RED PHOENIX (ARC or Advanced Reading Copy)

Rioting in Seoul, followed by a North Korean invasion of the South, creates havoc in the American command structure and triggers a desperate response to win the win

Bond, Tom Clancy's collaborator on Red Storm Rising , here makes his first--and impressive--independent contribution to the technothriller. "Red Phoenix" is the code name for the novel's catalyst: a North Korean invasion of the south. Bond establishes a credible scenario of megalomanic North Korean leadership taking advantage of disruptions caused by ill-advised U.S. economic sanctions against the Seoul government. He then proceeds to "refight" the first weeks of the Korean War, this time with things done right, resulting in a kind of conflict for which U.S. forces are ideally suited: a mid-intensity conventional war for limited objectives. South Korea's government and armed forces prove resolute and efficient. The U.S. President declares a national emergency. The implied contrasts to Vietnam hardly seem accidental. But the nature of the response to the attack combines with the exponential discrepancy between the combatants' military strengths to make the novel's individual episodes more suspenseful than the course of the war as a whole. Bond's writing is strongest at the tactical and operational level. Whether describing infantry combat, air-to-ground attacks or anti-submarine operations, he demonstrates a sure grip on weaponry and military methods. His principal characters--the U.S. commanding general in Korea, an infantry lieutenant and his South Korean counterpart, an F-16 pilot--carry their parts of the story effectively, not least because Bond concentrates on what they do rather than on who they are. 100,000 first printing; major ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In the aftermath of a series of student riots in Seoul, the U.S. Congress rushes a bill into law which calls for complete withdrawal of American troops from South Korea. This sets off a chain reaction: North Korea attacks across the DMZ, Russia supports North Korea, the Chinese remain neutral, and the United States fights again with its South Korean allies. Bond, a retired naval officer and collaborator with Tom Clancy in writing the best seller Red Storm Rising (LJ 9/1/86), uses all his vast knowledge of things military to keep reader interest level at a peak. This techno-thriller has everything going for it except the mind-boggling use of the Communist Chinese as the new U.N. peacekeepers.
- Jo Ann Vicarel, Cleveland Heights-University Heights P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.