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Dan Lenson #16
Onslaught: The War with China - The Opening Battle
Onslaught chronicles Captain Dan Lenson’s latest challenge as the U.S. Navy struggles to hold Taiwan, Korea, and Japan against a massive Chinese offensive. The domination of Asia and the Western Pacific.As the United States’ computer, satellite, and financial networks are ravaged by coordinated cyberwar attacks, China and its Associated Powers begin to roll up and intimidate American allies, launching invasions of India, Taiwan, South Korea, and Okinawa. USS Savo Island, captained by Lenson, is one of the few forces left to stop them. But with a crew under attack from an unknown assailant aboard their own ship, and rapidly running out of ordnance against waves of enemy missiles and torpedoes, can Dan and his scratch-team task force hold the line? Or will the U.S. lose the Pacific—and perhaps much more—to an aggressive and expansionist new People’s Empire?The most explosive novel yet in the long-running Dan Lenson series, David Poyer's Onslaught follows Tipping Point to unfold an utterly convincing scenario of how a global war with China could unfold.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 6, 2016
99 people are currently reading
370 people want to read
About the author
David Poyer
82 books240 followersAka D.C. Poyer.
DAVID C. POYER was born in DuBois, PA in 1949. He grew up in Brockway, Emlenton, and Bradford, in western Pennsylvania, and graduated from Bradford Area High School in 1967. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1971, and later received a master's degree from George Washington University.
Poyer's active and reserve naval service included sea duty in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Arctic, Caribbean, and Pacific, and shore duty at the Pentagon, Surface Warfare Development Group, Joint Forces Command, and in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. He retired in July 2001.
Poyer began writing in 1976, and is the author of nearly fifty books, including THE MED, THE GULF, THE CIRCLE, THE PASSAGE, TOMAHAWK, CHINA SEA, BLACK STORM, THE COMMAND, THE THREAT, KOREA STRAIT, THE WEAPON, THE CRISIS, THE CRUISER, TIPPING POINT, HUNTER KILLER, DEEP WAR, OVERTHROW, VIOLENT PEACE, ARCTIC SEA, and THE ACADEMY, best-selling Navy novels; THE DEAD OF WINTER, WINTER IN THE HEART, AS THE WOLF LOVES WINTER, THUNDER ON THE MOUNTAIN, and THE HILL, set in Western Pennsylvania; and HATTERAS BLUE, BAHAMAS BLUE, LOUISIANA BLUE, and DOWN TO A SUNLESS SEA, underwater diving adventure.
Other noteworthy books are THE ONLY THING TO FEAR, a historical thriller, THE RETURN OF PHILO T. McGIFFIN, a comic novel of Annapolis, and the three volumes of The Civil War at Sea, FIRE ON THE WATERS, A COUNTRY OF OUR OWN, and THAT ANVIL OF OUR SOULS. He's also written two sailing thrillers, GHOSTING and THE WHITENESS OF THE WHALE. His work has been published in Britain, translated into Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Hugarian, and Serbo-Croatian; recorded for audiobooks, iPod downloads, and Kindle, and selected by the Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club and other book clubs. Rights to several properties have been sold or optioned for films, and two novellas appeared in the Night Bazaar series of fantasy anthologies.
Poyer has taught or lectured at Annapolis, Flagler College, University of Pittsburgh, Old Dominion University, the Armed Forces Staff College, the University of North Florida, Christopher Newport University, and other institutions. He has been a guest on PBS's "Writer to Writer" series and on Voice of America, and has appeared at the Southern Festival of Books and many other literary events. He taught in the MA/MFA in Creative Writing program at Wilkes University for sixteen years. He is currently core faculty at the Ossabaw Writers Retreat, a fellow of the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and a board member of the Northern Appalachia Review.
He lives on Virginia's Eastern Shore with novelist Lenore Hart.
DAVID C. POYER was born in DuBois, PA in 1949. He grew up in Brockway, Emlenton, and Bradford, in western Pennsylvania, and graduated from Bradford Area High School in 1967. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1971, and later received a master's degree from George Washington University.
Poyer's active and reserve naval service included sea duty in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Arctic, Caribbean, and Pacific, and shore duty at the Pentagon, Surface Warfare Development Group, Joint Forces Command, and in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. He retired in July 2001.
