Invasion

Rating:
Summary: Is this the future?
Review: Invasion was absolutely chilling, a scary read to be sure. As with Arc Light, Mr. Harry takes a current event and projects to an all-too-possible future, with an expansionist China flexing it's billion man muscle and takes over much of the world and invades America, overwhelming us and all who stand in her path with sheer numbers - can you even imagine how we could defend against a 5 Million man invasion! Extremely unnerving stuff.....The author keeps the book moving well, with action/combat sequences interspersed with political suspense and intrigue reminiscent of Arc Light (the impeachment sub-plot of that book was awesome). I like the way Mr Harry can cover the military issues clearly and not get bogged down in techno-jargon like Tom Clancy, makes for a better read in my opinion.

My only real criticism is that I would have liked to hear more about how America itself was dealing with the invasion (how would CNN have covered the Chinese occupying Atlanta, for example?). Also, the air war is curiously absent; you here a lot about the Chinese supercarriers, and I would have expected to see more air strike type activity, but it is only mentioned sporadically in naval engagements.

Another excellent offering from Mr. Harry - could anyone imagine a TV miniseries on this - it would be awesome! I hope that Mr Harry is considering a sequel to this novel.

Rating:
Summary: Invasion by Eric L. Harry
Review: One of the best page-turners I've read in YEARS. The basic scenario is one where China has become a gigantic expanisionist power at a time when American Baby Boomers were more concerned with Social Security than increasing military funding to meet the Chinese threat. The result of this was a shrinking of the American military establishment at a time when China increased their standing army to about 60 million men. The Chinese in quick succession invaded Korea, whose shipyards allowed them to build dozens of 500,000 ton megacarriers, then Indochina, Japan, India, and the Middle East...all while the U.S. stood idly by. Finally, the Chinese invaded the Caribbean, destroying much of America's navy and Marine Corps in the process, landed 5 million men in Cuba, and were then poised to invade the defenseless Gulf Coast of the U.S.

The book centers around the actions of the new President of the U.S. and his daughter, an Army infantry soldier. It also focuses on several characters on the Chinese side who have a far-fetched family relationship with the President and his daughter.

The book continues on a breakneck pace and is great fun. The only objection I have about it is it's inplausibility. Although the date of the invasion is at least 10 years in the future, it really seems impossible that China could have the technology or the wealth to build an army and navy of the magnitude portrayed in the book. It is equally far-fetched that even a liberal Democratic administration could stand idly by and allow the Chinese to take over half of the world.

The book ends off at a place which allows for many sequels if the author so decides. I'm looking very much forward to reading them.

Albert

Rating:
Summary: A good way to spend a few bucks and a few hours
Review: Harry wrote what I thought to be a good book. I picked up the book at a [local store]in Burlington, VT, and read it front to back over the next couple of days.

Here's why the book didn't get the elusive fifth star. There wasn't enough background information to suit me. I would like to have a few chapters, or even a half-decent website devoted to the timeline in which this book takes place. Like other reviewers, I would also like to see a sequel to this book.

Why wasn't more made of air battles? Well, in the book mention is made of advanced man-portable missiles that can destroy tanks and airplanes so easily as to make use of tanks & planes very costly.

Here's how much the book hooked me in. For a couple of days after I finished the book, I had dreams in which I was a character in this timeline, whether an infantryman helping to thwart the Red Chinese, or a researcher devising superweapons.

Rating:
Summary: Seeing through the haze
Review: I have read through nearly 50 reviews of this book and have noticed a reoccuring complaint that only substantiates my belief that most Americans are ignorant of the world outside of their television sets. I contest the arguement that this book is implausible.

