Monroe Doctrine: Volume I

Monroe Doctrine #1

by James Rosone, Miranda Watson

It was called Jade Dragon…

…and it threatened to destroy the West.

Was an attack on the U.S. imminent?

In a lab deep in the heart of China, a brilliant engineer had a breakthrough. It was the most powerful AI ever created. Ma Young believed the Jade Dragon could solve the world’s most dire challenges. There was just one problem…

The president of China had other ideas.

Was this their chance to conquer?

The war began at the speed of light. The entire NATO alliance stood on the brink of destruction. Cyber-attacks, deepfakes, and a wave of social media disinformation wrought fear and desperation across the globe.

The sleeping giant was awake.

Could Ma stop his creation?

You’ll love this fast-paced techno-military-thriller because we live in a world where this fiction could be truer than we suspect. It will keep you turning the pages.

Get it now.The Monroe Doctrine series is broken down into seven volumes. Each volume steadily reveals the complexity of Jade Dragon as humanity steadily moves towards autonomous warfare, waged by machines. This is NOT a standalone book.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Military Fiction, Audiobook, War, Action, Science Fiction

449 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 20, 2021

Reviews

[Terence M [on a brief semi-hiatus] · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5-Stars >> 3-Stars
"I quite liked this book!"
Monroe Doctrine: Volume I by James Rosone
Audiobook - 12:05 Hours - Narrator: Marc Vietor

My Listening Status - Updates
Mar 22, 2022 - @50% heard, I am less than impressed by this audiobook. I had never heard of James Rosone (or Miranda Watson) before this and I don't think I have missed much. The gabble-fast dialogue skips about like a mad kangaroo and I think the vaunted AI is laughable. We'll see ...
Mar 27, 2022 - @90% heard, I am now somewhat more impressed by this book. Definitely a book of two quite different halves. The past four+ hours have been dramatic and fast paced - most enjoyable listening! — 1 hour, 36 min ago
Mar 27, 2020 - Finished 3.5 Stars

I have already purchased "Monroe Doctrine: Volume 2" from Audible and I am looking forward to picking up where the story left off in Volume 1.

Edit: 05 October 2022
I thought "Monroe Doctrine: Volume 2" was dreadful.
It was a definite dnf @ 37% and returned to Audible in June 2022.

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 2 out of 5]

Monroe Doctrine envisions the Third World War fought between the U.S. and China. China has developed the world’s first artificial intelligence which has given it a significant advantage in wargaming scenarios and in cyber attacks on the U.S. The novel starts with a lot of excitement as the Chinese get their assault under way, but then squanders all of that tension with a heck of a lot of backstory that breaks the flow of the combat and becomes confusing because of jumping around in the pre-war chronology. This was a huge mistake. I was ready to rock and roll with the authors in the first chapters but quickly became disillusioned with the book as they gave me hundreds of pages of backstory that I never felt was necessary. The book picks up again toward the end when the authors return to the conflict but it never recaptured my initial level of interest.

If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.

[Ross Sidor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure what took me so long to finally read one of these authors' books. I think perhaps the prospect of tackling a series of several 500-plus-page novels seemed daunting, but I quickly breezed through the first volume of The Monroe Doctrine and wished I'd started reading these authors sooner. The story begins with a massive attack against the United States, then much of the rest of the book flashes back to set up the conflict, focusing on China's economic and military encroachments into South America and the Caribbean. This book condenses a lot of plot threads and developments into a fairly short space in a very succinct manner, so the next books focusing on the conflict itself will likely flow even faster. Set in the very near future, the series' premise feels very current, involving China's Belt and Road Initiative, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, deep fakes, and B-21 Raider stealth bombers. The authors also excel at writing a variety of action scenes, from submarine combat to SEALs assaulting offshore oil rigs. Overall, an excellent series introduction.

[Omar Iquira · Rating 4 out of 5]

RESEÑA DE "LA DOCTRINA MONROE: VOLUMEN I Y II"
LE DOY 4 ESTRELLAS PORQUE ES UNA HISTORIA EMOCIONANTE Y LLENA DE ACCIÓN DE PRINCIPIO A FIN. Y PORQUE PLASMA DE MANERA REALISTA COMO SERÍA UN ENFRENTAMIENTO ENTRE SUPERPOTENCIAS EN EL SIGLO XXI... PERO NO TIENE MUCHO MÁS APARTE DE ESO.

Para empezar diré que he decidido hacer las reseñas de esta saga de dos en dos. Es decir que leeré dos libros seguidos y subiré una reseña conjunta de ambos cada vez. Hago esto porque los libros no son muy grandes (tirando a medianos), y porque son 8 libros en total. Así que es más conveniente hacerlo de esta manera.

Con todo, tengo que decir que he disfrutado muchísimo esta lectura. Imagínense la creación de la primera, ciento por ciento funcional y más poderosa IA (Inteligencia Artificial) de la historia del planeta, a manos del gobierno de la República Popular China. Imagínense que los chinos utilizan esta IA para impulsar su economía, mejorar su tecnología, forjar alianzas estratégicas con ciertos países del mundo, desestabilizar gobiernos rivales, y lanzar los ataques cibernéticos más precisos y nocivos que puedan imaginar. Todo como preludio de un plan para declarar la guerra a occidente y posicionarse como la primera superpotencia del planeta.

Esta es básicamente la premisa de esta saga de novelas de los autores James Rosone y Miranda Watson. Que nos narran el inicio de la 3ra Guerra Mundial a manos de China y su más poderosa creación, la super inteligencia computacional denominada "Dragón de Jade" (Jade Dragon). Este libro nos da un vistazo muy detallado de las posibilidades y de los peligros que las IA representan para el mundo. No solo desde el punto de vista tecnológico, sino también desde el económico, político, militar y social.

Personalmente, me sorprendió mucho como estos libros narran el desarrollo del conflicto. Uno casi puede ver las batallas por la manera en la que son descritas. Y la estrategia de la República Popular China es (a falta de otra palabra) sencillamente genial. Es decir, ellos son los "malos de la película", pero no podemos negar que la manera en la que diseñan y ejecutan sus ataques es brillante. De allí que EEUU, Europa, la OTAN, Rusia, Japón y todas las demás naciones del mundo se vean superadas por el ataque conjunto del ejercito chino y la IA.

En el VOLUMEN I de esta saga observamos la creación del "Dragón de Jade" y su puesta en escena. Todas las piezas estratégicamente desplegadas por la IA se ponen en marcha, y China se prepara para apoderarse del mundo después de años de planeación. Alianzas político militares con países como Venezuela y Cuba le permiten a la Republica Popular posicionarse en Sudamérica y el Caribe, y desde allí lanzar una ofensiva contra su principal rival, EEUU. Usando herramientas como deepfakes (videos, imagen y audios generados por computadora que imitan la apariencia y el sonidos de las personas) para desestabilizar la política, así como guerra económica y bacteriológica, China logra debilitar a su rival y posibles aliados, dejándolos vulnerables para su ataque.

Para cuando Estados Unidos se da cuenta de lo que está sucediendo bajo sus propias narices y entra en acción, ya es demasiado tarde. China da comienzo a su nefasto plan. El siguiente paso es un ataque militar, empezando este con bombardear bases estratégicas a lo largo de la costa este de EEUU y así debilitar a su armada. Hay mucho que elogiar en la apertura del libro, que impulsada por la trama de Rosone y Watson ofrece muchísima acción. Los capítulos desde múltiples perspectivas siguen a un gran elenco de personajes a través de muchos teatros de guerra en un ritmo cada vez más rápido. El uso de la tecnología en la historia es primordial. Desde la siniestra IA hasta los problemáticos y muy contemporáneos deepfakes y ciberataques, así como a los nuevos submarinos de la naval roja, todo es muy eficaz y preciso. Las batallas navales en particular son excelentes y te mantiene en vilo. Y lo mejor es que uno no sabe quien ganará o perderá hasta el mismísimo final.

En el VOLUMEN II la guerra ya esta en todo su apogeo. La batalla por Cuba es sangrienta y brutal en muchos sentidos. Y aunque uno esperaría que la nación isleña cayera rápidamente ante el poderío de todo el ejercito estadounidense, el ejercito chino fortifica con cientos misiles de última generación y con escuadrones de ataque especiales toda la isla, volviéndola un polvorín y una fortaleza al mismo tiempo. Mientras tanto, la OTAN y las naciones aliadas entran a la guerra en el Mar Mediterráneo y el Mar Rojo. Y Japón y Corea del Sur enfrentan a la naval china en el Mar Amarillo. De nuevo una gran cantidad de vidas se pierde en los conflictos, y con cada paso vemos como la IA se vuelve cada vez más violenta y sanguinaria en sus métodos. Queda claro en cierto punto que aunque el "Dragón de Jade" es una pieza de tecnología increíble, carece completamente de empatía y respeto por la vida humana. Ese es quizás el mayor error que cometieron sus creadores y el gobierno de la República Popular. Crearon un maquina impresionante, pero no se preocuparon de enseñarle el valor de la vida y de las personas. Es así que esta solo se preocupa por cumplir los objetivos que le han asignado, y en este caso su misión es el colapso de occidente y la total subyugación de los enemigos de China. Y para lograr esos objetivos esta dispuesta a hacer cualquier cosa... sin importar el costo.

Se nos presenta así una guerra extremadamente cruel en muchos aspectos, con un enemigo frio y calculador en toda su expresión. Los EEUU y sus aliados sufren al mismo tiempo victorias y perdidas terribles. Y aunque por algunos momentos ciertos elementos de las fuerzas aliadas logran sorprender y sobrepasar la expectativas de la IA, esta también aprende y evoluciona con cada encuentro. Lo cual la hace cada vez más y más peligrosa.

Como dije, acción y emoción de principio a fin. Pero si algo tengo que criticarle a estos libros es que los personajes son algo débiles. No son más que piezas móviles de un rompecabezas cuya imagen final es clara y (a veces) descaradamente pro-estadounidense. En última instancia, este thriller carece de introspección emocional, a pesar de la gran cantidad de vidas trágicamente perdidas a lo largo de sus páginas. Pero no me malentiendan, la guerra y como se desarrolla va a mantener al lector enganchado al libro desde la primera pagina. Pero no esperen una gran caracterización de personajes salvo quizás en una o dos ocasiones.

Cabe mencionar que el libro fue escrito por un matrimonio de escritores. James Rosone y Miranda Watson aportaron cada uno material basado en sus experiencias personales y profesionales a la trama. Rosone es un ex contratista del ejercito, y Watson tiene formación en política internacional. Así que mucho de lo que se expone en la historia; como lugares, procedimientos legales y jurídicos, armamento, estrategia militar, etc. etc. son reales. Lo cual le da algo más de peso a todo el argumento.

Con todo, si quieren leer una saga llena de acción bélica contemporánea con toques de Sci-fi esta es la mejor opción que podrán encontrar. Yo me topé con este titulo por accidente, pero me alegro de haberlo hecho.

Simple, pero refrescante.
La recomiendo.

[Ric Ulloa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I havent' been reviewing much as I've been enjoying the books more than the critiques, but this book is an exception. The Monroe Doctrine, though only volume one in a series that leaves many questions unanswered, is a good one. It held my interest from the get-go and I couldn't stop reading until I reached the end. Rosone and Watson are a couple of my favorite authors and they do not disappoint in this new series at all! Great job, thanks.

[Guy M · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolute nonsense

Really … if you like acronyms, repeated bravado cliched text. Then this is the book for you. Too many characters, too many characters roles not developed. I can’t think of anyone’s name except some IT guru called Wei. Or is it Xi. Who knows or cares. There are some green berets stuck on Cuba. But they referred to Green Beanies the whole time, likes it’s some sort of inside lingo. What trash. Can I give ZERO some how?

[Mountainhombre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast-moving, great insights into strategies and things that might just happen (or perhaps are happening.)

What I liked:

The plot is pretty much everything. It's a refreshing change of pace from most novels. Don't get too attached to any characters since many of them won't remain alive. The scenes and points of view changed frequently. So, for example, it might switch from a PLA officer lurking with his men in ambush to the American soldiers wading through a swamp as they are passing the PLA. The sub

It was very interesting to see the different war scenarios with plans of attack, counterattacks, and then further adjustments on both sides to what is actually happening.

The novel seemed quite realistic in what the various sides were doing and why they were doing it.

It was good to see the Chinese Communists as having some humanity. They had elation, doubts, fears, and loyalty just as did their American counterparts. (Still rooted for the U.S. though . . .)

It seems to have been very well edited. I detected no editing errors.

What I didn't like:

I hate reading a novel to the end and having it not end. This work ended abruptly. The war was just starting its first several weeks. So, it is reasonable that it would be a long slog. But nowhere is a warning given that this is NOT a stand-alone work.

At times, I got bogged down with all of the acronyms and weapon systems.

I would have appreciated one main character who kind of continued throughout the novel. But, again, the plot is almost the character. While the subject matter was VERY different, its style reminds me of the great sci-fi novel Wool by Hugh Howey.

So, overall, I really enjoyed this novel and have started the second in the series. There is at least a third novel to come in the series. I do hope that it will finish the series. At some point, I'm ready to move on.

[Gail Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book

It's a really good book. If you enjoyed The Hunt for the Red October, Clear and Present Danger, to a certain extent even I Robot, and you enjoy what happens in the background. You will love this book. Lots of strategic talk, how to do something, what they will do if X and Y happen. Loved it. Can't wait to read the next one.

[Eric Molicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting!

In a genre filled with options, this book stands out! It more realistically integrates current realities than others do and kept me glued to its pages throughout. Well done!

[Jaka Tomc · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book in an action-packed page-turner on steroids! So much is going on and there’s a lot more to come as there are seven books in this series. I’m really impressed so far.

[Campbell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the ideas here and also the way the plot unfolded but the writing was just so horribly wooden and stilted it could be used for a pair of wooden stilts.

[Darren Bourn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another book series by James Rosone and Miranda Watson, an exciting author team that I was turned onto by a Facebook group, Military Thriller Book Group.

It was while I was reading the first series of theirs (Red Storm (aka Battlefield)), that I was in touch with one of authors, James Rosone, and he mentioned "The Monroe Doctrine", as he mentioned that he was looking for beta-readers for the sixth book in the series (and he wanted his beta-readers to at least have some familiarity with the characters in the series).

The series is concentrated around the importance of the development of Artificial Intelligence by the Chinese ("Jade Dragon") and the war-gaming until a winning scenario and strategy has been created with the penultimate goal of defeating all potential opponents (the United States, NATO, Russia and the other countries). Jade Dragon and its subsidiary program ("Jedi") even plan the strategies necessary to counteract one of its brain-trust betraying the Chinese government and seeking asylum for his parents and him ultimately in Idaho.

Jade Dragon continues its grand plans utilizing subterfuge (ghost attacks on US military bases and strategic targets), political deepfakes (where incriminating videos of political figures are created and disseminated to the state powers that are currently sitting on the fence).

All things considered, I believe that this book would be easily enjoyed by any reader who enjoys modern warfare, politics, and submarines.

I really enjoyed this novel and would easily rate this book an easy five stars out of five stars.

As with all my literary ramblings, this is just my five cents worth.

[Michelle Medhat · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exhilarating, blockbuster of a book with a disturbing realism – Phenomenal!
The Monroe Doctrine Volume 1 is a deeply unique book; engrossing and captivating on a level that makes for a very frightening read. It is extremely thought-provoking and a reader cannot fail to be disturbed by the highly plausible sleight of hand the antagonist employs – underpinned by a large degree of factual content.

The story opens on events from October 2024 with a series of first strikes detected coming in from China on US military targets, although AEGIS (Advanced Electronic Guided Interceptor System) operating on US Navy ships sees no ballistic missiles. Several minutes before all systems throughout their early warning radar and detection systems suffered a blip. Is this a deep fake attack or the real thing? With options running out, the US launch a retaliatory strike on Chinese military bases, and so the war kicks off. The book then quickly rewinds to reveal events leading up to this moment, eventually bringing the book up to and beyond the war activities after conflict commences. It’s an extraordinary sweeping story that takes in so much, at so many levels, but it flows seamlessly, in a pitch perfect essay of solid action.

Mr James Rosone has crafted a thoroughly chilling account of the probable, almost as if he has travelled to another parallel Earth, snatched their alternate history, recorded it and relayed it back to us. The point of view overall is that of a fly on the wall, or more accurately, an omnipotent being watching from afar as events play out across the world. By dipping in and out of scenes, Mr Rosone affords the reader the opportunity to gain multiple perspectives - witnessing motivations, the gaining of intelligence and the deployment of activities and military operations. The reader gains these insights and the plot is pulled together in connected, continuous flow that fuses political, military and techno thriller action.

The intertwining plots of President Yao and the Chinese assault on the US whips along at a super-fast pace, but even though the scenes hit the reader in rapid succession, the degree of characterisation is nuanced enough to create emotive responses and a connectivity with the characters. Quite a feat with the significant number of scenes, locations, plotlines and characters interlaced within Monroe Doctrine.

There are many strands to the story – held together by the central plot of Project Ten, the creation of the super Artificial Intelligence (AI) computer ‘Jade Dragon’ - and each show the strength of Mr Rosone as a consummate story-teller. Project Chengdu, depicts the creation of a chilling upgrade to the earlier virus, with the added feature of the bioengineered virus targeting specific DNA profiles of the weak, elderly and infirmed. Dragonlink satellite system (part of Project Ten) that had been offered free to the West earlier in a perceived altruistic move giving comms parity to those who didn’t have access to cellular connectivity. In secret, Dragonlink collected data, and used it to train Jade Dragon. Dragonlink also interlayered a Chinese intelligence encrypted protocol allowing covert comms across a global platform. Project Ten, named in honor of Sun Tzu, the Art of War creator’s unwritten contingency (Sun Tzu had nine contingencies, and in the Monroe Doctrine, it's suggested that Deep Learning AI would have been Tzu’s tenth contingency), engages in socio-economic profiling, behavioral analytics and predictive actions, employing datasets from China’s social credit program. This datapool is melded with the data from their Dragonlink comms, and other data scraped from a multitude of online platforms, together with data pulled via perspicacious hacking of US personnel and human resource repositories, thus creating for Jade Dragon a zettabytes-level data pool of training data to learn from. Built within a quantum computing configuration for speed of memory and processing, Jade Dragon is the silver bullet, the final contingency and most powerful weapon for President Yao.
In simple terms, Project Ten in its entirety, is the ultimate game-plan to win the war before a single missile is fired. For Project Ten puts into place a number of conditions to decapitate the opponent completely. It breaks their comms and power networks, creates a flood of mis and dis information so they doubt everything they see, destabilizes their economy through judicious divestments, reduces their human capital through illness by orders of magnitude, psychologically demoralizes and undermines leaders and populace in equal measure, and uses countries perceived as hostile by the US as strategic partners (following the old adage of ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ approach). Jade Dragon war-gamed every possible scenario and had predicted every conceivable outcome, built upon constant behavioral and predictive analysis of the western approaches, including military training analyses. Just this view from Mr Rosone is terrifying, and was enough to chill me to the bone.

The strategic engagements with Cuba and Venezuela are fascinating, and demonstrate a path of command, control and finally subjugation, using their poverty-stricken people as mere instruments, and manipulating their partners’ military leaders so blatantly as if they were marionettes, with Yao pulling their strings. Mr Rosone brings into play, current views and initiatives, such as China’s Belt and Road initiative, identifying how the land and maritime network helped to ease supply-chain bottlenecks and drive up trade to bolster their economic growth. This interlocking of fact and fiction made the story ever-more compelling. It is also revealed in the book that the majority of President Yao’s actions are being undertaken in plain sight, and that makes everything more devastating. It’s mentioned that the CIA spy ‘Goldfinger’ reports back from the Isla de la Juventud on the suspicious developments of an ‘airport’ but despite getting NRO (National Reconnaissance Organisation) to task a satellite on the location of the airport development, the Cubans with their Chinese brothers continue regardless.

Characters pop in and out to propel the plotlines forward, but one character – Ma ‘Dan’ Jong’ - for a large portion of the book remains constant. Dan is a brilliant computer scientist with a specialism in AI Deep Learning. He is the scientist who programmed Jade Dragon, with Dr Xi Zemin, the evil genius who ‘fathered’ Jade Dragon. I really warmed to Dan’s personality and found it ironic that he used datasets from the government’s social credit program to run his algorithms on, and yet his own social credit score was poor to the point of him being blacklisted, unable to get a hotel or restaurant reservation. Dan presented a real fusion of East and West, having been schooled in both Oxford University in the UK, Carnegie Mellon University in the US and then leaving to work in Ali Baba in Shanghai. It was obvious from his brilliance and ability to know how the west think, that he’d be targeted the MSS.

An element of Mr Rosone’s book that made everything come to life was the sheer accuracy of the military technologies, operations and terminologies. This level accuracy built the story’s formidable force and added to the true horror of this probable (one hopes not!) future scenario. The final scenes of submarine hunting are so exhilarating they are easily on par with Tom Clancy’s Hunt for Red October, and the final moments had me gasping for breath.

Mr Rosone’s plotting is complex, but utterly enthralling. An infinitively readable and absolutely unforgettable page-turner that I highly recommend if you enjoy intelligent, military thrillers that send your adrenaline racing. Phenomenal!

[dennis barron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monroe Doctrine James Rosone. Miranda Watson

China has developed an AI capable of making informed decisions based on it's tremendous amount of data. Obtained by installing viruses and other types of highly technical intrusions. To say they have mastered this is an understatement. The scientists, engineers all of there people were educated in the finest schools in America and Europe. They have built military installations in strategic locations. The closest to the American shoreline, Cuba. Their AI can predict responses from are military with remarkable success. In just a few days America will have an inauguration and a new POTUS. The conflict has began. There's no turning back. America's survival as well as most of the world depends on their success. The Chinese Navy and Army has developed a new class of weapons, submarines, military weapons we had no clue they existed. We got caught with are pants down. Another spectacular read by Rosone and Watson. Unfortunately the scenario is believable. An excellent read!! My highest recommendation!!

[Jeff Martinsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read.

I had to take issue with a couple of angles in this book. First, I find it hard to believe the Chinese would be able to move tens of thousands of troops and technicians into any place in the western hemisphere without drawing the attention of the US and its allies. Second, the PLA, with a $200 B defense budget, won't leapfrog the US technology wise anytime in the near future...in aircraft
or warships. To me, they're building a military designed to defend their seas against the US and its allies....to keep us out. Finally, speaking as a computer professional, no nation is anywhere near building a near self aware AI like the one described in this novel. I did enjoy the read and will await book 2.

[Mark Mears · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monroe Doctrine Vol 1

By James Rosone & Miranda Watson

As you read or listen to this book you must remind yourself you are not seeing today’s headlines. The authors did a great deal of research to make things as accurate as possible.
The book is about China utilizing AI to coordinate a war against the west. It is quite scary as one can see some of the preliminary incidents in our recent history.
I really enjoyed volume one, ready to move on to volume two. Thanks to my friend Tim Stringer for the recommendation!

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise, marred in execution because it appears to be written for a Middle School reading audience. Simplistic vocabulary, simplistic sentence structure, simplistic character dialog/ interactions.

[Greg Oaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great first book in the series, as always, very well written. Characters and plots were thoroughly developed. The authors do an amazing job of writing a "what if" scenario. The more I read even fictional novels about the Chinese, the more they really scare me

[Ray · Rating 1 out of 5]

Excruciatingly slow. A good theme ruined.

[Jim Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay but not great

Details matter. The errors are probably not that noticeable if you’re not an avid reader of military fiction and nonfiction but they are there.

[José Luis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es un género totalmente nuevo para mí y me atreví a acercarme a él por varias razones: buena valoración y búsqueda de una lectura sin aparentemente grandes exigencias que sirviese más bien como distracción en esos ratillos que logra sacar uno a la semana.
Ahorrándome la sinopsis (al alcance de cualquiera que quiera buscarla) pasaré a aquello que me ha parecido convincente desde el punto de vista de alguien que no tiene experiencia en este tipo de lectura bélica moderna:
Si puedo destacar algo realmente interesante es la clara presentación de cómo podría comenzar y desarrollarse un escenario de guerra mundial (o conflicto entre grandes potencias) y el papel de la inteligencia artificial en ésta. Por razones evidentes aquí el lector se encuentra aquí una situación de relativa actualidad (al menos en lo que se refiere al potencial peligro de una escalada bélica). Quizás solo por esta razón merece la pena echarle un vistazo a esta lectura, pues ofrece una visión bastante esclarecedora de cómo puede organizarse un conflicto de estas dimensiones en la actualidad o futuro próximo.
No he investigado el asunto (tampoco me ha parecido tan importante para mi experiencia lectora), pero me ha dado la clara impresión de que los autores están muy bien informados sobre todo el mundo militar, especialmente el del armamento, jerga, etc. Me parece un aspecto positivo para aquellos que se interesen mucho por este mundillo y disfruten reconociendo todo tipo de siglas y nombres de armamento de todo tipo. No era mi caso, más bien me llegó a saturar estar topándome casi de continuo con terminología y descripciones muy frecuentes y algo detalladas, que, como he dicho, al carecer de suficiente interés, me hartaban algo.
¿Acción? En primer lugar buscaba este aspecto, que se ha cumplido solo en parte, pero tampoco me ha decepcionado. He de admitir que la presentación del nacimiento y preparación del conflicto era bastante interesante, aunque se me llegó a hacer un poquito largo.
Este relato tiene su continuación en más partes, así que hay que tener algo de comprensión con que esta primera parte se tome su tiempo (y, a decir verdad, de manera justificada) hasta que comience la verdadera acción.
Es posible que en algún momento me atreva con la siguiente parte, aunque no sea algo prioritario o que me urja. No me ha enganchado tanto como para crear adicción. Sí tengo cierto interés en saber cómo presentarán los autores el desarrollo del conflicto a nivel estratégico, pero actualmente me espera una larga lista de muy diferentes lecturas a las que les quiero echar mano.
En resumen, lectura que no debería decepcionar a su género, con aspectos realmente interesantes sobre el desarrollo moderno de un conflicto a gran escala y al que le sacarán sin duda mucho jugo aquellos apasionados del mundo militar.

[R.A. Flannagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast-paced, tightly written, awesome story

If you like the geo-political, techno-thriller genre, or if you're just hankering for fast-paced story that is shades of Tom Clancy, then you will love Monroe Doctrine.

The authors have a strong and realistic grasp of geopolitics and get the military tech as well as anyone I've listened to. On this second point, the tech details are the perfect amount - enough that you appreciate the weapon that's being used and why but there are no information dumps. It's a perfect balance.

The authors' approach to telling the story is the best part of the Monroe Doctrine. They have maybe a dozen characters and each provides a different perspective on the conflict. Importantly, the various storylines are weaved together expertly and not for one minute do you get lost. The authors invest enough time with each character early in the novel so that you recognize them once things kick off.

In addition to getting the military tech right, the authors also do a great job on AI. In fact, it's one of the more clear and realistic applications of how AI might impact a future war. As I continue to listen to the rest of the Monroe Doctrine volumes, it will be fascinating to see where they take this story element.

Finally, the narrator is first-rate. His tone was perfect for this military focused story and he did accents really well.

This was a great story. If your are a fan of the likes of Clancy or Larry Bond, Rosone and Watson are worthy successors.

[Mark Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very close to actual events

Whilst this is a fictional thriller it is very apt and could very easily be taken as a factual account.
The Covid virus being manufactured and released by the Chinese is certainly true and the rest of the story could very well reach fruition. The only thing stopping it at this point is that there are too many Chinese billionaires who control politicians around the world which prevents them from releasing the truth to the public.
As for this story, it's a good thriller but I found the only annoyance was the overuse of acronyms. There are just far too many. I tried to remember them to begin with but it became impossible as more and more were thrown in to the mix. I had to keep holding on them to bring up the dictionary definition but that kept distracting me from the story and the action which spoilt the read for me.
I guess the acronyms are necessary to save space but I would have preferred either the whole wording each time or a simplified explanation of their meanings.
I was disappointed also that the story just ended abruptly without a conclusion and found that it was 'to be continued' with more books in the series. When I looked for the next one it was priced at £5.99 which is more than I'd be willing to pay for a 'part' story, especially as there are heaven knows how many more to come after that.

[Military Writers Society of America (MWSA)]

MWSA Review

Monroe Doctrine: Volume One is such a scary thrill ride that the readers will wonder how much of it is really fiction.

Four years after COVID-19, China builds a supercomputer like nothing ever seen. Programmed to collect and find patterns among billions of individual data points, it draws up a path to lead China to world domination. At the same time, the world economy and the US economy are both failing, creating the perfect time for a new leader of the world to emerge. The Chinese government initiates a scenario scripted by the computer that uses deception, deepfake technology, and China’s extensive resources to start a war with the United States, and all is going to plan. But has the computer really thought of everything?

This book is an incredibly interesting read that mixes machine learning technology, espionage, and modern-day military action to create an eerily plausible tale that doesn’t seem too far in the future at all. I particularly liked how the authors used pop-culture references to the “Terminator” franchise to further heighten the tension surrounding so much power being given to an artificial intelligence.

Plenty of action and well-written, this book will be a big hit for fans of Larry Bond, Tom Clancy, or Dale Brown.

Review by Rob Ballister (May 2022)

[Samuel E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apart from all the unrealistic elements of this book, I have to say this is a pretty good read. The Monroe Doctrine back then was geared mainly towards the Europeans. Today, now it has been directed at adversarial nations of the United States. This book also explored how US intelligence assessments of its adversaries could be surprisingly behind and before they know it, they will already be matched by them, or outmatched. Let's take artificial intelligence for example, as the conflict illustrated in the novel, is all engineered by a single Chinese AI whose original purpose by its creator was to solve the problems of its nation and possibly the world, no matter what actions would have to be taken in order for its goals to be achieved. Their government saw it as a machine that could alter the balance of power and ensure hegemony over the world.

It raises a good question today: if this scenario were to play out, how would the United States respond after getting blindsided by an enemy that has crept unto its backyard, and the outcome of a conflict where the enemy AI calculates all possible scenarios that will lead to victory for its host country based on what happens in the battlefields.

[Scott Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent war novel (read on Kindle Unlimited). Very unique and modern premise. The book starts out with a flurry, then slows down to give the back story and set up some main characters, but then finishes very strong, with the story really picking up about 2/3 or 3/4 of the way through. The plausibility of an attack based on the AI is very likely, I think. The one place where I think the book slips a little is in the failure of US/Allied intelligence to miss some pretty large things that are very key in the plot of the book. I would agree with others that it's the best war novel I've read since the old Tom Clancy days. I've tried others, and many were good, but not great. So far, this one is great. With any novel a little of reality has to be suspended, and this one is no exception, but it's not a major jump from fiction to plausibility. It actually had me nervous and feeling for the characters once the pace really picked up toward the latter portion of the book. Hopefully future books don't "jump the shark" and the reasonable plausibility can be maintained. Highly recommended.

[Walter Embleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, where's part 2

I have read most of James and Mirandas books. Must admit that I'm hooked by the writing style and pace of the books. From first page to last you are generally glued, pausing only to sleep ,eat and ablute.
When I first read RIGGED, Awesome I thought, man you just can't surpass this. Then The Monroe Doctrine dropped into my kindle library, I was straight into it.
Read it in two blasts. Couldn't put it down. What a premise, it's something that I have long expected to come along. But it hits you right between the eyes.
Can't say too much cos it's too easy to drop spoilers.
But from first page to past it was unputdownable. Makes you think as well as entertain. And it's around the corner unless we keep our eyes closed.

Certain for No. 1 spot. Bring on part 2.

Being a Brit I had to look up what the Monroe Doctrine was.
Now I know.
Hope you all enjoy this book as much as I did.

Thanks James and Miranda for the sleepless night's to come.

[Bill Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading James Rosone and Miranda Watson's books they always are action packed and thought provoking. The Monroe Doctrine series is about the Chinese creating an AI call Jade Dragon that learns as it goes and has come up with a plan that will defeat America and Europe and make China the only Super Power. I starts with a secret buildup in Central and South America (Cuba, El Salvador and Venezuela) while America is focused on the Middle East. Then they launch a surprise attack on the US and Europe consisting of merchant ships designed as missile launch platforms, knocking out all cell service, knocking out electrical power around our military bases and messing with our missile detection defense. . Everyone is blindsided especially with the AI creating deepfakes that look like the US and Europe attacked Chinese ships first. Absolutely a most read that love a good political/military thriller.

[Dave McGhee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like these books a lot. The scenario in this latest book is pretty scary. It expands on things we read daily in the news. But.... the reason for the deducted star is the way it is written. Over the top Americanised. It seems written so a 7 year old could read it. There is no change of syntax with English or Chinese dialogue. I'd also bet all the money I have against there being a British Oxford professor called Hank. I'm in my 50's and never come across any Brit called Hank except for Hank Marvin and his real name was Brian! Also, I strongly suspect that Chinese people wouldn't use phrases like Jeez and other American colloquialisms. And for military novels there's no swearing? I served and words like heck and flipping were in short supply. I was also disappointed with the copy and paste from a previous book concerning a stealth bomber being detected.

[Scot · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first volume in a trilogy that envisions a Third World War in thse not too distant future between China and the USA. It is triggered by a COVID pandemic, which certainly catches the reader's attention.

Excellent in its overall coverage, scope, looking at development and process from different perspectives to help get a sense of the complex interactions and cause/effects involved. Lots of details and believable conversations between officials, politicians, soldiers, spies, civilians. I think people interested in war games or discussions of different types of weapons and counter weapons would enjoy this book. I am more interested in cultural history than military history, but it held my attention. At times, I was a bit overwhelmed by acronyms I didn't know or long paragraphs on ballistic measurements. The surveillance and biological weapons discussions were riveting.