eBook Red Phoenix ePub

Having never heard of author Larry Bond or his novel RED PHOENIX, I wasn't sure just what I was getting myself into. All I can say is, I'm glad I took the plunge and picked it up.
RED PHOENIX is a 'what if' type of historical novel - the type where the author postulates just what might have happened had a certain action occurred at a particular time in history.
In RED PHOENIX's case we see a well-orchestrated N Korean attack on the S Korean peninsula in the mid-1980s. Kim Jung-Il, trying to make a name for himself & solidify his power prior to his father's passing, has cooked up an ingenious means of attacking the south - and doing so in such a way that US & ROK forces are all but overrun before the alarm is raised in earnest.
From this premise we see unfolding a novel filled with intrigue, combat, bravery, tragedy, triumph, love & loss, international treachery, and just a good old fashioned war story. I had to keep reminding myself that this was all unfolding 30 years ago, when technology, equipment, aircraft, armor, and naval power was far different than it is today. And yet, the story for the average infantryman remains the same, no matter the time frame.
All in all a very well constructed piece, both historically & in believability. Frankly, I'm surprised N Korea hasn't at least made one serious attempt since the 1953 armistice. Which gives this story the verisimilitude it carries so well.
For military history buffs, military junkies, action nerds, and anyone who simply enjoys a good story well told. This one should be in everyone's collection.

I did not want this book to end. For me it was a page turner start to finish. I wanted to get to the next part but I didn't want it to end. Dated, sure but it was plausible. There are land battles, sea battles, politics and international and internal maneuvering, even a little romance - something for every one. It's the Second Korean War in which the North Korean troops invade South Korea with complications from China and the Soviet Union. The story moves well from one battle area to another, to Washington, to North Korea to Moscow and then back to another area - realistic because in the real world many different things are taking place at the same time in different places and the author keeps it in chronological order,

This was a quite intense story involving many characters involved with a sudden sneak attack by North Koreans against South Korea. The characters involved included the soldiers on the ground in Korea, airmen and top generals up to White House personnel including the President. This made for an exciting tale and the story proceeded at a fast pace.
This novel was written more than 20 years ago and as such is a bit dated. However if on sets that aside, it is a story that could have some relevance to todays' headlines.

Red Phoenix is a good cautionary tale for those not interested in the world beyond the borders of the USA. There really are some nasty dangerous places out there and some of them are governed by complete lunatics. And when you combine those conditions with modern military weaponry, the world can get unstable in a hurry.
For those who are involved in the day to day management of the foreign affairs of the United States, it s a tale that will make your pulse race your blood pressure rise and the back of your mouth dry. And it will convince you that the path you chose was not a complete waste of time.

I have not been to Korea (although my wife had subordinate offices there and traveled there frequently during her tour), so this book was my first "hands on" look into the likely war zone. Bond has done a great job bringing a potential scenario to life and carried it through to a possible end. Although set a few years in the past, this novel brings through realities of such a conflict into focus. The story moves on apace and keeps the reader intimately engaged. I thoroughly enjoyed all parts and roles in the book, from the Army, Air Force, USMC and Navy participants. Like being there. We'll done!

"Red Phoenix" was apparently written sometime in 1988 and published in 1989, and the world has changed quite a bit since then, not least with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Tom Clancy and those who sought to duplicate his success with the mil/techno thriller genre he popularized rode the conventional wisdom that the Soviet war machine was a behemoth, armed with high tech weaponry that was almost the equal of the West's. We now know that the facts were rather more complicated.

The Korean situation is subject to many of the same analytical problems that plagued those who were concerned with Soviet military capabilities: intelligence gaps and the imperative of "worst case" planning. Nonetheless, the North Korean conventional military threat remains considerable even if it has during the last decade been overtaken by the attention given to the potential threat posed by its WMD programs.

"Red Phoenix" is best read for an appreciation of Messrs. Bond and Larkin's expertise on the technology of modern war, circa 1988. It is usually a good idea to take less seriously in such books the author's attempt to write a plausible political background for the ensuing conflict. In the present case, there is a perfect storm of a Hitlerian Kim Jong Il risking all and browbeating his generals into a No Warning attack, an ambitious and duplicitous American National Security Advisor throwing his lot in with a Congressional push to withdraw US forces from Korea that gets more traction than expected, and a Soviet commitment of advanced weapons in virtually unlimited quantities to the DPRK. There is even a plot within the Kremlin that adds another, more dangerous element into the mix. Each of these presses against the bounds of plausibility, although so little was actually known about Kim Jong Il in 1988 that at least his misdrawn portrait can be forgiven.

If you simply accept that a war has broken out on the Korean Peninsula under circumstances that encouraged the Northern attackers, you will have a gripping story of air, ground, and even some naval combat with believable characters, using then-modern weapons and following military strategies that seem to make sense. Although most readers of this type of book will have no difficulty with its terminology, there is also a good glossary in the back.

The unique combined forces command structure of CINCUNC is well described, and the CINC, Gen. McLaren, is an outstanding leader, typical of the men who have held that position over the years. At the other end of the spectrum is Lt. Little, who starts as a callow and rather unappealing newcomer but survives and grows in the forge of battle. The air war is thrillingly told, and its protagonist has a romantic side story that works well to demonstrate the human dimension of the war.

As a jeremiad of the danger in 1988, "Red Phoenix" is, like its brethren from that era, exposed by the realities of history. But as a tense snapshot of an alternative but still recognizable history, with a very satisfying and complete multi-service military conflict, it makes for a compelling read that can be highly recommended.