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Future War #6
Pagasa: This is the Future of War
"F.X. Holden is a master at delivering top-notch, rapid, breathtaking scenes that exceed the prescience of Tom Clancy, the micro-accurate battle action of WEB Griffen, the intrigue of Steve Berry, all wrapped in the closeup action of a Stephen Coonts thriller. Pagasa: This is the Future of War by F.X. Holden has earned my highest recommendation, if your thrill meter can record this level of action." - Tom Gauthier, Readers Favorite, 5 STARS
China moves to take over Pagasa Island in the South China Sea, putting it on a collision course with the USA that very quickly takes the region to the brink of total war. Set in an all-too-possible future, PAGASA is 'a whirlwind of a novel' that follows the lives of ordinary men and women facing extraordinary peril, on all sides of the conflict. On Pagasa, Philippine Seabee Captain, Heraldo Bezerra, and his small force of combat engineers come under attack from Chinese Coast Guard frigates and commandos of the elite Jiaolong special forces. In Hong Kong, pilot Karen 'Bunny' O'Hare signs on to act as an aerial bodyguard for US flagged merchant marine vessel, the White Star Orion, which is shipping vital materials to PAGASA to help the Philippine Government fortify the island. In the Celebes Sea east of the Philippines, Captain of the Constellation class frigate, USS Congress, races to rendezvous with the White Star convoy, knowing he is sailing his ship into the eye of an approaching storm. At Batu Bay in Brunei, maritime militia leader Abdul Ibrahim, receives a visit from a Chinese client bearing heavy calibre gifts and a simple request: sink the Orion. And high in the skies over PAGASA, China Southern Command Special Aircraft Squadron leader, Li Chen, takes China's untried Zhi Shen J-16 fighter into combat with US stealth drones, to fight for the control of the seas first sailed by her ancestors during the Han dynasty in 210 BC. Long form review: USA BookLife Holden is back with another dynamic novel in his accomplished Future War series. This high-flying political thriller paints a grim future where China and the U.S. teeter on the brink of war in the 2030s. Densely packed with the innovative tech and high-stakes cliffhangers the genre demands, Pagasa approaches its international conflict from every possible side, with a large ensemble ranging from U.S. Navy officers and Chinese military to two young children who must quickly adapt when their island becomes a military flashpoint. That interest in the humanity of all parties sets Holdens work apart. Pilot Karen “Bunny” O’Hare’s no-nonsense attitude and ability to react quickly under pressure make her a standout in the sea of characters, and while many of the main players find themselves thrust onto the front lines of this battle, a handful of politicians navigate the war safely behind closed doors, leaving readers with a chilling realization of who is really pulling the strings. To achieve that, Holden’s narrative must dart rapidly between viewpoints, mimicking the chaos of war and the quick wit needed to survive it. To help orient readers, Holden supplies a comprehensive cast list as well as a detailed map of the island area for reference. Although Pagasa is part of a larger series, it can be read as an inviting standalone. Readers looking to sink into a war saga rich with differing perspective–and gape at the possibilities of next-gen tech–will enjoy this thriller. Takeaway: This accomplished high-tech, near-future military thriller admirably examines all sides of its vivid international conflict. Great for fans of: Richard Herman’s The China Sea , Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis’s 2034: A Novel of the Next World War .
