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Invasion #1
Invasion
A truck bomb obliterates Downing Street. Airliners are blasted from the skies. Terror attacks cripple central London...
THE INVASION HAS BEGUN.
Prime Minister Harry Beecham has escaped death by a whisker. The government has collapsed, and London is a war zone. His only option is to flee the city - if he can find a way out.
Escorted by his SAS close-protection team, Harry must head for a secret government complex hidden beneath the west country hills, but as they attempt their perilous escape through the besieged city, Harry realises that the target is not just London…
It’s Europe itself.
As England buckles before the might of the Caliphate’s onslaught, the eye of the storm shifts to the north, where scattered British forces are gathering along an ancient border, stockpiling arms and ammunition and digging in deep as they await the final, bloody battle for survival.
A battle they must win so that millions can survive.
THE INVASION HAS BEGUN.
Prime Minister Harry Beecham has escaped death by a whisker. The government has collapsed, and London is a war zone. His only option is to flee the city - if he can find a way out.
Escorted by his SAS close-protection team, Harry must head for a secret government complex hidden beneath the west country hills, but as they attempt their perilous escape through the besieged city, Harry realises that the target is not just London…
It’s Europe itself.
As England buckles before the might of the Caliphate’s onslaught, the eye of the storm shifts to the north, where scattered British forces are gathering along an ancient border, stockpiling arms and ammunition and digging in deep as they await the final, bloody battle for survival.
A battle they must win so that millions can survive.
ebook
First published January 14, 2013
About the author
D.C. Alden
17 books97 followersDC Alden is a UK-based Amazon best-selling author, screenwriter, and award-winning writer/director whose gripping thrillers pull no punches. A former soldier and police officer, he brings raw authenticity and insider insight to every page, blending real-world geopolitics with edge-of-your-seat storytelling.
Fascinated by power, corruption, and the unseen machinery of global events, DC weaves bold, thought-provoking tales where ordinary people are thrust into extraordinary—and often brutal—situations. His stories are dark, cinematic, and unapologetically intense, exploring the razor’s edge between survival and collapse.
He writes military, political, and sci-fi thrillers with a hard-hitting realism that stays with you long after the final page. Step into his world… if you dare.
Fascinated by power, corruption, and the unseen machinery of global events, DC weaves bold, thought-provoking tales where ordinary people are thrust into extraordinary—and often brutal—situations. His stories are dark, cinematic, and unapologetically intense, exploring the razor’s edge between survival and collapse.
He writes military, political, and sci-fi thrillers with a hard-hitting realism that stays with you long after the final page. Step into his world… if you dare.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews
June 5, 2020
Unbelievable Racist crap. DNF
May 12, 2026
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, D.C. Alden, and Boldwood Books for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
I went into this ARC having never read D.C. Alden before, and it did not take long for the story to make its mark. This is political thriller territory at full throttle—where stability collapses, institutions buckle, and the line between crisis and catastrophe vanishes almost instantly. From the opening pages, the stakes are sky-high, and Alden refuses to let the tension drop.
After a wave of coordinated terrorist attacks, the United Kingdom is thrust into chaos. Prime Minister Harry Beecham barely escapes 10 Downing Street and suddenly finds himself not just fighting for political survival, but for his life. London may have been struck, but it quickly becomes clear the capital was only the beginning. As Europe begins to unravel and evidence points to a deeper, more calculated strategy, the threat expands far beyond anything initially imagined. And if that weren’t enough, a domestic power struggle threatens to dismantle what little structure remains. The country is fractured, trust is eroding, and Beecham must navigate both external terror and internal betrayal while trying to stay one step ahead.
What makes this debut so compelling is its relentless pacing. Short chapters keep the momentum sharp and the narrative urgent. There’s no wasted space—each scene pushes the story forward, escalating the danger and tightening the noose around its characters. The depiction of the attacks feels immediate and immersive, placing the reader squarely in the middle of unfolding catastrophe.
As the tension climbs toward the climax, the story doesn’t so much end as it detonates into possibilities, leaving threads deliberately open and setting the stage for what promises to be a volatile series.
Prime Minister Beecham stands out as a leader under unimaginable pressure. He’s not portrayed as infallible, but as determined—forced to adapt quickly in a landscape where the rules have changed overnight. Surrounded by a small but committed group of SAS operatives, he becomes part strategist, part fugitive, racing to reach safety and regroup while the nation teeters on the brink. The antagonists are equally formidable—calculated, prepared, and disturbingly methodical in their execution. The interplay between them creates a constant sense of unpredictability that keeps the reader guessing.
The plot never lingers. Twists arrive with purpose, reshaping assumptions and pushing the narrative into darker territory. Just when you think you understand the scope of the threat, it expands again. The scale feels cataclysmic, yet grounded in a way that makes it unsettlingly plausible. That balance between action-driven storytelling and geopolitical consequence is what makes this novel stand out.
This is a gritty, fast-paced, high-stakes political thriller that delivers on intensity and momentum. It leaves you eager for the next installment, not just because of the cliffhanger, but because the world Alden has built feels too large—and too dangerous—to abandon. If this debut is any indication, the series is only getting started, and the fallout promises to be explosive.
Kudos, Mr. Alden, for a great start to what I hope is a powerful series.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at: http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
I went into this ARC having never read D.C. Alden before, and it did not take long for the story to make its mark. This is political thriller territory at full throttle—where stability collapses, institutions buckle, and the line between crisis and catastrophe vanishes almost instantly. From the opening pages, the stakes are sky-high, and Alden refuses to let the tension drop.
After a wave of coordinated terrorist attacks, the United Kingdom is thrust into chaos. Prime Minister Harry Beecham barely escapes 10 Downing Street and suddenly finds himself not just fighting for political survival, but for his life. London may have been struck, but it quickly becomes clear the capital was only the beginning. As Europe begins to unravel and evidence points to a deeper, more calculated strategy, the threat expands far beyond anything initially imagined. And if that weren’t enough, a domestic power struggle threatens to dismantle what little structure remains. The country is fractured, trust is eroding, and Beecham must navigate both external terror and internal betrayal while trying to stay one step ahead.
What makes this debut so compelling is its relentless pacing. Short chapters keep the momentum sharp and the narrative urgent. There’s no wasted space—each scene pushes the story forward, escalating the danger and tightening the noose around its characters. The depiction of the attacks feels immediate and immersive, placing the reader squarely in the middle of unfolding catastrophe.
As the tension climbs toward the climax, the story doesn’t so much end as it detonates into possibilities, leaving threads deliberately open and setting the stage for what promises to be a volatile series.
Prime Minister Beecham stands out as a leader under unimaginable pressure. He’s not portrayed as infallible, but as determined—forced to adapt quickly in a landscape where the rules have changed overnight. Surrounded by a small but committed group of SAS operatives, he becomes part strategist, part fugitive, racing to reach safety and regroup while the nation teeters on the brink. The antagonists are equally formidable—calculated, prepared, and disturbingly methodical in their execution. The interplay between them creates a constant sense of unpredictability that keeps the reader guessing.
The plot never lingers. Twists arrive with purpose, reshaping assumptions and pushing the narrative into darker territory. Just when you think you understand the scope of the threat, it expands again. The scale feels cataclysmic, yet grounded in a way that makes it unsettlingly plausible. That balance between action-driven storytelling and geopolitical consequence is what makes this novel stand out.
This is a gritty, fast-paced, high-stakes political thriller that delivers on intensity and momentum. It leaves you eager for the next installment, not just because of the cliffhanger, but because the world Alden has built feels too large—and too dangerous—to abandon. If this debut is any indication, the series is only getting started, and the fallout promises to be explosive.
Kudos, Mr. Alden, for a great start to what I hope is a powerful series.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at: http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
December 18, 2012
A book that is well written within the boundaries of its genre. The premise though is so far fetched and so down right silly that it loses maybe 2 stars. The underlying Islamophobia that permeates the book is also off putting.
