This is an interesting
book. It’s a sci-fi ‘history’ of a war to be fought in Europe,
2062-64, written in a style not dissimilar to some general overview
histories I read last year about the World Wars.
The war in question
features a sprawling Middle Eastern/North African Caliphate which
suddenly attacks Europe, using technological advantage to conquer the
whole continental landmass. Will Britain manage to defy the odds and
survive? Will the Caliphate be pushed back?
The tech level is an
order of magnitude beyond current possibilities, with tanks and
soldiers making appearances but battles and war dominated by
autonomous aircraft guided by AI. There’s shielding, lasers, and so
forth. I thought the tech level was fairly realistic, whilst still,
of course, being futuristic and interesting.
It’s an odd book. I
did take a while to get into it, although I do read sci-fi sometimes,
and military history. Near future and modern history are less
interesting to me than either older history or more advanced sci-fi,
which may be why it took a while for me to get into it, although I
did end up reading the last third much more rapidly.
The writing style
echoes those of genuine modern histories and does a good job of
imitating them, with sources (diaries, other histories, papers
released under the 30 year rule etc) being utilised. It’s an
interesting approach and works well.
However, that same
approach, with some exceptions (eyewitness testimony, diaries), does
necessarily increase the distance between reader and brutality of
war, which would not have been the case had a more traditional
first/third person perspective been adopted. Obviously, this is a
choice that’s been made, and the historical approach does enable a
more neutral view, allowing for consideration of battlefield moral
dilemmas rather than either justifying or decrying harsh measures in
war.
Overall, I thought it
was interesting and quite liked it. I’d suggest checking the sample
before buying to see if it’s your cup of tea.
Thaddeus
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