China moves to take over Pagasa Island in the South China Sea, putting it on a collision course with the USA that very quickly takes the region to the brink of total war. Set in an all-too-possible future, PAGASA is 'a whirlwind of a novel' that follows the lives of ordinary men and women facing extraordinary peril, on all sides of the conflict. On Pagasa, Philippine Seabee Captain, Heraldo Bezerra, and his small force of combat engineers come under attack from Chinese Coast Guard frigates and commandos of the elite Jiaolong special forces. In Hong Kong, pilot Karen 'Bunny' O'Hare signs on to act as an aerial bodyguard for US flagged merchant marine vessel, the White Star Orion, which is shipping vital materials to PAGASA to help the Philippine Government fortify the island. In the Celebes Sea east of the Philippines, Captain of the Constellation class frigate, USS Congress, races to rendezvous with the White Star convoy, knowing he is sailing his ship into the eye of an approaching storm. At Batu Bay in Brunei, maritime militia leader Abdul Ibrahim, receives a visit from a Chinese client bearing heavy calibre gifts and a simple request: sink the Orion. And high in the skies over PAGASA, China Southern Command Special Aircraft Squadron leader, Li Chen, takes China's untried Zhi Shen J-16 fighter into combat with US stealth drones, to fight for the control of the seas first sailed by her ancestors during the Han dynasty in 210 BC. Long form review: USA BookLife Holden is back with another dynamic novel in his accomplished Future War series. This high-flying political thriller paints a grim future where China and the U.S. teeter on the brink of war in the 2030s. Densely packed with the innovative tech and high-stakes cliffhangers the genre demands, Pagasa approaches its international conflict from every possible side, with a large ensemble ranging from U.S. Navy officers and Chinese military to two young children who must quickly adapt when their island becomes a military flashpoint. That interest in the humanity of all parties sets Holdens work apart. Pilot Karen “Bunny” O’Hare’s no-nonsense attitude and ability to react quickly under pressure make her a standout in the sea of characters, and while many of the main players find themselves thrust onto the front lines of this battle, a handful of politicians navigate the war safely behind closed doors, leaving readers with a chilling realization of who is really pulling the strings. To achieve that, Holden’s narrative must dart rapidly between viewpoints, mimicking the chaos of war and the quick wit needed to survive it. To help orient readers, Holden supplies a comprehensive cast list as well as a detailed map of the island area for reference. Although Pagasa is part of a larger series, it can be read as an inviting standalone. Readers looking to sink into a war saga rich with differing perspective–and gape at the possibilities of next-gen tech–will enjoy this thriller. Takeaway: This accomplished high-tech, near-future military thriller admirably examines all sides of its vivid international conflict. Great for fans of: Richard Herman’s The China Sea , Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis’s 2034: A Novel of the Next World War .
444 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2021
302 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
F.X. Holden
22 books193 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 48 reviews
May 25, 2023
Hi, not a review of course, because I am the author! Pls consider this a spoiler free author note.
Pagasa started its life as a working draft called 'Archipelago'. Pagasa seemed a little easier to pronounce! Pag-asa. 'Island of Hope' in Filipino Tagalog language.
My starting point in any Future War novel is to try to create engaging characters. And so in PAGASA you will meet struggling Philippine Navy Seabee Heraldo Bezerra; Pagasa resident, 12 year old Eugenio Maat; hotshot Chinese test pilot Li Chen; the very straightforward Chinese Jiaolong Commando An Ruan; detail obsessed US Navy frigate commander Daniel Okafor; misanthropic merchant seaman Angus 'Ginger' McIntyre and unorthodox Australian pilot, Karen 'Bunny' O'Hare.
Warning: not all of them are going to make it through this novel.
As I was writing Pagasa, it began to look frighteningly like reality could overtake fiction. In late 2020 China began sending hundreds of aircraft into Taiwan’s self-declared ‘air defense zone’, either to provoke a response, to add military muscle to its diplomatic efforts, or just to test Taiwan’s air defenses.
At the same time, it was revealed that China had tested a new hypersonic missile, possibly as part of a Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS) similar to the nuclear armed missiles that Soviet Russia had flying around the planet at the height of the Cold War. Russia eventually abandoned FOBS because it was more effective to put nuclear missiles on submarines parked off an enemy’s coast, than to constantly fire them into a fractional orbit, but also because it was expensive, relatively easy to intercept for new anti-ballistic missile defense systems, and not particularly accurate. Whether China’s hypersonic missile technology makes the concept suddenly attractive again, or whether it is simply part of China’s massive effort to update its military technologies across all domains, remains to be seen.
Such developments were already a concern to the ‘Quadrilateral Security Dialogue’ nations of India, Japan, the US and Australia. The Quad nations began conducting military exercises together in 2020 and in late 2021 the US, UK and Australia announced a new military alliance – AUKUS - squarely aimed at countering China’s growing power in Asia and the Pacific. At the same time, Australia announced the purchase of nuclear submarines and related technologies from the US and UK.
