Dragonstrike: The Millennium War [Hardcover]

Humphrey Hawksley (Author), Simon Holberton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1997 | ISBN-10: 0283063068 | ISBN-13: 978-0283063060 | Edition: First

It is the early-21st century. The world is plunged into crisis following an attack by Chinese warplanes on Vietnamese naval and airforce installations. Three days later reports appear of the covers being removed from Chinese silos and the warming up of missile engines.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Long on political detail and short on well-drawn characters, this debut thriller from a pair of British foreign correspondents posits a chilling nuclear standoff with China that remains compelling despite the lack of a conventional cast of characters. Conflict is sparked when the Chinese begin a series of preemptive strikes against the Vietnamese in the South China Sea, intent on taking several small islands to gain control of critical trade routes in the resource-rich region. At first the battle seems like a controllable local incident. But when the Chinese sink an American vessel attempting to rescue U.S. workers stranded on one of the islands as de facto political prisoners, tension escalates exponentially, driven by a series of border skirmishes between the Vietnamese and Chinese and an underground nuclear test conducted by Japan in response to the Chinese aggression. Rather than creating the usual cast of high-placed political characters to carry the story, the authors have chosen to make the representatives of the nations themselves the characters, via a relentless series of dispatches documenting in detail the various moves of China, America, Britain, France, India, Vietnam, Korea and Japan as nuclear war becomes imminent. Their device is a series of dense, detail-riddled reports that will appeal to CNN junkies. It's a tribute to both the power and plausibility of the plot that this "narrative" remains riveting despite the difficulties inherent in plowing through wire service-like prose, and this title seems likely to attract attention, especially in political circles. (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In this timely novel, set in the year 2001, China attacks other Asian nations, hoping to deflect attention from internal woes while achieving some economic gains and retaking "traditional" territories lost in decades past. The United States, Great Britain, and France are soon drawn in, and the world stands on the brink of a nuclear catastrophe. The novel, which draws on the authors' extensive knowledge of Asia, acquired while working for the BBC and the Financial Times, is told as a future history and even includes an index. Despite some dry "briefings" and technical passages about world finances, this is a surprisingly fast, gripping, and all-too-plausible read that is particularly relevant considering our current relations with China. For larger collections.ARobert Conroy, Warren, MI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Trans-Atlantic Pubns; First edition (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0283063068
• ISBN-13: 978-0283063060
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,817,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good fiction but unnecessarily long, September 7, 2000

By 

Atul Varma (NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dragon Strike (Hardcover)

What I found interesting about this book is how the authors knit fact with fiction. Kudos to the authors for that and the detailed knowledge of the latest weaponry. But ultimately, it comes down to predicting the future........and that is a very hard thing to do.

While I suppose that ANYTHING can happen in the future, there are some things which are very unlikely. For example, it is extremely unlikely that India might help China build its infrastructure after China is alienated by the West. (p. 246)

Another problem I have is that the American President backs off when he realizes that China can unleash a nuclear weapon on American soil EVEN THOUGH China made the first (using conventional weapons) strike and killed 2,000 American seamen. Americans are very nationalistic. If the Chinese would rather die than to give in, so would the Americans.

Also, a character named Reece Overhalt comes out of nowhere and becomes a key player at the most crucial time of the nuclear standoff. I find it hard to believe that a businessman like him is trusted w/ top secret information like location of Chinese submarines and that he, instead of the US Ambassador, negotiates peace on behalf of the American President.

Finally, the book seemed a bit like a Hindi movie.......a 1.5 hour story stretched to 3 hours by smaller unrelated stories.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good Beginning, Ultimately Unsatisfying, March 12, 2000

By 

James Livingston "drlivipr" (Bellevue, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dragon Strike (Hardcover)

Right up until the shooting starts, it's a great book. Beyond that point, too many players are using cards they would no longer have. The authors seem to have forgotten that most US cities came to terms with imminent attack long ago, and that at the end of the threatened scenario one side would still be in a position to offer deals that the other would no longer be in a position to refuse. Militarily spot-on, financially iffy. Beyond a certain point, economics does not play a role in policy decisions at a leadership level. A President that ignored that would not remain President very long.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Indian perspective, August 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Dragon Strike (Hardcover)

Stategy wise, the book understandably has many "if"s and "but"s. But in terms of depicting psychologies of nations in the context of aggression and war, Humphrey offers obvious insights. As an Indian living in his "theatre of war" I can assert that his understanding of geo-political and military realities, as well as his portrayal of "national" characters, is bang on.

That India would react to China's nuclear attack by refusing to nuke civilian positions is typical. For those who read about international affairs in the US, the recent war in Kargil exemplifies India's character as a nation which can be ethical and humane in a war. ( I know peaceniks will be horrified by my use of words ! )

He has an eye for details ( though there are some minor factual errors), and writes in a no nonsense journo-fictional style that is engrossing and informative at the same time.

What I found a little funny was that all other reviews talked about how America is or will be, in context of the book. The reviewers only confirm Humphrey's portrayal of America and its citizens in the book as being insular and inward looking !

My only advice to people reading the book is to get themselves out of their American (?) skins, and put themselves in the shoes of the protogonists ( India, China and Pakistan) for perspective.

Though I am sceptical, I also hope the book influences policy makers in the Western World enough to make them understand the dangers of propping an Islamic fundamentalist country run by tinpot dictators, the dangers of turning a blind eye to an increasingly belligerent dragon that chooses peace only when it suits it, and understand how much India really embodies so much of the ideals of democracy, liberty and world peace - ideals so dear to the Western world and its citizens.