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Red Phoenix #1
Red Phoenix
Violent riots formented by foreign agents are breaking out in South Korea. Seizing the opportunity, North Korea launches a lightning invasion, with heavy Soviet support, whose aim is to unite North and South under Communist rule. The second Korean War has begun and World War III may be imminent.
736 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 6, 1989
About the author
Larry Bond
73 books400 followersLarry Bond is the author of several bestselling military thrillers, including Crash Dive, Cold Choices, Dangerous Ground, Red Phoenix and the Larry Bond’s First Team and Larry Bond’s Red Dragon Rising series. He was a naval officer for six years, serving four on a destroyer and two on shore duty in the Washington DC area. He's also worked as a warfare analyst and antisubmarine technology expert, and he now writes and designs computer games, including Harpoon and Command at Sea. He makes his home in Springfield, Virginia.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/larrybond
http://us.macmillan.com/author/larrybond
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 214 reviews
October 29, 2020
Alright cold war yarn. 6 of 10 stars
January 20, 2012
A superior offering from the genre. Kim Jong Il invades South Korea in a surprise attack, and it's up to the brave plucky men (and one woman) of the US and South Korean military to fight them off. It all works out in the end, with the fighter pilot getting the girl (no Top Gun subtext here) and the rookie young officer becomes a Man. Still, a lot less jingoistic than most, and without the Mary Sues that pollute Clancy's offerings. And the author tricked me in the end just like he did the NKs, which is unusual in these books. 4/5.
June 5, 2013
I just finished reading this book for the second time. The first time was in the summer of 1999,ath the age of 24, shortly before I shipped off to Air Force boot camp. I decided to re-read it with the perspective of a military veteran and world traveler under my belt, especially with North Korea having been back in the news in such a big way.
I still found the book highly enjoyable, with harrowing action scenes, engrossing story lines, and interesting characters on both sides of the conflict.
Mind you, having been published back in 1989, two years before the Cold War ended, obviously the novel is a bit dated, but you can't blame author Larry Bond for not having a crystal ball! That said, as much as I still enjoyed this novel on the second reading, as a military veteran and former International Relations major in college, there are a few technicalities I must nitpick which make me reduce my original 5-star rating down to 4 stars:
--Bond incorrectly refers to a Lieutenant Colonel (O-5) as a"bird colonel," when in fact the "bird colonel" slang phrase actually applies to a *full* colonel,i.e. an O-6.
--The Soviet fighter and bombers pilots use the NATO designations for their aircraft as their call signs, i.e. "Fulcrum Lead," "Fishbed Lead," "Badger Lead," The Soviets themselves did not refer to their own planes by the NATO code names.
--Bond refers to a Russian Navy "Lieutenant Commander;" the correct Soviet/Russian designation for this pay grade is "Captain Third Rank."
--The B-52 Stratofortress is conspicuous by its absence from the book. If a Second Korean War were to really break out, the "Buffs" would almost certainly be moved up from Guam to the staging point in Diego Garcia, and from there launched into action to carpet-bomb North Korean troops formations into oblivion.
--In the novel, when the U.S. imposes economic sanctions on South Korea as punishment for human rights abuses, Western Europe and Japan quickly follow suit. In reality, instead of joining the U.S. in such sanctions, these countries would almost certainly seize the opportunity to fill in the gap left by our absence from the trade partnership. Consider that the Western Europeans and the Japanese did not follow our lead when we imposed a trade embargo on Cuba. Nor were they ready to emulate us back in the 1990s when we threatened to deny Most-Favored-Nation trade status to mainland China on account of the PRC's abysmal human rights records. If our trade competitors ae historically unwilling to impose economic sanctions on Communist countries, why would they be expected to do so against a free-market capitalist country like South Korea. I realize that in the case of this novel, it's an angle that advances the main plot line, but still, it's a stretch of credibility.
All those caveats and nitpicks aside, it's still an exciting, highly enjoyable, action-packed novel that I highly recommend to any fan of action-adventure, military, and/or political intrigue.
I still found the book highly enjoyable, with harrowing action scenes, engrossing story lines, and interesting characters on both sides of the conflict.
