A review by vraper
A Desert Called Peace by Tom Kratman
I wasn't sure whether to review this book because I've been chatting to the author by email...
This is an divisive read. If you are intolerant of differing political views (and left-wing), you will loathe this. You may physically recoil. You may have to pick skull fragments off your carpet. Partly a polemic about the War on Terror, the author doesn't shy away from tackling extreme violence, political corruption, the ethics of torture or non-western cultures from a extremely right-wing American perspective. It's strong, opinionated and uncompromising and - yep - you may find it offensive.
It is, however, significantly smarter and more thoughtful than the 1* reviews would suggest. The action scenes are reminiscent of Tom Clancy and hauntingly world-weary. The social commentary has a dry, cynical sense of humour and hits target more than its opponents would like.
I liked it. It was a bit long, dragged in the middle and it's 'speculative' rather than 'science' fiction. It does have SF elements, but they're significantly weaker than the military sections, and the technology is mostly present day.
This is an divisive read. If you are intolerant of differing political views (and left-wing), you will loathe this. You may physically recoil. You may have to pick skull fragments off your carpet. Partly a polemic about the War on Terror, the author doesn't shy away from tackling extreme violence, political corruption, the ethics of torture or non-western cultures from a extremely right-wing American perspective. It's strong, opinionated and uncompromising and - yep - you may find it offensive.
It is, however, significantly smarter and more thoughtful than the 1* reviews would suggest. The action scenes are reminiscent of Tom Clancy and hauntingly world-weary. The social commentary has a dry, cynical sense of humour and hits target more than its opponents would like.
I liked it. It was a bit long, dragged in the middle and it's 'speculative' rather than 'science' fiction. It does have SF elements, but they're significantly weaker than the military sections, and the technology is mostly present day.