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Future War #4
Kobani: This is the Future of War
"With compelling characters, cleverly written dialogue, and a riveting narrative that freezes your blood at times, Kobani is a blockbuster of a novel" - Readers' Favorite, 5 Stars.
"Kobani is a high octane drama of land and air combat fought with the best in futuristic weaponry...Holden balances this with intricate backstories and motivations for his capable and steadfast characters, offering up fleshed-out human stories amid all the high-tech toys. Military thriller fans, war buffs, Middle East politics junkies, and sci-fi enthusiasts will immerse themselves in Holden’s epic tale of regional politics and potential for worldwide conflict." BOOKLIFE
A frighteningly authentic vision of future war, Kobani is as prophetic as it is unnerving. Through puppet nations, the world's superpowers duel in the Middle East using weapons that are prototypes today, but will be a reality in ten years. With characters you will never forget, Kobani is fast-paced, believable and chilling.
"Kobani is a high octane drama of land and air combat fought with the best in futuristic weaponry...Holden balances this with intricate backstories and motivations for his capable and steadfast characters, offering up fleshed-out human stories amid all the high-tech toys. Military thriller fans, war buffs, Middle East politics junkies, and sci-fi enthusiasts will immerse themselves in Holden’s epic tale of regional politics and potential for worldwide conflict." BOOKLIFE
A frighteningly authentic vision of future war, Kobani is as prophetic as it is unnerving. Through puppet nations, the world's superpowers duel in the Middle East using weapons that are prototypes today, but will be a reality in ten years. With characters you will never forget, Kobani is fast-paced, believable and chilling.
454 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 12, 2020
1032 people are currently reading
138 people want to read
About the author
F.X. Holden
22 books190 followersFX Holden writes action thrillers (The 'Aggressor' and 'Future War' Series) and Science Fiction (The 'Coruscant' and 'Red Legion' Series). He has been awarded two US Publishers' Weekly Stars (the Michelin Star of publishing), the US Readers' Favorite award for Best Political Thriller (twice, including in 2025), and the US Book Excellence award for Best Military Fiction!
FX Holden is a pen name for author Tim (TJ) Slee, winner of the HarperCollins Banjo Prize for Australian fiction and the US Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize for Fiction.
FX Holden is a pen name for author Tim (TJ) Slee, winner of the HarperCollins Banjo Prize for Australian fiction and the US Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize for Fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
December 8, 2020
Not a review, please consider these as pre-release author notes!
This novel was inspired by research I did after reading about the amazing women of the Kurdish Women's Protection Units in Syria and Iraq. (If you want riveting, easily accessible insights into the civil war in Syria, I strongly recommend anything by Danish war correspondent, Puk Damsgaard.)
From there, I started building the characters that I wanted to people the book with to show what a future conflict between Syria and Turkey (and a Coalition of western nations) might look like from the point of view of those fighting it, on ALL sides.
This is a key aim of the Future War series ... to show war from the human perspective, where there are no good guys or bad guys, just people in uniform, doing what their countries and their peoples expect of them.
So in this series we meet sniper Daryan Khalid, of the Kobani Women's Protection Unit, and her mercurial sister, Nasrin. Fighting alongside them in a besieged combat outpost in Kurdish Kobani, is US Gunnery Sergeant James Jensen of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines. Embedded with the 3rd Marines, Reuters journalist Mary Jo Basim finds her journalistic objectivity sorely challenged when Syrian troops try to end the seige. Fighting against them, Russian sniper Andrei Zakarin, of the elite 45th Spetsnaz Airborne Brigade, whose orders are to grievously wound the American soldiers operating in Kobani, not kill them. Because unlike the dead, who can be simply buried, wounded soldiers need to be rescued, treated or evacuated and the effect on morale is much, much worse.
Further north, Syria and Turkey are engaged in conflict as a Russian-backed Syria tries to wrest back control of its territory along the border. A NATO member, Turkey calls on western allies for assistance and a reluctant USA puts together a Coalition of the willing to stand against Syria. Here we meet Coalition pilots, the maverick Karen 'Bunny' O'Hare and the more orthodox 'Meany' Papastopolous, plus at NATO's Incirlik Air Base, never-say-die laser defense specialist Technical Sergeant Alessa Barruzzi.
