Rating: 
Summary: Definatly has Bestseller Potential! Great Book!
Review: I know the Author personally...and I must admit I am suprised! This book shows _Obvious_ expertise and love for the Navy and Law. A book of this much power and "finger bitting action" could only come from a Retired Navy Officer and Lawyer in one! Congratz Mr. Huston on a EXCELLENT book!
Rating:
Summary: good idea left unfulfilled
Review: I though the book was hard to get into but suppose the author had to begin as he did. Interestng constitutional concept that I thought should have gone farther to be resolved. I was disapponted once the battle was ver and thought the ending was weak. The best parts were the issues being argued in Washington and in that area thewriter excelled. I suggest his next effort be in the political arena and leave the military mumbo-jumbo to Clancy, who gets away with it better than this effort.
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Summary: Suspenseful, Intelligent Novel.
Review: I was more than happily surprised to discover Huston's Balance. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience--Balance is a perfect blend of military, legal and Constitutional drama. The "dusting off" of the Letters of Marque and Reprisal is brilliant! I cannot wait until Huston's next effort.(And what is the deal with that Clancy/Pieczenik novel under the same title??? I have heard that it is not even in the same universe as Huston's book. Boy, are they going to look silly.)
Rating: 
Summary: A good read and an interesting plot.
Review: I was really impressed with the author's knowledge of Washington politics, naval procedures, and the constitution. Like a Clancy novel, this scenario could actually play out in real life - scary, huh?
Rating:
Summary: Very good book!
Review: James Huston has delivered a very good, fast-moving, pretty well-written first novel. His experience as a carrier-based fighter pilot has led to a great amount of detail in this aspect of the book, and it appears as though he's done a lot of homework on the behind-the-scenes of Washington and its power brokers, all the way to the White House. The story is almost hauntingly plausible, considering recent events in Southeast Asia, and should make more than a few heads turn in the foriegn policy shops of this country! I'll be looking forward to Mr Huston's next book!
Rating: 
Summary: Who's Got the Power?
Review: James Huston's 'Balance of Power' is a decent read that require that you place your brain on hold. Mr Huston is no Tom Clancy but this lightweight political/military thriller is an enjoyable waste of time that will give the reader both an enjoyable diversion and insight into the mind of the reactionary right wing world view. This book has the endorsement of Rush Limbaugh which in itself should be warning enough. So if you can get past the obvious right wing (and I don't mean conservative) ideology, poor character development, plot inconsistencies, and a misreading of the U.S. Constitution, you will enjoy this thriller, which like a good fantasy novel, requires a willful suspension of disbelief.
A group of Indonesian terrorists hijack an American auto cargo vessel, kill the crew, kidnap the captain, and sink the ship warning the US never to darken the Sea of Java again. Although we are giving hints now and then, the reader is never sure who the terrorists are - terrorists, pirates or part of some other vast conspiracy. Neither are we sure if they are Indonesian, Thai, or Chinese. It doesn't really matter. Nor do the other loose plot details that appear and disappear. This book is a novel of military action which is done very well and is truly exciting. It is also a novel of politics which is sure to stir debate and discussion with thoughtful readers
The weak President of the U.S., Edward Manchester, somewhat modeled on a combination of the character traits of Democrats Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton decides to let the Indonesians handle the terrorist incident. The strong Republican Speaker of the House, John Stanbridge, modeled on a fantasized Newt Gringrich, dislikes Manchester and wants an immediate strike at the terrorists. Thanks to an aide, Jim Dillon, Stanbridge decides to invoke Article 1, section 8 of the U.S. Constitution which states that among the powers granted to Congress is "to declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and to make rules concerning captures on land and water" [Note: Actually, the term used in the original draft of the Constitution was "to make war" which was changed so as not to tie the hands of the President in times of emergency. This in turn was changed, over President Nixon's veto in 1973, by the War Powers Act]. The Speaker gets Congress to override the President and send a letter of marque to the commander of a carrier battle group in the Java Sea authorizing an attack on the terrorists. President Manchester follows with an order to disregard the letter of marque and to obey his order as Commander-in-Chief. The plot is further complicated with kidnapped missionaries, impeachment threats of the President, and a love interest so obtuse that the reader would probably miss it if you blink hard.
The author has some interesting dialogues between the two opposing sides of the Letter of Marque issue but the reader should be aware that although the issue is a thoughtful one and worthy of debate, it is used the author to proselytize his right wing point of view. The opposing points of view of the President and his counsel are mere paper tigers, viewpoints and character behaviors that are established only for the purpose of tearing them down.
The issue of the 'letter of marque' is a popular one in the right wing press. Right wing groups such as the Liberty Committee have been advocating the granting of authority to hire private armies to fight perceived enemies such as socialists for a long time. Think militia. Recently, Congressman Ron Paul introduced H.R. 3074 and H.R. 3076 to grant President Bush the authority to issue letters of marque to fight terrorists. Historically, letters of marque were official licenses issued on behalf of the head of government in time of war to private citizens which gave them limited legal protection to act as privateers. That is, to use their own ships, at their own expense, to make war on the merchant shipping of countries with which their own county was at war, and to profit from the sale of any ships and cargoes they could capture. Without this protection they would simply be treated as pirates if captured. Here is the dictionary definition: "1. A document issued by a nation allowing a private citizen to seize citizens or goods of another nation. 2. A document issued by a nation allowing a private citizen to equip a ship with arms in order to attack enemy ships."
The meaning of the letter of marque in the Constitution is a good one for heated debate and its real history is fascinating. For example, the marque and reprisal clause in the constitution was written as part of a framework to consolidated national sovereignty into a then newly centralized government, and make sure that the nations war making power was divided fairly among the three branches of government. The executive branch was given the power to wage war; the legislative branch was given to power to control the purse strings. The theory behind the letter of marque is what lies behind the executive's ability to assign organizations such as the CIA war-like capability with the authority and money granted by Congress. The section quoted by Mr Huston (Article 1, Section 8) also needs to be understood in the context of other clauses in the Constitution which Mr Huston omits such as Article 1, Section 10 which forbids states and private individuals from going to war. The issue of the letter of marque is not one of 'Balance of Power as implied by Mr Huston, but of 'Separation of Power'.
Mr Huston has written a right wing political novel masquerading as a thriller. You can enjoy the novel as a good thriller as I did. It is well written but be aware that 'Balance of Power' is a right wingers political fantasy. The reader must think about what the writer implies about the powers of the executive and the powers of a congressman. And then read the sequel, "The Price of Power'. It is better written and just as exciting as this effort.
Rating:
Summary: Constitutional Crisis, Military Action, a Solid Debut
Review: James W. Huston has garnered a bunch of fans with his debut novel. Along with Rush Limbaugh and the thousands of others who have read this interesting story of a constitutional crisis between a dovish President as Commander in Chief and a hawkish Speaker of the House, I found myself liking this book. Huston does some interesting things with his characters. His fictional President, like the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has no military experience. His Speaker of the House, unlike his real life model, Newt Gingrich, is a former naval officer who saw combat in Vietnam as a brown water sailor in the navy's riverine forces. As a veteran, I found both the President and the Speaker unlikable. The President was an un- realistic idealist and the Speaker a jingoistic opportunist. Mr. Huston did a good job of developing both of these figures well enough to make me dislike them and in that, I felt he did a creditable job. Perhaps the most valuable lessons learned from this book, especially to the unitiated, were the descriptions of the workings of the various branches of the federal government. Despite the fact that the book is a novel, I think it could be used as a primer on federalism for high school students. If used at the college level, I would recommend that it be used in political science courses covering both the Presidency and the Congress. Mr. Huston's credentials as an F-14 NFO and Intelligence Officer shines through. His training as a lawyer shines through as well when he discusses the various constitutional issues that develop as a result of his plot. I would like to correct some of the other critics who wrote here on a point of fact. Mr. Huston was not an F-14 pilot. The dust jacket points out that he was an F-14 NFO (Naval Flight Officer). That's the Guy In Back. Remember Goose in TOP GUN? Needless to say, while he may not have actually flown them, he was trained to fight in them and that background lends him a credibility not available with other authors. Mr. Huston, like a lot of lawyers has taken to writing and I think his debut novel was a fine first effort. I look forward to his next effort because this one reminds me of the early Tom Clancy. I just hope that he doesn't run out of steam (or plausible story lines) like Tom Clancy seems to have done of late. While Mr. Clancy seems to have invented the techno-thriller as a genre, there have been many who followed his example and provided the reading public with hours of reading entertainment. I wish Mr. Huston good fortune in his writing career. He may well be Tom Clancy's heir in the political-military thriller arena.
Rating:
Summary: Military Adventure, Constitutional Crisis
Review: Jet-jockey/attorney Huston has crafted a darned good military adventure. He emphasizes the details of planning a joint Marine, Naval air, SEAL operation against a well-defended island. Lots of shoot-em-up, based on thorough plans - he gets the mud and blood parts right. The issues of a President's refusal to properly command Congress's military are better developed than our discussions at the Army War College on that topic. I look forward to another well-paced action book from Huston, and hope he has a more alert editor next time. Too many distracting typo's - "missile sight" for "site", etc. Keep them coming, swabbie.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book with unique twist on a constitutional crisis
Review: Jim Huston does an excellent job of combining his knowledge of flying and military operations with his excellent grasp of constitutional law. I found myself not being able to put the book down. I look forward to Jim's next book.
Rating:
Summary: Exciting blend of politics, law and military action
Review: Jim Huston has done an incredible job bringing together his wealth of life experiences as a former F-14 pilot and intelligence officer, a top courtroom lawyer, and an avid student of politics and modern warfare. His choice of setting is nothing short of prophetic and should make readers question just how close to nonfiction this incredible story might become. Mr. Huston's sub-plot of a carrier battle group having to conduct its operations in the "dark" was brilliant. This was a non-stop read from cover to cover!
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