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.
What would happen if the North Koreans pushed across the DMZ in an effort to reunite the Korean Peninsula under Communist rule? That's the premise of the the book "Red Phoenix" by Larry Bond.Bond writes in a quick paced style, effectively cutting from battle scenes in the air to surviving an artillery barrage in a trench on the DMZ. He creates characters that make you feel like you were in the book, with them, going through the horrors and triumphs of battle. We follow three major characters as their roles play out throughout the conflict - Captain (Major) Tony Christopher, an F-16 pilot, Lt. (Captain) Kevin Little, an ROTC graduate assigned to Korea when he is much better suited for an intelligence position in Germany, and General Jack McLaren, the commander of all armed forces in South Korea. There are additional characters that play heavy roles (Dr. Blake Fowler - an analyst in the office of the National Security Advisor) and naturally the president, but it is these three that keep the action focused.If you like WEB Griffin or especially Tom Clancy, this is definitely a book you will want to read.
What do You think about Red Phoenix (1990)?
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.
—Nathan
This book is a few years old, but could just as easily have been written in 2014. Kim Jong-Il and the North Koreans launch an invasion of South Korea, using clever planning and the element of surprise. Can the South Koreans and the handful of American peacekeepers hold on until the cavalry arrives?The book takes a looooong time to get going, and Bond lacks a perfect touch for political intrigue, but it's not bad by any stretch of the imagination. Once the action starts, Bond really excels. Infantry, artillery, aircraft, boats, submarines and even logistics- they all get their day to shine and they all work. Bond collaborated with Tom Clancy on Red Storm Rising, which makes sense since this is basically the Korean version of that book.
—John
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.
—Zare