Facing them, are Yevgeny Bondarev, grandson of the decorated former head of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Viktor Bondarev. It's his first war, and fair to say he has a lot to learn, if he survives the lesson. Flying with him in Russia's newest stealth fighter, the Su-57 Felon, is the naiive and affable 'Rap' Tchakov.
I chose in KOBANI to look into what war on the ground might look like in ten years time - a time in which we can expect many advanced, and often unmanned, new weapons systems to appear. For example, US armed forces and DARPA have been experimenting with 'legged squad support systems' (robotic dogs and mules) for several years, but I was prompted to include them as a reality in this novel when I read an article about them already being trialed by the US Air Force for airfield security and capture operations.
“Our defenders employed the robot dogs,” said Master Sgt. Lee Boston, 321st CRS loadmaster and the CR team chief for the exercise. “These robot dogs are a new technology that we’re testing as part of the exercise. The dogs give us visuals of the area, all while keeping our defenders closer to the aircraft.”
So if you saw the Metalhead episode of the TV show ‘Black Mirror’, in which a cyborg hound hunts survivors through an apocalyptic landscape and thought, ‘yeah, that’s never going to happen…’ think again!
The book contains an extensive glossary for readers not familiar with all things military, in which I have clearly marked which technologies are currently deployed, and which are currently under development. But most, if not all, already exist in prototype form, so it isn’t unreasonable to expect they could be deployed within ten years. The Russian Su-57 Felon, for example, is already in production and Russia is touting for export orders. The Boeing BATS ‘Loyal Wingman’ used by the Coalition air forces has already taken wing and the Russian Okhotnik drone featured in the book has been photographed flying in formation with a Felon. Swarming and Horde AI capable drones and missiles already exist.
FX Holden
Copenhagen November 2020
This novel was inspired by research I did after reading about the amazing women of the Kurdish Women's Protection Units in Syria and Iraq. (If you want riveting, easily accessible insights into the civil war in Syria, I strongly recommend anything by Danish war correspondent, Puk Damsgaard.)
From there, I started building the characters that I wanted to people the book with to show what a future conflict between Syria and Turkey (and a Coalition of western nations) might look like from the point of view of those fighting it, on ALL sides.
This is a key aim of the Future War series ... to show war from the human perspective, where there are no good guys or bad guys, just people in uniform, doing what their countries and their peoples expect of them.
So in this series we meet sniper Daryan Khalid, of the Kobani Women's Protection Unit, and her mercurial sister, Nasrin. Fighting alongside them in a besieged combat outpost in Kurdish Kobani, is US Gunnery Sergeant James Jensen of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines. Embedded with the 3rd Marines, Reuters journalist Mary Jo Basim finds her journalistic objectivity sorely challenged when Syrian troops try to end the seige. Fighting against them, Russian sniper Andrei Zakarin, of the elite 45th Spetsnaz Airborne Brigade, whose orders are to grievously wound the American soldiers operating in Kobani, not kill them. Because unlike the dead, who can be simply buried, wounded soldiers need to be rescued, treated or evacuated and the effect on morale is much, much worse.
Further north, Syria and Turkey are engaged in conflict as a Russian-backed Syria tries to wrest back control of its territory along the border. A NATO member, Turkey calls on western allies for assistance and a reluctant USA puts together a Coalition of the willing to stand against Syria. Here we meet Coalition pilots, the maverick Karen 'Bunny' O'Hare and the more orthodox 'Meany' Papastopolous, plus at NATO's Incirlik Air Base, never-say-die laser defense specialist Technical Sergeant Alessa Barruzzi.
Facing them, are Yevgeny Bondarev, grandson of the decorated former head of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Viktor Bondarev. It's his first war, and fair to say he has a lot to learn, if he survives the lesson. Flying with him in Russia's newest stealth fighter, the Su-57 Felon, is the naiive and affable 'Rap' Tchakov.