As I wrote Pagasa, the wagons were beginning to circle around China and I was strongly reminded of the western efforts to contain the growing military and economic power of Japan in the 1940s through a series of economic embargoes and diplomatic initiatives intended to isolate and strangle Japan.
China has not ignored these new alliances and has been busy forging new alliances of its own. In October 2021 it conducted its first joint fleet exercises with Russia’s Pacific Fleet. No formal treaties with Russia had been announced at the time of writing but that does not mean promises of mutual assistance have not been exchanged between the Russian President and Chinese Premier.
The Pentagon’s military chiefs have been warning about Chinese military advances for several years, and it has now supplanted Russia as the ‘main enemy’ of US defense planners. While I was finalizing Pagasa, outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, positioned China as “the biggest geostrategic challenge to the United States,” while Deputy Defense Secretary, Kathleen Hicks, stated about China’s military advances: “China is the one who is setting the measuring stick for how advanced (a) capability is and how large a challenge it is for us to overcome.”
While there is an element of budgetary positioning in these claims, there is also a large measure of objective reality.
China is now one of only three nations with 5th generation stealth fighter aircraft in its inventory, and it has not just one - the J-20 - but two, with a carrier based stealth fighter known as the FC-31 Gyrfalcon now in flight testing.
Stealth may not be their greatest advantages. China has been acknowledged by US security experts as the world leader in AI development. On a recent visit to Beijing I saw evidence of this myself, joining a Chinese colleague for a visit to the ‘doctor’. We went to a closed booth on a street corner like a public toilet cubicle: he entered his details into the screen inside and an AI chatbot led him through a discussion of his health, compared the details to the information in its database, matched its conclusion against his known medical and medication history and renewed his prescription on the spot. With no human intervention.
Now, imagine a world in which every lesson a fighter pilot learns, including his or her actions in the moments before they are killed, are uploaded to a neural network that can study and learn, and then apply those lessons the next time it goes into combat.
Finally, a note on the fraught geopolitics of the Spratly Islands. I offer no opinion on which nation’s claim to islands in the archipelago is valid or not, but I have taken current events and projected them into a possible future. The opening scene in PAGASA is based on an actual event. In 2019 a large Chinese fishing vessel rammed and partially sank a wooden Filipino fishing boat, the F/B Gem-Ver 1, in the Spratly Archipelago. After the incident, according to Philippine authorities, the Chinese vessel turned off its navigation lights and sailed away, leaving the Filipino survivors in the water. China has denied this version of events calling it ‘a normal maritime accident’.
While several nations claim ownership of the various reefs, islands and shoals of the Spratly Islands, China has been the most assertive, building ports and air bases across the archipelago. Diplomatic protests about its actions have been ineffectual and toothless.
China now has a fleet of several hundred fishing vessels operating in the South China Sea, protected by its naval air force, navy and coast guard ships, and by radar, anti-ship and anti-air missile emplacements throughout the Spratly Islands. In 2018, a Chinese warship narrowly avoided colliding with the US warship USS Decatur in the Spratly Islands, coming within 45 yards of its stern. In April 2020 the USS Mustin was forced to maneuver to avoid contact with a picket destroyer from China’s Liaoning carrier strike group in the South China Sea. Western navies sailing through international waters are regularly warned against approaching ‘Chinese territory’ – the same applies to aircraft flying near Chinese military installations - and though they ignore these warnings for the most, many observers see it as just a matter of time before a more serious scenario, such as the one in this novel, develops.
This writer, for one, hopes that never happens.
FX Holden, December 2021, Copenhagen.
With huge thanks to my fantastic beta reading team for their encouragement and constructive critique:
Sim Alam
Bror Appelsin
Mike Ashworth
Nick Baker
Johnny Bunch
Frank Daugherity
Wayne Frenck
Randy Hardin
Dave Hedrick
Tom Hill
Martin Hirst
Greg Hollingsworth
Steve Panza
Barry Roberts
Rob
Therese Blakemore Saffery
Lee Steventon
And to copy editor, Brigitte Lee Messenger,
for putting the cheese around the holes.
