2008-10-25 Pax solitudinem

I'd make the unsurprising assumption that this book would not have much of an audience outside of the Science-Fiction/Military fan-base. So at its basic level, does the author check the boxes of guns, explosions and hissible villains? Yes. However, it is a somewhat deeper work. It shares at least one similarity with a Piers Anthony series 'Bio. of a Space Tyrant' in that is a polemic in alternative world form, in this case of the events of 9/11 and how would the aftermath have been handled if an even tougher rule book had been in place. The author, Mr. Kratman, has set up a deux ex machina setting for the alternative Earth of Terra Nova, but it is somewhat fun trying to match his nomenclature with the real world - e.g. Volgan Republic with Russia etc. The positive aspects of the book; is that the harshness of combat and its aftermath are fully described, with innocent or civilian status being no shield against random weapon ordinance. The action sequences are well written, especially the close combat set pieces. Also, Mr. Kratman has progressed somewhat from his earliest works in that he not all opponents to his main protagonist are complete villains, but some decent men caught in the turmoil of events. However, the author seems to descend to caricature when describing anyone with leftist sentiments. Overall, while I'd disagreed with a portion of the authors sentiments, this book is an excellent thriller.