Mind you, having been published back in 1989, two years before the Cold War ended, obviously the novel is a bit dated, but you can't blame author Larry Bond for not having a crystal ball! That said, as much as I still enjoyed this novel on the second reading, as a military veteran and former International Relations major in college, there are a few technicalities I must nitpick which make me reduce my original 5-star rating down to 4 stars:
--Bond incorrectly refers to a Lieutenant Colonel (O-5) as a"bird colonel," when in fact the "bird colonel" slang phrase actually applies to a *full* colonel,i.e. an O-6.
--The Soviet fighter and bombers pilots use the NATO designations for their aircraft as their call signs, i.e. "Fulcrum Lead," "Fishbed Lead," "Badger Lead," The Soviets themselves did not refer to their own planes by the NATO code names.
--Bond refers to a Russian Navy "Lieutenant Commander;" the correct Soviet/Russian designation for this pay grade is "Captain Third Rank."
--The B-52 Stratofortress is conspicuous by its absence from the book. If a Second Korean War were to really break out, the "Buffs" would almost certainly be moved up from Guam to the staging point in Diego Garcia, and from there launched into action to carpet-bomb North Korean troops formations into oblivion.
--In the novel, when the U.S. imposes economic sanctions on South Korea as punishment for human rights abuses, Western Europe and Japan quickly follow suit. In reality, instead of joining the U.S. in such sanctions, these countries would almost certainly seize the opportunity to fill in the gap left by our absence from the trade partnership. Consider that the Western Europeans and the Japanese did not follow our lead when we imposed a trade embargo on Cuba. Nor were they ready to emulate us back in the 1990s when we threatened to deny Most-Favored-Nation trade status to mainland China on account of the PRC's abysmal human rights records. If our trade competitors ae historically unwilling to impose economic sanctions on Communist countries, why would they be expected to do so against a free-market capitalist country like South Korea. I realize that in the case of this novel, it's an angle that advances the main plot line, but still, it's a stretch of credibility.
All those caveats and nitpicks aside, it's still an exciting, highly enjoyable, action-packed novel that I highly recommend to any fan of action-adventure, military, and/or political intrigue.
October 19, 2018
now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
August 5, 2019
Loved it! Just re-read it. I'm on a mil/thriller kick and this scratched the itch again. Mr. Bond is a former Sailor, and it shows in his excellent works of fiction.
December 18, 2009
I read a lot of "Techno-Thrillers" at one time and I really liked this one. This is another time when I'm not sure that using the word "enjoyed" would be appropriate as this book concerns a fictional war in Korea.....however it is a well done book. the technology and the story telling are both first rate and "if you like this type of book" this may be for you.
I recommend it.
I recommend it.
January 31, 2018
Clancy-esque Thriller
Great story that reminded me of a Tom Clancy thriller! Although the story is dated, the writing is excellent and you can picture yourself in the Cold War era
Great story that reminded me of a Tom Clancy thriller! Although the story is dated, the writing is excellent and you can picture yourself in the Cold War era
January 10, 2024
eponymous sentence:
p101: The title page bore a simple, bold-faced legend:
Draft Operations Plan:
RED PHOENIX
Most Secret
spaces:
p69: His earphones crackled with another transmission fromthetower: "Bluejay cleared for takeoff."
p297: He'd been around long enough to know that what McLaren saidmadesense. He had fought inVietnamand knew how valuable experienced leaders were.
p606: Blake looked up.ThePresident had stopped pacing and nowstood shoulder to shoulder with the admiral.
p639: Armed only with a. 50-caliber machine gun, it remains popular and cheap--despite its inadequate protection.
spelling:
p231: He took them two at a tie, trying hard to make as little noise as possible.
ocr:
p324: The A1M-9L Sidewinders his Falcon carried were more sensitive and could attack from any angle, including the front.
p427: The South Korean F-5E he'd downed this morning made his score four so far--two F'5s, an American F-16, and an F-4 Phantom.
What a way to start a career. Well, technically, he did have a hand in Clancy's Red Storm Rising which was published three years prior.
p101: The title page bore a simple, bold-faced legend:
Draft Operations Plan:
RED PHOENIX
Most Secret
spaces:
p69: His earphones crackled with another transmission fromthetower: "Bluejay cleared for takeoff."
p297: He'd been around long enough to know that what McLaren saidmadesense. He had fought inVietnamand knew how valuable experienced leaders were.
p606: Blake looked up.ThePresident had stopped pacing and nowstood shoulder to shoulder with the admiral.
p639: Armed only with a. 50-caliber machine gun, it remains popular and cheap--despite its inadequate protection.
spelling:
p231: He took them two at a tie, trying hard to make as little noise as possible.
ocr:
p324: The A1M-9L Sidewinders his Falcon carried were more sensitive and could attack from any angle, including the front.
p427: The South Korean F-5E he'd downed this morning made his score four so far--two F'5s, an American F-16, and an F-4 Phantom.
What a way to start a career. Well, technically, he did have a hand in Clancy's Red Storm Rising which was published three years prior.
June 28, 2021
This book has glaring flaws, to be sure, but Larry Bond's strengths as an author work so well---and I was so engrossed reading it---that I'll award five stars regardless. The only better technothriller I've read was Ralph Peters' Red Army. It's a difficult task to set up and plausibly unfold a vast fictional war, with tons of viewpoint characters and moving parts, but Red Phoenix does that quite successfully, creating a thrillride with enough explosions and maneuvers and political intrigues to pack 570 pages.
The good:
- Excellent battle scenes. We see everything from outpost assaults on the DMZ to A-10 air strikes to sub-versus-destroyer combat, and Bond has what seems to be a solid command of the weapons and tactics involved. There's real tension and many of the battles are great page-turners.
- The prose isn't breathtaking, but it accomplishes its job very well. Bond does a good job of describing landscapes, equipment, battles, so on---I generally felt immersed, with a vivid mental picture of what the fighting in Korea looked like.
- The book's political intrigue is mostly plausible. Bond at least recognizes the complex, shifting relationships between North Korea, China, and the USSR, which may not have been common knowledge at the time of writing. What bothered me was that there was no way the 1989 USSR, late in the Gorbachev era, would have sponsored any aggressive acts by North Korea, but my headcanon is that this is an alternate timeline where a hardliner like like Romanov got the general secretary's chair instead.
- This is a very macho novel, dripping with duty and honor and red-blooded American patriotism. Really refreshing to read it in an age when this country's lost a lot of its self-esteem.
- Unlike some technothrillers (SSN: A Strategy Guide to Submarine Warfare), the opposing side is actually fleshed out, humanized, and portrayed as competent. The North Koreans achieve major victories on the battlefield as well as brilliant commando raids; they are shown to fight with courage, often without adequate support from their own higher-ups. For a conservative-leaning novel, Red Phoenix deserves credit for not vilifying everyone on the communist side.
- Most of the characters aren't fleshed out, but there's like thirty of them so I wouldn't have expected otherwise. One of the main characters, such as there are any, is a US Army lieutenant named Kevin Little, who comes to the job anxious and unprepared. He has a solid growth arc through the novel as well as a wholesome and dynamic friendship with his South Korean liaison officer. It was surprising to see such good characterization, considering my next point...
The bad:
- The romance plotline is terrible. Anne and Tony are decent to read about on their own, but when they are together, or even thinking of each other, the story devolves into a sludge of tired cliches. Larry Bond is not a romance author and this book would have been better if it had focused on the war.
- There is a lot of setup. The actual shooting begins around page 190, after countless chapters comprising mostly character introductions and politics. I think some sort of setup is necessary in this book, to put in place the lucky breaks the North Koreans would need to even think about an invasion, but Bond definitely goes overboard, detailing pointless congressional hearings as well as the godawful romance plot mentioned above. The most interesting part of the first act is the near-collapse of the South Korean government to pro-democracy riots; the maneuvering by the North Korean high command was also pretty cool to see.
- The ending was very exciting, but a little too quick and tidy. I think it might have been even better if the author had trimmed 50 pages from the beginning and added 50 near the end.
I was very impressed by Red Phoenix. It's not high art, by any means, but it is smart, well-executed, and damn good fun. Recommended!
The good:
- Excellent battle scenes. We see everything from outpost assaults on the DMZ to A-10 air strikes to sub-versus-destroyer combat, and Bond has what seems to be a solid command of the weapons and tactics involved. There's real tension and many of the battles are great page-turners.
- The prose isn't breathtaking, but it accomplishes its job very well. Bond does a good job of describing landscapes, equipment, battles, so on---I generally felt immersed, with a vivid mental picture of what the fighting in Korea looked like.
- The book's political intrigue is mostly plausible. Bond at least recognizes the complex, shifting relationships between North Korea, China, and the USSR, which may not have been common knowledge at the time of writing. What bothered me was that there was no way the 1989 USSR, late in the Gorbachev era, would have sponsored any aggressive acts by North Korea, but my headcanon is that this is an alternate timeline where a hardliner like like Romanov got the general secretary's chair instead.
- This is a very macho novel, dripping with duty and honor and red-blooded American patriotism. Really refreshing to read it in an age when this country's lost a lot of its self-esteem.
- Unlike some technothrillers (SSN: A Strategy Guide to Submarine Warfare), the opposing side is actually fleshed out, humanized, and portrayed as competent. The North Koreans achieve major victories on the battlefield as well as brilliant commando raids; they are shown to fight with courage, often without adequate support from their own higher-ups. For a conservative-leaning novel, Red Phoenix deserves credit for not vilifying everyone on the communist side.
- Most of the characters aren't fleshed out, but there's like thirty of them so I wouldn't have expected otherwise. One of the main characters, such as there are any, is a US Army lieutenant named Kevin Little, who comes to the job anxious and unprepared. He has a solid growth arc through the novel as well as a wholesome and dynamic friendship with his South Korean liaison officer. It was surprising to see such good characterization, considering my next point...
The bad:
- The romance plotline is terrible. Anne and Tony are decent to read about on their own, but when they are together, or even thinking of each other, the story devolves into a sludge of tired cliches. Larry Bond is not a romance author and this book would have been better if it had focused on the war.
- There is a lot of setup. The actual shooting begins around page 190, after countless chapters comprising mostly character introductions and politics. I think some sort of setup is necessary in this book, to put in place the lucky breaks the North Koreans would need to even think about an invasion, but Bond definitely goes overboard, detailing pointless congressional hearings as well as the godawful romance plot mentioned above. The most interesting part of the first act is the near-collapse of the South Korean government to pro-democracy riots; the maneuvering by the North Korean high command was also pretty cool to see.
- The ending was very exciting, but a little too quick and tidy. I think it might have been even better if the author had trimmed 50 pages from the beginning and added 50 near the end.
I was very impressed by Red Phoenix. It's not high art, by any means, but it is smart, well-executed, and damn good fun. Recommended!
February 5, 2017
Red Phoenix is nearly as old as I am, if I’m honest. Released in 1989, it is very much a product of its era - the Soviet Union and communist China play heavily into events, Kim Jong Il has yet to ascend to the leadership of North Korea, and all-out nuclear war feels as though it is just a few accidents away from breaking out. Obviously, many of these things are no longer the case - the Soviet Union is a thing of the past, China is increasingly capitalist, and - well, I guess North Korea is still as crazy as ever, showing some things never change.
These are all surface considerations, though. The writing, pacing, and plot all hold up, particularly if you’re already a fan of the techno/military thriller a la Tom Clancy. While it does suffer slightly from a case of Character Kitchen Sink (there are tons of characters introduced throughout the entire length of the book), it doesn’t hurt the novel too much, because this isn’t a character journey.
Or perhaps it would be more accurate to state that the real characters of this book are the nation-states and military units contained therein - the ‘characters’ of the book (like Lieutenant Little, General McLaren, Captain Christopher, Colonel General Cho, etc) are really just windows through which the reader can observe the action. And the action is actually quite good! For a military novel that traverses air, land, and sea, Red Phoenix delivers consistently good tension and pace throughout.
Red Phoenix is, ultimately, dated in its geopolitical context - the world has moved on, as they say - but still delivers a military thriller worth reading, 27 years later.
These are all surface considerations, though. The writing, pacing, and plot all hold up, particularly if you’re already a fan of the techno/military thriller a la Tom Clancy. While it does suffer slightly from a case of Character Kitchen Sink (there are tons of characters introduced throughout the entire length of the book), it doesn’t hurt the novel too much, because this isn’t a character journey.
Or perhaps it would be more accurate to state that the real characters of this book are the nation-states and military units contained therein - the ‘characters’ of the book (like Lieutenant Little, General McLaren, Captain Christopher, Colonel General Cho, etc) are really just windows through which the reader can observe the action. And the action is actually quite good! For a military novel that traverses air, land, and sea, Red Phoenix delivers consistently good tension and pace throughout.
Red Phoenix is, ultimately, dated in its geopolitical context - the world has moved on, as they say - but still delivers a military thriller worth reading, 27 years later.
February 8, 2022
It was an okay "techno-thriller" detailing a somewhat interesting topic, however this was FAR too jingoistic and patriotic for my taste. The Americans are, of course, the plucky, underdog heroes and the North Koreans, oh I'm sorry, the NKs or November-Kilos, as they are constantly called (because we need to constantly dehumanize them) are the faceless, monstrous, unstoppable juggernaut.
It's sad because this self-compares itself to "Red Storm Rising" (and apparently Larry Bond here had a hand in helping to write that tome) and yet "Red Storm" actually gives character to the Russians. They have families and concerns and worries and values and goals and plans and personalities and the like...whereas here in "Red Phoenix" the NKs are just targets to be killed or bad guys to be nefarious. And, of course, communists are bad and left-leaning students are stupid, dumb liberals...
If you like Tom Clancy, with more patriotism (not sure that's possible), then read this book...
Also, the characters are just dumb. I'm not sure why these authors have to insert some random pilot and/or other "hot shot" (maybe an author-proxy) who has a stunning love-interest who fawns over and constantly pines for the character...and also just so happens to be the ONLY romance happening at all anywhere in the novel.
It's sad because this self-compares itself to "Red Storm Rising" (and apparently Larry Bond here had a hand in helping to write that tome) and yet "Red Storm" actually gives character to the Russians. They have families and concerns and worries and values and goals and plans and personalities and the like...whereas here in "Red Phoenix" the NKs are just targets to be killed or bad guys to be nefarious. And, of course, communists are bad and left-leaning students are stupid, dumb liberals...
If you like Tom Clancy, with more patriotism (not sure that's possible), then read this book...
Also, the characters are just dumb. I'm not sure why these authors have to insert some random pilot and/or other "hot shot" (maybe an author-proxy) who has a stunning love-interest who fawns over and constantly pines for the character...and also just so happens to be the ONLY romance happening at all anywhere in the novel.
November 26, 2014
If you are a Tom Clancy fan, you'll like this book (although I think Clancy is a better writer). The premise is that the US imposes sanctions against South Korea because of student rioting (it's a long story)and the economy begins to collapse. North Korea's Kim Jong Il decides that the time is ripe for North Korea to liberate South Korea from the imperialist US influences and begins a war. The books follows several of the US, South Korean, North Korean and Russian combatants as the war progresses.
The book starts a bit slowly in order to introduce all the characters and their backgrounds, but, once the war starts, things really pick up. You see personal and professional growth, a tiny bit of romance, guts and wisdom develop. I liked all the main characters and was intrigued by their stories. Since I know almost nothing about the politics of that region, I found that aspect fascinating. I also enjoyed the US political "behind the scenes" wrangling, which I'm sure was not exaggerated.
The book starts a bit slowly in order to introduce all the characters and their backgrounds, but, once the war starts, things really pick up. You see personal and professional growth, a tiny bit of romance, guts and wisdom develop. I liked all the main characters and was intrigued by their stories. Since I know almost nothing about the politics of that region, I found that aspect fascinating. I also enjoyed the US political "behind the scenes" wrangling, which I'm sure was not exaggerated.
September 26, 2014
Really enjoyed the tactical level of this book, with all the techno-babble and "boots on the ground" perspective. It was fun to read a book written at that level instead of at the higher up, more political tone most of these types of novels follow. The material is definitely a little dated (Soviets, etc.) but still reads as an interesting, plausible story.
October 31, 2012
Fantastic book. Held my attention through all 700 pages. Very well put together with great information. Puts you right in the action.
December 7, 2016
The romance scenes are unnecessary.
November 18, 2019
A fun techno thriller set in a late cold war timeline gone hot in Korea. The story leading to conflict is believable and the steps that keep it localized and eventually end it are all within the realm of plausibility. The writing is fast and enjoyable and reminds me greatly of Red Storm Rising. Anti-submarie warfare, air to air combat, and land engagements all keep you on the edge of your seat or couch or bed and make the pages turn quickly. For someone looking for more of a story like Red Storm Rising it is greatly recommended. The characters certainly take the back seat to the more important aspects of the cold war procedural, political intrigue, and thrilling encounters with complex weapon systems. Torpedo in the water! torpedo in the water!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2022
This is one of those books you don’t want to end.
December 23, 2021
Great book had me on edge of my seat.
October 5, 2019
Re-read of a techno-thriller 1st published back in 1989. Bond describes a scenario involving a 2nd Korean War. Kim Jong-Il uses NK agents to push the yearly socialist student uprisings in South Korea to violence. Things work out better than he hopes when the incident provokes an ambitious Presidential advisor and a foolish Congress to push the President toward withdrawing American military support from the South. Kim seizes the opportunity to liberate the oppressed masses of South Korea from the clutches of the imperialist puppet regime of South Korea.
The rest of the book details the conflict that follows, which nearly results in WWIII when some internal Soviet politics bring the US and the USSR to the brink of nuclear war. The story ends predictably, but it's a pretty good yarn (which is why I kept it in a musty book box for over 25 years). It's interesting partly because of the time in which it was written (just before the wall came down), and also because some of the details could be drawn out of today's headlines 30 years later. Worthless congressional majority? Check. Brainwashed and cultish Norks? Check. Ambitious and cagey Chicoms? Check. Ignorant socialist-loving child-students protesting the very system that allows them to live in prosperity and enjoy the freedom to protest? Check.
The rest of the book details the conflict that follows, which nearly results in WWIII when some internal Soviet politics bring the US and the USSR to the brink of nuclear war. The story ends predictably, but it's a pretty good yarn (which is why I kept it in a musty book box for over 25 years). It's interesting partly because of the time in which it was written (just before the wall came down), and also because some of the details could be drawn out of today's headlines 30 years later. Worthless congressional majority? Check. Brainwashed and cultish Norks? Check. Ambitious and cagey Chicoms? Check. Ignorant socialist-loving child-students protesting the very system that allows them to live in prosperity and enjoy the freedom to protest? Check.
April 10, 2018
I hadn't come across Larry Bond before reading "Red Phoenix" but in the book description I found out that he had assisted / co-written "Red Storm Rising" with Tom Clancy.
That is one of my all time favorite books, both because of it's (exhausting but in a very nice way) attention to detail and its character development.
Needless to say I jumped at the opportunity to read a similar book and I was very satisfied by what I found.
Although the story was written a long time ago (1989) and the tactics will have surely changed since then (North Korea is probably a nuclear power by now, although everyone seems to pretend otherwise, therefore the nuclear scenario is not off the table anymore), the major players are the same and the various characters are very well and realistically written.
The attention to the small details is fantastic and there are also some well written romance scenes; they are not superfluous as it is only natural that in the thousands of people involved there might be at least one romantic connection.
I've already purchased the more recent sequel and I look forward to reading that too.
That is one of my all time favorite books, both because of it's (exhausting but in a very nice way) attention to detail and its character development.
Needless to say I jumped at the opportunity to read a similar book and I was very satisfied by what I found.
Although the story was written a long time ago (1989) and the tactics will have surely changed since then (North Korea is probably a nuclear power by now, although everyone seems to pretend otherwise, therefore the nuclear scenario is not off the table anymore), the major players are the same and the various characters are very well and realistically written.
The attention to the small details is fantastic and there are also some well written romance scenes; they are not superfluous as it is only natural that in the thousands of people involved there might be at least one romantic connection.
I've already purchased the more recent sequel and I look forward to reading that too.
November 9, 2018
This is an excellent Geo-political /Military thriller in which the author explores one possible scenario that would lead to North Korea invading South Korea in an attempt at unification. The narrative starts with student uprisings, which lead to a South Korean government clamp down and ultimately to US Sanctions. Seizing the opportunity, the North invades the south. Will the numerical superiority of the North and the small amount of up to date weaponry prove to be crucial or will the superior weapons of the South aided by the US be decisive? Battles range on land and in the air the two sides struggles for air domination. As the war escalates naval engagements follow and the world teeters on the brink.
Thrown in amongst the excellent battle scenes, are the human struggles. Young and inexperienced soldiers struggle to make a success of their first combat situations. Older and more experienced military leaders look to avoid the mistakes of the past and lead their armies to victory.
Away from the front we get an interesting look at the political infighting that can affect and almost paralyse a democracy.
Thrown in amongst the excellent battle scenes, are the human struggles. Young and inexperienced soldiers struggle to make a success of their first combat situations. Older and more experienced military leaders look to avoid the mistakes of the past and lead their armies to victory.
Away from the front we get an interesting look at the political infighting that can affect and almost paralyse a democracy.
July 25, 2018
As real as yesterday's headlines - in 1989 when it was published, as real as tomorrow's headlines. An extremely realistic and hard-hitting look at what happens when North Korea decides to invade South Korea.
This was Bond's first book which surprisingly, I didn't have. So, in 2016 when I got the sequel, I spent the better part of a year trying to find the original. It took a while. Now, it's time to move on to the sequel.
This is one of those that falls into the category of a "page-turner" you have a hard time putting down. Filled with action.....political back room deals......realistic war-time battles.....it's all here which is why Bond is one of the leading writers of the genre.
If you plan on reading the sequel, you should read this one first. If you've already read the sequel, find a copy of this one and read it - it should put everything in perspective.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to start in on that sequel.
This was Bond's first book which surprisingly, I didn't have. So, in 2016 when I got the sequel, I spent the better part of a year trying to find the original. It took a while. Now, it's time to move on to the sequel.
This is one of those that falls into the category of a "page-turner" you have a hard time putting down. Filled with action.....political back room deals......realistic war-time battles.....it's all here which is why Bond is one of the leading writers of the genre.
If you plan on reading the sequel, you should read this one first. If you've already read the sequel, find a copy of this one and read it - it should put everything in perspective.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to start in on that sequel.
October 5, 2017
Red Phoenix is an entertaining book while also being a good reminder of how bloody things could get on the Korean peninsula all too easily. While the North Korean leader in Red Phoenix is of the prior generation of the Kim family, the possibility of a war seeming to him like the best option to protect his power sounds all too familiar today.
If anything, a real war would be far more brutal than what readers experience in this book (for a better taste of the real deal, check out the non-fiction book "The Last Stand of Fox Company"), and I hope the world finds a better way to deal with North Korean issues than a senseless war.
With that said, the characters in this book are interesting, and the action moves at a good pace. I found this to be an entertaining read, and that's the point of a book like this!
If anything, a real war would be far more brutal than what readers experience in this book (for a better taste of the real deal, check out the non-fiction book "The Last Stand of Fox Company"), and I hope the world finds a better way to deal with North Korean issues than a senseless war.
With that said, the characters in this book are interesting, and the action moves at a good pace. I found this to be an entertaining read, and that's the point of a book like this!
November 4, 2010
My first contact with Larry Bond was via Harpoon, great strategy focused on naval warfare. Then I read "Red Storm Rising" he wrote in cooperation with Tom Clancy. [return]Although I like techno-thrillers thing that annoys me the most is that political maneuvers are always very highly polarized - you have good guys and bad guys (no gray area) and soldiers fighting (but commendably soldiers are never declared as bad guys because they are always ordered to war by the bad guys) - it is just not the way things are on the greater scale (IMO books with more grasp on reality regarding this factor are Dragonstrike/Dragon Fire/Third World War (all by Humphrey Hawksley)).[return]This one is not very different but nevertheless it is an interesting read.
July 3, 2010
In Larry Bond's first departure from co-authoring with Tom Clancy (Bond co-wrote Red Storm Rising), this modern war tale, centered in Korea, is very much in the same style as Red Storm Rising and just as good. This is one of my favorite books ever and I wish there were more like it (but then the few that are around wouldn't be as special).
September 6, 2012
This book may seem like a typical technothriller, but THIS is the book that made me realize that one could actually read just for the pleasure of it. Everything I'd read up until this book was because I had to read it for a class or because someone thought I'd like it. This is the first book I ever thoroughly enjoyed.
November 15, 2012
This is good of its time and worth 3.5 stars. The reason for slightly marking it down is that although the military side of action is well-developed, I found the politics somewhat superficial and the plot somewhat formulaic.
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February 6, 2010
Enjoyable techno-thriller depicting a second Korean War. The sort of thing that fans of Tom Clancy (esp. Red Storm Rising, which Bond actually co-authored) would enjoy, although some of it certainly outdated by now - I read it almost 20 years ago.
February 18, 2016
The book that first got me interested in Korea.
February 10, 2013
Great book, couldn't put it down!
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