Pagasa started its life as a working draft called 'Archipelago'. Pagasa seemed a little easier to pronounce! Pag-asa. 'Island of Hope' in Filipino Tagalog language.
My starting point in any Future War novel is to try to create engaging characters. And so in PAGASA you will meet struggling Philippine Navy Seabee Heraldo Bezerra; Pagasa resident, 12 year old Eugenio Maat; hotshot Chinese test pilot Li Chen; the very straightforward Chinese Jiaolong Commando An Ruan; detail obsessed US Navy frigate commander Daniel Okafor; misanthropic merchant seaman Angus 'Ginger' McIntyre and unorthodox Australian pilot, Karen 'Bunny' O'Hare.
Warning: not all of them are going to make it through this novel.
As I was writing Pagasa, it began to look frighteningly like reality could overtake fiction. In late 2020 China began sending hundreds of aircraft into Taiwan’s self-declared ‘air defense zone’, either to provoke a response, to add military muscle to its diplomatic efforts, or just to test Taiwan’s air defenses.
At the same time, it was revealed that China had tested a new hypersonic missile, possibly as part of a Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS) similar to the nuclear armed missiles that Soviet Russia had flying around the planet at the height of the Cold War. Russia eventually abandoned FOBS because it was more effective to put nuclear missiles on submarines parked off an enemy’s coast, than to constantly fire them into a fractional orbit, but also because it was expensive, relatively easy to intercept for new anti-ballistic missile defense systems, and not particularly accurate. Whether China’s hypersonic missile technology makes the concept suddenly attractive again, or whether it is simply part of China’s massive effort to update its military technologies across all domains, remains to be seen.
Such developments were already a concern to the ‘Quadrilateral Security Dialogue’ nations of India, Japan, the US and Australia. The Quad nations began conducting military exercises together in 2020 and in late 2021 the US, UK and Australia announced a new military alliance – AUKUS - squarely aimed at countering China’s growing power in Asia and the Pacific. At the same time, Australia announced the purchase of nuclear submarines and related technologies from the US and UK.
As I wrote Pagasa, the wagons were beginning to circle around China and I was strongly reminded of the western efforts to contain the growing military and economic power of Japan in the 1940s through a series of economic embargoes and diplomatic initiatives intended to isolate and strangle Japan.
China has not ignored these new alliances and has been busy forging new alliances of its own. In October 2021 it conducted its first joint fleet exercises with Russia’s Pacific Fleet. No formal treaties with Russia had been announced at the time of writing but that does not mean promises of mutual assistance have not been exchanged between the Russian President and Chinese Premier.
The Pentagon’s military chiefs have been warning about Chinese military advances for several years, and it has now supplanted Russia as the ‘main enemy’ of US defense planners. While I was finalizing Pagasa, outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, positioned China as “the biggest geostrategic challenge to the United States,” while Deputy Defense Secretary, Kathleen Hicks, stated about China’s military advances: “China is the one who is setting the measuring stick for how advanced (a) capability is and how large a challenge it is for us to overcome.”
While there is an element of budgetary positioning in these claims, there is also a large measure of objective reality.
China is now one of only three nations with 5th generation stealth fighter aircraft in its inventory, and it has not just one - the J-20 - but two, with a carrier based stealth fighter known as the FC-31 Gyrfalcon now in flight testing.
Stealth may not be their greatest advantages. China has been acknowledged by US security experts as the world leader in AI development. On a recent visit to Beijing I saw evidence of this myself, joining a Chinese colleague for a visit to the ‘doctor’. We went to a closed booth on a street corner like a public toilet cubicle: he entered his details into the screen inside and an AI chatbot led him through a discussion of his health, compared the details to the information in its database, matched its conclusion against his known medical and medication history and renewed his prescription on the spot. With no human intervention.
Now, imagine a world in which every lesson a fighter pilot learns, including his or her actions in the moments before they are killed, are uploaded to a neural network that can study and learn, and then apply those lessons the next time it goes into combat.
Finally, a note on the fraught geopolitics of the Spratly Islands. I offer no opinion on which nation’s claim to islands in the archipelago is valid or not, but I have taken current events and projected them into a possible future. The opening scene in PAGASA is based on an actual event. In 2019 a large Chinese fishing vessel rammed and partially sank a wooden Filipino fishing boat, the F/B Gem-Ver 1, in the Spratly Archipelago. After the incident, according to Philippine authorities, the Chinese vessel turned off its navigation lights and sailed away, leaving the Filipino survivors in the water. China has denied this version of events calling it ‘a normal maritime accident’.
While several nations claim ownership of the various reefs, islands and shoals of the Spratly Islands, China has been the most assertive, building ports and air bases across the archipelago. Diplomatic protests about its actions have been ineffectual and toothless.
China now has a fleet of several hundred fishing vessels operating in the South China Sea, protected by its naval air force, navy and coast guard ships, and by radar, anti-ship and anti-air missile emplacements throughout the Spratly Islands. In 2018, a Chinese warship narrowly avoided colliding with the US warship USS Decatur in the Spratly Islands, coming within 45 yards of its stern. In April 2020 the USS Mustin was forced to maneuver to avoid contact with a picket destroyer from China’s Liaoning carrier strike group in the South China Sea. Western navies sailing through international waters are regularly warned against approaching ‘Chinese territory’ – the same applies to aircraft flying near Chinese military installations - and though they ignore these warnings for the most, many observers see it as just a matter of time before a more serious scenario, such as the one in this novel, develops.
This writer, for one, hopes that never happens.
FX Holden, December 2021, Copenhagen.
With huge thanks to my fantastic beta reading team for their encouragement and constructive critique:
Sim Alam
Bror Appelsin
Mike Ashworth
Nick Baker
Johnny Bunch
Frank Daugherity
Wayne Frenck
Randy Hardin
Dave Hedrick
Tom Hill
Martin Hirst
Greg Hollingsworth
Steve Panza
Barry Roberts
Rob
Therese Blakemore Saffery
Lee Steventon
And to copy editor, Brigitte Lee Messenger,
for putting the cheese around the holes.
March 17, 2023
These future war books are fantastic. From the great characters to the cutting edge weapons being developed today. It is hard not to finish book quick because the stories are so compelling and believable. It will keep you wide awake thru every page! This could have happened today.
March 9, 2022
Gripping storyline
Another great storyline that grabs you from the first page to the last one.
Main character Bunny O,Hare finds herself in the firing line yet again and has to use all her knowhow and experience to survive against pirates and the forces of the Chinese government that are determined to cause her serious harm.
Although this book is a work of fiction,the actual events depicted cannot be ruled out as the technology and world of piracy and the Chinese design on the region described in this book are not that far away from what is actually happening now.
Another great storyline that grabs you from the first page to the last one.
Main character Bunny O,Hare finds herself in the firing line yet again and has to use all her knowhow and experience to survive against pirates and the forces of the Chinese government that are determined to cause her serious harm.
Although this book is a work of fiction,the actual events depicted cannot be ruled out as the technology and world of piracy and the Chinese design on the region described in this book are not that far away from what is actually happening now.
March 8, 2022
Possible future
I think the present Ukraine conflict might encourage China to use our distraction to movie on Taiwan and or the island in contention in this story.
I think the present Ukraine conflict might encourage China to use our distraction to movie on Taiwan and or the island in contention in this story.
February 4, 2022
Brilliant. real.fast moving.
Really, I read it in nearly one sitting will read the next one. Keep them coming. Brilliant . Real . Hopefully not too real
Really, I read it in nearly one sitting will read the next one. Keep them coming. Brilliant . Real . Hopefully not too real
January 27, 2022
Great actions
Another great read....love the characters and their personalities... great action...work faster Holden... I have a hard time finding books I like to read.
Another great read....love the characters and their personalities... great action...work faster Holden... I have a hard time finding books I like to read.
Read
December 15, 2021Another incredible book from F.X. Holden!
I've read every book in the future war series, and each is remarkable in a different way. But each is incredible!!
This book also features Bunny oh are but none of her other usual supporting characters. Beginning a new life outside of DARPA and Air Force, taking on CPP head on as a private contractor to an international conglomerate.