As a United States Marine and a student of International Security in college, I would confidently state that China does have the technology to match ours, is significantly upgrading its military, and is training it to fight the United States. the facts are out there. Particularly in the area of naval power where Chinese shipyards are now designing and constucting amphibious assault ships and aircraft carriers. Unfortunately after 1992 the Russians were willing to sell the Chinese anything in the arsenal to include an aircraft carrier, nuclear submarines and the latest generation main battle tanks and air superiority fighters to match what we have. They (the Chinese) then reverse engineer these weapons, retool their factories and start cranking them out like GI Joe Dolls (made in China). The Chinese have ICBM's (our latest technology stolen right out of our labs) and launch capability for spy satellites (they are close to haveing manned spaceflight).

If you think they can't build guided munitions look at the country of origin for that GPS you may have in your closet. Smart bomb technology is 30 years old here in the States, trust me they have it. The Chinese military can't match our latest toys you say? Whatever...I merely have to look at where this brand new Dell laptop I'm typing on, US Government issue which the Navy and Marine Corps is switching to servicewide, was made...yep China. Our latest tech is MADE IN CHINA.

I think of all the Marines that died in the Chosin Reservoir fighting the Chinese during the Korean War and it saddens me that we ever let them get this strong. They have the numerical advantage, they are closing the technological gap. Americans are too arrogant to think it can ever happen here. So were the Romans, right? Thank you Eric Harry for pointing this danger out.

Side note...There are over a billion Chinese, most of whom are peaceful farmers. It isn't racist to be against the tens of millions of warmongering party faithful. And last time I checked my "Middle Kingdom" history, the upper Chinese socio/economic classes have been racist towards all foreigners for over 2000 years. A society with a superiority complex. Harry hit it right on the mark. (The other day, 12/12/02, the US reprimanded a visiting Chinese General for making a veiled threat to nuke Los Angeles if the US interfered in a Chinese military takeover of Taiwan...disturbing interpretation of peaceful behavior)

Rating:
Summary: Eric Harry is developing into a first-rank technothriller...
Review: ...author. The only reason I haven't given this book 5 stars is because I'm still in the middle of reading it.

Mr. Harry has topped himself this time, by delving into a scenario that has, surprisingly, not often been explored by writers in his genre; a massive conventional invasion of the USA. The aggressor in this novel is China, which, in Mr. Harry's scenario, set some 10 to 20 years into the future, has developed into a superpower with a regular army numbering in the tens of millions and a navy based on dozens of 300-plane supercarriers, and has, through diplomacy and force, succeeded in conquering most of Asia, humbling the European Union (thus causing its breakup), and establishing lodgments in the Western Hemisphere.

Now it's time for the final confrontation.

Mr. Harry, as always, looks at the struggle from both sides. In this particular book, he focuses on four main protagonists; the US President, his daughter (an infantry soldier), the Chinese bureaucrat sent to administer the conquered American territories, and _his_ son, an army lieutenant. Mr. Harry gets better in developing characterizations, and I think readers will particularly like Stephanie "Stephie" Roberts.

Another area where Mr. Harry particularly excels is his depiction of modern ground combat, which is at once unromantic, unsparing, and overwhelming. The scenes in this book may hit home particularly hard with many readers because they take place in the Southern states. I know it gave _me_ a real turn to see the US and China locked in a death struggle over Atlanta and South Carolina.

My only real nit to pick with this book is, as at least one other reviewer has noted, that the background scenario hasn't been developed enough. We know _what_ happened once China assembled its huge armies, but we don't know _how_ exactly things got to this point. If you're not the sort of person who wants to know everything about the whys and wherefores of how things come to be, though, this shouldn't deter you in the least from enjoying this novel.

Definitely get this book.

Rating:
Summary: Bring on Invasion II
Review: Before I get to all the good parts of this book, I have to cover the bad. Okay, I know the Chinese have a huge army and population, but is it really possible for them to occupy: Korea, The Pacific Islands, Japan, The Middle East, Israel, Europe's Borders, Central America, Cuba, AND on top of that, invade America!? Now that's just a bit much, don't you think? Now the good parts. 1) The Characters REALLY come alive in this book, their Failures and Triumphs, American and Chinese. 2) The land battles are told with excellent detail and realism (Allthough Air and Sea Battles are lacking...) 3) The book really does conver both military and politics when it comes to the War in America. This book is just begging for a sequel and I pray the author plans to write one.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely idiotic.
Review: This is the worst book I have ever read in my life. Every aspect of this book ranks last in my mind. Its not thrilling, its not well written, its not well concieved at all, its not engaging, its not climactic, and I don't even like how the cover looks. However, it is suspenseful if you consider waiting and wondering what sort of rediculous garbage Harry is going to come up with next suspenseful.

This Harry fellow, who I can't rightly call an author, doesn't even give his book a chance because the whole basis of this collection of wasted paper is complete hogwash. Harry's book claims that China is able to conquer the whole world minus Europe and America because they control the sea. Apparently they converted merchant hulls in giant 300 plane "supercarriers" of which they can build a few a month. Even if this were possible, the US has stealth aircraft while China has a crude collection of vintage Migs(or copies of them) that belong in a museum, not the sky.

Furthermore, the US also has an infinently more advaced navy which would easily place the Chinese merchant-"supercarriers" on the bottom of the ocean.

Then there is the armies. Harry gives the Chinese an army of over 40,000,000 men and ample transports to send them about the Earth. The US has a few hundred thousand troops in the book. One should note that the US easily fielded over 10,000,000 troops in WWII. The number could only be more now. I won't even begin to discuss the technology discrepancies. Rather I will tell you of another appauling aspect of Harry's book. The Chinese are somehow able to fit plethoras of troops in the smallest areas. At Guantanamo Bay for instance the Chinese land 5,000,000+ troops. This wouldn't be possible even if they were stacked as if on slave ships not to mention the fact that in such a situation a few bombs would knock out hoards of Chinese and soon obliterate their whole 5,000,000+ man force.

The whole book is just way to ill convieved for anyone but the most uneducated to indulge in. I'd write more about this catastrophe but it's time for dinner.

Rating:
Summary: Very Good "Escapist" Reading ...
Review: A Chinese invasion of the American mainland - a decade after they began their military march across Southeast Asia and the Middle East - is unlikely, but this book did an excellent job of bringing such an implausibility to life.

I found myself enjoying all the characters - Chinese and American alike and their various shades of gray therein - and the situations they found themselves in. The up-and-close scenes of horrible combat were effective, as were the "situation room" scenes, which looked at the war in a wider scope.

About the only thing this book lacked was a wider coverage of the military aspect; it seemed to mostly focus on the U.S. Army, with a few snapshots here and there at our air force, navy and special forces. But perhaps that was intentional; after all, several of the characters are intimately tied into the U.S. Army. Also, as at least one other reviewer has mentioned, what became of Russia? Surely she hasn't faded so much from the world stage that the nation doesn't even merit a mention in a book that revolves around, basically, World War III.

This book screams for a sequel. Mr. Eric L. Harris, I certainly hope you are penning one. I would love to see further developments in this series; the way it's set up seems to indicate that the war against China will be long, and not necessarily end in a clear-cut victory for the United States and what's left of Europe. I want to see how your characters come out in the end.

Overall, this book merits four out of five stars.

Rating:
Summary: Please Finish The Story!
Review: Excellent book. I first read it about 1 1/2 years ago, and just started re-reading it. I was looking on Amazon to see if Mr. Harry might have written a follow up, but I guess not?? The end of the story leaves you hanging and begging for more....I want to know what America, and China, do next. Very much enjoyed this story, and I think it is a very plausible scenario.

Rating:
Summary: A REAL PAGE TURNER
Review: Chinese invasion of mainland America, unlikely, but makes for a great story. Harry weaves the story through tough battle scenes and personal characterizations. Hard to put it down. The book ends on an upbeat note, but I would love to see a sequal in which we take the war to the Chinese with the new Arsenal ships and aircraft under development. One question which I and my son, who also read the book, kept coming up with was where were the Russians? Whose side, if any, were they on? Anyway, a good book for a quick read, and interesting. Please write a sequal, Mr. Harry.