Waiting on Wednesday – Deep Strike and Assault by Fire

On March 25, 2020March 25, 2020 By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday6 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. This week, I’m in a real thriller mood, so I thought I would look at two exciting upcoming military thrillers, which I am really looking forward to.

Until a couple of years ago, I had never really read any contemporary military thrillers. However, I’ve recently enjoyed some excellent military thrillers, including Red War by Kyle Mills, The Moscow Offensive and The Kremlin Strike by Dale Brown and Jonathan Maberry’s Joe Ledger novels, and it is now a subgenre that I find myself really drawn to. There are several incredible military thrillers coming out later this year, such as Eagle Station by Dale Brown, which I have already featured in a Waiting on Wednesday post, and I want to highlight another two upcoming military thrillers that I personally think are going to be absolutely exhilarating reads, and I cannot wait to get my hands on them.

Deep Strike Cover

The first of these books is Deep Strike by Rick Campbell, which is the sixth book in his Trident Deception series. I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the previous book in this series, Treason, last year, and I thoroughly enjoyed the fast-paced story, excellent action sequences and intriguing military scenarios. As a result, I am quite keen to get a copy of Deep Strike, which is currently set for release in mid-August 2020, and Campbell has cooked up another compelling-sounding scenario for his new thriller.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A shoulder-launched missile attack on a convoy of vehicles leaving the U.N. headquarters in New York kills several diplomats, including the American ambassador. Security footage reveals that the killer behind the attack is a disgraced former special forces operative, Mark Alperi. But before U.S. intelligence operatives can catch up with him, Alperi is already onto the next phase of his plan.

With funding from the nearly shattered ISIS, Alperi plans an attack on the U.S. that will be more devastating than 9/11. He bribes a desperate Russian submarine commander with access to an expensive experimental drug for his daughter who is suffering from a rare disease. In exchange, the Russian commander will take his submarine to the Atlantic Ocean and launch a salvo of missiles at various targets along the East Coast of the United States. The commander lies to his crew that it’s a secret mission, with dummy missiles, for a training exercise. At the same time, unbeknownst to the commander, Alperi has arranged for four of the missile warheads to be replaced with four surplus nuclear warheads and arms them.

When the Russian submarine sinks the U.S. sub that is tracking it, the U.S. military is alarmed. When Intelligence uncovers Alperi’s plot, though, it becomes a race against time–find the Russian sub and sink it before it can launch a devastating nuclear attack.

Thanks to this epic synopsis, I have to say that I am quite excited for Deep Strike, and I really like the sound of this fantastic new addition to the series. Campbell has come up with a deeply intriguing plot for his new book, and I cannot wait to see how this compelling plot unfolds. This book has so much potential, especially as it looks like it is predominantly going to be set aboard several submarines. The author is a former US Navy Commander and submariner, and as such has an impressive amount of knowledge when it comes to submarines and underwater combat. This knowledge shined through in Treason, and some of the most memorable scenes in this previous book were set aboard a submarine, including several elaborate underwater naval combat sequences. Treason honestly featured some of the best examples of submarine-on-submarine battles that I have ever read, and I cannot wait to see what Campbell has in store for Deep Strike. This upcoming book sounds like it is going to be a lot of fun, and I look forward to grabbing my copy in a few months.

Assault by Fire Cover

The other book that I wanted to feature in this article is Assault by Fire, written by Lt. Col. Hunter Ripley Rawlings IV, which will serve as the first book in Rawlings’s new Tyce Asher series and is his debut novel. Set for release in late September 2020, this book has one of the most interesting and exciting plot synopses I have recently read, and I am quite excited for it, especially after how much I enjoyed Rawlings’s previous work. While Assault by Fire is Rawlings’s first solo novel, he previously co-wrote a military thriller, Red Metal, with bestselling author Mark Greaney, which was released last year. I absolutely love Red Metal due to its epic and invigorating depiction of a conflict between the United States and Russia around the world. It was one of my favourite books (and audiobooks) of 2019, and I cannot wait to see what sort of story Rawlings follows through with.

Goodreads Synopsis:

ASSAULT BY SEA
U.S. Marine Tyce Asher knew his fighting days were over when he lost his leg in Iraq. He thought he’d never see action again–certainly not on American soil–until the Russians attacked us by sea . . .

ASSAULT BY LAND
With so many troops stationed in the Middle East, the U.S. government is counting on Tyce and other reserve fighters to step up and defend their country–when Russian boots hit the ground . . .

ASSAULT BY FIRE
This is much more than a surprise attack. It is a full-fledged invasion orchestrated by a military mastermind hellbent on destruction. As the Russians move inland, killing and maiming, Tyce has to enlist every patriot he can find–seasoned vets, armchair warriors, backwoods buckshooters, even mountain moonshiners–to unleash their 2nd Amendment rights . . . on America’s #1 enemy.

Ok, now is this book doesn’t turn out to be 100% pure fun and adrenaline pumping action, I do not know what will. Assault by Fire has an incredible-sounding plot, which, just like Red Metal, will see the United States go up against an invading force of Russians. However, unlike in Rawlings’s previous book, this invasion is taking place on American soil, rather than in Europe and Africa. I love a good invasion story, no matter the genre, but I cannot wait to see how Rawlings envisions the Russians successfully invading the United States. I am also really looking forward to seeing the advanced Russian army facing off against a rag-tag force of American irregular troops, and it should make for a rather compelling guerrilla warfare scenario.

Honestly, after how much I enjoyed Red Metal, I was going to grab anything new that Rawlings released, especially if it was another military fiction novel. While I was kind of hoping for a sequel to Red Metal, Assault by Fire sounds so very awesome and I cannot wait to see how this story unfolds. I am expecting a lot of amazing action sequences throughout this novel, especially as Rawlings’s military knowledge and experiences helped make the battles and combat in Red Metal seem even more realistic. I am also excited that this book is going to kick off a whole new series, and I cannot wait to see what epic battles and amazing military scenarios Rawlings has planned for the future Tyce Asher books.

The military thriller genre is looking very strong at the moment, especially with two fantastic sounding books like Deep Strike and Assault by Fire on the horizon. Based on both upcoming books’ captivating plot synopses, and my positive prior experiences with Campbell and Rawlings, I am extremely confident that both of these upcoming books are going to be first-rate reads. I think both of these novels have a heck of a lot of potential, and I cannot wait to read both of them later in the year.

Treason by Rick Campbell

On April 23, 2019August 15, 2022 By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller3 Comments

Treason Cover

Publisher: St Martin’s Press (Hardcover Format – 19 March 2019)

Series: Trident Deception

Length: 320 pages

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Amazon Book Depository

The world is once again heading towards war in the latest military thriller from Rick Campbell that sets the United States against Russia in a battle for domination.

After Russia’s last attempt to take control of the countries on their western border ended in disaster, the Russian military is eager for another invasion that will restore Russia’s place as a superpower. However, even with America’s forces weakened after recent conflicts, Russian President Yuri Kalinin is reluctant to challenge NATO again. His generals have no such reservations and initiate a sudden military coup, arresting Kalinin and taking Russia to a war footing.

America is once again ready to oppose Russia’s advance into Europe, until a routine weapons test sends several ballistic missiles hurtling towards Washington DC and crashes several of America’s B2 Bombers. The Russians have apparently found a way to disarm America’s nuclear arsenal and are using this to keep the US out of the latest conflict.

As several European countries are overrun, America must find a way to regain control of their weapons and push back the Russians. Their only hope may lie in the hands of Christine O’Connor, the President’s national security adviser, who was being entertained by Kalinin at his official residence when the coup occurred. After freeing Kalinin, O’Connor hatches a plan to return him to power in exchange for an end to the invasion. Can America achieve this with only one submarine and a small team of SEALs, or will NATO and Russia be forced into a destructive war for Europe?

This is the fifth book from Campbell, and it follows on his military thriller storyline that was started in his 2014 debut, The Trident Deception. Treason follows on the storyline from these previous books, and once again sees America fighting against its iconic adversaries the Russians in an intriguing story of war, espionage and treachery. I have been on a real military thriller kick recently, so I was quite excited to pick up Treason. This book is an extremely fun piece of fiction that I really enjoyed and was able to get through quite quickly. Campbell tells an entertaining story that, while connected to the storylines of the previous books in the series, is fairly inclusive and able to be enjoyed by those readers who have not had the chance to read any of Campbell’s previous works.

This is a pretty good example of military fiction, as two superpowers face off against each other for control of Europe. The story is a great combination of imaginative storytelling and real-world politics, as Campbell is able to bring in elements of current international relations into his already established fictional version of our world. This allows for some more realism behind the story, especially when combined with the sheer amount of military detail Campbell injects into the story, showcasing how both sides would prepare for and enact the early stages of a war to control all of Europe. Treason is told from a huge range of different character perspectives as the author attempts to show as many sides of the story as possible. While this does result in the book having a somewhat distractingly high number of quite short chapters, it does allow for a much fuller story, especially as it shows the plans of the book’s Russian antagonists. This also allows for a story that is slightly less “America good; all opponents evil” direction that many military thrillers turn into, as the Russian characters’ motivations and perspectives are taken into account, although America does come out of this book looking pretty good. Still, this is a very intriguing military thriller book, and I quite enjoyed reading Campbell’s view of how war between the US and Russia could potentially start up, while also leaving room for additional conflicts in future books.

While Treason does not turn into the full-on total war story action junkies might be hoping for, there is a substantial amount of battles and fighting in this book. A large amount of the action is between covert squads of Americans and Russians, and it always fun to see SEAL teams kick ass against more numerous opponents. Without a doubt, the most impressive sequence in this book is the superb submarine fight between opposing US and Russia vessels. These scenes are pretty epic, and they really highlight the author’s writing ability as he drags the reader into the battle. His quick change of perspectives between the opposing submarines means that the reader is aware of every action being undertaken and they get a spectacular view of the intense battle occurring beneath the waves. Campbell’s past as a commander aboard a US Navy submarine clearly comes into play here, as he describes all the aspects of submarine combat in extreme detail. This results in the reader getting an outstanding idea of the various tactics and weapons both sides utilise in these incredible battles, and it was amazing how the fight between submarines felt like a game of chess. These extended submarine battles are easily the best sequences in the whole book, and I really loved reading them. This book is perfect for those readers who love to read a good action sequence, and I am looking forward to reading any additional submarine battle scenes that Campbell comes up with.

Overall, Treason is a fantastic military thriller and well worth checking out if you are a fan of the genre or of Campbell’s previous books. I am intrigued to see how the author will continue this series in the future, and I especially hope to see more of the superb submarine-on-submarine combat sequences. Treason is a very entertaining and enjoyable book and is perfect for those who are looking for something fun and exciting to read.

Amazon Book Depository

Book Haul – 6 April 2019

On April 6, 2019April 6, 2019 By The Unseen LibraryIn Book HaulLeave a comment

In this week’s book haul we have a couple of really cool sounding psychological thrillers that I was lucky enough to get advanced copies of, some intriguing pieces of Australian fiction and one military thriller that sounds like a lot of fun.