Starred review from October 29, 2012
Bond and DeFelice’s excellent fourth and final Red Dragon Rising military thriller (after 2012’s Shock of War) offers blazing combat, heroic deeds, and the sometimes sad, sometimes joyful personal stories of the men and women who have carried this saga on land, at sea, and in the air. Assisting the Vietnamese opposing the Chinese forces attacking their country are U.S. Army Maj. Zeus Murphy, a ragtag cadre of SEALS, CIA fighters, and battle-hardened mercenaries, all backed by a U.S. president prepared to wage an undeclared war. Meanwhile, off the Vietnamese coast, Dirk Silas, the commander of the American destroyer McCampbell, faces several Chinese warships determined to sink him and begin WWIII. Those coming late to the series would be advised to start with the first entry, Shadows of War, and read straight through all four books. Readers doing so will find themselves stopping only long enough to put one down and pick up the next. Agents: (for Bond) Robert Gottlieb, Trident Media; (for DeFelice) Jake Elwell, Harold Ober Associates.
October 4, 2010
Set in 2014, Bond and DeFelice's second thriller about a looming conflict with China more than fulfills the promise of the first in the series, Shadows of War. China, desperate for food, has invaded Vietnam, where environmental scientist Josh MacArthur witnessed the Chinese attack and a subsequent massacre. CIA officer Mara Duncan and a team of SEALs are smuggling Josh out of Vietnam so he can return to America and tell his story to President George Greene, who's trying to persuade Congress to stand up to the Chinese. Meanwhile in Hanoi, Maj. Zeus Murphy, at Greene's behest, is doing what he can to prevent the Chinese from rolling through and defeating Vietnam. Wire-taut suspense, credible characters, and an original premise make this one of the better recent entries in the military action subgenre. While the book works as a stand-alone, readers should begin with Shadows of War.