New characters are introduced that are remarkable and the story unfolds as the USA and China are drawn towards a total war. It's a page turner that I had problems putting down and managed to somehow go about my day to day life while wanting only to read this book.
Filled with "future" weapons and technology that will likely make their appearance by 2035, the book will not disappoint.
My only disappointment is that some studio hasn't optioned the books that (IMHO) could produce a movie series that would exceed the box office appeal and revenue of Star Wars. I'd be first in line!
If you want a great read...read this book (or any of the Future of War books).
I've read every book in the future war series, and each is remarkable in a different way. But each is incredible!!
This book also features Bunny oh are but none of her other usual supporting characters. Beginning a new life outside of DARPA and Air Force, taking on CPP head on as a private contractor to an international conglomerate.
New characters are introduced that are remarkable and the story unfolds as the USA and China are drawn towards a total war. It's a page turner that I had problems putting down and managed to somehow go about my day to day life while wanting only to read this book.
Filled with "future" weapons and technology that will likely make their appearance by 2035, the book will not disappoint.
My only disappointment is that some studio hasn't optioned the books that (IMHO) could produce a movie series that would exceed the box office appeal and revenue of Star Wars. I'd be first in line!
If you want a great read...read this book (or any of the Future of War books).
December 8, 2021
Anything from this author is good….
For those who are following this series of yarns - you are in for a treat …… again.
For those thinking of reading this as an individual story - yep - it’s worth the read.
FX has an uncanny knack of writing stories that stand alone really well but also form part of a larger story very very well.
This story has well defined characters who are in roles within a huge bigger picture - what does this mean? It means that this story is just as good as a stand alone as it is part of a pretty amazing series.
So - the choice is yours. Have a read of Pagasa or go back to the beginning and read the lot - either way you will not be disappointed…
For those who are following this series of yarns - you are in for a treat …… again.
For those thinking of reading this as an individual story - yep - it’s worth the read.
FX has an uncanny knack of writing stories that stand alone really well but also form part of a larger story very very well.
This story has well defined characters who are in roles within a huge bigger picture - what does this mean? It means that this story is just as good as a stand alone as it is part of a pretty amazing series.
So - the choice is yours. Have a read of Pagasa or go back to the beginning and read the lot - either way you will not be disappointed…
December 3, 2021
Excellent
Love the series. Very credible, politically and technically. But if you have read the earlier books you will know this already. If by some fluke this is your first, I can only urge you to read them all. As an early reviewer (pre-ordered, paid for the book, not the review) I pointed a couple of very minor points, which did not affect the reading of the book at all, and I received a very nice reply from the author thanking me, but correcting me on one of the points.
Looking forward to the next one.
Love the series. Very credible, politically and technically. But if you have read the earlier books you will know this already. If by some fluke this is your first, I can only urge you to read them all. As an early reviewer (pre-ordered, paid for the book, not the review) I pointed a couple of very minor points, which did not affect the reading of the book at all, and I received a very nice reply from the author thanking me, but correcting me on one of the points.
Looking forward to the next one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2021
Pagasa is the BEST Future War novel yet! Pilot Bunny O'Hare lands smack in the middle of a fast-developing confrontation between the US and China over the South China Sea in a high-tech environment. Holden excels at blistering action and battle sequences with unpredictable conclusions - pitting his characters and advanced weapons systems against the uncertainties and unpredictability of war. Pasagasa won't disappoint.
March 30, 2022
Excellent hi-tech thriller, hard to put down
FX Holden's books are all excellent, with lots of techno excitement and great story lines. The main character is Bunny O'Hare (love the name) who possess an unhero-like persona, great skills, and excellent luck. This book concerns conflict between the US and China with the US supporting the Philippines against Chinese aggression. Highly recommended
FX Holden's books are all excellent, with lots of techno excitement and great story lines. The main character is Bunny O'Hare (love the name) who possess an unhero-like persona, great skills, and excellent luck. This book concerns conflict between the US and China with the US supporting the Philippines against Chinese aggression. Highly recommended
December 29, 2021
Yet another great sequel
Once again, FX knocks it out of the park with his great characters and thrilling action sequences. But what I love most about these books is the way in which all of the characters are given a human side: We don't get to automatically hate the Chinese players or automatically like the Americans. They each get a back story, be it good or bad. Roll on 2022!
