Rating: 
Summary: fantastic legal, political, and military thriller
Review: An outstanding follow up to Huston's superior work, The Balance of Power, we return to events in the days after his first novel. Though readable on its own, to me the book is better if you have read Balance of Power.Admiral Billings, having obeyed the Letter of Marque and Reprisal issued by Congress, largely thanks to Speaker of the House Standbrige and over the strenuos objections of President Manchester, and hand delivered by Speaker's aide Jim Dillon, successfully defeated the terrorists who attacked the Pacific Flyer killing all of the crew except for the captain, whom they kidnapped. These events closing out the Balance of Power, the beginning of Price of Power finds him under arrest upon his return to Pearl Harbor. The court marital, convened at the authority of the President, charges the Admiral for disobeying a direct order from the commander-in-chief and guilty of murder for those Americans who died in the attack. Meanwhile, some of the terrorists, including their leader who calls himself George Washington, we find had escaped and kidnapped the American head of a mining company in Indonesia and his wife. Also, those terrorists who were captured on the US Navy raid, returned with the USS Constitution back to Hawaii, may be released as there may be insufficient evidence to hold them for trial (this partially at the insistence of President Manchester). Will Admiral Billings be court martaled and convicted, a pawn in the continuning struggle between President Manchester and Congress, particulary the Speaker of the House? Who will defend him? Will the terrorists be defeated? Will the hostages be rescued and the terrorists defeated once and for all, and who will give them the order to do so, Congress or the President? A gripping thriller, though both a work of military fiction and great courtroom drama, to me the legal aspects of this novel somewhat outshine the military aspects. The court martial and brilliant defense of Admiral Billings was riveting, keeping me up late at night, and it was fascinating to see the continuing struggles between President and the Congress, as impeachment proceedings under Standbridge's direction of Manchester occur. The real hero of the book though, fascinating given all the high powered lawyers, politicans, and military leaders, is Jim Dillon, the aide to Standbridge and the originator of the idea for a Letter of Marque and Reprisal (see Balance of Power). A very likeable character, quick of wit and great at thinking on his feet, but not possessing all the answers and becoming sick of the political fighting, is the core character of the novel. A fastastic novel, one of the best explorations of the "fallout" from a previous novel I have ever seen, in some ways is better than Balance of Power. I never thought I would be a fan of courtroom drama, but the trials scenes were so extraordinary that I just may give Grisham and others a try. An excellent work of miliary fiction, lots to keep Tom Clancy and technothriller fans happy, even Marchinko fans happy with the US Navy Seals, key players in this work! Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Best Law Review Article Ever
Review: Ever read a law review article? Pretty dry and boring stuff. But here, James Huston takes what could be a stuffy topic and wraps it around an action/political thriller story. The result is wonderful.
An American freighter is hijacked by terrorists who proceed to execute the crew members and take the captain hostage. President Manchester(a suspected pacifist) chooses to do nothing about it. As one could imagine, many are aghast at this, including the President's political nemesis, Speaker of the House Stanbridge. It appears there is little hope until Jim Dillon, a lawyer on Stanbridge's staff, discovers a dormant power in the US Constitution know as The Letter of Marque and Reprisal that gives Congress the power to direct military (or at least Naval) forces into action.
Things get complicated after this. After Congress passes the Letter, the President initiates legal action. Also, its uncertain whether the Admiral commanding the Task Force will honor the Letter. For those and more questions, I direct you to read the book!
The legal analysis is overall very good. A previous critic notes the Letter of Marque and Rerisal provision is just another enhancement to the President's war making capability. This is not correct. There is nothing in the Constitution directly tying the Executive to this power. Traditionally, Presidents did sign these Letters but Huston shows that tradition does not trump the Consitution. He deals crippling blows to other arguments against the Letter too.
The action is also excellent. We get to see the full power of a carrier task force unfold before our eyes. Everything from Special Ops and Marine assaults to air attacks. Huston's naval background only enhances this aspect of the novel.
An excellent work. For the thinking person who enjoys red hot action, you could do worse!
Rating:
Summary: Another terrific page turner
Review: I ordered both of Mr. Huston's books at the same time and started them just before Thanksgiving. After three days I had read them both, enjoyed them thoroughly and lost much sleep. It may be trite to say that he writes like Tom Clancy without the tedious technical explanations. It may also be a bit innacurrate as I enjoyed him more than TC. Huston is especially good with dialogue and these characters came alive for me. Clinton is lucky that Jim Dillon is a fictional character and not one of the Managers of Impeachment. I agree with the reader who would have liked to know more about the bad guy "George Washington". The characters in the book wanted to also as they realized the nature and extent of the armaments and techical equipment they possessed and asked the Butch Cassidy question: "Who are these guys"? I tend to agree that there will not be a three-peat...but you may recall that they could not i.d. GW, if that was in fact him who had his face blown off. In any event, if political/military/action novels are of interest to you, you could not do better than to read Mr. Huston. I am now a BIG fan!
Rating: 
Summary: RIGHT WING FANTASY
Review: I was looking for an alternative to Clancy and I have found it. "Price of Power," moves right along through the multiple series of events that are taking place. Huston doesn't bog you down with an overdose of technical jargon and he doesn't spend several pages describing each character. Huston uses just enough technical savvy to set the scene and then lets the action of the scene draw you in. A quick read and a must read!! Huston has made it to my must read author list.
Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: I'll add my praise to the others. I'm retired military. I gobble good books like this one. Huston keep things technically and politically accurate. He is clever (well, he's way beyond simply clever .. but I don't have a spell checker to help me spell ingenious) and does a great job with dialogue. Well done.
Rating: 
Summary: Huston Scores Another Solid Hit!
Review: James Huston has done what few writers succeed in doing -- creating a sequel that is as good as, if not better than, the original. I would have rated this book "4 1/2 stars" if the Amazon rating system allowed me to. Like Balance Of Power, The Price Of Power is a political/military thriller that grabs your attention right from the start and never lets go. The action is electrifying, the characters are very well- developed and the dialogue is crisp and realistic. You could almost envision seeing and listening to Bill Clinton in some respects if you try real hard. While 501 pages in length, there isn't one page that you'll be sorry you read. The Price Of Honor is a book you won't want to miss. But do yourself a favor and read Balance Of Power first. Enjoy them both!
Rating: 
Summary: Balance of Power, part deux
Review: James Huston's second effort, `The Price of Power' is a direct sequel to his `Balance of Power'. Both novels put together can easily be read as one novel and I will hazard a guess that the original draft was just that - a work that was split into two parts.
The terrorist from the first book, "George Washington', survives and kidnaps an American mining executive and his wife. He is quickly killed and his wife is held hostage with the demand for the release of the captured terrorist band from the previous novel. It is unclear in the novel if the reader is supposed to believe that the executive's wife is dead or alive.
The second thread of the novel are two courtroom procedures: the impeachment of the President on the grounds that he is a pacifist and cannot fulfill his duties as President of the United States and the court martial of Admiral Billings who led the original assault on the terrorist island. Still another plot thread is the use of another clause in the Constitution to justify further military action without the authority of the executive to rescue the hostage.
`The Price of Power" is better written than the previous novel because there are fewer dangling plot threads and the main characters behave with greater consistency than in the first book. The author also does a good job with his simple but effective courtroom dialogue sequences which are the true heart of the novel.
However, as in his first novel, the author uses his characters and storyline to present a right-wing interpretation to the Constitution and the roles of the President and Congress. The author misreads the Constitution and expects up to believe in some unlikely scenarios. For example, can you imagine a true pacifist getting through the President primary process? How about a President's mother testifying at an impeachment hearing? Or how about a court martial that judges on the constitutionally of an act and not the UCMJ?
As with his first novel, you need to put your brain on hold for this one, but if you do, you will enjoy this well paced fantasy novel for right-wingers. I intend to read his next novel, "Flash Point' which I hope is more military action than right-wing political fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: "A Solid Sequel"
Review: James W. Huston does a terrific job handling the fallout from "The Balance of Power." While the first chapter with the kidnapping of an American corporate exec and his wife is written in a rather choppy style, it improves by leaps and bounds after that. The scenes involving Admiral Billings' court-martial are flat out excellent. Huston presents great arguments on both sides. One moment you think Billings will come out OK, the next it appears he has no chance to win. I do wish the impeachment trial of the President was done better. Those scenes were just not as compelling as the Billings court-martial. Again Congressional aide Jim Dillon is a first rate hero. At times he seems over his head, but that first class mind of his is always working to get out of what appear to be no-win situations. The return of the terrorist who calls himself George Washington is a great monkey in the wrench. He's more ruthless in this book than in "Balance." Even with the two problem areas I mentioned, the book overall is a winner.
Rating:
Summary: "A Solid Sequel"
Review: James W. Huston does a terrific job handling the fallout from "The Balance of Power." While the first chapter with the kidnapping of an American corporate exec and his wife is written in a rather choppy style, it improves by leaps and bounds after that. The scenes involving Admiral Billings' court-martial are flat out excellent. Huston presents great arguments on both sides. One moment you think Billings will come out OK, the next it appears he has no chance to win. I do wish the impeachment trial of the President was done better. Those scenes were just not as compelling as the Billings court-martial. Again Congressional aide Jim Dillon is a first rate hero. At times he seems over his head, but that first class mind of his is always working to get out of what appear to be no-win situations. The return of the terrorist who calls himself George Washington is a great monkey in the wrench. He's more ruthless in this book than in "Balance." Even with the two problem areas I mentioned, the book overall is a winner.
Rating:
Summary: Huston lets us down
Review: James W. Huston has succeeded where most writers of sequels do not. He has managed to craft a well thought-out and entertaining sequel that makes the reader ask those famous "what if?" type questions. In The Price of Power, Huston reprises all of the characters from his debut novel. In the process he gives them more life, more personality and more detail to hold the reader's attention. In this installment, the author has the President of the United States serve as the convening authority for the Court Martial of the Admiral who led a task force to rescue Americans held hostage by Indonesian pirate/terrorists. The President, a weak leader with plummeting ratings faces the prospect of impeachment when he orders the Navy brass to court-martial its latest hero, an Admiral who followed the orders of Congress (rather than his or the Pentagon's) when they issued a heretofore little known of Letter of Reprisal that authorized the Navy to go after the enemy in his own lair. Throughout this book, Huston asks very interesting moral and legal questions. He raises interesting constituional issues as well, especially for those Americans in uniform, whose very service oath is not to the nation, its people or the President, but to the Constitution itself. As those of us who have worn the uniform (or are still wearing it) know, the oath of enlistment or commissioning opens with "I _______do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same.." The oaths we take are a serious matter to most of us. Our loyalty is not to a leader, the people we defend or to the nation itself; it is to the Constitution. The reason for that is simple; it is the Constitution, that genius of a document that defines who we are as a people and a nation. And in this novel, Huston does a masterful job of giving us very real examples of how the Constitution exists in all of our daily lives. True, the author sets these serious questions in the arena of foreign, military, legislative and political affairs and yet, these are questions that could in fact happen in real life. After all, the United States, as the last superpower faces a multitude of challenges on a daily basis and unlike other countries, where dictators rule or the people have no real say, our system, with it executive, legislative and judicial balances must take into consideration public opinion and the desires of a very diverse population. Mr. Huston covers all the areas of political and military intrigue with a surprising level of knowledge and a grasp for how Washington really works. This is a fast paced thriller with a highly developed plot that asks all the important questions. If you are at all interested in how the Congress, the White House and the armed forces operate within an ever changing world arena, then read this book. And unlike what one reviewer said about this being right-wing trash, read this novel with an open mind for the real possibilities. The author asks (and answers) some very provocative questions. Paul Connors
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