.
While I am sure that everyone is aware (or at least has heard some semblance) of the two previous times that America has invaded Canada in the past:
Historical Invasions
1775 (Revolutionary War): The Continental Army invaded Quebec to remove British forces and convince Canadians to join the rebellion. They captured Montreal, but a bitter winter assault on Quebec City failed.
1812 (War of 1812): American leaders assumed conquering British North America would be easy while Britain fought Napoleon. Multiple U.S. offensives across Detroit, Niagara, and the St. Lawrence River were repelled by British and Canadian forces.
What most readers are not likely aware of is that the Americans had developed plans to invade Canada as recently as the years following the First World War (1918-1939), covering scenarios related to a hypothetical war with the British Empire (the "Red" forces, likely in reference to the Red Ensign and red coat). War Plan Red, also known as the Atlantic Strategic War Plan, was one of the color-coded war plans created by the United States Department of War after the 1927 Geneva Naval Conference, and approved in May 1930 by Secretary of War Patrick J. Hurley and Secretary of the Navy Charles Francis Adams III and updated in 1934–35. It was a routine hypothetical exercise that neither required nor received presidential or congressional approval.
With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, it was decided that no further preparations would be made, but the plans were to be retained. War Plan Red was not declassified until 1974.
While this may be news to most readers, what I found surprising was that Canada had developed an opposing set of plans as well.
In April 1921, Lt.-Col. James "Buster" Sutherland Brown, Canada’s director of military operations and intelligence, drafted the Canadian plan to invade the United States, known as Defence Scheme No. 1.
Brown planned to divide the Canadian army into five flying columns, each of which would capture key American cities, destroy crucial infrastructure, then run away as soon as a large American force counterattacked. The hope was that by destroying bridges and ripping up train tracks while retreating, the United States would be delayed enough that Britain and the rest of the empire could come and finish the job. Brown’s plan got mixed reviews among Canadian military leadership (his successor hated it so much he ordered all copies burned), but it nonetheless remains the last public Canadian plan to invade the United States. This "plan" was actually part of Canadian military doctrine until 1926, when it slowly faded into the obscurity of the archives.
While Brown is often described as a loose cannon, he was actually following orders from the chief of the general staff, who was concerned about an American invasion. After the First World War, America began to supplant Britain as the pre-eminent global power (Britain owed America $22 billion after the war), and so the concern that Canada might once again become a battleground for conflict between the two more powerful countries made some sense.
_________________
I was fortunate enough to have some conversations with the author while reading this book and to ask some questions along the way to try to help flesh out this review, and he mentioned that he had found some inspiration for this novel in the historical plans mentioned previously that when he sat down to write, one of the questions he asked myself was, 'if the Americans had updated the plan, what would it look like? Canada had its own plan for defeating an invasion, so the second question he asked himself was what that would look like, and the third question was how the world would have had to change for the invasion to even become possible?" He also mentions that, given what has happened in the last two years, he would have to get his book written before it sounded like he was writing a story taken directly from the news.
Given the disproportionate advantage that the Americans would have in such a situation (1.33 million troops plus 799,500 reserves versus 68,000 plus 27,000 reserves), a conventional military defeat for Canada would likely happen within two days, with the initial phase having a rapid U.S. air, sea, and land dominance neutralizing major command and communication nodes.
The likely (or more logical) strategy would be for the Canadian armed forces to prompt a shift towards asymmetrical, insurgency-style resistance modelled after strategies used in Afghanistan and Russia, utilizing hit-and-run tactics, sabotage, and drones.
Considering that the current Canadian Chief of the Defence Staff has already announced her intention to create a 400,000-plus-strong reserve force of volunteers. The officials said they could be armed or asked to provide disruptions if the U.S. becomes an occupying power. Using non-government-run decentralized groups might be advantageous, using the comparison of the number of Irish citizens who were involved in the conflict against the British between 1968 and 1998 (1-3%) and the amount of chaos that was caused to the "invading" force, that even if Canadians were half as likely as the Irish, and only 0.05% of Canadians defended their lands by unconventional means that is a phenomenally inconvenient number of partisans an invading force would deal with for years. Occupying Canada would be hell.