Poyer began writing in 1976, and is the author of nearly fifty books, including THE MED, THE GULF, THE CIRCLE, THE PASSAGE, TOMAHAWK, CHINA SEA, BLACK STORM, THE COMMAND, THE THREAT, KOREA STRAIT, THE WEAPON, THE CRISIS, THE CRUISER, TIPPING POINT, HUNTER KILLER, DEEP WAR, OVERTHROW, VIOLENT PEACE, ARCTIC SEA, and THE ACADEMY, best-selling Navy novels; THE DEAD OF WINTER, WINTER IN THE HEART, AS THE WOLF LOVES WINTER, THUNDER ON THE MOUNTAIN, and THE HILL, set in Western Pennsylvania; and HATTERAS BLUE, BAHAMAS BLUE, LOUISIANA BLUE, and DOWN TO A SUNLESS SEA, underwater diving adventure.
Other noteworthy books are THE ONLY THING TO FEAR, a historical thriller, THE RETURN OF PHILO T. McGIFFIN, a comic novel of Annapolis, and the three volumes of The Civil War at Sea, FIRE ON THE WATERS, A COUNTRY OF OUR OWN, and THAT ANVIL OF OUR SOULS. He's also written two sailing thrillers, GHOSTING and THE WHITENESS OF THE WHALE. His work has been published in Britain, translated into Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Hugarian, and Serbo-Croatian; recorded for audiobooks, iPod downloads, and Kindle, and selected by the Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club and other book clubs. Rights to several properties have been sold or optioned for films, and two novellas appeared in the Night Bazaar series of fantasy anthologies.
Poyer has taught or lectured at Annapolis, Flagler College, University of Pittsburgh, Old Dominion University, the Armed Forces Staff College, the University of North Florida, Christopher Newport University, and other institutions. He has been a guest on PBS's "Writer to Writer" series and on Voice of America, and has appeared at the Southern Festival of Books and many other literary events. He taught in the MA/MFA in Creative Writing program at Wilkes University for sixteen years. He is currently core faculty at the Ossabaw Writers Retreat, a fellow of the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and a board member of the Northern Appalachia Review.
He lives on Virginia's Eastern Shore with novelist Lenore Hart.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
August 30, 2020
Poyer continues with Dan Lenson's naval career in Tipping Point then Onslaught plus 3 more books on the same theme - a war with China. This could be a near future reality, a convincing scenario of how a global was with China cold unfold. Dan is Captain of a Guided Missile Cruiser in the South China Sea when China attempts to invade Taiwan, Japan and South Korea. Nuclear weapons are unleashed. Poyer is a great naval writer. If you want to learn about current naval warfare, he is the one to read.
December 10, 2017
The last couple of years have been marked by China's increasingly bold actions in the South China Seas and in the approaches to China from the Pacific. Power's 15th Dan Lenson novel ("Tipping Point") described the onset of the war that could result. The 16th, "Onslaught," describes the beginning and escalation of that war.
Dan Lenson holds the rank of Captain, USN, is a Medal of Honor recipient, and commands the AEGIS missile cruiser "Savo Island." He is a deeply introspective officer who has taken many risks in his career ever since the first book in the series, "The Med." He has not had a conventional career, as he is well aware.
"Most Navy careers, successful ones, ascended as gracefully and predictably as a curve of ballroom stairs. Winding upward to greater responsibility, greater honor, greater rank. . . . his own had been tossed by downsucks and updrafts like a glider in the mountains, heading for the ground one minute, the sky the next. Questionable decisions. Courts of Inquiry. Awards. Letters of reprimand. Dangerous assignments. Unexpected promotions. The one sure thing he could say was, he'd had an eventful career (p. 92)."
And the future seems likely to parallel the past. From anti-piracy and anti-drug smuggling interdiction, to asserting international right of passage in contested areas like the Strait of Hormuz (and asserting by means of force), to preventing missile exchanges between hostile powers due to the special capabilities of the "Savo Island," Lenson is still in the middle of conflict zones. The Chinese claim to great stretches of the South China Sea (which brings China into potential conflict with the Philippines, Japan, the Republic of Vietnam, and, of course, the United States) increases tension levels and raises the stakes higher than ever before. The nerve-wracking issue by the end of "The Tipping Point" was not whether there will be war with China, but whether it will expand from a six-month war to a full-scale war.
At the beginning of "Onslaught," Lenson is de facto commodore of an American/Japanese/Korean force that seeks to deny China access to the Myatko Passage, just as Lenson is tasked with using his ship's antimissile capabilities to protect Taipei from Chinese missiles. And Chinese missiles there are, for the Chinese are finally moving on Taiwan. When the Japanese and Koreans seek to contain the Chinese, the war grows in scope. As usual, Lenson and his crew are the point of an American effort the ultimate purpose of which is unclear. Will his ships be backed by other units? Will he be expected to blunt the Chinese efforts in the absence of explicit orders to do so. Are his ships the NAvy's version of the Alamo?
Poyer (and Peter Deutermann) writes convincingly about the challenges that face the US Navy. He describes the new kinds of ships that are being developed (somewhat like James Cobb did a decade or so ago). He describes naval combat, ship-handling, and even the humdrum of naval life at sea ("Savo Island"and in "Cruiser," before it) in ways that are breathtaking and consistently interesting. In addition to the issues that hold geopolitical significance, Lenson's command is being whittled down in efficiency by the sheer dogged work that is required to keep a fighting ship operational in the face of constant engagement while the ship is endangered both by illness and by the presence of an increasingly bold sexual assaulter. It's the latter issue that highlights the tension between middle management female career officers and the male chiefs who run the crew. And then there's the issue of communications failures. By the time that the novel ends, the Savo Island faces ever-escalating naval responsibilities while it is losing its edge. All of these complications make the next novel in the series critical in many ways.
To complicate things, there is a sexual marauder among the crew of the Savo City, one that is escalating his tactics and intentions steadily from fondling to rape to attempted murder. How ;long until murder? An NCIS agent, an Islamic woman, is aboard the ship and is increasingly challenged by a very clever antagonist who is willing to flaunt his cleverness. And the novel's final plot elements involve a rapidly deteriorating economic and social situation within the US as seen through the lens of Lenson's wife, Blair Titus, and a harrowing SEAL mission to a Chinese-claimed island in the Senyukus. The combination of elements sometimes seems like one too many balls in the air, but the final product is a genuinely exciting novel that points at what seems like an ell too possible future.
As is true of a lot of series that I've admired, the Lenson series's individual books may get 4 stars, but the series as a whole gets 5.
NOTE: I just did a quick reread because I want to hit the next book at flank speed.
Dan Lenson holds the rank of Captain, USN, is a Medal of Honor recipient, and commands the AEGIS missile cruiser "Savo Island." He is a deeply introspective officer who has taken many risks in his career ever since the first book in the series, "The Med." He has not had a conventional career, as he is well aware.
"Most Navy careers, successful ones, ascended as gracefully and predictably as a curve of ballroom stairs. Winding upward to greater responsibility, greater honor, greater rank. . . . his own had been tossed by downsucks and updrafts like a glider in the mountains, heading for the ground one minute, the sky the next. Questionable decisions. Courts of Inquiry. Awards. Letters of reprimand. Dangerous assignments. Unexpected promotions. The one sure thing he could say was, he'd had an eventful career (p. 92)."
And the future seems likely to parallel the past. From anti-piracy and anti-drug smuggling interdiction, to asserting international right of passage in contested areas like the Strait of Hormuz (and asserting by means of force), to preventing missile exchanges between hostile powers due to the special capabilities of the "Savo Island," Lenson is still in the middle of conflict zones. The Chinese claim to great stretches of the South China Sea (which brings China into potential conflict with the Philippines, Japan, the Republic of Vietnam, and, of course, the United States) increases tension levels and raises the stakes higher than ever before. The nerve-wracking issue by the end of "The Tipping Point" was not whether there will be war with China, but whether it will expand from a six-month war to a full-scale war.
At the beginning of "Onslaught," Lenson is de facto commodore of an American/Japanese/Korean force that seeks to deny China access to the Myatko Passage, just as Lenson is tasked with using his ship's antimissile capabilities to protect Taipei from Chinese missiles. And Chinese missiles there are, for the Chinese are finally moving on Taiwan. When the Japanese and Koreans seek to contain the Chinese, the war grows in scope. As usual, Lenson and his crew are the point of an American effort the ultimate purpose of which is unclear. Will his ships be backed by other units? Will he be expected to blunt the Chinese efforts in the absence of explicit orders to do so. Are his ships the NAvy's version of the Alamo?
Poyer (and Peter Deutermann) writes convincingly about the challenges that face the US Navy. He describes the new kinds of ships that are being developed (somewhat like James Cobb did a decade or so ago). He describes naval combat, ship-handling, and even the humdrum of naval life at sea ("Savo Island"and in "Cruiser," before it) in ways that are breathtaking and consistently interesting. In addition to the issues that hold geopolitical significance, Lenson's command is being whittled down in efficiency by the sheer dogged work that is required to keep a fighting ship operational in the face of constant engagement while the ship is endangered both by illness and by the presence of an increasingly bold sexual assaulter. It's the latter issue that highlights the tension between middle management female career officers and the male chiefs who run the crew. And then there's the issue of communications failures. By the time that the novel ends, the Savo Island faces ever-escalating naval responsibilities while it is losing its edge. All of these complications make the next novel in the series critical in many ways.
To complicate things, there is a sexual marauder among the crew of the Savo City, one that is escalating his tactics and intentions steadily from fondling to rape to attempted murder. How ;long until murder? An NCIS agent, an Islamic woman, is aboard the ship and is increasingly challenged by a very clever antagonist who is willing to flaunt his cleverness. And the novel's final plot elements involve a rapidly deteriorating economic and social situation within the US as seen through the lens of Lenson's wife, Blair Titus, and a harrowing SEAL mission to a Chinese-claimed island in the Senyukus. The combination of elements sometimes seems like one too many balls in the air, but the final product is a genuinely exciting novel that points at what seems like an ell too possible future.
As is true of a lot of series that I've admired, the Lenson series's individual books may get 4 stars, but the series as a whole gets 5.
NOTE: I just did a quick reread because I want to hit the next book at flank speed.
April 7, 2021
This is actually Book 16 of the Dan Lenson series, but Book 1 of the War with China sub-series. I have not read the previous books but skipped straight to this one as the China theme is more relevant given the times we are in.
Dan Lenson is a US naval captain/commander and as the title suggests, this book covers the initial stage of the war where the opening shots are fired. As expected, it is very US biased, painting the Chinese premier as a power-crazy megalomaniac who will not hesitate to unleash total nuclear devastation to achieve his aim of establishing a global "People's Empire of China". This despite the fact that China, in the real world, has not actually attacked or invaded any other country in yonks, while the same can't be said for the US.
But anyway, I still found the story very readable, with good pacing and the added bonus of a simultaneous crime-mystery happening onboard ship. There are a lot of technical terms which navy types would salivate at, but people like me can easily skim over without having our enjoyment or understanding of what's going on affected. I have immediately gone on to read "Hunter-Killer", the next book in this series, which is something I rarely do, preferring instead a change of genre between books.
Dan Lenson is a US naval captain/commander and as the title suggests, this book covers the initial stage of the war where the opening shots are fired. As expected, it is very US biased, painting the Chinese premier as a power-crazy megalomaniac who will not hesitate to unleash total nuclear devastation to achieve his aim of establishing a global "People's Empire of China". This despite the fact that China, in the real world, has not actually attacked or invaded any other country in yonks, while the same can't be said for the US.
But anyway, I still found the story very readable, with good pacing and the added bonus of a simultaneous crime-mystery happening onboard ship. There are a lot of technical terms which navy types would salivate at, but people like me can easily skim over without having our enjoyment or understanding of what's going on affected. I have immediately gone on to read "Hunter-Killer", the next book in this series, which is something I rarely do, preferring instead a change of genre between books.
December 20, 2016
The author has returned Dan Lenson where is belong, aboard a US Naval Ship at sea in action! I personally have not cared for the character of the NIC Agent, nor all her thought processes. The Rapist I had long ago fingered and the author gets weak when going away from his Naval Seamen and Officers which is his great strength! We know we are going to be left with another novel to come with our valiant, but worn down Captain, his crew and heavily damaged ship needing a lot of ship yard time to replace her bows and other structural and systems damages, restock with weapon load out and supplies while getting some much needed rest. In this book they are literally the tip and head of the spear to only have the shaft and rest of our spear shattered and broken! Will our hero face a Court of Inquiry for his understanding of his Rules of Engagement, or will he simply face an angry Admiral who had sat in the rear area while his only ships were forward in the thick of it under a commander who wears our nation's highest award, The Medal of Honor? Obie, our POW Master Chief SEAL is husbanding his body restoring and shoring up his injured leg. We are all expecting his escape, spreading havoc, death and destruction to China's nuclear production ability, but will he live to return to us? When and where will the hard charging Korean Admiral show up next with his ships, to save Capt Lenson from a trial, or at sea coordinating the defeat of their enemy in a heroic ship surface battle of the modern Navy with their stand off capability. With much of our technology useless isn't now the time for real sea commander's to take command of our naval forces using the old tried and true seamanship our Navy was so famed for? The next book should be a real humdinger and hopefully wraps up this phase of Captain Lenson's tour as Captain of this heroic ship bringing her home to San Diego, her crew safe and sound and hopefully another ship and bridge for Captain, or dare we hope Commodore or even Admiral Lenson???? Keep our hero at sea and your readers will love you for it!!!
August 4, 2019
So, not my usual kind of read. I mean check out that cover. Explosions and guys in wetsuits packing weapons.
I’m quite interested in the Chinese rise in the Pacific and a friend of my suggested I read this and the next two books in the series which describes a new war with China.
Poyer’s writing is pretty good and I found much of what he wrote was plausible.
I’m quite interested in the Chinese rise in the Pacific and a friend of my suggested I read this and the next two books in the series which describes a new war with China.
Poyer’s writing is pretty good and I found much of what he wrote was plausible.
August 2, 2020
Onslaught suffers from a number of problems, including divergent narratives that never get tied together. The supposed primary plot of a major conflict with China is largely glossed over, with surprisingly little detail or care dedicated to the most potentially interesting elements of the story. By contrast, the author wastes many tedious pages on bland subplots which do not receive any sort of satisfactory resolution.
This book was enough of a disappointment to convince this reader to avoid David Poyer's other works.
This book was enough of a disappointment to convince this reader to avoid David Poyer's other works.
November 15, 2016
David Poyer's publisher sent me a proof copy of this book in hopes I would comment on it. I was a little hesitant since it is a "big war" story, and such books tend to be a bit on the fantastic side, and their authors often seem to be motivated by a smug confidence that they know better than their readers how things really work.
I very quickly became impressed with David Poyer's most recent naval adventure novel. Not necessarily because he knows more about the modern navy than I do, there's no doubt about that, but more because he has got a real talent for taking a complicated situation and showing how many different people are affected by the big events.
Poyer has written fifteen novels about a US naval officer named Dan Lenson and shown his hero dealing with a lot of different crises. In Onslaught, Lenson is in command of a naval squadron in the East China Sea just as the leader of communist China decides to launch a new militaristic dynasty by annexing Taiwan, Okinawa and a slew of other small but strategic islands. The US is caught flatfooted and Lenson has to desperately put together a response to Chinese aggression without clear direction from the political leadershib or adequate resources, such as fuel and ammunition. There's plenty of story in just this scenario, but Poyer doesn't stop there. He uses other characters very deftly to fill out the picture. We see Washington through the eyes of Lenson's wife, a defense expert who is also running for Congress; the complexities of shipboard life by following an NCIS investigator trying to track down a rapist; the extreme dangers of a career in the Navy SEALS and the high price of failure.
Poyer is a good storyteller, with a talent for explaining weapons systems, international politics and a variety of characters. I got hooked and read it at top speed.
February 7, 2017
Poyer is an excellent author and master of the Naval thriller. Very well written.
February 17, 2024
There have been numerous thriller novels about a future war with China. David Poyer's War with China series are the best I have read. Unlike most novels that tackle the subject, Poyer sees the war as a multi-year effort and he makes a convincing case for this here. This series give a serious treatment on the topic of what a modern war would mean for civilisation as they tackle multiple issues such as the effect on democracy, economics, the internet and culture. The major concession Poyer gives the Chinese is a larger nuclear arsenal and great sea lift capability than in reality. Besides that the setting seems shockingly plausible.
Unlike many of his previous novels which mainly focused the crews of Navy ships, Poyer employs a cast of characters from multiple professions. This gives the reader a look at the developing war from multiple angles. The only previous novel I had read by Poyer with land forces was "the Med" where I did not find the land combat terribly convincing. Also, sorry to say but most books about Navy SEALs suck. So I had low expectations for the SEAL story arc. I was surprised and it turned out to be genuinely gripping. In fact nearly all the arcs are strong here except for the ongoing sexual assault investigation from the previous book. Readers might recall that the offender's identity was given to readers in that book. Well, that seems to be forgotten and the investigation begins again. At least the JAG investigator is a good character but really this arc should have been left in the previous book.
Action scenes are great. There are a few cool pieces of technology in this one. One thing I think Poyer does really well is how the characters do not have perfect information of events in the wider war. In Clancy novels events follow a predictable pattern and the outcome is always certain. Allies are allies and enemies are enemies. In this series the military doesn't even know what their own politicians war goals are, let alone what their allies are up to. It seems much more consistent with accounts of World War two.
I recommend the whole series for anyone with an interest in modern naval warfare and relations between the US and China.
Unlike many of his previous novels which mainly focused the crews of Navy ships, Poyer employs a cast of characters from multiple professions. This gives the reader a look at the developing war from multiple angles. The only previous novel I had read by Poyer with land forces was "the Med" where I did not find the land combat terribly convincing. Also, sorry to say but most books about Navy SEALs suck. So I had low expectations for the SEAL story arc. I was surprised and it turned out to be genuinely gripping. In fact nearly all the arcs are strong here except for the ongoing sexual assault investigation from the previous book. Readers might recall that the offender's identity was given to readers in that book. Well, that seems to be forgotten and the investigation begins again. At least the JAG investigator is a good character but really this arc should have been left in the previous book.
Action scenes are great. There are a few cool pieces of technology in this one. One thing I think Poyer does really well is how the characters do not have perfect information of events in the wider war. In Clancy novels events follow a predictable pattern and the outcome is always certain. Allies are allies and enemies are enemies. In this series the military doesn't even know what their own politicians war goals are, let alone what their allies are up to. It seems much more consistent with accounts of World War two.
I recommend the whole series for anyone with an interest in modern naval warfare and relations between the US and China.
July 2, 2021
War finally erupts in David Poyer's “Onslaught,” the follow-up to “Tipping Point.” The People's Republic of China launches an invasion force against Taiwan and also engages in battle with Japanese and South Korean naval units. Dan Lenson's command, USS “Savo Island” provides what support it can, but is constrained by naval higher-ups. Teddy Oberg, a Navy SEAL and a character in some of the previous Dan Lenson books, takes part in a SEAL mission against a Chinese-held island. NCIS Special Agent Aisha Ar-Rahim, another character from previous Dan Lenson books, is dispatched to USS “Savo Island” to investigate the spate of sexual assaults plaguing the ship. Back in the States, Dan's wife Blair Titus witnesses rioting, stockpiling, looting, and lawlessness as average Americans fear the worst. Dan awaits the arrival of a U.S. carrier task force to take some of the pressure off his command. But then China ups the ante by attacking the carrier task force with a nuclear missile... Poyer paints a bleak and realistic picture of a world on the brink of all-out war. The story arc continues in “Hunter Killer.”
April 9, 2019
Power strikes again
As we continue to follow the interesting career of Dan Lenson (one that would have any other on the beach with no career) the Conflict with China over various islands, Taiwan, and anything else China thinks they have a right to, kicks off. On top of everything going on…Dan has to deal with dubious orders, coalition forces (with different agendas – no surprise), a non-committal Chain of Command (including a soft and conflicted political arm), a rape investigation, and a PITA tech advisor from JHU. Our hero continues to maintain focus and fight his ship and task force. The opening installment makes on want to read more and see where this finally goes.
As we continue to follow the interesting career of Dan Lenson (one that would have any other on the beach with no career) the Conflict with China over various islands, Taiwan, and anything else China thinks they have a right to, kicks off. On top of everything going on…Dan has to deal with dubious orders, coalition forces (with different agendas – no surprise), a non-committal Chain of Command (including a soft and conflicted political arm), a rape investigation, and a PITA tech advisor from JHU. Our hero continues to maintain focus and fight his ship and task force. The opening installment makes on want to read more and see where this finally goes.
June 10, 2023
Commanding Officer Dan Lenson of the U.S. naval war vessel Savo Island finds himself and his crew in the unenviable position of standing in the way of a massive Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Worse, their orders from Pacific Fleet don't coincide with the dangerous situation that is developing. Needless to say, Lenson makes decisions he personally believes are in the best interests of the U.S. and its allies. Those decisions inevitably leave Savo Island and other ships in their convoy vulnerable. Meanwhile, a rapist is running amok on Lenson's ship threatening female crew members, and nobody knows this person's true identity. Lots of powerful moments. Another great book in this great series.
August 20, 2022
A very heavy read for someone who has no naval background. Often got lost in the jargon and the military data. The sudden changes from aboard a cruiser in a war zone to investigating an onboard rapist to the scenes in political Washington kept me from being clear about what related to what. Difficult to keep track too of the characters, especially those aboard the ship, especially when they were referred to by one or other of their names, nicknames, or ranks, often within the same paragraph. But a tense story that kept me plugging along.
May 7, 2017
This is a serious book for people who want to understand the seriousness of modern warfare, a war that the US may not win. Ripped from the front pages of today's newspaper, this pits Dan Lenson, CO of the Aegis cruiser USS Savo Island against an enemy at sea fully the match for the US, who has spent decades preparing for this moment... not to mention, enemies at home, ready to undercut commanders in the field at every step. I can vouch for the technical accuracy.
May 27, 2018
I don’t care for “alternative universe” or “future” naval fiction, but Poyer painted Captain Dan Lenson into a corner—no way he was going to advance to Flag rank with his record—so the author invented a war with China. This is the first of three (I think) books that, as usual, spends time on the parallel advancement of Lenson’s and his wife Blair’s career advancement.
October 2, 2018
A new battle begins with China as the aggressor. They open with a nuclear blow that wipes out a carrier group and kills 10,000 sailors and marines. This is a battle that seems to be hopeless and ends with the outcome in doubt. This leaves you hanging for the next in the series to see how the war progresses.
January 31, 2019
Not a bad naval battle yarn, with an interesting look at a power grab in china that leads to a breakout of hostilities. Also interesting to see how our allies react as well. Only problem is this is the first in a series of three books to tell the China vs. US conflict. One well done longer book would have been better IMHO.
February 19, 2019
This is the first book of the series I have read.
It’s a very solid book and I don’t think I’ve missed anything too important from not reading the earlier books, as far as I can tell anyway.
The writing is nicely paced and action sequences are compelling.
I will be reading the next book(s) in the series.
It’s a very solid book and I don’t think I’ve missed anything too important from not reading the earlier books, as far as I can tell anyway.
The writing is nicely paced and action sequences are compelling.
I will be reading the next book(s) in the series.
December 1, 2017
When Poyer's book arrive on the door step, nothing else gets read until I'm done. Dan Lenson is a hero. Poyer's books drip with naval authenticity and he nails the Washington DC political intrigue perfectly. Do yourself a favor and start the Lesson series from the beginning.
March 1, 2018
Ok book to read
I got lost in the storyline kept on reading it got better I would say I am maybe interested in the storyline to keep on reading the storyline of more of the books they are ok I have read two of the books now.
I got lost in the storyline kept on reading it got better I would say I am maybe interested in the storyline to keep on reading the storyline of more of the books they are ok I have read two of the books now.
October 21, 2018
Dan does it again.
Dan Lenson captain, is a star in his future? Following his career has been exciting. Hearing his inner thoughts has been very interesting. Cannot wait for the next chapter in his life.
Dan Lenson captain, is a star in his future? Following his career has been exciting. Hearing his inner thoughts has been very interesting. Cannot wait for the next chapter in his life.
November 3, 2019
I'm a big fan of the Lenson series and his take on the modern navy. I really like the A story. My only complaint and what is making this 4 stars instead of 5 is I'm just not a fan of the B, C, and D stories. Maybe they will become more important in later books.
January 27, 2024
Okay, I actually was 100% unaware of how many people seem not to like this nation-state. The reason I even somewhat was okay with this book is that I am aware someone in my family might have told me similar things. It's not something I'm proud of reading.
April 15, 2025
Lenson continues to impress as a commander and leader under Poyer's careful management. The characters are good and the plot proceeds apace. Realistic scenarios add to the mix to make this another great story. Highly recommended.
June 4, 2017
good book but you want to start the series first
October 17, 2017
Interesting Techno thriller!! Will definitely read the next in the series.
October 21, 2017
Well done for a future historical fiction series. Very realistic war scenario with China.
February 2, 2018
Way too technical
I'm a retired senior and the book has way too much technical information for the average reader. I enjoy reading a book that has an ending. This did not.
I'm a retired senior and the book has way too much technical information for the average reader. I enjoy reading a book that has an ending. This did not.
August 3, 2018
Very good realistic action thriller
January 18, 2019
As usual, Daniel V. Lenson's attention to honor leads him into a very tight situation. And left out to swing in the wind...
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