Defcon One [Paperback]

Joe Weber (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1990

In this explosive bestseller, the U.S. and the Soviet Union are poised on the brink of Armageddon. Glasnost has failed. Russia is economically desperate. And Gorbachev's successor has launched the "first strike" in what may become WWIII. Only one man knows the full extent of the impending horror--a CIA operative trapped in the Kremlin.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A first novel, this gripping techno-thriller is set in the early 1990s, with the Soviet system falling apart and the U.S. about to take a commanding lead in the arms race, thanks to a combination of Stealth technology and SDI. The assassination of the Soviet premier brings to power a hard-liner with a daring plan: to force the U.S. to the brink of war--a state called Defense Readiness Condition Two, only one stage below maximum readiness, DefCon One--and then suddenly relax the pressure. If, as expected, the U.S. forces stand down, the U.S.S.R. will launch a surprise first strike. Weber, a former Marine fighter pilot, handles the military aspects of the developing confrontation convincingly, concentrating on air and naval operations. The novel's secret-agent aspect, a fast-paced escape-and-evasion trail through the heart of the Soviet Union, is only slightly less effective. The process by which responses to Russian provocation escalate to the limit is frighteningly credible, even in the age of glasnost. 100,000 first printing; $150,000 ad/promo.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

When aging Soviet hard-liner Zhilinkov attains power, he bullies his Politburo comrades into "testing" the speed of U.S. military reactions. The scenes shift rapidly from gripping air and naval battles to national strategy centers in Washington and Moscow as an equally determined President increases U.S. readiness posture towards Defense Condition One. Weber's forte is his ability to tell a fast-paced war story filled with accurate details of the latest weapons systems. The only characters who emerge as human beings are Dimitri Karpov, a Russian-speaking mole, and Steve Wickham, the senior CIA agent in Moscow, as they battle throughout the book to escape the clutches of the KGB and GRU with their critical information about Zhilinkov's intentions. In this first novel about the sunset of nuclear war, Weber chooses to ignore the roles Congress, the media, and the public would play in deciding U.S. responses. Recommended. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/89.
- Elsa Pendleton, Computer Sciences Corp., Ridgecrest, Cal.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Jove (November 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0515104191
• ISBN-13: 978-0515104196
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #768,364 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Start, May 3, 2000

By 

"rebelunion" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Defcon One (Paperback)

Joe Weber's debut is a good military techno-thriller that is just a little too rough to be a real winner. Basically it's a World War III novel, with the Soviet Union against the United States. This plot has been attempted by many authors, including Tom Clancy, Harold Coyle, Eric L. Harry, and a few others. While the idea is not original, the storyline progresses smoothly and without the tremendous technical details that a lot of readers dislike in Clancy's novels. Weber's characters need some work, however. The leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States are the same stock politicians you find in all the other techno-thrillers. Of course the Soviet General Secretary is an insane dictator, and the American President is unsure about how to fight World War III. The only character who even resembled being dynamic was Steve, the Special Forces guy. Weber's sequel Shadow Flight, which is a little better than DefCon One, also features Steve as a main character. Both books are hard to find, so the library is your best bet if you want to get hold of copies to read. Weber gets better with every book, and his most recent release, Primary Target, was excellent. Your really can't go wrong with his books.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Well written, but military details inaccurate, May 23, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Anchorage, Alaska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Defcon One (Paperback)

He, like several new technothriller authors, writes well, but his inaccuracies were widespread, from noting that people unfamiliar with pistols hit high (they anticipate and jerk it low) to F-14s closing to gun range (they aren't maneuverable, they'll stand off and use Sparrows or better yet and unmentioned in the book, Phoenixes) to nautical terminology ("heavy" cruisers and indicating direction in points) to general naval knowledge (you don't escort carrier battlegroups or go inside enemy territorial waters with SSBNs) to secrecy (there are higher classifications than Top Secret). From a former Marine, I expected better technical details.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars defcon one, November 15, 2002

By 

christopher heinz (virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Defcon One (Paperback)

Defcon One is written by Joe Weber, the author of the book Shadow Flight. On a scale of 1-10 I give this book a 9.5, not a 10, due to the fact that the book skips between all the events happening at any given time. For instance the point of view goes from an American submarine to the Russian ship that is pinging it on the sonar to a US aircraft carrier and finally to American bombers that are going to assist the submarine, so it is somewhat easy to get lost if you dont pay close attention. The author, being a former Marine Corps pilot, uses vivid imagery and real pilot lingo to make you feel like this is real happening events. The detail and description of the events makes you feel like it's you in the seat of the roaring F-18 or manning the submarine not the author.