With all that said, I found this book to be a meticulous and grounded military thriller that would definitely strike the interest of those readers who enjoy the kind of geopolitical chess matches that were written by authors such as Tom Clancy, as this novel is rife with political strategy, intense tension, and global stakes, and those who enjoy the close black op tension of the writings of Peter Warren Singer and August Cole (Ghost Fleet), former special forces officer Brad Taylor (the Pike Logan series), and military co-authors like H. Ripley Rawlings IV (Assault by Fire). I really enjoyed this novel and would easily give this debut novel a vaunted five-star rating, and I would highly recommend it.
As with all my literary ramblings, this is just my five cents' worth.
This novel, which was released on 12 July 2026, examines a near-future world in which the United States and Canada explore a terrifyingly plausible geopolitical nightmare: a United States invasion of Canada. This novel was written by Robert C. Hill (a nom de guerre).
The story is set in the year 2036. After a decade of political collapse, economic instability, and an authoritarian shift, the United States has fallen under a totalitarian regime. Also, in those ten years, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has been dissolved (and subsequently replaced by The Compact). The Compact plays a major role in some of the backstory of this novel.
A devastating terror attack occurs on American soil. Fabricated or highly controversial evidence surfaces, implicating Canada’s intelligence services (CDIS). With global allies hesitating and financial markets panicking, Washington uses the attack as a pretext to settle old scores and launch a full-scale military invasion of Canada
_________________
The story behind the story
What many readers do not realize is that almost every country has developed contingency and operational plans for potential conflicts with other nations, including hypothetical invasions. These plans are standard military practice designed to prepare command structures for a wide array of geopolitical scenarios, regardless of how likely or peaceful relations might be at the time. It isn't just the US that does this. Contingency planning is something every military does. There are people in the military who do this as their day job. Every day.
While I am sure that everyone is aware (or at least has heard some semblance) of the two previous times that America has invaded Canada in the past:
Historical Invasions
1775 (Revolutionary War): The Continental Army invaded Quebec to remove British forces and convince Canadians to join the rebellion. They captured Montreal, but a bitter winter assault on Quebec City failed.
1812 (War of 1812): American leaders assumed conquering British North America would be easy while Britain fought Napoleon. Multiple U.S. offensives across Detroit, Niagara, and the St. Lawrence River were repelled by British and Canadian forces.
What most readers are not likely aware of is that the Americans had developed plans to invade Canada as recently as the years following the First World War (1918-1939), covering scenarios related to a hypothetical war with the British Empire (the "Red" forces, likely in reference to the Red Ensign and red coat). War Plan Red, also known as the Atlantic Strategic War Plan, was one of the color-coded war plans created by the United States Department of War after the 1927 Geneva Naval Conference, and approved in May 1930 by Secretary of War Patrick J. Hurley and Secretary of the Navy Charles Francis Adams III and updated in 1934–35. It was a routine hypothetical exercise that neither required nor received presidential or congressional approval.
With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, it was decided that no further preparations would be made, but the plans were to be retained. War Plan Red was not declassified until 1974.
While this may be news to most readers, what I found surprising was that Canada had developed an opposing set of plans as well.
In April 1921, Lt.-Col. James "Buster" Sutherland Brown, Canada’s director of military operations and intelligence, drafted the Canadian plan to invade the United States, known as Defence Scheme No. 1.
Brown planned to divide the Canadian army into five flying columns, each of which would capture key American cities, destroy crucial infrastructure, then run away as soon as a large American force counterattacked. The hope was that by destroying bridges and ripping up train tracks while retreating, the United States would be delayed enough that Britain and the rest of the empire could come and finish the job. Brown’s plan got mixed reviews among Canadian military leadership (his successor hated it so much he ordered all copies burned), but it nonetheless remains the last public Canadian plan to invade the United States. This "plan" was actually part of Canadian military doctrine until 1926, when it slowly faded into the obscurity of the archives.
While Brown is often described as a loose cannon, he was actually following orders from the chief of the general staff, who was concerned about an American invasion. After the First World War, America began to supplant Britain as the pre-eminent global power (Britain owed America $22 billion after the war), and so the concern that Canada might once again become a battleground for conflict between the two more powerful countries made some sense.
