The War in 2020

Rating:
Summary: If Tom Clancy had literary skill...
Review: ...then he might write something like "The War in 2020."

Sure, Japan Inc isn't so scary any more. Yeah, we're proving now (January, 2002) that we can take on radical Islam and win. OK, so our military isn't quite as hollowed-out as we'd feared. And maybe we're still the tech kings of all the known universe.

That still doesn't make this book any less scary or fun to read. The reason? It's just really well written, with living, breathing characters you really will care about. That's why Ralph Peters has a shelf life ten times that of Clancy -- and I'm a Clancy fan.

Oh, plus a techno-thriller second half that will keep you up all night.

Rating:
Summary: The Bible for the serious professional
Review: For those Professional Soldiers that read, there is always one book above all others that means the most and connects most profoundly. It becomes an intergral part of that inner drive that sustains in times of frustration, hardship or danger. For me, War in 2020 is much more than simply a work of future navel gazing - LTCOL Peters has struck at the core of what it means to soldier in an uncertain future. Some commentators miss the point - decrying the fact that War in 2020 has not perfectly predicated the current reality(never mind that LTCOL Peters makes clear that that was never his intent - an impossible task for anyone). I have little sympathy for this unfortunate misconception, I firmly believe that this is a profoundly important work and transcends the limitations of the genre. For the Professional Soldier it examines warts-and-all concepts such as; inter service rivalry in a time of catastrophe, the nightmare of the future techo solution no one could predict(Nuclear weapons, nerve agents, and the horrible future of the Scrambler are weapons that no soldier could ever see coming) and the dangers of dedicating oneself to the profession of arms above all else. It is sobering, yet fascinating - and above all else profoundly moving. If you are a civilian and wish to have a glimpse at why people dedicate themselves to the profession upon which all others depend, read this important work.

Rating:
Summary: Very Pleasant Surprise
Review: I was initially skeptical of this book (having first read it around the time of the collapse of the USSR; it seemed too far fetched) but it did not take long to warm up to the premises, the events and the author's take on various political/military developments.

Though not a literary masterpiece, it is a great example of its genre, and I haven't encountered any books of this size that I was able to finish reading in 11 days (a personal record!)

Now, if only Hollywood were to option the rights...

Rating:
Summary: The writing could have been tighter...
Review: On my way to Orlando, I finished up a paperback titled The War In 2020 by Ralph Peters. It's a large paperback (607 pages) that tells a story of armed conflict in the future. Russia is falling apart due to factional fighting internally, and the Islamic and Russian rebel forces are being supplied by the Japanese. The US is no longer the leading world military power, but they don't want to see Russia overrun by Japan. They step in to balance the equation, but end up on the receiving end of a deadly weapon launched by the Japanese. Typical war thriller material.

If you're a Tom Clancy fan, you'll probably like it. I'm sort of split on it. While there were some interesting parts, there were characters and subplots that had nothing to do with the main story. He has an explanation for that at the end, but I could have done without half of the book. Also, the book was written in 1991, so some of the scenarios are interesting in light of the last 14 years.

Rating:
Summary: The War in 2020--underrated and under appreciated
Review: This book is one of the best novels I have ever read. The WAR IN 2020 is an honest book which does not try to pull its punches.

Despite some of the themes being dated (written in 1990; the USSR exists in 2020 (sort of) AND the Japan as the enemy), the book was one of the first to take a hard look at the end of the cold war and its effects on islamic fundamentalism and the chaos in Central Asia (a common thread throughout many of his novels.) It also looks at the peace dividend and how these so-called savings get deferred to the butcher's bill.

The WAR in 2020 strikes a somber tone and does not come off with a triumphant flourish where the heroes get the medals and all the bad guys get theirs. The ending leaves you wondering what the [heck] everyone died for--unfortunately, it ends like most wars. Don't get me wrong, this book is an exciting novel with its fair share of action, but it does not cop out with a comic book ending that wraps up everything in a neat package.

This is a military fiction novel for thinking adults.

A Personal Commentary:

Ralph Peters seems to me, an under appreciated author. He is not as popular as Tom Clancy (they both showed up in the mid 80s) but I find him to be a literary and philosophically superior author. I think that Ralph does not constantly the sales Clancy does because he does not go near the nationalism trap that Clancy has fallen into. I hope that he continues to write more novels.