I chose in KOBANI to look into what war on the ground might look like in ten years time - a time in which we can expect many advanced, and often unmanned, new weapons systems to appear. For example, US armed forces and DARPA have been experimenting with 'legged squad support systems' (robotic dogs and mules) for several years, but I was prompted to include them as a reality in this novel when I read an article about them already being trialed by the US Air Force for airfield security and capture operations.
“Our defenders employed the robot dogs,” said Master Sgt. Lee Boston, 321st CRS loadmaster and the CR team chief for the exercise. “These robot dogs are a new technology that we’re testing as part of the exercise. The dogs give us visuals of the area, all while keeping our defenders closer to the aircraft.”
So if you saw the Metalhead episode of the TV show ‘Black Mirror’, in which a cyborg hound hunts survivors through an apocalyptic landscape and thought, ‘yeah, that’s never going to happen…’ think again!
The book contains an extensive glossary for readers not familiar with all things military, in which I have clearly marked which technologies are currently deployed, and which are currently under development. But most, if not all, already exist in prototype form, so it isn’t unreasonable to expect they could be deployed within ten years. The Russian Su-57 Felon, for example, is already in production and Russia is touting for export orders. The Boeing BATS ‘Loyal Wingman’ used by the Coalition air forces has already taken wing and the Russian Okhotnik drone featured in the book has been photographed flying in formation with a Felon. Swarming and Horde AI capable drones and missiles already exist.
FX Holden
Copenhagen November 2020
December 15, 2020
KOBANI: This is the Future of War
I received an advance copy of Kobani in return for an honest review.
Kobani is a prequel to FX Holden's previous Future War novels - Bering Strait, Okinawa and Orbital. In it Daryan, a young Kurdish girl, a member of the YPJ and a lethal sniper stalks the beseiged Kurds and US Marines in the stronghold of Kobani . In the skies above her NATO Coalition fighters battle on Russian forces, pitting advanced fighter technologies against each other against a backdrop of a Syrian offensive against Turkey and NATO's Incirluk airbase.
In his Future War series, Holden has perfected a vision of near-future military technologies - AI, robotics, kinetic weapons, space-based platforms and cyber-warfare - in the unstable political environment emerging in the world, in the air, at sea, on land and in space. He brings this all into crystal clear focus in stories that utterly grip the reader. I have found every book in this series spell-binding and impossible to put down until I reach the conclusion.
I received an advance copy of Kobani in return for an honest review.
Kobani is a prequel to FX Holden's previous Future War novels - Bering Strait, Okinawa and Orbital. In it Daryan, a young Kurdish girl, a member of the YPJ and a lethal sniper stalks the beseiged Kurds and US Marines in the stronghold of Kobani . In the skies above her NATO Coalition fighters battle on Russian forces, pitting advanced fighter technologies against each other against a backdrop of a Syrian offensive against Turkey and NATO's Incirluk airbase.
In his Future War series, Holden has perfected a vision of near-future military technologies - AI, robotics, kinetic weapons, space-based platforms and cyber-warfare - in the unstable political environment emerging in the world, in the air, at sea, on land and in space. He brings this all into crystal clear focus in stories that utterly grip the reader. I have found every book in this series spell-binding and impossible to put down until I reach the conclusion.
October 28, 2021
Another great book by Holden. I just wish now that I'd waited and read them in sequence of events rather than in the order the books were released. Still, really fun to read.
March 20, 2022
Just fantastic
This book puts you in the fighters of the next war. Hold on as missiles just miss you, and you start to black out. A work of art.
This book puts you in the fighters of the next war. Hold on as missiles just miss you, and you start to black out. A work of art.