In a series of swift, well coordinated terrorist/black-op/military operations Europe is caught off guard and taken over by a Caliphate that stretches from Morocco to Pakistan. Russia (once referred to as the USSR) and Turkey join in on the attack.
The geopolitics of this are just dumb. Shia will join with Sunni in an enormous empire with one leader who is called "the Holy one": Really? That admittedly is not gone into that much because it is just not going to happen. And oh yes this a by product of the Arab Spring 20 years earlier.
The other silly part is that it is simply not possible for 500 or 600 surprise attacks across the whole of Europe to actually happen without some sort of intel getting out before hand. A continent the size of Europe is not militarily defeated in a few months by surprise attack.
So forgetting the silliness and implied nutty racism, the story is quite well written and is a page turner. Not great literature and certainly not in the league of La Carre but for a pot boiler not bad.
In a series of swift, well coordinated terrorist/black-op/military operations Europe is caught off guard and taken over by a Caliphate that stretches from Morocco to Pakistan. Russia (once referred to as the USSR) and Turkey join in on the attack.
The geopolitics of this are just dumb. Shia will join with Sunni in an enormous empire with one leader who is called "the Holy one": Really? That admittedly is not gone into that much because it is just not going to happen. And oh yes this a by product of the Arab Spring 20 years earlier.
The other silly part is that it is simply not possible for 500 or 600 surprise attacks across the whole of Europe to actually happen without some sort of intel getting out before hand. A continent the size of Europe is not militarily defeated in a few months by surprise attack.
So forgetting the silliness and implied nutty racism, the story is quite well written and is a page turner. Not great literature and certainly not in the league of La Carre but for a pot boiler not bad.
November 12, 2015
Read this book on holiday and whilst it has some flaws, not least in terms of the technicalities of military hardware (and as a veteran these are important to me) the fact is that it scared the **** out of me.
Make no mistake, not only is this a reasonable thriller, it's a thought provoking read and one I'd highly recommend.
Make no mistake, not only is this a reasonable thriller, it's a thought provoking read and one I'd highly recommend.
May 21, 2013
A rollicking good read. 'Invasion' had me hooked from the first couple of pages all the way through to the end. Superior and more sophisticated than Tom Clancy. Almost too gripping; I'd pick it up with the idea of reading just a few pages and find myself still at it at 04:00.
It ought to be made required reading for anyone in charge of Britain's defense. Let us hope to God or Allah that DC Alden's prescience is fallible.
It ought to be made required reading for anyone in charge of Britain's defense. Let us hope to God or Allah that DC Alden's prescience is fallible.
February 7, 2023
Wow….just wow
August 7, 2013
I didnt think I would like this book, it seemed too implausible when I read the other reviews and info but this book was brilliant, I could not put it down and read it very quickly.
SPOILER ALERT!!!!
The plot is that a new religious leader has united all of the Muslim countries from Morocco in the West to Pakistan and Afghanistan in the east to Somalia in the south. (Central Asia is never mentioned.) This new Empire is called "Arabia". Somehow all the internal problems of poverty, civil war, corruption, dictators, greed, etc which dog many of these countries at the moment are solved, along with Israel. Perhaps a little too simply but that's not the story/focus for this book.
Once this is done the leader of Arabia turns his eyes towards Europe and plans a huge assault on mainland Europe as a whole and Britain in particular as the UK is seen as being a potential problem if not addressed quickly. So with the help of Russia who is bribed to help, attacking in the east, Turkey (which is given the role of a Trojan horse - already in the EU and NATO and trusted) attacking in the south and very significantly with the assistance of Muslims living in the target countries; Somalis, Chechens, Pakistanis, Arabs, etc. who have been supplied with a lot of serious weapons and who then cause chaos by attacking Power stations, the Army, Police, transport and importantly all communication systems along with general random attacks of terror to paralyse each country in turn.
I don't want to give anything more away but it seems terrifyingly believable and makes you wonder how vulnerable we are in the west! Of course there is no unified Muslim federation to threaten Europe and Turkey is a trusted secular ally of long standing. (Not sure about Putin and Russia at the moment though) But read the book and see what you think.
If you did enjoy this book check out Colin Gee's Red Gambit Series, Stuart Slade's "The Big One", Harvey Black's "The Red Effect", S M Stirling's brilliant "The Peshawar Lancers", Guy Saville's "The Afrika Reich" and Andy Johnnson's "Seelowe Nord - The Germans are coming".
SPOILER ALERT!!!!
The plot is that a new religious leader has united all of the Muslim countries from Morocco in the West to Pakistan and Afghanistan in the east to Somalia in the south. (Central Asia is never mentioned.) This new Empire is called "Arabia". Somehow all the internal problems of poverty, civil war, corruption, dictators, greed, etc which dog many of these countries at the moment are solved, along with Israel. Perhaps a little too simply but that's not the story/focus for this book.
Once this is done the leader of Arabia turns his eyes towards Europe and plans a huge assault on mainland Europe as a whole and Britain in particular as the UK is seen as being a potential problem if not addressed quickly. So with the help of Russia who is bribed to help, attacking in the east, Turkey (which is given the role of a Trojan horse - already in the EU and NATO and trusted) attacking in the south and very significantly with the assistance of Muslims living in the target countries; Somalis, Chechens, Pakistanis, Arabs, etc. who have been supplied with a lot of serious weapons and who then cause chaos by attacking Power stations, the Army, Police, transport and importantly all communication systems along with general random attacks of terror to paralyse each country in turn.
I don't want to give anything more away but it seems terrifyingly believable and makes you wonder how vulnerable we are in the west! Of course there is no unified Muslim federation to threaten Europe and Turkey is a trusted secular ally of long standing. (Not sure about Putin and Russia at the moment though) But read the book and see what you think.
If you did enjoy this book check out Colin Gee's Red Gambit Series, Stuart Slade's "The Big One", Harvey Black's "The Red Effect", S M Stirling's brilliant "The Peshawar Lancers", Guy Saville's "The Afrika Reich" and Andy Johnnson's "Seelowe Nord - The Germans are coming".
Read
May 10, 2016Although it contains a few technical errors in terms of military applications, this is one of the most thought provoking, if not terrifying, books I've read in a long time.
I'm not going to go over the plot or post any spoilers but one only has to look at what has been going on throughout Europe over the last year or so to wonder just how far fetched a scenario actually is.
I'm not going to go over the plot or post any spoilers but one only has to look at what has been going on throughout Europe over the last year or so to wonder just how far fetched a scenario actually is.
May 28, 2017
Action thriller set in post War England. The Islamic state has won. Now the problems are cropping up.
March 21, 2018
An InfoWars publication?
This honestly has to be one of the worst books I've read. The language is stilted, the plot absurd, with the author so busy projecting his own paranoid delusions onto orhers, it destroys what little credible writing there is.
A particular standout section at the in the first chapter reveals the authors ignorance and mentality:
"And there were many others like him in the French government, Mousa knew, appeasers, liberals and hard-core socialists whose national self-hatred would be manipulated to the Caliphate’s advantage. And by the time they realised what the future held for them, it would be too late."
Absolute bunk, but an article of faith for the far right raised on a diet of ignorance, intolerance, and fear driven by inadequacy and a feeling of innate superiority. Based on the writing in this book, the authors skills barely show competence.
Avoid, unless you're looking for a 3rd rate military fairytale to pander to insecurities.
This honestly has to be one of the worst books I've read. The language is stilted, the plot absurd, with the author so busy projecting his own paranoid delusions onto orhers, it destroys what little credible writing there is.
A particular standout section at the in the first chapter reveals the authors ignorance and mentality:
"And there were many others like him in the French government, Mousa knew, appeasers, liberals and hard-core socialists whose national self-hatred would be manipulated to the Caliphate’s advantage. And by the time they realised what the future held for them, it would be too late."
Absolute bunk, but an article of faith for the far right raised on a diet of ignorance, intolerance, and fear driven by inadequacy and a feeling of innate superiority. Based on the writing in this book, the authors skills barely show competence.
Avoid, unless you're looking for a 3rd rate military fairytale to pander to insecurities.
September 11, 2019
I’m a sucker for a bit of military action in a book and this had loads. The plot itself was an interesting premise and made for a good ‘what if?’
What marred this story for me was the full on Right Wing rhetoric espoused by a number of the British characters. I couldn’t work out if this was actually the beliefs of the author or if he’d just done a great job of getting into the mindset of the f****d up nut jobs which are popping up left right and centre these days. If this book was a baby, it’s the bastard son of a certain controversial Right Wing female newspaper columnist and the well known leader of a British far right group.
If it were a recipe book the only recipe it contained was Hate Cake and I’m feeling pretty sick from eating too much...
All in all what could of been an enjoyable military thriller was brought down by some unpleasant Right Wing ideology...
What marred this story for me was the full on Right Wing rhetoric espoused by a number of the British characters. I couldn’t work out if this was actually the beliefs of the author or if he’d just done a great job of getting into the mindset of the f****d up nut jobs which are popping up left right and centre these days. If this book was a baby, it’s the bastard son of a certain controversial Right Wing female newspaper columnist and the well known leader of a British far right group.
If it were a recipe book the only recipe it contained was Hate Cake and I’m feeling pretty sick from eating too much...
All in all what could of been an enjoyable military thriller was brought down by some unpleasant Right Wing ideology...
May 10, 2014
I'm torn with this book, I enjoyed the read, it had my blood boiling and I was really rooting for the losing side but it's simply unbelievable that this could happen on such a scale as is written here. Had it been on a smaller scale I could have believed it.
That said and as I said above I quite enjoyed it, it made me uncomfortable in the way it presents certain religions but I guess that's what it set out to do...
That said and as I said above I quite enjoyed it, it made me uncomfortable in the way it presents certain religions but I guess that's what it set out to do...
October 30, 2015
The idea behind this book is better than the story written. I enjoy possible future visions of what may be and whilst I did enjoy this novel, I feel that it got somewhat rushed towards the end, jumping forward in time with many questions unanswered. Feel that a sequel may be intended in the future and I would like to see this happen.
Ray Smillie
Ray Smillie
August 28, 2013
Fast moving thriller with an imagined invasion set in the future. Too much information on weapons but other than that a good read
October 4, 2013
excellent book, couldn't put it down
Read
March 8, 2014I loved this book. What a read!
just hope their will be a sequel
just hope their will be a sequel
August 4, 2014
wow!!! what a story...not my usual read, but boy am I glad I did...loved every page, perfectly told story!
March 10, 2015
Highly improbable, but a ripping good read nonetheless.
October 13, 2015
Very good, keeps you in suspense. Always makes you think this could really happen with our immigration policy. Government take note
February 27, 2016
UK-centric Dystopian Saga
Very hard to write about this one without plot spoilers. The U.K. setting is uncommon and makes for a good story. Recommended !
Very hard to write about this one without plot spoilers. The U.K. setting is uncommon and makes for a good story. Recommended !
June 25, 2026
This is the 1st book in the Invasion UK series by this author. This book falls into several genres, such as alternative history, sci-fi, war, invasion, politics, religion, and military. Given the state of the world at present, the author has, I am sure, used this as a basis for this book, and this makes it even more dramatic as you read.
A terrorist bomb hits Downing Street, which throws the city into panic, and the devastation is something that is felt across the country. As people are processing what is going on, a realisation hits as power, phones, utilities all fail, it is not just London, or the UK, but Europe as well.
The basics are that a Caliphate has organised and attacked key sites, and it has crippled the country. The story focuses on the Prime Minister, Harry Beecham, as well as others, and how he has to escape London, the ways and means of how it is done and also the aftermath.
This is a good story that I really enjoyed, it is fast-paced, action-packed, and one I would definitely recommend.
A terrorist bomb hits Downing Street, which throws the city into panic, and the devastation is something that is felt across the country. As people are processing what is going on, a realisation hits as power, phones, utilities all fail, it is not just London, or the UK, but Europe as well.
The basics are that a Caliphate has organised and attacked key sites, and it has crippled the country. The story focuses on the Prime Minister, Harry Beecham, as well as others, and how he has to escape London, the ways and means of how it is done and also the aftermath.
This is a good story that I really enjoyed, it is fast-paced, action-packed, and one I would definitely recommend.
July 4, 2026
Looking forward to the follow on books
June 24, 2014
The concept for the story is a good one - Arabia United invades Britain and Europe. The short chapters help keep the pace flowing and I found that, being set in the near future meant I found it easy to envisage what was happening. Sometimes with science fiction I struggle to understand the worlds and concepts which get in the way of the story. My main issue was the structure and characters. The novel consists of a lot of telling - vast descriptive chapters not told from anyone's point of view. There are a couple of characters we follow loosely throughout - the British Prime Minister, an Arabian General and an ex special forces guy. The chapters involving these characters are more engaging, but their stories are not resolved fully. In one case it's just a passing comment from a narrator in the future tells you what happened. I also found that many of the plot developments seemed coincidental. So when Harry is escaping in a helicopter and being chased by the enemy, all of a sudden a new set of good guys are introduced, just long enough to save the day - about 3 pages. Many characters were short lived and I felt they were put there just to achieve the next bit of drama before being quickly killed off. This gave the novel a disjointed feeling. Overall a good idea just not done as well as it could've been.
February 18, 2018
Seems like a draft not a final book?
This book has been sold as being in the same vein as a Tom Clancey's Red Storm Rising but it isn't in the same league. The author is described as military authority, yet there are huge errors that could have been fixed with some basic research (in particular anything to do with aircraft tactics, the way radars work, what an E3 really does, where aircraft are based.)
The other major failing is the structure of the book, it jumps around all over the place and some story threads never get enough detail to attract attention, while others never get resolved.
There are spelling mistakes throughout this book.
Overall, I read this book for free as part of Amazon Prime and am glad I didn't spend any of my own money. It feels like the authors first draft, before all of the details are finished and it is edited ready for publishing?
This book has been sold as being in the same vein as a Tom Clancey's Red Storm Rising but it isn't in the same league. The author is described as military authority, yet there are huge errors that could have been fixed with some basic research (in particular anything to do with aircraft tactics, the way radars work, what an E3 really does, where aircraft are based.)
The other major failing is the structure of the book, it jumps around all over the place and some story threads never get enough detail to attract attention, while others never get resolved.
There are spelling mistakes throughout this book.
Overall, I read this book for free as part of Amazon Prime and am glad I didn't spend any of my own money. It feels like the authors first draft, before all of the details are finished and it is edited ready for publishing?
December 14, 2011
Clever premise, drawing on sufficient current reality to make it a plausible read. The need to drive the story along delivers little time for genuine character development and, as such, they largely remain 'skin deep' and I found it difficult to frankly care much about any of them. Still, the construct at the beginning & end of the novel is a nice tweak.
Holiday reading I'd suggest and enjoyable too, just don't take it too seriously!
Holiday reading I'd suggest and enjoyable too, just don't take it too seriously!
July 17, 2015
Took a gamble on this as a free kindle book and was not disappointed. The alternate reality of a major Islamic invasion of Europe had just the right balance of believable fact alongside the fictional aspects of the story. The action scenes were up there with the best of this type of political thriller /war story of Tom Clancy or Larry Bond.
September 20, 2018
This was a very engaging story, very well written, with great characters and a cool plot. My only complaint is that it just stopped, with the bad guys way ahead. There is a 2nd book in the series, but it doesn't appear to wrap things up so much as fill in the gaps from this book. I'll certainly read the 2nd book.
July 14, 2016
Good read
This book I enjoyed at first I thought there was to much detail but I got used to it & enjoyed it. Not sure if this is a series if it is I will buy the next one.
This book I enjoyed at first I thought there was to much detail but I got used to it & enjoyed it. Not sure if this is a series if it is I will buy the next one.
August 23, 2016
Good read
Decent read enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. Was impressed with the plot and ending . Worth a read !
Decent read enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. Was impressed with the plot and ending . Worth a read !
September 20, 2016
Read it in small pieces and be prepared to think.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews