Customer Reviews

Cauldron (Cassette)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 was a blessing in disguise not only for the Pentagon but for writers of military fiction. Just as the armed services have had to develop new doctrines, strategies, tactics, and weapons systems to contend with new enemies (potential and real), authors such as Tom Clancy, Stephen Coonts, Harold Coyle, and Larry Bond have had to look at the world situation, read the proverbial "tea leaves," and write plausible scenarios pitting American soldiers against foes that are very different from the by-now all-too-familiar Soviet "Ivan."

The writing team of Bond and Patrick Larkin (Red Phoenix, Vortex) was one of the earliest practitioners of "the-Cold-War-is-ending, let's-look-at-other-story-possibilities" idea. Although the Soviet Union was still in existence when their first two novels were published in the early 1990s, its role in Red Phoenix (about a second Korean War) and Vortex (conflict breaks out in South Africa) is very limited...think of it as an old Mafia don giving limited amounts of money and guns to a younger up-and-coming capo.

In Cauldron, the international situation is very different. NATO has dissolved, its mission as Western Europe's shield against a massive Soviet invasion having been achieved. France and Germany have formed a loose military alliance, and right-wing elements now begin reviving the old empire building instincts most Europeans thought had died out with the end of the Second World War. But the wars in the Balkans and greed in the hearts of many government officials in France and Germany -- and even impoverished Russia -- have awakened the old demons of imperial ambitions and diplomatic arrogance. And when the new Franco-German alliance starts bullying the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe for financial gain, Hungary and Poland soon become the first victims of full-scale aggression. Only the United States and Great Britain, aided by a few other smaller European allies, stand in the way of a Third World War.

Long time readers of the genre -- and of the Bond/Larkin novels in particular -- know that the eventual outcome is never really in doubt. The techno-thriller, in some ways, is sometimes just as predictable and conventional as a Harlequin Romance novel....only instead of ripped bodices and heaving bosoms there are camouflaged fatigues and flying missiles. Still, the premise of American and British troops facing off against former allies is (while far-fetched) intriguing and a bit disconcerting.

An interesting scenario is put forward by Larry Bond here. A world recession, which strikes the dissolving European Community hard. Neo-Nazis blame illegal immigrants for job losses and rioting ensues, especially in Germany and France - a plotine which reflects real events. The US is too concerned with its own problems to aid Europe, and the Republican senators make their right-wing views heard.
When the US supplies oil to aid Poland and the Eastern bloc countries, a tanker is blown up by French paramilitaries. The CIA send an agent to investigate - he is taken out. Martial law is declared throughout the newly formed EurCon - US ships escorting the oil convoys are attacked and here we go! A shooting war blows up and escalates into some spectacular action. Despite a slow start at times and rather drawn-out tank scenes(I preferred the naval and air force and also the brief space sequences) on the Polish-German border, the story is highly convincing and sometimes frighteningly feasible. And best of all, it`s great to see the Frogs take a pasting from allied forces! The French satellites are put out of action by the GPALS Star Wars weapons, the French nukes are blown up and their subs sunk! Serves them right for blockading the cross-Channel ferry ports and ruining our trips abroad! But seriously, folks, this is a great war novel. The British side could have been better explored - the RAF and Royal Navy are quite well featured though. (Loved the Mirage being shot down over London too!) All in all, a highly recommended read, although `Red Phoenix` is still better. The Russian involvement towards the end does reflect on the aforementioned actually. I`ve yet to read `Vortex` yet though, I`ve got it on order and can`t wait . . . Ah, well, in the mean time it`s up into the skies with a Dale Brown book!

After reading Red Pheonix, a flawed but easy to read and very entertaining novel, I picked up Cauldron, expecting much of the same. I got what I asked for, that's for sure. This book holds nothing new as far as the action sequences, with the possible exception of the French attack on the carrier group, it is rather dull. I really enjoyed the combat in Red Pheonix, and though it, saw Bond's influence in Clancy's Red Storm Rising (still the best all-out-war in Europe novel), but this time around it seemed recycled and boring. Also, Bond's depthless characters and annoying sideplots (the BS relationship between the U.S. officials in Moscow) started to get in the way. He would have done us a world of good if he had just eliminated all non-nessecarry dialogue.

The other issue of dispute is the paper-thin justification for the action that does take place in the book. The behavior of the French and German officials are totally irrational, unless you Bond means to assert that they are Hitleresque madmen. The Russian intelligence types were all cliches as well. As much as a kick-ass, no brains story (which this painfully tries to be at times) can be fun, this novel merely flops in its own rediculousness. Stick to the old style technothrillers, when the missiles were the stars and the politics seemed to, at least at a distance, make sense! Of course, Clancy's been pretty poor in recent years also.

Larry Bond first collaborated with Tom Clancy to ignite World War III in Red Storm Rising. The first two novels published solely under Bond's name plunged us into the Second Korean War and into war with a hellish South Africa under extreme apartheid. In his third novel, Bond pits former allies against each other: the United States and the United Kingdom versus France and Germany in a slugging match over economic and political hegemony in Europe.

Bond's vision of the future depends on two critical events: the dissolution of NATO following the collapse of the Soviet Union, and a severe global recession. The former event divides ally from ally, and the latter sparks a crippling trade war between increasingly desperate nations. The ensuing shooting war between former allies may seem a bit far-fetched, especially to a generation seventy years removed from World War II. However, Europe's limited success at welding itself into a united entity, even under the best of circumstances, suggests that a disaster on the scale of a severe global recession could burst the seams of European unity and bring unforgotten dreams of national glory back into power. Bond's scenario may not be as far-fetched as we might like to believe (though the subordination of the Germany military to French commanders is hard to swallow).

Feasible or not, the historical setup is little more than a convenient backdrop for Larry Bond's expert description of military tactics. This is hardly surprising, considering Bond's six years in the navy and subsequent career in realistic computer wargaming (Bond most recently contributed to the World in Conflict wargame, due to hit the market in 2007). In fact, his skill at describing tactical maneuvers is what makes Bond compelling, not character or plot. It's frankly difficult to care what happens to Bond's characters: from the no-nonsense American President, to the megalomaniacal Nicolas Desaix, to the smart but sweet analyst Erin McKenna, to the ruthless yet likeable Colonel Soloviev. This list is far from complete; Bond's "Dramatis Personae" at the beginning of the book lists fifty-one characters whom Bond thinks are significant enough to describe ahead of the story. While the characters' plights afford some moments of interest, not one of them is compelling enough to warrant significant emotional investment in his or her fate.

However, Bond excels when the bullets start flying. Not even Clancy can top Bond's ability to drop the reader into the middle of a firefight, make him feel the artillery, see the explosions, and taste the dirt and the blood and the smoke. Meanwhile, a reader with minimal military knowledge can easily follow and understand the course of the battle, receiving an excellent education on the tactical realities of modern combat. For instance, the "last stand" defense of the 101st Airborne against a German breakthrough in Poland gives fascinating insight into how lightly-armed infantry can oppose a fully-armored advance, and how infantry is severely limited under those circumstances. Other examples could be given, from aerial dogfights over Eastern Europe to a night onslaught on a US naval task force to the threats posed by the French nuclear arsenal. In these and other scenarios, the reader is given an entertaining education on combat in the modern age.

Cauldron's success depends heavily on the reader. The plot tends to clunk along fairly predictably, with the final outcome rarely in doubt. The characters are well subservient to the plot, and thus not overly interesting. On the other hand, Bond's ability to narrate tactical engagements is rivaled by few. In this light, a reader uninterested in military tactics will be asleep long before this 569-page behemoth is finished. Even readers interested in modern warfare may find themselves skimming impatiently through political maneuvering and preliminary skirmishes until the war finally begins in earnest on page 246. In summary, readers should consider carefully how interested they are in military tactics before picking up this tome.

I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed with this novel. I loved Red Phoenix, but this one did not measure up. I found it nearly impossible to sympathize with any of the characters. Character development was either thin, sporadic, or occurred so late in the book that it left you thinking, "huh?" This is what disappointed me the most in this book, especially after Red Phoenix. After Red Phoenix, I thought, "Finally there is someone who can write a techno-thriller and develop some decent characters." But alas, to save page space for technical gurus, the characters suffered. My disappointment may also be due to the God-like abilities of the American Military. For our country's sake, I hope the thechno-thrillers have been accurate. It becomes unbelievable when it occurs time after time.

Bond imagines a new Europe without NATO... a battlefield where old nations press for a new kind of political and economic power. Bond's conceits are quite good and the action of his characters flows readily from the escalating complexity of the situation. There is no lack of tension, but Bond tends to subordinate his characters to little more than puppets. They are almost all 2-dimensional, lacking the complexity that would make them interesting as human beings rather than actors. In an action novel, this is perhaps forgiveable. I still recommmend it.

I'm a big fan of Tom Clancy and after reading "Red Phoenix" I thought that I had found an author just as good as Clancy. It took me several weeks to get hold of Cauldron, but merely days to finish it. In the beginning it's very promising, even the political aspect of the book. But just as the war starts to escalate the rating of the book drops like a stone. The reason is of course the entry of Americas armed forces on the battlefield and their superior equipment. If this book had been written by an author with no ties to the USA, it could probably have been a really good book. But unfortunately this is not the case. A "gung-ho" American President declares war on France and Germany just to save Poland and within weeks troops, tanks and aircraft are sent to the area and proveils victorius.I was very annoyed by some disturbing chapters in the book, especially the ground war in Poland. Here two crack German Panzer divisions, with aircraft and artillerysupport, are stopped by remnants of a Polish armoured division, which in reality would have been smashed like Saddams forces during the Gulf War.

Larry Bond first came to my attention with 'Red Phoenix' a fictional telling of North Korea's invasion of South Korea in 'Red Storm Rising' style. You get virtually EVERY possible view of war, from the battle on land, to how it goes in the air, and even from the water. You get to see it from the eyes of those in charge, and how they will handle this dramatic situation. I thought that 'Red Phoenix' was great reading, kinda like 'Red Storm Rising Light'. Since it had already been done by Clancy, there was little new in the story, just the location. Then Bond came out with 'Vortex' and a war erupts in South Africa. I have to say I enjoyed this even more than his first novel...but again, it seems as though we had already covered this ground before. And then comes 'Cauldron'...yet ANOTHER re-telling of a ground/air/sea war, only this time the setting is Europe. As authentic as the battles are, after treading over this ground first with Clancy's 'Red Storm Rising' and then with Bond's first two novels, well it seems like it's getting a bit old...however I STILL enjoyed it...better in fact than 'Red Phoenix' AND 'Vortex'. Good stuff, well written with PLENTY of action. My personal favorite was the launching of a nuclear-tipped cruise missle...the tension that Bond built for this scenario was truly well done. But after all this warfare, I have to admit I was VERY happy when Bond's next novel came out and was not only even better than 'Cauldron' but was a totally different KIND of novel as well. If you enjoy warfare well written, than by all means rush out and grab his first 3 books, they are all a re-telling of pretty much the same stories, but 'The Enemy Within' is TOTALLY different and VERY good. All in all, Bond very much would like to be in the same class as Clancy, but I think until he can make ALL of his novels different, he'll ALWAYS be in the shadows waiting to come forth with something truly inspiring.

I ordered this book because I had read DANGEROUS GROUND sometime ago and thought it was well written. After reading the flaps on this book I thought, "I don't want to read this," but then decided to read the first few chapters. It started with pages of maps and then listed by country the names and titles of fifty-one characters. This reenforced my believe so I don't know why I continued to read on. But Mr. Bond pulled me into the book with his artful and exciting prose until I did not want to put it down. I thought that with all the many characters and countries that I would have to keep notes to follow the story. But not so. It was written with such skill that you never had to stop and think to understand what was happening.

I do have one-sort-of-compliant. With such a long book it should have had a few places where you could stop and set it aside and start reading later. But no, this novel had so many sub-plots in so many different countries that there was always suspense going on in several sub-plots. Finally at 7:15 am when my eyes stopped focusing, I had to lay the book aside. I slept three hours and jumped back up to find out what had happened in five countries, on two ships, and the progress in three battles. This author knows how to spin multiple yarns at the same time.

In 1997 as the economies in Europe are in free fall - famine throughout the Third World - rampant unemployment - economic refugees - a global trade war - a politician in France using underhanded methods stirs things up even more, grabs power and enters an alliance with Germany - will the other European countries fold and join the alliance or will they fight - what will Russia do - is it too late for the US to enter the fray . . .

This author knows how to transport you into the middle of a raging battle scene. You are there. You see it. You feel it. The smoke from the explosions - artillery dropping all around - bullets whistling by - bloody bodies in the dirt beside you - the stench of death.

Author al-Qaeda Strikes Again

This book is Bond's best ever! the plot is so riviting, that you don't know how the next chapter will begin.