December 17, 2020
A fairly entertaining page turner, that does not let you go from the first page to the last word of the novel. It definitely leaves the next novel's storyline very open. Competing superpowers thru proxy allies in limited "police action", just enough death and violence, but not enough to start WWIII. The futuristic weapons and vehicles mentioned thru out this novel are very well researched and believable. If not down right scary in the realism. The author makes just enough of a tease out of these novels to make it clear very soon the major superpowers will be headed towards a major conflict or just non nuclear WWIII. This author has the touches and style of an early Tom Clancy or a Larry Bond, depicting actual people in conflicts, and the emotional impact it has on their lives. It is nice to have a few characters popping up in each of the previous novels, then there is the character arc of meeting new ones or losing ones thru out the novels. It really gives some realism and emotion for the reader to get attached to. Hopefully the next novel from this author comes out very soon.
January 2, 2021
Future War or prophecy?
I was waiting for this book to come out and was not disappointed. Amazing detail and I love the parallel story lines. Fast paced and totally engrossing it is always a wild ride but also so plausible. Leaves you out of breath with and wanting more. Of course you tease me with Golan which I will of course now have to wait for!!! Thanks for a really entertaining read.
I was waiting for this book to come out and was not disappointed. Amazing detail and I love the parallel story lines. Fast paced and totally engrossing it is always a wild ride but also so plausible. Leaves you out of breath with and wanting more. Of course you tease me with Golan which I will of course now have to wait for!!! Thanks for a really entertaining read.
July 26, 2021
Fast paced with plausible scenatios
I like the multi place setting woven together in a fabric of carefully researched state of the art technology. The authors familiarity with strategy, tactics and motivation. The way the story unfolds, you definitely have protagonists but the enemies are not dehumanized. I think this book places you in the situations as they occur and causes you to assess what your actions might be
I like the multi place setting woven together in a fabric of carefully researched state of the art technology. The authors familiarity with strategy, tactics and motivation. The way the story unfolds, you definitely have protagonists but the enemies are not dehumanized. I think this book places you in the situations as they occur and causes you to assess what your actions might be
August 11, 2021
Another action packed storyline.
The author has produced another storyline that grabs your attention from the start to finish.
The context of the storyline which sees elements of armed forces from Russia combined with Syria fighting against American forces and her allies of Turkey and Kurdish people is a frightening thought that although it is fictional in today's world it could very soon become reality.
The author has produced another storyline that grabs your attention from the start to finish.
The context of the storyline which sees elements of armed forces from Russia combined with Syria fighting against American forces and her allies of Turkey and Kurdish people is a frightening thought that although it is fictional in today's world it could very soon become reality.
February 1, 2021
Great, fast placed story. One heckuva read
Great story by FX Holden built around an extension of the current situation in Syria that's been developed the last few years. Scary descriptions of advanced battleground technologies, yet still with stories of heroism by soldiers and airmen. Very fast paced, leaves you longing for more.
Great story by FX Holden built around an extension of the current situation in Syria that's been developed the last few years. Scary descriptions of advanced battleground technologies, yet still with stories of heroism by soldiers and airmen. Very fast paced, leaves you longing for more.
July 24, 2021
Another great story by FX Holden
This is the third book by Holden that I've read and have enjoyed it the most. All of the characters are interesting and the story flows very well. It compares with Red Storm Rising and other well written and researched military technological thrillers.
This is the third book by Holden that I've read and have enjoyed it the most. All of the characters are interesting and the story flows very well. It compares with Red Storm Rising and other well written and researched military technological thrillers.
December 30, 2020
It Just Gets Better
This series gets better with each book. The authors ability to give realistic perspective to all sides makes for very interesting reading to point it makes it difficult to put my Fire down. The characters and their situations are totally believable. I find it difficult to wait for the next book in the series.
This series gets better with each book. The authors ability to give realistic perspective to all sides makes for very interesting reading to point it makes it difficult to put my Fire down. The characters and their situations are totally believable. I find it difficult to wait for the next book in the series.
March 5, 2021
Excellent
Set down to read this book Never put it down started in the morning and finished it that night Spellbinding Extremely well written Feasible and whatever else you wanna say about it Was an extremely good book If you don't read it You're missing an excellent read
Set down to read this book Never put it down started in the morning and finished it that night Spellbinding Extremely well written Feasible and whatever else you wanna say about it Was an extremely good book If you don't read it You're missing an excellent read
March 18, 2021
The next Tom Clancy?
Fascinating tale of war in the near future. Besides providing insight into upcoming and current equipment and technology, Nd. Holden peoples the story with entertaining characters. Enjoyable and gripping.
Fascinating tale of war in the near future. Besides providing insight into upcoming and current equipment and technology, Nd. Holden peoples the story with entertaining characters. Enjoyable and gripping.
April 30, 2021
Good War Story
The story presented interesting forecasts of how future operational tactics might change given the direction of technology evolution. Also interesting was the presence of incompetent leaders.
The story presented interesting forecasts of how future operational tactics might change given the direction of technology evolution. Also interesting was the presence of incompetent leaders.
November 28, 2021
Dynamite
This book is one of the best action/war novels, drama and combat from assorted characters give this book a very realistic feel and puts the reader in the centre of things. Action from start to finish make this a very satisfactory read.
This book is one of the best action/war novels, drama and combat from assorted characters give this book a very realistic feel and puts the reader in the centre of things. Action from start to finish make this a very satisfactory read.
October 13, 2022
Great writer
There were a couple of simple mistakes but they were quickly forgiven as I kept reading. The author was obviously not a former Marine but they can weave a hell of a story. This was a truly enjoyable book.
There were a couple of simple mistakes but they were quickly forgiven as I kept reading. The author was obviously not a former Marine but they can weave a hell of a story. This was a truly enjoyable book.
December 6, 2022
This is what Future War writing should be!
Fast-paced, with characters that you can care about, tons of action, and only one minor editing error.
Way to go Mr. Holden! On to the next in the series -- Golan . . .
Fast-paced, with characters that you can care about, tons of action, and only one minor editing error.
Way to go Mr. Holden! On to the next in the series -- Golan . . .
May 15, 2021
Combat fan? Read this
Great character development, excellent interaction, and cutting-edge reading.
If you’re a fan of Tom Clancy, you’ll truly enjoy this author.
Great character development, excellent interaction, and cutting-edge reading.
If you’re a fan of Tom Clancy, you’ll truly enjoy this author.
May 17, 2021
Fine series in the making.
If the rest of the books are as page turning as this was ,than my summer reading list is filled,
If the rest of the books are as page turning as this was ,than my summer reading list is filled,
July 8, 2021
Excellent prequel to the Future War series.
October 16, 2021
Very good book. At first, I thought there were too many characters. The author did a fine job of weaving them together.
April 19, 2022
Well written. Interesting concept on the future of warfare.
December 13, 2020
Another cracker
Brilliant thought provoking thriller. Hi tech excitement throughout and the reoccurring cast are just as engaging as ever. Highly recommended for fans of tech, geo-politics & Crystal-ball gazers with the worlds future in mind. A rip roaring war story.
Brilliant thought provoking thriller. Hi tech excitement throughout and the reoccurring cast are just as engaging as ever. Highly recommended for fans of tech, geo-politics & Crystal-ball gazers with the worlds future in mind. A rip roaring war story.
December 19, 2021
Awesome
Kept me glued to it not wanting to stop reading. Lots of action!! Definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes this type of stories.
Kept me glued to it not wanting to stop reading. Lots of action!! Definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes this type of stories.
August 24, 2022
Only a few chapters into this series. Hubby loved it, thought I might like it. So many characters I will have trouble keeping straight. However, it just got an auto 4 star from me because I fell in love with the Dogs:) I play Fallout 4 and would love to have a couple of those robots to complement Dogmeat, lol:)
October 4, 2022
Outstanding military thriller!
This was a spellbinding read! Couldn't put it down. Tim Sleeps has an amazing encyclopedic knowledge of current and future military hardware and tactics and uses. Great job!
This was a spellbinding read! Couldn't put it down. Tim Sleeps has an amazing encyclopedic knowledge of current and future military hardware and tactics and uses. Great job!
