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Summary: A Breath of Fresh Air.
Review: "The Ten Thousand" is a breath of fresh air to what had been a stale genre- military fiction. When I began to read I braced myself for another of Harold Coyle's dull Clancy clones, yet I found myself enjoying "The Ten Thousand" immensely. The story- the fanatically anti-American leader of Germany captures nuclear weapons taken by U.S. forces from the Ukraine, forcing the U.S. Army's X Corps to fight their way across a hostile country to recover the weapons - is a welcome change from the renegade Russia scenarios that authors like Dale Brown cannot break free from. The historical allusions to Xenephon's Ten Thousand and the medieval warfare were wonderful for this ex-history major to read. Coyle clearly put some thought into this story. The only flaws to Coyle's story are his unrealistic portrayals of the decision-making process in Washington.
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Summary: The world holds it's breath as the Ten Thousand march on
Review: After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Ukraine has decided to keep the nuclear weapons from it stored for Russia. Russia cannot let an unstable country hold WMD(weapons of mass destruction) an asks for the help of the U.S. and U.S. forces are sent to the UK. to retrieve the weapons in dangerous and illconceved plan. As the operation commences, the reunited Germany, led by former Hitler-Youth, Johann Rolf, decide to "liberate" the WMD from the Americans, and make them pay for destroying his country. Soon lines are drawn and several Russians join the Ten Thousand on a march to the sea. As the ten thousand move north, the German army attacks and officers, enlisties and even the heads of the govenment must decide on whether to let the Americans pass or stop them at all costs. As the story unfolds, the characters become real and you can see how war can effect someone. Being in the army, I can say that the description of the battles and plans are very detailed and extremely accurate. While the situation as a whole may be a little far-fetched, the book is extremely good. The story of the Russian Major is well written and can show that a man's nationality does not matter in war. A soldier is a soldier to the end. The story of the nurse is another well written segment, that sort of happened to me. To make this short my team and I were seperated and were lost for three hours at night in Feb. at Fort Dix. We had a hard time with four of us. I can say what happened to the nurse is realistic with what happens in war. I encourage other people to read this book because it give insights on how war can effect people's lives and how it can screw them up.
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Summary: Tiny War but excellent book and author!
Review: Although Harold Coyle's battles in this book are too small it is simply too hard to put down! I used to go to school with a German FEStudent and he was telling me how Germans are very nervous of this happening. (To let you know Harold Coyle he loved the book) On a par with the Clancy genre this is an author who knows Land war like no other. Viva la COYLE!
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Summary: A former Hitler Youth tries to revive Nazism
Review: Dwight Eisenhower once said that we'd know if we were successful in rooting out Nazism if fifty years from now there was a stable democracy in Germany. He was right. Today there is a stable democracy in Germany but for some Germans old habits die hard. Anti-Semitic violence by neo-Nazis and Skinheads is on the rise. These people worship the ground that Hitler walked on and want to return Germany to the bad old days. The ideological descendant of the Nazi Party is the Republican Party. Unlike our Republican Party, the German Republican Party is like Vladimir Zhirinovsky's misnamed Russian Liberal Democratic Party. It begins in April 1945 with a twelve-year-old Johann Ruff, a Hitler Youth, who believes that American tanks rumbling through the streets of the city where he and his family are refugees, are those of his father's tank division. Flash forward to the present. That disappointed twelve-year-old boy is now Chancellor Johann Ruff. The Americans, and their Russian advisers, are taking Ukrainian nuclear weapons to a U.S. Army storage depot in Germany to be stored there until they can be shipped to the United States for destructions. Chancellor Ruff, who's never gotten over the German defeat in World War II, orchestrates a diplomatic and military crisis. As his war goes badly, many western Germans, the majority of the officer corps, and their men, including the chief of the German general staff, defect to the Russo-American force.Those who remain, are eastern Germans, are loyal to Ruff. As the threat of civil war grows stronger, an American convoy is ambushed and an American Army nurse dies of exposure.
Rating:
Summary: Very good book
Review: Harold Coyle has written a terrific novel of modern warfare. Like SWORD POINT and TEAM YANKEE, two of his earlier books, or THE TRIUMPH AND THE GLORY, the recent WWII novel, THE TEN THOUSAND engages the reader on many levels, providing action, suspense, tension, and a gratifying ending. Read this book, I highly recommend it.
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Summary: Realistic and possible arms race residue.
Review: Harold Coyle opens with an assault to prevent some nuclear weapons from the now defunct USSR. A weapon is detonated underground by the defenders, wiping out half of the weapons. Now an American force of ten thousand become the custodians of the remaining weapons. They are in Germany, what should be friendly soil but somehow a mixture of pride and old hatreds that make up the Germany of today come to play to make it a very hostile place. The former West German soldiers now stand side by side with former East German enemies to stop the Americans. And the Americans must follow their leader in a march to the sea or surrender. Washington has issued orders to surrender and no help will come, but the commander is adamant. To surrender would put the nuclear weapons in questionable hands. He and the ten thousand will fight.
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Summary: An excellent story of the human side of combat
Review: Harold Coyle, a master of military fiction, has created yet another vivid and all too possible scenario: A reunited Germany with a fanatically anti-American chancellor has seized control of nuclear weapons, and intends not only to threaten Germany's neighbors but to humiliate the American army in the process. Not only does Germany intend to keep the nukes, but he intends to disarm the American Forces in Germany and send them home in disgrace. So, the commanding general of the American army in Germany decides to march through Germany to the sea, taking on anyone who stands in their way. Several characters from Coyle's previous books are back, including the irrepressible captain Nancy Kozak and the unforgettable Scott Dixon, as well as Ed Lewis, the former National Guardsman now congressman, and General "Big Al" Malin (all five foot three inches of him). Moving skillfully from the battlefields of the inner chambers of power within the two opposing governments to the actual battlefields on the plains of Germany, the triumphs, tragedies, and horrors of sustained modern armored combat are described in vivid and sometimes graphic detail. This book does an excellent job of putting a human face to a tale of modern warfare.
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Summary: Classic!!
Review: I just finished rereading this book this weekend. It was just as thought provoking and fascinating the second (or was it third) time as it was the first. The author, Harold Coyle, does an exceptional job of detailing not just the intricacies of putting a fin-stabilized, discarding sabot anti-tank round on target as he does describing the character's emotions and thoughts at the moment of truth. Therein lies the strength of this author and what brings enjoyment to a wide variety of readers. The book should appeal to a variety of readers as two of the main characters are female; the President of the United States and Nancy Kozak, a mech infantry Captain. In a genre that is often a mindless testosterone orgy, it is nice to find female characters of strength, insight, nerve and humanity that are central to the story line. The story line is plausible. The action is on often intense and always engaging. The author's detail is sufficient to explain without overwhelming the reader. The characters are well developed (it also helps that the same characters show up in other Coyle books). Finally, the book has the ability to make you laugh, cry and, most importantly, think. Particularly if the search for meaning in the concepts of "Duty, Honor, Country" are important to you. (Are you listening Bill?) Overall, The Ten Thousand (and actually the title is a historical reference to the ancient Greeks, not the number of Americans) is an excellent book and well worth your time (and time again).
Rating:
Summary: Depth, insight and adrenaline
Review: I just finished rereading this book this weekend. It was just as thought provoking and fascinating the second (or was it third) time as it was the first. The author, Harold Coyle, does an exceptional job of detailing not just the intricacies of putting a fin-stabilized, discarding sabot anti-tank round on target as he does describing the character's emotions and thoughts at the moment of truth. Therein lies the strength of this author and what brings enjoyment to a wide variety of readers. The book should appeal to a variety of readers as two of the main characters are female; the President of the United States and Nancy Kozak, a mech infantry Captain. In a genre that is often a mindless testosterone orgy, it is nice to find female characters of strength, insight, nerve and humanity that are central to the story line. The story line is plausible. The action is on often intense and always engaging. The author's detail is sufficient to explain without overwhelming the reader. The characters are well developed (it also helps that the same characters show up in other Coyle books). Finally, the book has the ability to make you laugh, cry and, most importantly, think. Particularly if the search for meaning in the concepts of "Duty, Honor, Country" are important to you. (Are you listening Bill?) Overall, The Ten Thousand (and actually the title is a historical reference to the ancient Greeks, not the number of Americans) is an excellent book and well worth your time (and time again).
Rating:
Summary: Wow.
Review: Most days, I don't think Harold Coyle could write his way through a Dick & Jane story. But this time... wow. Taking some ancient Greek history and twisting it into a modern plot, Coyle has written one fine military page-turner. I dare ya not to laugh out loud when a German officer states, "My position has become untenable..." Great stuff.
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