Once again, FX knocks it out of the park with his great characters and thrilling action sequences. But what I love most about these books is the way in which all of the characters are given a human side: We don't get to automatically hate the Chinese players or automatically like the Americans. They each get a back story, be it good or bad. Roll on 2022!
December 10, 2021
Another good read from FX Holden
These books are reliably good, with good characters and page turning stories. The technical details are close enough to be fun, without getting too carried away with detail or more complex issues not reachable by most readers. Bravo!
These books are reliably good, with good characters and page turning stories. The technical details are close enough to be fun, without getting too carried away with detail or more complex issues not reachable by most readers. Bravo!
December 17, 2021
If war could be fun.
This series of decidedly entertaining stories is on my must re-read on a few years. Characters ate consistent, storylines are believable and just fun to read. Highly recommended.
This series of decidedly entertaining stories is on my must re-read on a few years. Characters ate consistent, storylines are believable and just fun to read. Highly recommended.
December 22, 2021
Great Book
Another Great Book in The Future of War Series. It was an Easy Read that was hard to put down. It seemed to real and I sure hope we never get to this point. It will be hard to wait for Book # 7 DMZ to come out in the summer of 2022.
Another Great Book in The Future of War Series. It was an Easy Read that was hard to put down. It seemed to real and I sure hope we never get to this point. It will be hard to wait for Book # 7 DMZ to come out in the summer of 2022.
Read
December 30, 2021A really well written and researched book covering a potential modern conflict, but not too far in the future to be frightening enough. Good characters as usual slotted into positions similar to previous novels, I thoroughly enjoyed every single page!
December 4, 2021
Wow! What a ride! I finished this book in two days and it was a fantastic adventure. As a Filipino American, I appreciate that we get a look at the Spratly's as a potential flashpoint for global conflict. I'm just waiting for Hollywood to pick up and produce Tim Slee's Future War series!
December 10, 2021
awesome!
Another great read. Please keep the books coming FX!
I look forward to every one, and can’t wait til the next shows up!
Another great read. Please keep the books coming FX!
I look forward to every one, and can’t wait til the next shows up!
December 16, 2021
Fast paced, realistic
I started reading and didnt stop till I was done. Not by choice, but because I thought, “just a few more pages”. Now how long until DMZ is released?
I started reading and didnt stop till I was done. Not by choice, but because I thought, “just a few more pages”. Now how long until DMZ is released?
December 31, 2021
Action all the way
I recommend this book and in fact the whole series. Once started it is hard to put down as the action keeps you reading
I recommend this book and in fact the whole series. Once started it is hard to put down as the action keeps you reading
January 2, 2022
Captivating!!
High tech, action packed drama. Wonderful character development.
Adequate tension to maintain rapt attention.
Can't wait for the next novel.
High tech, action packed drama. Wonderful character development.
Adequate tension to maintain rapt attention.
Can't wait for the next novel.
March 29, 2022
I love this wonderful writer
I have read six of his books and they just get better. Fantastic action filled battles. I felt that I was in the planes. What a pleasure.
I have read six of his books and they just get better. Fantastic action filled battles. I felt that I was in the planes. What a pleasure.
December 16, 2021
Fiction? We hope so. But for how long?
Holden paints a thrilling, complex, and compelling story of a war that, hopefully, will never happen. His heroine is a self-willed superhero who you just have to love. Look forward to the next book.
Holden paints a thrilling, complex, and compelling story of a war that, hopefully, will never happen. His heroine is a self-willed superhero who you just have to love. Look forward to the next book.
December 14, 2021
Love it, love it. My favorite author. I have read thousands of books. This series is my best reads.
The main character Bunny O'hara is fantastic. Story lines are great, technical jargon is terrific.
Cannot wait for next instalment. F.X. Holden, keep it up.
The main character Bunny O'hara is fantastic. Story lines are great, technical jargon is terrific.
Cannot wait for next instalment. F.X. Holden, keep it up.
December 14, 2022
Great read in a great series
Good military scifi with good character development. I had no trouble feeling a part of Bunny's anxiety or Ginger's being off balance with the unusual Aussie. The military tension was palpable. Go job FX.
Good military scifi with good character development. I had no trouble feeling a part of Bunny's anxiety or Ginger's being off balance with the unusual Aussie. The military tension was palpable. Go job FX.
March 6, 2025
Heavily commercialized retelling of real life geopolitical strife that may or may not confront the home land of my parents and extended family.
Despite its interestingly written local characters, Pagasa (which translates from Tagalog to English as “Hope”, after the island on which much of the story takes place,) squanders its own potential by turning an issue affecting real people into a gymnasium for a fictitious ex-Royal Australian Air Force pilot who herself has failed to grow realistically over her appearances in the series in a way that justifies her continued presence.
Seemingly brushing off a large scale air engagement resulting in a large loss of life, which might as well be the opening shots of World War III, as a simple border skirmish, feels like sudden and convenient memory loss for every Filipino, Chinese, American, and Australian involved in the events of the book
Despite its interestingly written local characters, Pagasa (which translates from Tagalog to English as “Hope”, after the island on which much of the story takes place,) squanders its own potential by turning an issue affecting real people into a gymnasium for a fictitious ex-Royal Australian Air Force pilot who herself has failed to grow realistically over her appearances in the series in a way that justifies her continued presence.
Seemingly brushing off a large scale air engagement resulting in a large loss of life, which might as well be the opening shots of World War III, as a simple border skirmish, feels like sudden and convenient memory loss for every Filipino, Chinese, American, and Australian involved in the events of the book
December 16, 2021
A typical fast-paced thriller from beginning to end. The plot and storylines were smooth if not a bit rushed. The techno-babble and futuristic weapons were on par and scarily possible. The main character central in each novel has not changed much, she just gets feistier as she ages. The introduction of maybe a couple of new characters that also move from novel to novel. Would push the series into a more relatable scenario going forward. I look forward to the next installment in this series.
February 4, 2022
Holden you see war has can be not… has it is
The story was inventive and well structured. Do it lacks a deep look into the political landscape and over fastening of ground combat. They’s two differences make similar to Okinawa the only distinction from it was the introduction of technology improvements in civilian resources and there impact in the Future Wars but I fell you couldn’t r done better has you und-used the system’s of the A.I. ships and how they’ll improve from ones in used in the current year of 2021.
The story was inventive and well structured. Do it lacks a deep look into the political landscape and over fastening of ground combat. They’s two differences make similar to Okinawa the only distinction from it was the introduction of technology improvements in civilian resources and there impact in the Future Wars but I fell you couldn’t r done better has you und-used the system’s of the A.I. ships and how they’ll improve from ones in used in the current year of 2021.
June 22, 2022
This was a fascinating and believable read.
The author's annoying heroine is flying commercial helicopters this time around.
(Hopefully she will join the army or marines for next and final book in the series. Then she will have done it all [A.F. jets and drones, navy submersibles, and space command spaceships] and we can finally retire her from service.)
I expect the South China Sea will indeed be the next world flashpoint as described and the odds will be as described in the story.
The author's annoying heroine is flying commercial helicopters this time around.
(Hopefully she will join the army or marines for next and final book in the series. Then she will have done it all [A.F. jets and drones, navy submersibles, and space command spaceships] and we can finally retire her from service.)
I expect the South China Sea will indeed be the next world flashpoint as described and the odds will be as described in the story.
July 23, 2023
A SMALL ISLAND WITH HUGE IMPLICATIONS
Another strong plot in this series. USA and CHINA face off In a dangerous chess game involving high tech weapons for control of a small island and huge implications! The Winner would gain undisputed control w of the South China Sea. Once more, Bunny O'Hare is a key player in the plot and new interesting characters show up in the plot. I couldn't stop reading! This book series is extraordinary..
Another strong plot in this series. USA and CHINA face off In a dangerous chess game involving high tech weapons for control of a small island and huge implications! The Winner would gain undisputed control w of the South China Sea. Once more, Bunny O'Hare is a key player in the plot and new interesting characters show up in the plot. I couldn't stop reading! This book series is extraordinary..
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