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Twilight's Last Gleaming
A chilling high-concept geo-political thriller where a declining United States and a resurgent China come to the brink of all out nuclear war.
The year is 2028. Oil is the black gold that controls the fortunes of all nations and the once-mighty United States is down to the dregs.
A giant oil field is discovered off the Tanzanian coast and the newly elected US President finds his solution to America's ailing economy.
While the US blindly plots and plans regime change in this hitherto insignificant African nation, Tanzania's allies - the Chinese - start their own secret machinations.
The explosion that follows shatters a decades-old balance of global power and triggers a crisis on American soil that the United States may not survive.Political conspiracies, military manouvers, and covert activities are woven together in this fast-paced, gripping novel that paints a stark warning of an uncomfortably likely future.
The year is 2028. Oil is the black gold that controls the fortunes of all nations and the once-mighty United States is down to the dregs.
A giant oil field is discovered off the Tanzanian coast and the newly elected US President finds his solution to America's ailing economy.
While the US blindly plots and plans regime change in this hitherto insignificant African nation, Tanzania's allies - the Chinese - start their own secret machinations.
The explosion that follows shatters a decades-old balance of global power and triggers a crisis on American soil that the United States may not survive.Political conspiracies, military manouvers, and covert activities are woven together in this fast-paced, gripping novel that paints a stark warning of an uncomfortably likely future.
405 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
40 people are currently reading
780 people want to read
About the author
John Michael Greer
212 books512 followersJohn Michael Greer is an author of over thirty books and the blogger behind The Archdruid Report. He served as Grand Archdruid of the Ancient Order of Druids in America. His work addresses a range of subjects, including climate change, peak oil, the future of industrial society, and the occult. He also writes science fiction and fantasy. He lives in Rhode Island with his wife.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
April 18, 2017
If you're in the mood for a hot, fast-paced geopolitical thriller that ends with the downfall of the United States, this book is for you. Some of the best subjects this book hits:
- How modern war is a battle of narratives as much as a battle of men; the military public relations described in this book will be very familiar to people who have been following along in 2014, and the consequences are astounding to anyone who wants to digest what they read
- How there is no single, reliable source of information about war, and in fact nobody ever really knows what's going on, even at the top levels; this could have astounding effects on the American liberal-democratic narrative
- How predictable the U.S. military has become in its old age, and how a powerful enemy could knock us off our footing in seconds while continuing to play the geopolitical game
- How police and national guard units sent out to "control" an American population might take off their helmets and join the good fight, just as easily as Americans saw Egyptian police do during the "Arab Spring".
- How unthinkable a change in the status quo is to us in 2014.
This book has a couple of bad reviews on GoodReads -- it seems like the reviewers didn't realize it was a geopolitical thriller, which is not necessarily going to be the most realistic kind of book ever.
- How modern war is a battle of narratives as much as a battle of men; the military public relations described in this book will be very familiar to people who have been following along in 2014, and the consequences are astounding to anyone who wants to digest what they read
- How there is no single, reliable source of information about war, and in fact nobody ever really knows what's going on, even at the top levels; this could have astounding effects on the American liberal-democratic narrative
- How predictable the U.S. military has become in its old age, and how a powerful enemy could knock us off our footing in seconds while continuing to play the geopolitical game
- How police and national guard units sent out to "control" an American population might take off their helmets and join the good fight, just as easily as Americans saw Egyptian police do during the "Arab Spring".
- How unthinkable a change in the status quo is to us in 2014.
This book has a couple of bad reviews on GoodReads -- it seems like the reviewers didn't realize it was a geopolitical thriller, which is not necessarily going to be the most realistic kind of book ever.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2017
The only thing this book has going for it is its basic narrative, in which a weak US is pitted against a strong China in an escalating international crisis. But it is not enough to make it an interesting work of literature spanning about 400 pages. The short-chapter approach used by the author makes it a very easy read and the story moves along at a good pace but the book never gets really engaging due to its predictability. It is supposed to be "one of the year's most controversial novels" but what is really controversial? That the outcome is not the outcome it is in most books of this type? Really, that is not enough for such a strong characterization.
The author obviously has a good mind for ideas and plots but is lacking literary skills to engage any readers not sold on the narrative. Don't waste your precious reading time on this one, skip it and move on.
The author obviously has a good mind for ideas and plots but is lacking literary skills to engage any readers not sold on the narrative. Don't waste your precious reading time on this one, skip it and move on.
June 1, 2015
John Michael Greer’s book starts off at a run and doesn’t slow down until the last sentence of the last page. As with all of Greer’s stuff the subject is well researched, the plot is complex but the book is eminently readable. A readable page turner. For years Mr. Greer has been concerned about the future of society as mankind rapidly uses up the natural resources of a finite planet. This book, in addition to a plausible and exciting plot, raises interesting and worrying concerns about the very near future. This is not a literary masterpiece, but it’s excellent at being what it is. I’ll give it the maximum of 5 stars.
December 12, 2023
A novel about a near-future USA overextending itself, losing in a couple of small military confrontations with China and being forced out of its position as the top global power
As plausible it is, and well crafted as it is in terms of the events and people involved, the actual writing leaves a bit to be desired. You could say it's on purpose due to the very punchy structure of 2-5 page vignettes moving rapidly all over the world, from Australian journalists to Chinese pilots to African soldiers to US politicians, but there's almost no character development and it's all basically done to show wider events. Where characters do occasionally (I'm talking 3 or 4 times here) find themselves in a situation that isn't directly part of the larger political plot, it's pretty cookie cutter. That said, it's very well paced, particularly the first half, and if you're looking for a quick exciting political thriller over christmas it's worth checking out.
As plausible it is, and well crafted as it is in terms of the events and people involved, the actual writing leaves a bit to be desired. You could say it's on purpose due to the very punchy structure of 2-5 page vignettes moving rapidly all over the world, from Australian journalists to Chinese pilots to African soldiers to US politicians, but there's almost no character development and it's all basically done to show wider events. Where characters do occasionally (I'm talking 3 or 4 times here) find themselves in a situation that isn't directly part of the larger political plot, it's pretty cookie cutter. That said, it's very well paced, particularly the first half, and if you're looking for a quick exciting political thriller over christmas it's worth checking out.
December 26, 2016
This is an almost hilariously bleak (if plausible!) sketch of a scenario in which the United States dissolves within our lifetimes. It's not intended to be taken as a roadmap for the future, but rather an exploration of a variety of vulnerabilities that sit firmly in most peoples' blindspots as it concerns the ol' U.S. of A.
Let's walk through the sequence of events (spoilers, of course!) and you can see how plausible it is:
* U.S. tries to foment insurrection in third-world state with newly-discovered oil reserves.
* China decides to defend their ally, uses cruise missile swarm, satellite hacking to take out a U.S. carrier group.
* China-backed African forces force U.S. invaders into stalemate, Russian & Iran stretch supply lines to breaking point and the U.S. loses the engagement.
* U.S. escalates the war with China, threatening nuclear war.
* U.S. backs down, surrendering all positions in the Gulf and Indian Ocean basin.
* U.S. legitimacy crumbles along with military industrial complex, with maybe a coup in there, voters cast votes for dissolution.
* U.S. reassembles into smaller regional countries, HOPE!
The details are sketched out in much better detail, with a higher resolution picture of how the geopolitical order might change in this specific scenario. The emphasis is much less on emotional resonance with the characters and more on the bigger ideas.
Necessary caveat: this is only one scenario. At every decision point, JMG takes the negative outcome with maybe only 25 percent odds, so this is really a cascade of worst-case kind of scenarios. I still think it's a useful exercise though. I seriously doubt that most people have even entertained the idea that the U.S. could lose its mantle of world superpower, much less the idea of the federal government becoming so much of a burden on the states that it collapses entirely.
Do I think it's going to happen? Probably not. Do I think it's implausible? Probably not. Good read!
Let's walk through the sequence of events (spoilers, of course!) and you can see how plausible it is:
* U.S. tries to foment insurrection in third-world state with newly-discovered oil reserves.
* China decides to defend their ally, uses cruise missile swarm, satellite hacking to take out a U.S. carrier group.
* China-backed African forces force U.S. invaders into stalemate, Russian & Iran stretch supply lines to breaking point and the U.S. loses the engagement.
* U.S. escalates the war with China, threatening nuclear war.
* U.S. backs down, surrendering all positions in the Gulf and Indian Ocean basin.
* U.S. legitimacy crumbles along with military industrial complex, with maybe a coup in there, voters cast votes for dissolution.
* U.S. reassembles into smaller regional countries, HOPE!
The details are sketched out in much better detail, with a higher resolution picture of how the geopolitical order might change in this specific scenario. The emphasis is much less on emotional resonance with the characters and more on the bigger ideas.
Necessary caveat: this is only one scenario. At every decision point, JMG takes the negative outcome with maybe only 25 percent odds, so this is really a cascade of worst-case kind of scenarios. I still think it's a useful exercise though. I seriously doubt that most people have even entertained the idea that the U.S. could lose its mantle of world superpower, much less the idea of the federal government becoming so much of a burden on the states that it collapses entirely.
Do I think it's going to happen? Probably not. Do I think it's implausible? Probably not. Good read!
November 17, 2014
Goodreads win. WIll read and review once received.
This was an interesting and at times a little bit scary of a read. The plot was wonderful and it was something that could happen. The characters in this book were very relatable and real. This was a hard book to put down and I found myself reading this book within a day. A great read and i hope to come across more books from this author in the future.
This was an interesting and at times a little bit scary of a read. The plot was wonderful and it was something that could happen. The characters in this book were very relatable and real. This was a hard book to put down and I found myself reading this book within a day. A great read and i hope to come across more books from this author in the future.
December 5, 2017
Original story and a well crafted narrative. A remarkable achievement in light of what passes for a geopolitical thriller these days. It would make a fantastic movie but I can’t image it being funded in America. Too bad, it would serve as a wake up call to millions who are unaware of how precarious the position of empire is.
June 4, 2019
Intriguing twist on the standard techno international politics thriller!
I've loved everything I read by JMG. Rumor has it he is finishing a revised version for 2019 or early 2020! I can't wait to see how he incorporates social media mischief or even a Trump-like mores buster.
I've loved everything I read by JMG. Rumor has it he is finishing a revised version for 2019 or early 2020! I can't wait to see how he incorporates social media mischief or even a Trump-like mores buster.
February 14, 2015
One does not often read an entertaining account of a fairly undesirable future that can easily be interpreted as, within a reasonable degree of accuracy, actually inevitable.
November 25, 2017
I review books in consideration to a large extent of their genre-specific merits, or lack thereof. I lack broad exposure to the 'political thriller' so I step back from my usual question of how it fits amongst other books of its kind. Though the book follows the separate doings of several characters, perhaps only a single one of them develops. The rest follow their trajectories, acting out their plot points, as the small pegs in a pachinko game. The story seems to operate with the weight of gravity, as plans come to fruition, follies play out and a national myth unravels. Somehow, the book focuses on political figures and the consequences of their actions, their adversaries, and those caught up in the struggle, while entirely avoiding any specifics (except corruption surrounding acquisition of unjustifiable military equipment.) Why does the US currency collapse, why does unemployment soar and the prospects of Americans become so bleak? How do we get to this imagined 2025 from here? The book remains silent. So we enter a near-future dystopia without explanation, and therefore one of suggestion and dread. Strangely, all aspect of political life in the US, though 'divided' makes no mention of parties, factions or even platforms. Political life in the book revolves around survival purely, and attaining tactical goals. The absurdly stereotyped presentation of Russian, Iranian and Chinese leadership is no better, though one can say at least the Chinese seem to have more strategic goals. So when the plot 'thickens' and becomes more about the future of the US than its empire, we really don't care. The story advances continuously in 3 page chapters, which keeps the book from becoming boring. However, the devices for that advance become less and less plausible. The only possible merit one can draw from the overall story, in my opinion, is in a figurative reading - where one can ask questions of a broad nature, such as what holds the United States together at all? When one subtracts empire and the populace face relative poverty vis a vis the rest of the world (aside from an extraordinarily wealthy elite, we are left to imagine), how will people respond? The book fails to investigate that question at all, however. Not social concerns, nor nativism, nor environmentalism, all huge problems in the background of the story, get developed at all. If one reads the book at face value, it seems the only issues that move Americans are states' rights, resentment against the government (which remains unarticulated), the continuing glory of empire and the strength of the dollar. I read this as part of my book club participation. I guess in some ways it becomes part of the overall soup of input I'm ingesting, along with political essays and analysis, journalism about recent developments and more serious works of fiction.
July 1, 2021
A cautionary tale. Our weapons aren't as good as we think. Our politicians are as bad as we think. The military is only as solid as its technical and political foundation - weakest link, and all that. An only minimally contrived politico-military misadventure goes wrong, followed by an only slightly-cartoonishly self-obsessed president (IMO the bar on this has been recently lowered, which makes this guy almost believable) leads to a twist that is even now, IRL, circulating in the winds, and all bets are off with regard to these United States.
Politically and economically believable, mostly. Militarily accurate (or at least believable). Only three typos/mistakes that I caught (editing is important to readability) and characters that for the most part are likable/hateable. As I said above, before 2016, I would've scoffed at the US President's attempts to become absolute ruler-for-life, but that credibility bar has been recently lowered. As it was, I was only shocked, rather than incredulous.
Very good read, and I'm a rather tough critic. (See my review of 2034, which I - partially - read before this one.)
Politically and economically believable, mostly. Militarily accurate (or at least believable). Only three typos/mistakes that I caught (editing is important to readability) and characters that for the most part are likable/hateable. As I said above, before 2016, I would've scoffed at the US President's attempts to become absolute ruler-for-life, but that credibility bar has been recently lowered. As it was, I was only shocked, rather than incredulous.
Very good read, and I'm a rather tough critic. (See my review of 2034, which I - partially - read before this one.)
June 10, 2019
The first half of the book is rip-roaring military strategy. It's a great page turner of military adventure, clandestine plans, and pointed digs at ossified US strategy. Set in exotic locations around the world, a motley assortment of characters stride or bumble by turns through a world just like ours, without the certainty of US triumphalism we've come to depend on.
The second part of the book really was a very different novel. It slowly plodded through the actions and reactions of a dull mix of stereotypical politicians as they wheel, deal and deceive the American people, each finally getting their just comeuppance. The outcome at the end of the book was rather predictable and inevitable.
Ultimately the first half of the novel was thrilling. Read that, and don't worry about the congressional convention in the second half.
The second part of the book really was a very different novel. It slowly plodded through the actions and reactions of a dull mix of stereotypical politicians as they wheel, deal and deceive the American people, each finally getting their just comeuppance. The outcome at the end of the book was rather predictable and inevitable.
Ultimately the first half of the novel was thrilling. Read that, and don't worry about the congressional convention in the second half.
September 9, 2018
I started this book over a year ago, got about 35 percent done and spent the last week finishing it.
It’s only because I did finish it that I gave it 3 stars, as I figure any book that I’d rate a 1 or 2 star-book is one I wouldn’t bother finishing.
This book is almost ALL plot, very little character development. But that’s OK as Greer obviously wanted to do a big picture look as possible events that could lead to the downfall of the U.S. empire and what might become of the US if that happened.
I have long enjoyed the author’s blog (now at ecosophia.net) but think he is more suited to essays than fiction.
Still if the premise intrigues you like it did me, then this is a decent read.
It’s only because I did finish it that I gave it 3 stars, as I figure any book that I’d rate a 1 or 2 star-book is one I wouldn’t bother finishing.
This book is almost ALL plot, very little character development. But that’s OK as Greer obviously wanted to do a big picture look as possible events that could lead to the downfall of the U.S. empire and what might become of the US if that happened.
I have long enjoyed the author’s blog (now at ecosophia.net) but think he is more suited to essays than fiction.
Still if the premise intrigues you like it did me, then this is a decent read.
January 16, 2020
Techno thrillers are always something of a guilty pleasure, but this one at least avoids bashing the reader over the head with unthinking patriotism and acknowledges the existence of much of the world.
It’s very clearly written during late-Obama rather than during Trump - the politics is manipulated by opaque money, the Internet has been clamped down on rather than being the social media mess of today.
A lot of it is the collapse of the Soviet Union transposed quite directly to a 2026 USA; the pervasive cynicism about the possibility of disapproving of regimes other than for gain is irritating.
It’s very clearly written during late-Obama rather than during Trump - the politics is manipulated by opaque money, the Internet has been clamped down on rather than being the social media mess of today.
A lot of it is the collapse of the Soviet Union transposed quite directly to a 2026 USA; the pervasive cynicism about the possibility of disapproving of regimes other than for gain is irritating.
January 15, 2021
Excellent dystopia
In the near future America co no longer handle its role of world policeman after a humiliating series of events. Steps taken by politicians with no real understanding of the consequences their actions may lead to. Sadly this has the unfortunate possibility of being a prophecy the way Americans are turning on each other day by day. Originally a short story now expanded to novel length with a great deal more character development and events shown in much greater and more satisfying detail. Highly recommended.
In the near future America co no longer handle its role of world policeman after a humiliating series of events. Steps taken by politicians with no real understanding of the consequences their actions may lead to. Sadly this has the unfortunate possibility of being a prophecy the way Americans are turning on each other day by day. Originally a short story now expanded to novel length with a great deal more character development and events shown in much greater and more satisfying detail. Highly recommended.
May 13, 2021
A well-written political thriller. The United States tries to bite off more oil fields than it can chew, and discovers that black gold isn’t always Texas tea. Strong plotting without much character development, but that’s not unusual in this genre. More of a warning about hubristic foreign policy than of ecological overreach.
February 28, 2022
First half of this book was really onto something, especially when Russia invaded Ukraine for regime change as I was reading this book. Nonetheless, the second half lost the momentum and became far more unlikely. Still an enjoyable read, but not very convincing.
October 13, 2025
Greer is the greatest podcast guest of all time, and his writing is recognizably in his voice. This is a possible future along the path to decline, and seems fairly plausible. The characters barely exist, it's just a way for him to grind a familiar ax, but I liked it
Read
July 9, 2020Fascinating topic, but a bomb of a novel. Too many characters, and no real protagonist to hold it together. Plods through a plot that should have been exciting.
October 19, 2021
Makes One Think
Very interesting. Not necessarily the most realistic, but the plot flows well and it really makes you think as it challenges some commonly held positions.
Very interesting. Not necessarily the most realistic, but the plot flows well and it really makes you think as it challenges some commonly held positions.
September 26, 2014
Writing about the medium-term future (10 years) strikes me as being much more difficult than writing about either the immediate future or the distant future: in the former little will have changed; in the latter the possibilities are as varied as the author's imagination. Twilight's Last Gleaming begins in 2024 and this is close enough that we can have a good idea of how the world is likely to be, but also remote enough that technological and societal changes will be sufficiently pervasive as to render it unfamiliar. Thinking back ten years, for example, the explosion of tablets along with improvements in internet connection speeds have had significant impacts in day-to-day life. In the next ten years we can expect similar changes to take place.
Yet John Michael Greer doesn't attempt to predict any such changes in technology: ignoring a few geo-political developments that have happened in the intervening years the story might have been set today. Has this been done deliberately? The book could be read as an admonition against some contemporary American attitudes and of the disappearance of unchallenged American military supremacy as the nature of warfare continues to evolve in the 21st century.
Inevitably there is going to be dissonance between the author's vision of the future and that of the reader. For me the novel begins plausibly with events in Eastern Africa drawing the world's two powers into a steadily escalating conflict. However as the plot developed I found it growing less convincing and the conclusion becoming more predictable.
It's an easy book to read: the prose is straight-forward; there's nothing explicitly technical that might trip up the ignorant reader (as might have been expected in a military/political book); and it consists of many short scenes rather than extended sequences. While this may leave it with little continuity the plot is driven by each of these events (rather than any struggle on the part of the characters as they come to decisions), and as such the structure works well.
Overall this is an enjoyable read that presents a single perspective not so much of the future, but rather of the decisions we face today. If that perspective doesn't coincide with one's own then while the plot remains enjoyable, the insights become less pertinent.
** I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads **
Yet John Michael Greer doesn't attempt to predict any such changes in technology: ignoring a few geo-political developments that have happened in the intervening years the story might have been set today. Has this been done deliberately? The book could be read as an admonition against some contemporary American attitudes and of the disappearance of unchallenged American military supremacy as the nature of warfare continues to evolve in the 21st century.
Inevitably there is going to be dissonance between the author's vision of the future and that of the reader. For me the novel begins plausibly with events in Eastern Africa drawing the world's two powers into a steadily escalating conflict. However as the plot developed I found it growing less convincing and the conclusion becoming more predictable.
It's an easy book to read: the prose is straight-forward; there's nothing explicitly technical that might trip up the ignorant reader (as might have been expected in a military/political book); and it consists of many short scenes rather than extended sequences. While this may leave it with little continuity the plot is driven by each of these events (rather than any struggle on the part of the characters as they come to decisions), and as such the structure works well.
Overall this is an enjoyable read that presents a single perspective not so much of the future, but rather of the decisions we face today. If that perspective doesn't coincide with one's own then while the plot remains enjoyable, the insights become less pertinent.
** I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads **
March 18, 2015
This novel is based on story first sketched out a series of blog posts called "How It Could Happen," referring to the collapse of the US empire in the wake of peak oil:
Part One: Hubris
Part Two: Nemesis
Part Three: To The Brink
Part Four: Crossing the Line
Part Five: Dissolution
Greer extrapolates today's geological, ecological, political, and social trends into the near future to provide a chillingly plausible (probable?) view of a post-American world. Those familiar with Greer's blog and nonfiction work (on peak oil and our responses to the conundrums it lays before us) might not be surprised by the directions in which this story goes, but I am sure they will enjoy it nonetheless. (His strengths as a writer as as evident here as they are in his nonfiction work.) Those who are not familiar with his work in this vein, and the work of others like James Howard Kunstler or Richard Heinberg, might be surprised and even shocked by Greer's vision of tomorrow, but this too is a good thing.
Some other reviews:
FutureJacked
Star spangled collapse
Part One: Hubris
Part Two: Nemesis
Part Three: To The Brink
Part Four: Crossing the Line
Part Five: Dissolution
Greer extrapolates today's geological, ecological, political, and social trends into the near future to provide a chillingly plausible (probable?) view of a post-American world. Those familiar with Greer's blog and nonfiction work (on peak oil and our responses to the conundrums it lays before us) might not be surprised by the directions in which this story goes, but I am sure they will enjoy it nonetheless. (His strengths as a writer as as evident here as they are in his nonfiction work.) Those who are not familiar with his work in this vein, and the work of others like James Howard Kunstler or Richard Heinberg, might be surprised and even shocked by Greer's vision of tomorrow, but this too is a good thing.
Some other reviews:
FutureJacked
Star spangled collapse
March 30, 2015
[My copy of this was received through a Goodreads giveaway.]
I...am not the target demographic for this book. Having accepted that, I generally found the story compelling, if overly trite in places.
Things I liked:
*Realistic setting - Greer did an excellent job of creating an eminently plausible future, given the current geo-political climate and recent trends. It wasn't limited to Asia, Africa, and the US; there were enough throwaway references to goings-on in other areas that the world felt three-dimensional.
*Consequences for actions - Some authors will just make it so that what they want to happen will happen, regardless of the in-world setup they have (or have not) done. Greer is not one of those; everything that happens in the story happens for a reason that you as the reader can follow, and the logic is consistent.
Things I didn't like:
*Cardboard-cut-out characters
*Token female characters
*Female characters falling victim to bad things as motivation for stronger male characters
*A surprising amount of Anglocentrism (describing things as the "Chinese unicorn" or "Chinese version of chess", clearly catering to a mindset that is firmly centered in Western norms) for a book whose plot seems to demonstrate Western inferiority
*Inconsistently bad dialogue
Overall, I don't think I would read this book again. I'd read something with the same plot, for sure, but the technical deficiencies made it feel like a slog.
I...am not the target demographic for this book. Having accepted that, I generally found the story compelling, if overly trite in places.
Things I liked:
*Realistic setting - Greer did an excellent job of creating an eminently plausible future, given the current geo-political climate and recent trends. It wasn't limited to Asia, Africa, and the US; there were enough throwaway references to goings-on in other areas that the world felt three-dimensional.
*Consequences for actions - Some authors will just make it so that what they want to happen will happen, regardless of the in-world setup they have (or have not) done. Greer is not one of those; everything that happens in the story happens for a reason that you as the reader can follow, and the logic is consistent.
Things I didn't like:
*Cardboard-cut-out characters
*Token female characters
*Female characters falling victim to bad things as motivation for stronger male characters
*A surprising amount of Anglocentrism (describing things as the "Chinese unicorn" or "Chinese version of chess", clearly catering to a mindset that is firmly centered in Western norms) for a book whose plot seems to demonstrate Western inferiority
*Inconsistently bad dialogue
Overall, I don't think I would read this book again. I'd read something with the same plot, for sure, but the technical deficiencies made it feel like a slog.
November 16, 2019
The premise is intriguing enough: What if a coalition of just about everyone in the world decided that the US was the most dangerous country on earth, after we systematically alienated and offended all our allies? Where would that lead?
The book is in five parts, but really most of the action takes place in Part 4. The plot in the lead-up moves slowly and is filled with holes and contradictions. The telling reminded me of Ecotopia Emerging, a post-Vietnam pipedream that had America's military might falling to a raggedyass bunch of hippies living off the grid in the Pacific Northwest. The climax would be a good novella by itself, but it is spoiled by the implausible and sometimes unintentionally comic ways that the US got itself into that pickle. Without spoiling too much of the ending, I hope, the unravelling takes place too quickly and neatly to be believed. But hey, it's fiction and not future history. The final part also drags, but in a different way. It is almost as if the author realized that he was on a bummer and needed to do something to stop harshing on the reader's mellow.
I made it through the whole book with the continued hope that the story would get better. And for a brief while, they did. Still, I wouldn't really recommend it. The author has an important message that was flawed by the telling.
The book is in five parts, but really most of the action takes place in Part 4. The plot in the lead-up moves slowly and is filled with holes and contradictions. The telling reminded me of Ecotopia Emerging, a post-Vietnam pipedream that had America's military might falling to a raggedyass bunch of hippies living off the grid in the Pacific Northwest. The climax would be a good novella by itself, but it is spoiled by the implausible and sometimes unintentionally comic ways that the US got itself into that pickle. Without spoiling too much of the ending, I hope, the unravelling takes place too quickly and neatly to be believed. But hey, it's fiction and not future history. The final part also drags, but in a different way. It is almost as if the author realized that he was on a bummer and needed to do something to stop harshing on the reader's mellow.
I made it through the whole book with the continued hope that the story would get better. And for a brief while, they did. Still, I wouldn't really recommend it. The author has an important message that was flawed by the telling.
June 18, 2020
A geopolitical thriller, fast paced and hard to put down. The premise of the whole story is that we are running out of oil and our president will stop at nothing to get access to a new major oil find discovered off the coast of Tanzania in East Africa. So we try to overthrow the government of Tanzania and install a puppet regime. But things go horribly wrong when China, who is thoroughly involved in Tanzanian affairs (as well as in other African nations) intervenes more or less covertly and the USA is defeated, with profound repercussions at home, which make up roughly the second half of the novel.
It seems to me that the basic premise, that we are running out of oil, is a bit obsolete due to the success of the fracking revolution which has made America a net oil exporter. We are no longer dependent on foreign sources. It could be argued, I suppose, that this merely delays an oil shortage, but who knows what will happen that far into the future?
It seems to me that the basic premise, that we are running out of oil, is a bit obsolete due to the success of the fracking revolution which has made America a net oil exporter. We are no longer dependent on foreign sources. It could be argued, I suppose, that this merely delays an oil shortage, but who knows what will happen that far into the future?
November 30, 2014
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
It's 2025. Oil prices are rising. A new oil field is discovered off the coast of Tanzania, drawing the attention of the oil hungry US, which sees an easy target. But Tanzania is allied with China, and the Chinese are done looking the other way to avoid a conflict with the US. War erupts, and every party involved wants to come out on top. Because losing this war means losing big.
I loved the book, but it was hard to get into the story. I was about halfway through before I got what was going on, there are just so many different characters and so much is happening at the same time. The text is dense with information. But in the end I loved it. This possible future is both amazing and terrifying. A fast paced story, no doubt about that, and well written too. It felt like I was watching a documentary.
It's 2025. Oil prices are rising. A new oil field is discovered off the coast of Tanzania, drawing the attention of the oil hungry US, which sees an easy target. But Tanzania is allied with China, and the Chinese are done looking the other way to avoid a conflict with the US. War erupts, and every party involved wants to come out on top. Because losing this war means losing big.
I loved the book, but it was hard to get into the story. I was about halfway through before I got what was going on, there are just so many different characters and so much is happening at the same time. The text is dense with information. But in the end I loved it. This possible future is both amazing and terrifying. A fast paced story, no doubt about that, and well written too. It felt like I was watching a documentary.
October 19, 2014
This book was scary. It's plot is something that could happen, and most likely will in the near future. America is starving for oil and wants to claim a new discovery off the African coast. China also wants to have the rights to the oil. This leads to a fight for the oil and almost the end of the world. The characters were so real I could believe that I was there with them. The political mess, mistakes and just plain stupidity is what we have grown to expect. Too many enemies wanting to get even and using the war to undermine the already unstable American economy and government. We started with 13 and ended with 13. Well done Mr. Greer.
December 9, 2014
The underlying theme of the book is that at a fundamental level the endemic political corruption of the United States weakens its military which, by losing a war, in turn weakens its people's allegiance to the Union as represented by its corrupt capital. The same pervasive corruption of money in politics permits a foreign government to stoke that discontent and buy the dissolution of the federal government - regime change. The book contains an intelligent verisimilitude that moves the plot knowledgeably along through oil, war and constitutional politics to a satisfying ending.
September 8, 2014
ARC received from NetGalley.
This was a book with an interesting premise. For me, I found it heavy on geopolitics, Constitutional knowledge, and military knowhow. What it lacked was characters you cared about. I never felt much tension about the events happening in the book. The writing style is rather dry and distant.
I think this book would be popular with fans of Tom Clancy's early work.
December 31, 2014
An excellent, fast paced novel. Certainly a believable conclusion to the American Empire and experiment. Perhaps Greer will write a follow-on novel extending the story into the "post-USA" era? One hopes so.
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