Rating: 
Summary: A slow and laborious read
Review: I had never read a Coyle novel and seeing that he was a graduate of VMI I was intrigued enough to pick it up. What a mistake. The dialogue is tortuous to read. Additionally, for the author to get the story to where he wants to go the reader must accept many illogical assumptions put before her from beginning to end. One of the most annoying character developments is that of Jan Fields. Some how we're to believe this woman is the greatest mother, wife, reporter, and patriot the world has ever seen. I would like to have seen at least one character flaw or two in her, or in one of the other "good guys" in this drawn out scenario. Instead, they're all saints and the sinister governor and his conniving attorney general are all evil. My recomendation: Don't bother picking it up. Perhaps some of his other books are enjoyable and worth the time, but I won't be taking any chances any time soon.
Rating: 
Summary: Some good action, but a week story line
Review: I have always liked the authors books, but since the end of the cold war it seems the plots have been getting more manufactured and lack believability. This novel is the worst example so far of this tendancy. The idea of the Idaho National Guard taking on the regular army is ludicrous. Dispite these issues there are a number of well written action scenes.
Rating:
Summary: Some good action, but a week story line
Review: I have always liked the authors books, but since the end of the cold war it seems the plots have been getting more manufactured and lack believability. This novel is the worst example so far of this tendancy. The idea of the Idaho National Guard taking on the regular army is ludicrous. Dispite these issues there are a number of well written action scenes.
Rating:
Summary: This book is borderline ok
Review: I just finished this book and I was glad I was finished. The editing was lacking as well as the plot. The author failed to develop the story fully, didn't provide sufficient background information, and used military terms specific to the Army he didn't define. The action parts were also limited.
Rating:
Summary: Not the 10,000
Review: I'm 10 pages shy of finnishing this novel and it's been a struggle. I wanted to like this book as I have read all of the Scott Dixon novels right up to The Ten Thousand (haven't read Code of Honour and not sure if I will bother). The book started out great but went downhill fast. Aside from the thin plot and over abundance of underdeveloped characters the book is rife with editing errors. I'm not sure if the errors are due to the publisher or the author, regardless of fault they detract from the novel in a most annoying manner and destroy any flow to the novel. I really enjoyed Mr. Coyle's previous novels, both the Scott Dixon ones and his civil war series and I can't believe he could pen such a poor sequel in light of his previous great works. I feel cheated and wish I'd spent my christmas gift card on a different book. I will be very reluctant to pick up another novel in this series.
Rating: 
Summary: The Cost of Freedom
Review: Is freedom really worth killing for, is it worth killing another American over which views of freedom are just? The men and women of the Idaho National Guard, the 17th Airborne and the 4th Armored Division are force to answer those questions in this new book by Harold Coyle. "Against All Enemies" opens with the bombing of a federal building by a gulf war vet the felt betrayed by the very government that he fought and killed for. After he was diagnoses with Gulf War Syndrome his whole life fell apart and he blamed the men up stairs. So he slap the US government in the face by blowing up a building and killing lots of people. The FBI investigation into the terrorist attack leads to members of the 5th Brigade, a militant group in Wyoming that assisted the gulf vet who is now in a billion pieces. The FBI, the US Marshall and with the supported of the Wyoming National Guard move in to arrest the militants, but before they could do anything militants from Idaho ambush the FBI and US Marshall with heavy machine gun fire, killing dozens and allowing the 5th to escape, what is even more shocking is that the Wyoming National Guard dose nothing to intervene! What dose that tell you? Anyway the freedom of the militants is short lived and they soon face extradition to the 9th District Court in Seattle. However the State Government of Idaho, lead by Governor GO Thomas, whose ideas may have a revolutionary effect on the country, and his Adjutant General Orsborn, with an agenda of his own, feels that the Federal Government has been pushing more and more control into the states. So before the FBI can take the militants into custody, they are forced out of Idaho at gun point! Along with every federal employees. Thus enters our heroes: General Scott Dixon, XO of the 4th Armored Division, his beautiful wife, Reporter Jan Fields covering events at Boise, their young son Nathan Dixon, fresh out of the Virginia Military Institute and now a platoon leader in the 17th Airborne, and Lt. Col. Nancy Kozack, once the first female to served in a front line combat position, now one the other side and the care taker of thousands of bullets of every caliber. When Thomas renounce the federal government Nathan becomes the spear head to reestablish federal control in Idaho with a darling raid on an airbase and the very armory that Nancy is guarding. However the raid goes horrible wrong and out of control, and Nathan and his platoon find themselves alone in a hostile environment Abound hearing that his son is MIA, Scott has the difficult task of leading an armored attack to smash the ING, mean while both Jan and Nancy both coming to a fearful conclusion that all might not be all that it seems to be and puts both there lives on a razor thin line, while all of this is happening in front of the eyes of the citizens of not only Idaho, but the whole nation as a Second Civil War unfolds. This book terrified me, this is the perfect "what if" scenario of a modern day rebellion in America. One hundred and sixty odd years ago the Southern State split from the Union because they felt the Federal government had no business banning slavery. In "Against All Enemies" the State Government of Idaho feels that the federal government has abandon the original constitution and executing more control over the states and the people. When it cones down to it. Its the defenses of the Constitution that our soldiers fight for, not for political ideologies, not for the President, but for the basic freedom that makes that nation what it is. I found this book well written but it did have several annoying gaps in it. What ever happen to the CO of the Wyoming National Guard? Was he court marshaled? The book jumps from Climax to end with no resolution in-between, and Coyle dose have a problem of putting too much character detail, however, I don't see it as a problem, it makes the book more real to me.
Rating:
Summary: Confusion About Military Oath and Constitution
Review: The action is stimulating, the tactics interesting, and the story engaging, but the understanding of the Constitution and the Military Oath is confused, leaving this reader disappointed. I presume that the military technology, organizational details, tactics, and strategy are accurate in the book. But since Constitutional details are definitely not accurate, it does make one wonder. The essential moral and political dilemma facing the professional military protagonists centers around the Military Oath, which, though never stated in its entirety in the novel is: ''I, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, do solemnly swear (or affirm) 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; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.'' Of course, this oath, to be taken seriously, requires each person serving to have actually read and understood the Constitution. The issue over which the revoluation starts in the novel is the refusal of Idaho state leaders to allow Idaho citizens who have been accused of a crime in Wyoming to be moved from Idaho to be tried in Washington state. What does the Constitution state about where a trial in such a place should be held? "In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed ..." Sixth Amendment So, what leaves this reviewer dissatisfied is that indeed the Constitution was being violated in the book in both an Idaho AND Seattle trial. The key characters in the book, despite their oath to defend the Constitution, and the central part that the oath played in what their actions should have been, never seemed to even care what the Constitution said. Even more disappointing was the author's note at the end of the book, where he confuses an oath to protect the Constitution with defending his country (and means his governmental leaders). To me, defending the Constitution means understanding the actual words therein and the principles of liberty it was designed to protect. And governments that abuse the Constitution threaten the country, and should, when life and death decisions have to be made, be treated as the domestic enemies of the Constitution that they are.
Rating:
Summary: what happened?
Review: The best military author I have ever read, now is recycling ideas promoted in other stories into this book. Original ideas are lacking throughout. His fear that the Civil War books would hurt him was proven unfounded. . It didn't-- the last two books have.
| 
