Rating: 
Summary: The Hour Hand Sweeps Closer To Midnight
Review: "Arc-Light" is the techno thriller for people who don't like techno thrillers. If Tom Clancy and his many, many imitators leave you cold, theres still a good chance that you'll enjoy this. North Korea invades South Korea and Russia launches tactical Nuclear strikes on insurgent Chinese forces...and thats just in the first ten pages. Over the next five hundred pages Eric L Harry deftly sweeps a trans-global cast of characters, that are unusually well written for a novel in this genre, into the nightmare of a world war that threatens to escalate into total Nuclear annihilation. One of the greatest page turning experiences of my life. I literally could not put this tome down until I'd turned the final nail-biting page and reached the shocking climax.
Rating: 
Summary: Arc Light
Review: I'm about 2/3rds of the way through this book. I'm finding it an interesting read, but I don't think it's as good as others reviews. Charecters are paper thin, but given the books scope I think this is natural. However, there are a few things that don't seem right. Firstly, the chances of 2 corps ( 4 divisions ) being a threat to Russia from Slovakia is a bit iffy. Hitler started with nearly 200 divisions, and while they diden't have the mobility or firepower of 4 modern divisions ( horse & all ), it still asks thequestion whether this is plausible.
I might be missing something about the command & control of the rogue Russian general at the start, but the weight, launch direction and profile of the ICBM attack on Moscow surely couldn't be confused with a US attack.
Finally, the horrible idea of over 1000 warheads landing on the continental US, and the nation surviving as a functioning society is frankly incredible. This is partly because the idae of the Russian military being able to replace it's 'dirty' warheads with 'clean' one's, given the state of their forces both now, and in the context of the book is not believable. As they always say, Russia never throws any serviceable weapon awy.
Rating:
Summary: True Genious
Review: What is there to say that has not yet been said? This book is the penical of World War III fiction. It makes your want to jump up and make war after the first dozen BMPs are smashed, but also makes your reach for the tissues right before the Ruskies' missles hit downtown New York City. This book has got it all! Jarheads making a 'D Day' landing in Siberia, Russian bombers flying through California's hills, or the US troop buildup in east Canada brings our time a World War II feel. I can't say this is the best book written, but I can say this is the best author. If you love this, reat Harry's 'Invasion'. It takes this masterpiece a step further.Truly magnificant work, Mr. Harry! Where's 'Invasion II'?
Rating:
Summary: Simply amazing
Review: When I first purchased this book, our furnace wasn't working (in
February!) and I think it was the story rather than the weather
which gave me goosebumps. I called in sick to work the next day
because I HAD to finish! Since then, my paperback has been read
so many times that the pages are falling out, and I still find
something new every time. I recommend this novel very highly. A
great "bravo zulu" to Mr. Harry for a job well done!
Rating:
Summary: Read this before Clancy
Review: I picked this up when it first came out years ago, figuring it would occupy weekends reading time. Not only was I total engaged by this novel, I also felt the author went out of his way to write a great novel, unlike some other authors in military fiction who "mail in" novel after novel. This is one of those "gut feel" military/political novels, you can see it actually happening. Harry's writing in my opinion has to be compared Capt Edward Beach's work. If you see this novel anywhere buy it!
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: This is one of the most intense, entertaining books I have ever read. From the very start you are drawn into a maelstrom of violence and intrigue. "Arc Light" isn't non-stop combat though, it is also a very smart thriller. Harry does a superb job of painting the political side of war, and the effect it has a real people. By way of comparison, this book ranks beside "Red Storm Rising" as one of the great techno-thrillers of all time. Unfortunately, it is no longer in print, but if you can get your hands on a copy, don't hesitate, BUY IT!
Rating:
Summary: Superb - Tom Clancy's Vivid Dreams
Review: It is amazing that this book is out of print. When I finally obtained it, I could not put it down. The style of writing, the multiple story lines, the dialogue of the mind, everything came together perfectly. In an account of World War III, all too much is real. Descriptions of nuclear and military tactics, settings, destruction, everything is what can be imagined, but feared. Superb book. Tom Clancy has nothing close. What Harry does in 600+ pages, Clancy requires two books. Heavily recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Simply the best technothriller ever written
Review: I was at first nothing short of amazed to find that there had been zero customer reviews written on Amazon.com of "Arc Light". Two factors help to explain this oversight. First, "Arc Light" was published in the early fall of 1994, before the launching of Amazon.com. Second, and more significantly, "Arc Light" quite openly refuses to appeal to the typical audience of technothrillers. Despite the professional reviewer's note that it will depress contemplative readers while showcasing enough equipment and battle to satisfy techno-nuts, a class into which I am fortunate not to fall, "Arc Light" is at its core a book trumpeting the fact that if war is hell, war between nuclear-armed powers is suicidal insanity. It was written almost purely for the contemplative reader. Consequently, I consider Harry's subsequent book, "Protect and Defend," to be merely a good technothriller, not nearly so revolutionary as "Arc Light." Scanning the first few pages of his "Invasion" I concluded that here was an abomination that I would utterly refuse to read. While it completely blows off the concept of nuclear winter (an acceptable oversight considering that in my favorite computer game, all-out nuclear war leads to global WARMING), and shows Great Britain and a few other NATO allies as basically puppets of the United States who will follow us to war even when our aims are somewhat questionable (a characterization I do not accept given General Sir Michael Jackson's refusal to assault the Russian-controlled Pristina airport), "Arc Light" is other than this a basically perfect book. For starters, it talked about impeachment before that was cool. Richard Nixon and the House Judiciary Committee of 1974 maintained that it was impossible to impeach a President for his conduct in foreign affairs, but try taking that line after the Chinese have launched a nuclear strike on Moscow on your advice! Sadly, I don't have time now to tell you all about my favorite characters in the story. They are characters who simply do not have analogs in the typical technothriller for this reason: They are civilians. One is purely a victim of the war, the other two are policymakers, but I have thought long and hard about who I would cast in their roles. Anyway, READ THIS BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: World War III at its finest
Review: Have you ever wondered what would happen if Al Gore was elected President? Al Gore would have to deal with an imploding Russia and a resurgent China with an expanding military. In this novel, the President has to deal with these issues and he fails miserably. His mistakes costs the lives of millions of Americans as the United States is faced with a devestating nuclear attack. After this, the novel really gets interesting. Eric L. Harry does a great job of describing battles, detailing the political aspects of all the governments involved, and creating characters that are complex enough that the reader will find the novel difficult to put down. Of all the World War III novels that are being written, this is perhaps the best and most exciting novel on the market today.
Rating:
Summary: Bright
Review: An apocalyptic classic for people who found 'By Dawn's Early Light' a light comedy, 'Arc Light' opens with an accidental nuclear exchange between China, Russia and the US, and builds into a full-scale invasion of Russia, fought on radioactive wastelands by people without much left to go home to. In the Larry Bond / Tom Clancy / Dale Brown axis it falls between the first two authors - although momentous events occur, the novel concentrates on a handful of characters, including a President who makes the least fortuitous off-hand decision in the history of decision-making, ever. The deaths of millions happen in the background, and nobody has a chance to pause for breath - the novel is fast-paced and, despite its great length, compelling from start to finish. Downsides? Written in the late 80's, the novel seems to belong to a different world - the Russians are still boo-hiss villains, NATO is a mighty military powerhouse, and there are bits which are clearly filler (the sections dealing with South Korean seem only tangental to the plot). Still, only 'The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy' has as much wanton destruction, and if you've ever wanted to smash things, this book will calm you down.
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