With multiple storylines playing out in riveting fashion, David Poyer’s latest offering will leave readers desperately flipping pages as the story unfolds, racing to see how things end. While he’s long been a solid storyteller and underrated contributor to the naval thriller genre, Poyer ups his game with this one, elevating his writing to match the bold, high-stakes scenarios found here, all told with authentic details and stunning realism ... Not since Tom Clancy was in his heyday has there been a thriller with this many moving parts, this deep a cast of characters, this smart of a concept, and this much action. David Poyer has never been better ... an absolute knockout and a must-read for fans of Clancy, Larry Bond, and Rick Campbell.
Poyer’s novel effectively echoes concerns prevalent in the news. Newcomers might feel a bit lost here—this is much more of a serial novel than it is a series with self-contained installments—but Poyer’s knowledge of warfare will draw in military-fiction fans and drive them to the earlier volumes.
...unforgettable ... Fans can count on Poyer’s naval battles to be superb, but it’s the scenes of land combat—such as SEAL Master Chief Teddy Oberg leading his band of Mujahedeen rebels in South Asia’s rugged Karakoram Mountains—that will burn their way into readers’ imaginations. Poyer is at the top of his game in this all-too-plausible future war scenario.
There’s ample action for thriller readers, with terrific extended battle scenes on a grand scale, both on land and sea. But the story simply stops midaction, so it’s not quite the one-and-done novel readers might hope for. That abrupt pause is the tale’s only disappointment—the author could have resolved something—but Lenson’s legion of fans will be glad to know that the series is far from finished. So long as readers understand they’ll need to buy the sequel (at least!) to learn America’s fate, they’ll enjoy this exciting story.
