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A review by nelsta
Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War by P.W. Singer
2.0
This book has a great strength and an enormous weakness. In terms of research, the book is stellar. With over 400 endnotes, Ghost Fleet is a wonderful theoretic case study info the future of great power conflict. The uses of technology between technologically advanced powers is incredible and apparently authentic.
But the great weakness in this book is the reason I couldn’t finish it. The writing is B-grade and the characters are cliché. Nobody seems original and the conversations between characters seem to serve the overall narrative rather than the character’s own motives. I didn’t connect with any of the characters and they felt like they were cheap Chinese copies (hah, get it?) of Tom Clancy characters.
The ultimate disappointment for me was the lack of world building. Enormous events are mentioned off-hand, but there is little to no reason offered for why China and Russia would magically team up to take on the United States. Weak explanations are offered as to why the US didn’t use its nuclear arsenal to defend its own territory (I mean seriously weak, paper-thin excuses).
If you’re interested in the future of war, just read about it on Wikipedia.
But the great weakness in this book is the reason I couldn’t finish it. The writing is B-grade and the characters are cliché. Nobody seems original and the conversations between characters seem to serve the overall narrative rather than the character’s own motives. I didn’t connect with any of the characters and they felt like they were cheap Chinese copies (hah, get it?) of Tom Clancy characters.
The ultimate disappointment for me was the lack of world building. Enormous events are mentioned off-hand, but there is little to no reason offered for why China and Russia would magically team up to take on the United States. Weak explanations are offered as to why the US didn’t use its nuclear arsenal to defend its own territory (I mean seriously weak, paper-thin excuses).
If you’re interested in the future of war, just read about it on Wikipedia.