_________________
I was fortunate enough to have some conversations with the author while reading this book and to ask some questions along the way to try to help flesh out this review, and he mentioned that he had found some inspiration for this novel in the historical plans mentioned previously that when he sat down to write, one of the questions he asked myself was, 'if the Americans had updated the plan, what would it look like? Canada had its own plan for defeating an invasion, so the second question he asked himself was what that would look like, and the third question was how the world would have had to change for the invasion to even become possible?" He also mentions that, given what has happened in the last two years, he would have to get his book written before it sounded like he was writing a story taken directly from the news.
Given the disproportionate advantage that the Americans would have in such a situation (1.33 million troops plus 799,500 reserves versus 68,000 plus 27,000 reserves), a conventional military defeat for Canada would likely happen within two days, with the initial phase having a rapid U.S. air, sea, and land dominance neutralizing major command and communication nodes.
The likely (or more logical) strategy would be for the Canadian armed forces to prompt a shift towards asymmetrical, insurgency-style resistance modelled after strategies used in Afghanistan and Russia, utilizing hit-and-run tactics, sabotage, and drones.
Considering that the current Canadian Chief of the Defence Staff has already announced her intention to create a 400,000-plus-strong reserve force of volunteers. The officials said they could be armed or asked to provide disruptions if the U.S. becomes an occupying power. Using non-government-run decentralized groups might be advantageous, using the comparison of the number of Irish citizens who were involved in the conflict against the British between 1968 and 1998 (1-3%) and the amount of chaos that was caused to the "invading" force, that even if Canadians were half as likely as the Irish, and only 0.05% of Canadians defended their lands by unconventional means that is a phenomenally inconvenient number of partisans an invading force would deal with for years. Occupying Canada would be hell.
With all that said, I found this book to be a meticulous and grounded military thriller that would definitely strike the interest of those readers who enjoy the kind of geopolitical chess matches that were written by authors such as Tom Clancy, as this novel is rife with political strategy, intense tension, and global stakes, and those who enjoy the close black op tension of the writings of Peter Warren Singer and August Cole (Ghost Fleet), former special forces officer Brad Taylor (the Pike Logan series), and military co-authors like H. Ripley Rawlings IV (Assault by Fire). I really enjoyed this novel and would easily give this debut novel a vaunted five-star rating, and I would highly recommend it.
As with all my literary ramblings, this is just my five cents' worth.
September 13, 2026
I received an ARC through "Booksprout" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
This story begins with an agent from the U.S.A. recruiting 4 students to go to two cities, NYC and Buffalo, and detonate what they believe are EMP devices . but are instead nuclear bombs. The detonate one in Buffalo, but before the 2nd group is able, they are arrested and then the U.S. Government uses that as a basis to invade Canada.
Follow the Canadians as they try and survive the attack as well as the strategy that the American forces have been directed by the White House to perform. Read the details of each of the forces do in either stealing the Americans or the obstacles that the Canadians create. The Canadians have attempted to get the Compact of countries that Canada was a part of once NATO was dissolved one America left.
The story I a glimpse of what sort of situation Canada would face if our Government attempted to perform action that is portrayed here. The story is not finished, but leads into the next book to be released. This is quite revealing and well worth the read. Don't miss out!
This story begins with an agent from the U.S.A. recruiting 4 students to go to two cities, NYC and Buffalo, and detonate what they believe are EMP devices . but are instead nuclear bombs. The detonate one in Buffalo, but before the 2nd group is able, they are arrested and then the U.S. Government uses that as a basis to invade Canada.
Follow the Canadians as they try and survive the attack as well as the strategy that the American forces have been directed by the White House to perform. Read the details of each of the forces do in either stealing the Americans or the obstacles that the Canadians create. The Canadians have attempted to get the Compact of countries that Canada was a part of once NATO was dissolved one America left.
The story I a glimpse of what sort of situation Canada would face if our Government attempted to perform action that is portrayed here. The story is not finished, but leads into the next book to be released. This is quite revealing and well worth the read. Don't miss out!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews