Asian Front

WW III #6

by Ian Slater

At Manzhouli, near the border of China, Siberia, and Mongolia, the Chinese launch their charge into the woods. There is the roar of fire--and from the other side, the eruption of the SAS/D's Heckler & Koch 9mm parabellums firing at over eight hundred rounds a minute, the crash of grenades, and the terrible whistling of flechettes. Suddenly the sky is aglow with phospherous flares like shooting stars, as the ChiComs' four 120-pound Soviet-type Aphid missiles streak toward the B-52 at 2,800 meters per second. It's all-out war....

Genres: Fiction, War, Historical Fiction, Alternate History, Military Fiction, Russia, Science Fiction

289 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 5, 1993

About the author

Ian Slater is a thriller writer based in Vancouver, Canada. He has authored twenty-three adventure thrillers, including Firespill, Sea Gold, Air Glow Red, Storm, Deep Chill, Forbidden Zone, MacArthur Must Die, Showdown, Battle Front, and Manhunt. He is also known for his World War III series, which includes eleven stand-alone books, among them WW III: DARPA Alpha.
In addition to fiction, he has written Orwell: The Road to Airstrip One, a widely praised study of George Orwell’s social and political thought. He served as editor of the academic quarterly Pacific Affairs for twelve years and has contributed book reviews to major North American newspapers. His work also extends to film and radio, having written and produced radio dramas and short stories for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, as well as the screenplay for the National Film Board’s animated film Flash Point.
Before turning to writing, Slater held various roles, including working for the Australian navy, serving as a cipher clerk for the country’s Department of External Affairs, and acting as a defense officer for the Australian Joint Intelligence Bureau. He later worked as a marine geology technician, undertaking research voyages in the Pacific. Holding a doctorate in political science, he has taught courses in the humanities as both an author and lecturer.

Reviews

[Henri Moreaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

The shortest of the WWIII series so far at 338 pages, Asian Front continues on from where Warshot left off - that is China & America lined up against one another under a ceasefire. However when Japanese UN troops are brought in to help build a coalition China objects to foreigners on what was their sovereign territory and attacks leading to a resumption in hostilities between the powers.

Sabotage on the homefront in America increases as does millionaire Jay La Roche's pining and scheming for his ex wife Lana.

I thought it was marginally worse than the last book however maybe that's partially storyline fatigue after reading 1 through 6 back to back.

[Hans · Rating 3 out of 5]

All of a sudden the front explodes to life in the East, and our hero general is on it again. What happens in the West is unknown to us.

The description of the SAS/Delta actions is quite good and keeps you occupied. I like the characters that make up ‘our’ part of this force. The large scale battles are well written, but adding a nice map showing some of the places mentioned in it would be welcome. Then we have the air war. Hmmm, the weaker part of it all. Numbers of aircraft involved are inconsistent at times. The Harrier vtol jet is put in a role that is too unlikely to be real.

But hey, I enjoyed the ride again and have Force of Arms in front of me ready to go.

[creig speed · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series gets better with each volume

This author is as prolific as any author I've read recently. Certainly his attention to detail must come from significant research. The facts he puts in his writings has born out being double checked by myself. Especially map coordinates and geography and terrain. The series at this point is getting better with each volume. The main characters come alive from the pages based on the small details he puts forth.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long on tactics, but a good read.