June 21, 2021
Loved it again. Can’t wait for the next one.
What a clever bloke. Love his books ,they leave you wondering if his words are prescient. Interesting prequel to the other books.
What a clever bloke. Love his books ,they leave you wondering if his words are prescient. Interesting prequel to the other books.
March 7, 2025
Original review: 5 stars, “quick paced and fresh”
Updated 2025: Recent events since this book was published in 2019 have corroded the authenticity of the plot, with the author putting minimal effort into reconciling the imagined scenario with more recent reality from which it was supposed to believably diverge.
The novel depicts a determined land invasion of southern Turkey by a resurgent Syrian-Russian coalition with significant Russian air support, the goal: to null the threat from Incirlik. The updated edition simply changes the Syrians from government forces to rebels in name only without making necessary adjustments to account for aggressive Israeli efforts in late 2024 to deny any Syria based party the military buildup depicted in the story, which takes place in the early 2030s.
Despite the crumbling of the central foundations of the story mimicking that of the stability of real life Syria through the past decade, other subplots remain standing tall, such as that of the Kurdish sniper or the U.S. Marine battalion holed up in an abandoned hilltop fortress. This, along with mostly well structured and vivid prose, has prevented me from lowering my rating past 3 stars.
Updated 2025: Recent events since this book was published in 2019 have corroded the authenticity of the plot, with the author putting minimal effort into reconciling the imagined scenario with more recent reality from which it was supposed to believably diverge.
The novel depicts a determined land invasion of southern Turkey by a resurgent Syrian-Russian coalition with significant Russian air support, the goal: to null the threat from Incirlik. The updated edition simply changes the Syrians from government forces to rebels in name only without making necessary adjustments to account for aggressive Israeli efforts in late 2024 to deny any Syria based party the military buildup depicted in the story, which takes place in the early 2030s.
Despite the crumbling of the central foundations of the story mimicking that of the stability of real life Syria through the past decade, other subplots remain standing tall, such as that of the Kurdish sniper or the U.S. Marine battalion holed up in an abandoned hilltop fortress. This, along with mostly well structured and vivid prose, has prevented me from lowering my rating past 3 stars.
December 27, 2021
Another great book in the series, the most believable conflict so far. Brings up several uncomfortable questions. Would we actually fight a major power in the air if they were supporting a country we were occupying? And what would that mean for our troops on the ground? What is the role of combat correspondents? America has already seen chemical warfare used in Syria and did nothing about it. How will remote piloted systems be used in comms-denied environment, and will that put more pilots at risk or give up the operational goals? We take more risks with drones, which both gives America the option to strike with less risk to pilots (leading to strikes with impunity), and shows us as pushovers when we do not respond to them being shot down. Love how sci-fi brings up more nuanced leadership questions than many of the "experts".
Unfortunate the publish date for this prequel is later, so I did not read it until after the original trilogy. Fits in well and should be read before the other book so you don't know what happens to the major characters.
Unfortunate the publish date for this prequel is later, so I did not read it until after the original trilogy. Fits in well and should be read before the other book so you don't know what happens to the major characters.
May 8, 2022
In his continuing contemplation of what global conflict will look like in the near future, FX Holden has done it again with a superb story. This time the flashpoint is the Russian-backed Syrians and the Kurds. As the U.S. Marines are drawn into the conflict the stage is set for a gripping story and a look into the backstories of characters we have come to know in the three previous outings. For those that have not read the previous books this is an excellent entry point as the story takes place prior to the others.
Holden does not disappoint. He again presents us with a rich, real, and relatable cast as well as a fast moving story that will engage you from cover to cover. He continues his development of strong characters that add to the contemplation of the human element in increasingly automated armed conflict.
As with his other installments, this one left me
anxiously awaiting the next one.
Holden does not disappoint. He again presents us with a rich, real, and relatable cast as well as a fast moving story that will engage you from cover to cover. He continues his development of strong characters that add to the contemplation of the human element in increasingly automated armed conflict.
As with his other installments, this one left me
anxiously awaiting the next one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews