Red Phoenix Burning

Red Phoenix #2

by Larry Bond, Chris Carlson

North Korea has one of the world’s largest standing armies, capable of unleashing a massive arsenal of chemical and nuclear weapons. With an unstable government, under absolute dictator Kim Jong-un, North Korea more closely resembles an organized crime ring than a real nation-state. Millions live on the edge of starvation while Pyongyang’s ruthless generals, crooked bureaucrats, and vicious secret police wage a covert war against each other to expand their rival fiefdoms. RED PHOENIX BURNING explores the implosion of this corrupt regime – a coup that triggers a bloody civil war among the North’s brutal factions. The world is dragged into a violent and rapidly widening confrontation amid North Korea’s shattered ruins, bringing it to the edge of an all-out war that could engulf the entire civilized world. Fans of the original RED PHOENIX will be delighted to see favorite characters like Colonel Kevin Little, Brigadier General Tony Christopher, and Colonel Rhee Han-Gil returning to battle, older and wiser, alongside a new cast of heroes and villains. RED PHOENIX BURNING will also offer readers a deeper look behind today’s headlines of turmoil and uncertainty—a look made all the more profound by the in-depth knowledge of war, military technology, and geopolitics brought to bear by Larry Bond and his co-author Chris Carlson. "Displays a knowledge of modern weaponry and war that can only be described as as state-of-the art." – Stephen Coonts "Fast, furious, and powerfully realistic. A stunning scenario of modern war." – W.E.B Griffin "Red Phoenix is a shocking new chapter of a tragic disaster that might very well stun the world by becoming reality. Larry Bond has proven himself a master of military adventure." – Clive Cussler ABOUT THE AUTHORS Larry Bond is 64 and lives with his wife Jeanne in Virginia, outside Washington DC. After co-authoring Red Storm Rising with Tom Clancy, he has teamed with several different authors to write eighteen Five with Pat Larkin, starting with Red Phoenix, eight with Jim DeFelice, The First Team and Red Dragon Rising series, and five with Chris Carlson, including the Jerry Mitchell series, and his latest book, Lash-Up. Five of Larry's books have been New York Times bestsellers. He has also co-designed the Admiralty Trilogy series games and is editor of the Naval SITREP. Larry’s only nonfiction work is The Mighty Fallen, in collaboration with the photographer f-stop Fitzgerald. A photographic visit to the military many memorials in the United States and Canada, Larry’s introduction and text accompany f-stop’s stunning photographs of monuments honoring the service and sacrifices made by America’s veterans. A U.S. Navy veteran, Larry was a surface warfare officer before leaving the Navy in 1982. He then worked as a naval analyst for defense consulting firms in the Washington, DC area. He now writes and designs games full-time. Christopher Carlson is a retired Navy Reserve captain and Department of Defense naval systems engineer. He began his navy career as a submariner, and transitioned to the naval technical intelligence field in both the Navy Reserve and in his civilian job with the Defense Intelligence Agency. He has co-authored several published works with Larry Bond, starting with a short story, Burial at Sea, in the Tombs anthology, and five full-length novels, Dangerous Ground, Cold Choices, Exit Plan, Shattered Trident, and Lash-Up. An avid wargamer from an early age, Chris is one of the co-designers, along with Larry Bond, of the Admiralty Trilogy tactical naval wargame series. He has also authored numerous articles on defense technology and naval warfare.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, War, Military Fiction, Action, Military Thriller, Adventure

448 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 16, 2016

About the author

Larry 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

Reviews

[Christian D. D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A worthy sequel

"RED PHOENIX BURNING" by Larry Bond

A few of the events and plot elements stretch credulity a bit, but overall, this is an outstanding sequel to the original "Red Phoenix," not to mention eerily timely, given the state of current events. Nice to see the return of familiar characters like now-COL Kevin Little, now-Col. Rhee of the ROK Special Forces, and now-Brig. Gen. Tony "Saint" Christopher, USAF.

If only the DPRK's vile, despicable communist regime were to suffer the well-deserved fate in real life that it does in this novel....

RANDOM STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS (and noteworthy passages):

"He'd make a lousy rancher. You had to like cows and horses to be a good rancher. And he hated cows. And horses. Especially horses." Ouch!

"The striped-pants folks in the US and Korean state departments"

"It was usually the predator you didn't see who pulled you down."

COL Kevin Little now carrying an M9 Beretta and M4A1 as opposed to the M1911 and M16A2 (A1?) he would've been carrying as a brand-new 2LT in the original "Red Phoenix" 28 years ago.....

"Dowa juseyo" = "Please help me."

"Where was the exhilaration, the joy, the sheer fun you experienced when you climbed into a high-performance aircraft and roared skyward? By comparison, a low, klutzy, unfeeling UAV, with a limited
field of view, was a very poor substitute."

Wow, 16 August timeline, what a coinkydink!

--p. 44: "Leak investigations were always hell." Again, what a coinkydink!

--p. 64: "There were rumors he'd make general soon, but he was actually happier as a colonel. He'd seen too many energetic leaders promoted and tied to a desk, turning into sedentary lumps with hands." Haha, good one.

--p. 79: Type 66, NK copy of the Makarov pistol--also a 9x18mm, I presume?

--p. 104: Vive Le Throat Punch!!!

Eh, 9x18mm rounds ain't powerful enough to explode a human skull except with contact shots, but hell, why nitpick?

--pp. 105-106: SPOILER ALERT: Hot damn, the son of Major Sik (DPRK SF Commando) from Book #1! But why would one of his superiors show him the secret file on his dad without need-to-know basis??

--p. 114: "Digger" Graves, haha.

--p. 116: "Seonsaengnim?" Same as "san/sama" in Japanese? Ditto for "yang?" "Dongji?"

--p. 122: Aw jeez, another misguided Christian pacifist!

--p. 127: "It was like D-Day and Christmas at once."

--p. 139: "'But as long as the U.S. doesn't go north of the thirty-eighth parallel, China can't justify her own intervention."

--p. 140: "...and Pyongyang could join Beirut, Karbala, and Sarajevo in popular memory as urban battlefields."

--p. 143: "Only....women of any age, could be considered true civilians." Sounds awfully complacent; doesn't the KPA allow female soldiers within its ranks?

--p. 147: "ajumma" reserved for mothers and "mature" women; used with younger women, gets your slapped. Haha!

--p. 160: "Soldiers he could trust--politicians, not so much." Ain't THAT an enduring truth!!

--p. 162: "ssi?"

--p. 172: Russian government officials still using "comrade" this many years after the collapse of the Soviet Union?

--p. 209: K5 pistol and K7 rifle? Made by Daewoo?

--p. 211: Saluting in a combat zone when there are still unaccounted-for hostiles out there?

--p. 216: "'gese-kida?'"

--p. 217: "'shipcenchi?'"

--p. 219: "dicker" AKA haggle?

--p. 244: Soju-class missile boats? Just like the infamous alcoholic beverage?

--p. 246: ROK Navy using nautical miles instead of kilometres?

--p. 264: "oppa" = big brother/generalised term of endearment

--p. 269: "Federal agencies had piled onto his operation like he was giving away toasters" Haha

--p. 274: "dongmu" = Comrade

--p. 279: "Snipers were for sissies." Oh snap, haha!

--p. 303: "halmeoni" = grandmother

Generalised question: So, when Col. Rhee is addressing his ROK subordinates in COL Kevin Little's presence, is he doing so in English or Korean? The author is unclear on this.

--p. 335: Haha, a self-deprecating "Ugly American" reference!

--p. 336: Ooh, and a de-Baathification reference, ouch!!

--p. 347: "nappeun nom?"

--p. 360: Ugh, shit, Flankers.

--p. 380: USS Gabrielle Giffords, meh.

--p. 381: "Any similarity to science fiction starships probably came from similar design goals. Probably." As Spock would say, "Fascinating."

--p. 389: the ship's own Skipper not cleared for the signals intercept van??? WTF, over!?

--p. 394: Shit, Guam, how timely. 🇬🇺

--pp. 419-420: "kut = Korean cleansing ceremony

--p. 428: "'It's best not to hunt duck hunters with ducks.'"

--p. 433: Typo; should be Kunsan, not "Kusan" [sic].

--p. 438: The 1st Shirt himself doing the hands-on tinkering on a plane?? Highly irregular, unless the unit is that desperate for manpower.

--p. 442: Ginger gum an anti-motion sickness tool?

--p. 444: Air Battle Manager reference!

--p. 456: "'Bogey'".....or HOSTILE??

[Scott Parsons · Rating 4 out of 5]

After scanning the first chapter I initially set this novel aside. The list of military characters in North Korea, South Korea, the US military and China given at the front of the book turned me off. But after a period of weeks I received a notice from the publisher wondering whether I had reviewed it. I decided to give it another try (my copy was provided via NetGalley). I'm glad I did because once I got a few chapters in I became engrossed by this novel.

It is initially set in North Korea and involves a coup against the regime of Kim Sung Un by a segment of his army. Kim survives the first attempt on his life but is soon killed in a second strike. A civil war ensues in North Korea among three factions: Kim supporters, the Army Staff segment and a portion of the military aligned with the Korean Workers Party. The country is paralyzed by the warfare. Nuclear and chemical weapons remain under the control of the Kim faction.

The South Korean government decides to take advantage of the chaos as an opportunity to unify the two Koreas. The US military forces stationed in South Korea are ordered not to cross the border but to provide backup to the South Korean forces by taking over some of the tasks they normally performed. As North Korea crumbles northern civilians begin to flee south and seek asylum in the South.

The head of the Army Staff wing becomes concerned that the Chinese will intervene to seize some Korean territory so he forges an alliance with the Party faction and proposes that they negotiate a deal with the invading South Koreans to take out the Kim supporters and seize control of the hidden weapons. Meanwhile China sends some forces across the northern border. Following US-China negotiations, the combined anti-Kim North Korean forces join with the South Koreans to flush out the Kim supporters and thwart their attempt to wreak destruction with the nuclear and chemical weapons.

The story ends with a unified Korea. If you like military techno thrillers you will enjoy this novel.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

A certain generation of kids grew up reading Harry Potter. They *know* Harry, Ron, and Hermione. For me, those books were Red Phoenix and the Tom Clancy series. I *know* Tony "Saint" Christopher, Kevin Little, Rhee Han-Gil, Blake Fowler, and the rest of the cast. That generation has Dumbledore's Army? I had the U.S. Army (and Air Force, and Navy, and Marines...) So I was really excited when I found out there was a sequel. I would get to see some of the old heroes as the leaders this time, and we get to meet some of their kids! This is amazing!

Here's the problem: all the techno thrillers I liked had pretty much the same plot. The Communists (whichever Communists were the antagonists in the book) attacked the West, bringing the US into the fight. At first it was a close-fought thing. Democracy was on the precipice of losing, until a combination of the unmatched logistics of the US, the hard-won wisdom of our heroes, the inherent failures of Communism, and a brilliant counterattack combined to bring victory to the US and her allies. It's basically a retelling of WW II. (In "Red Storm Rising" it's *literally* a retelling of WW II- Clancy and Bond were trying to figure out how the Battle of the Atlantic would play out again, and the only way to have a Battle of the Atlantic is to have a ground war in Europe that the US cares about. And since we had that half of the war, he figured he'd better cover the War in the Pacific too- so we got Debt of Honor.*)

And all this worked right up until Desert Storm. Because until then, you could plausibly make the case that the US might get in trouble in a conventional military-on-military fight.

**Spoilers follow** And this is why Red Phoenix Burning lost a star. It's good, but there are just too many implausibilities. The ROK forces steamroll everything until it's convenient in the plot for them to not? There's no inclusion of air power in the fight for Pyongyang (which, if properly employed, would have annihilated the DPRK troops?) The right folks get together and suddenly troops from both sides are on the same side? Then the troops they teamed up to fight are suddenly ALSO on the same side, just so the overwhelming collective can take out the vanishingly small, nameless remaining antagonists? All just a little past my ability to suspend disbelief. Still- it was nice to catch up with some old friends, and Saint did manage to get another aircraft painted under his cockpit. And there were no cursed children in this one.

* Yes, I know. Debt of Honor came out after Desert Storm, but we were all still processing at that point. And believe it or not, a story in the mid-90s about the Japanese juggernaut taking on the US and appearing to have a chance- and a technological edge- wasn't as crazy as it sounds now.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a reviewer of techno-thrillers, I knew eventually I was going to have to review a military techno-thriller series especially since the military thriller, starting with Tom Clancy’s The Hunt for Red October, gave birth to this genre. So when I was given an opportunity to get a free copy of Larry Bond’s newest addition to his Red Phoenix series, I had to jump on it like a politician on super PAC money. Larry Bond was a cowriter on Tom Clancy’s second novel Red Storm Rising which was released in 1986 and was a tremendous success. Bond then went on to write his own novel Red Phoenix in 1989 which hit the New York Times best seller list for several months and established Larry Bond’s place among the top military thriller authors. Now it is 2016, 27 years later and Bond is releasing a follow-up of Red Phoenix, entitled Red Phoenix Burning.

Both novels deal with the tensions between North and South Korea. In Red Phoenix, the North Koreans take advantage of student uprisings in South Korea and political shenanigans in Washington D.C. to orchestrate a blitz known as operation Red Phoenix to unify Korea. Twenty seven years later, North Korea is once again in the limelight in Red Phoenix Burning, but this time the North Koreans have an arsenal of nuclear and chemical weapons at their disposal. However, in this go round the North is not attacking the South but instead are attacking themselves as an all-out civil war takes place. Both the US and especially China are quite concerned on what will happen with the North Korean’s stockpile of nuclear weapons and who will take control of them.

Thrillers have received the bad rap of being plot driven with poorly developed characters and after reading Larry Bond’s Red Phoenix series, that distinction now makes perfect sense. In Red Phoenix, there are only a handful of characters that have the slightest amount of character development. One of the main characters is Kevin Little, a recent ROTC graduate, and as wet behind the ears as one can be, who is assigned his first commanding role along the DMZ when Red Phoenix was implemented. Little is very dependent on his platoon sergeant and Second Lieutenant Rhee Han-Gil, a South Korean to guide him through his assignment. Eventually he becomes good friends with Rhee, as they both share the scars of battle. Another main character is pilot Tony Christopher who develops a romantic relationship with Anne Larson, an army civilian and computer expert. I don’t believe romance novelist Nora Roberts will be asking Larry Bond to co-write with her anytime soon. Of course, no military thriller would be complete without at least one badass general which would be General Jack McLaren.

Some of the characters from Red Phoenix are making a show in Red Phoenix Burning, namely Rhee Han-Gil, who has a significant role as the commander of the Ninth Special Forces ‘Ghost’ Brigade. Kevin Little and Tony Christopher are there but have a significantly diminished role. There are two new characters, Cho Ho-jin, a North Korean citizen that is a spy for the Russians, and Kary Fowler, who is a missionary in North Korea and is the daughter of Blake Fowler, who played the role as a national security advisor in Red Phoenix. Cho and Fowler develop a relationship that I feel is one of the highlights of Red Phoenix Burning and shows that Larry Bond may actually know how to develop decent characters.

I found Red Phoenix to be a very long book and difficult to get through, without decent characters to rally behind, I found the techno-heavy battle scenes to lack luster which made me wonder why this was such a hit back in the eighties. After doing some research, I found that the military thrillers were very popular back then and was probably as a result of the political climate of the Reagan administration. Reagan help to bolster the military which took a tremendous morale punch after the Vietnam War. A new respect for the military occurred along with a growing conservative movement which I am sure help to drive sales for military thrillers at the time. In the military thriller the American characters just needed to be highly patriotic and outstanding citizens whereas the communist which included the Soviet Union, China, and North Korea where sneaky, conniving, and evil.

A lot has happened in the last 27 years, two gulf wars, 911, ISIS, and a significant economic crash. American attitudes have changed significantly with a growing sense of distrust in our government which is now being reflected in our recent political race. Red Phoenix Burning may not get quite the reception that Red Phoenix had 27 years ago, but I think that those that enjoy military strategy will find it to be an enjoyable read especially with the latest show by Kim Jong Un. Bond does seem to be trying to reach out to a broader audience by developing better characters and I believe that he does achieve that to a certain extent particularly with the new characters. It would be to an advantage to read Red Phoenix before Red Phoenix Burning mainly to get a better understanding of some of the main come-back characters. Additionally, Bond changed history in Red Phoenix which has some influence in Red Phoenix Burning. Though Bond does maintain recent events that are now happening in the Koreas, he does incorporate some of the events that occurred in Red Phoenix. Without knowing this, it may be confusing to those that are history buffs and have a good understanding of the Kim regime in North Korea.

If you are interested in learning more about the Red Phoenix Series check it out on my blog A-Thrill-A-Week

[John Carpenter · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10

[Matthieu · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed most the classic Larry Bonds. At this time they were really innovative and used an accurate techno-babble.

The story is not bad. We can believe in its roots and it's more or less what we can expect from the end of North Korea. It's just that
- The story is not that interesting as nothing really unexpected happens
- Many characters are really archetypes (the good christian girl, the disabused spy...)
- We are reading a Larry Bond book. We expect detailed military desciptions with up to date tactics and so on. We only get UAV again and again.

The best parts are, as often, the small naval battles.

A major cultural mistake: calling the country "Han" is really not a good idea. Han means something like sorrow, spite, rancor or resentment against oppression... Would you cann your own country like that? Yes it's a typical Korean concept but that's all.

[Alexander Fenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having throughly enjoyed the first instalment in this series, 1989’s “Red Phoenix”, I was more than a little let down by this sequel. That is not to say it is a bad read, but I can’t help but feel it has lost some of the charm I found in the first book.

Set nearly 30 years after the events of the first book the North Korean state, long teetering on the edge of complete collapse, tumbles into a violent civil war. Such a conflict brings in its neighbours South Korea and China as well as the Americans in a race to prevent the nation’s tremendous arsenal of weapons from falling into the wrong hands. There is passable action and a few standout moments, but I often found its flagship sequences rather lacking compared to the book that proceeded it.

The return of old characters from the first book had me quite excited, especially Kevin Little now well into his military career, but I feel they didn’t quite land as I’d hoped them to. Not much is made of the time skip and some of them feel almost stagnant, aside from the advancement of Little’s South Korean special forces comrade who remains a standout character. A good addition however is the unexpected romantic subplot between two people from opposite sides of the conflict that was surprisingly well put together and nowhere near as forced as some other romances in the genre.

The action itself felt rather slow and absent from many parts of the narrative, while also being devoid of the frenetic, high-stakes back and forth savagery of the first instalment. While the laser focused precision on the details of modern warfare are not to everyone’s taste it was an element of Bond’s previous work I revelled in and was disappointed to see had been watered down. The book is probably easier to read because of it, but I found that to its detriment when the action didn’t feel quite as engrossing.

At its conclusion the narrative seems quite by the numbers, and did make me wish more far more attention had been given to the Chinese and their own roles and motivations in the story. It’s serviceable enough and not deserving of too harsh criticism, but also doesn’t feel quite fitting as a culmination of the two books.

All in all, an ok book that ticked enough boxes to make it worthwhile. For fans of the first novel it is both a recommendation but also a warning given it does fall shorter of Red Phoenix in some disappointing areas. With that being said I still enjoyed my time with it and was glad to bring the story to its conclusion.

[RJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contrary to the tome “Red Phoenix” that described events in 1989, “Red Phoenix Burning” is much closer to modern-day 2015. N. Korea remains in the clutches of the Kim dynasty under “Supreme Leader” Kim Jong-un. A high-level assassination changes everything. N. Korea is thrown into chaos. P’yŏngyang, the capital and largest city of N. Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution" resembles gang-land Chicago of the 1940s. Military Generals and political officials wrestle for power in the vacuum, the infighting eventually escalating to civil war. This gave S. Korea the advantage they had been hoping and waiting for to advance their goal of reunification. S. Korean battalions began moving north from the DMZ. The United States and China have agreed to stay on their perspective sides; the Chinese north of the Yalu River and the U.S. south of the DMZ. This would supposedly leave the fighting strictly to the Koreans. It is debatable whether the Chinese will honor the agreement should things turn sour for the N. Koreans. The story continues with much military and political maneuvering, the goal of reunification always the principal objective. The historical and current events referenced within add to the legitimacy and realism of the tale. This portrayal of South versus North Korea is quite different than the prior “Red Phoenix” but I enjoyed it just as much. My only issue is the uniform, lackluster performance by Patrick Lawlor. Regardless, I submit a hearty recommendation!

[Daniel Bratell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book like Red Storm Rising and the first Red Phoenix book, a what if military scenario. In this book North Korea has an unexpected and violent civil war erupt around they year 2015, and that creates completely different conditions on the Korean peninsula.

Common for all mentioned books is that Larry Bond is the author or co-author so this seems to be his specialty. It's a small niche but it's a niche and in that niche Larry Bond seems to be the best there it. That doesn't mean these books are master pieces, because they are not, but they are good enough to function as a catalyst for "what if" ideas.

The scenario painted in this book doesn't seem completely impossible. As usual the author fails to capture the human element and has an untested strong belief in technology on the battlefield that I don't accept without reservations but looking at the story from 1000 meters, it seems plausible enough.

[John Wee · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first read it a few decades ago; Red Phoenix was my first introduction to Larry Bond. It has always been my favorite book he's ever written particularly because I enjoyed the characters he'd created.

Bond has done an excellent job at giving us a picture of seeing what has happened to all of these characters while skillfully creating a realistic scenario given the massive geopolitical changes that have occurred on the Korean Peninsula over the past two decades. Namely- the reality of a conventional conflict between South Korea and North Korea is a laughable idea.

It was an enjoyable read.

[Stuart Dangerfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

A superb sequel

Another brilliant novel set on the Korean peninsula. A must read if you have already read Red Phoenix. This one is as exciting as the original but in something of a different fashion. I was especially impressed with the way they conveyed the repressive and claustrophobic atmosphere in North Korea and the viscious nature of its bankrupt political system whilst still impressing one with the sheer achievement of some of the North's vast military facilities. Read it you millstone disappointed

[Pieter D · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a strong continuation of the previous novel Red Phoenix. Setting is 20 odd years later with many of the previous characters. It was well believable, with DPRK imploding into all out war with the demise of Kim Jong-un. Very strong character building without having to read the original. Beautifully laid out Timeline wise and pertinent with today's building tensions due to the "Donald" and the Kim.....both with bad hair and egos....

[Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a 21st Century update to the prior novel and updates the activities of many of the characters in the prior book and I am disappointed that this seems to be the end of the series as I enjoyed the activities of those characters and would like to know what else is happening with them.
It is a imaginative tale about a horrendous conflict between North and South Korea and of course the American involvement along with a regime change in North Korea.

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would happen if someone were actually able to stage a coup in North Korea?

This was a very engrossing, but long, book with plenty going on. There are a couple of interesting characters, but most are not well developed. I had plenty of desire to see what happened next, however the story never made my heartbeat change! Still, it was a fascinating look into what could happen some day.

[Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Red Phoenix Burning is Larry Bond and Chris Carlson doing what they do best, delivering high-octane military fiction that feels like tomorrow’s headlines. The tension is relentless, the action razor-sharp, and the authenticity unmatched. You don’t just read it, you experience it. If you want a realistic, gripping look at a North Korea in chaos, buckle up, this one’s a ride you won’t forget.

[Mitchell Voltz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Red Phoenix:Burning is a worthy successor to the original Red Phoenix. It brings back some of the original main characters from Red Phoenix who are now more developed as military leaders. Red Phoenix:Burning is a book that all readers of the original should enjoy.

[Skovrodino · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sequel to Red Phoenix, which was one of my favorite books from Larry Bond. I read this one eagerly but although I did enjoy much of it, the book had clearly been written in a hurry so it could have been better-developed and fleshed-out with greater texture.

The book depicts a violent collapse of North Korea; a multi-sided fight is way more interesting than a two-sided fight.

[craig hurdle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read

Gave it a four star rating
It was an interesting read
Troubles between North and South Korea
It took me some time to read the book
I did lose the plot of the story but managed to pick it up

[Charles E. Kidwiler Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second Book

This book is not as good for me as the first book Red Phoenix was. The first book was mainly concerned with American reactions to an attack.This one is less combat and more personal actions. Just not as good to me.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Moderately exciting and fairly well written "what if" techno thriller. Felt a bit of a half-hearted effort though some interesting information about the working of the North Korean state. Preferred his earlier books and still not a patch on classic Tom Clancy.

[Mike Desmond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could be today's headlines. Good characters, story lines from first book great.

Needs no improvement, as it is this could happen tomorrow, maybe even sooner. This is as real as it gets, could focus on Washington a little more but that is not as important to this story lone

[Edward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining read, not as griping as the first one.

The story was entertaining, it was nice to meet characters from the previous book, but there was less of what made Red Phoenix Rising such a griping novel (especially the battle scenes). I enjoyed it nonetheless.

[Jaime N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real world politics make this story believable. A North Korea without the Kim’s in charge? A unified Korea. How will China react to this? How will the Korean people both North and South love with such a drastic change? Great story and I highly recommend reading the book.

[Frederick W Faulkner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty Good Read

I enjoyed this book but perhaps I was spoiled by the first novel which I thought was much better. I would advise you read the first book Red Phoenix and then move onto this book.

[Mark Moxley-Knapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somehow I missed both this and the one before it. The first one was good; this one was great. Interesting characters, lots of surprises, believable but crazy scenarios. Great research into equipment and tactics, etc. Couldn't put it down and was sad when it was over.

[MARTIN WITHERS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top class read.

A terrific story about what could happen in Korea. There are some great battle scenes and a lot of behind the scenes planning plus believable characters. Brilliant.

[Gregory C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too long but a fun read

Way longer than it needed to be. But a fun read. A bit dated now. Never thought I’d say this but too much military detail and a bit weak on story

[Dev Purkayastha · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok book

It is relatively well-written. But the plot does not move fast. Good for a lazy afternoon. The romantic sub-plot is a redeeming feature.

[Greg Dunlap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great followup

Good followup.to.Red Phoenix. Kept me turning the pages to see what's next throughout. Recommend for anyone wanting a good action read.

[Seantheaussie · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF due to boredom at 45%