Customer Reviews

Foreign and Domestic: Campaign II--Battle for the Middle States

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While the rest of the world is concentrating on terrorism or Britney Spears -- or the terrorism of Britney Spears -- Manske keeps us focused on the results of gradually losing our national sovereignty in his new action thriller, "Foreign and Domestic". What would keep a future US president from 'signing' over our national security to the United Nations? The problem with Americans is that too many of us despise our own country so much that we would willingly and compliantly march, lemming-like, over the cliffs of insanity just as Manske describes. Manske's Air Force pilot experience rings true in his air battle scenes with 'Spider', an aging former Air Force pilot, and the American spirit soars in the 'can do' attitude of the heroes who have dug in in the Middle States. And yet, the middle states' 'rebels', squaring off against the blue helmets from nations who have long wanted to plunder us, embrace anyone from any nationality who yearns to be free of tyranny and mediocrity. Manske is a smart, thoughtful, and creative patriot spinning a not-so-crazy-as-I-thought yarn that takes place in a potentially much-closer-than-I-thought future. Wake up America! Manskes here to stay!

The book was very timely for it portrays a likely senario of what the UN might do if it had the power. It also shows the complacency of the American people to accept whatever is handed to them without question. We as Americans need to question what our leaders are placing on us and either reject or accept it with clear minds and be willing stand up for what is right, according to the Constitution of The United States as written and understood by the framers of that document, and not based on the interpetation of any group, court, or other entity. This book may be fiction, but it has so many true facts that are relevant to today's enviroment, that only the story line may prove to be fictional. I thought the book was great reading and had trouble putting it down. I would recommend it to anyone with a conservative view. I look forward to this author's future books.
Shelby G. Lowery
P.O. Box 73
New Albany, MS 38652

Michael Mannske's "Foreign and Domestic" is a futuristic free-fall. Mannske's high energy/high tech tornado is powerful primarily because it is plausible. Would the U.S. and U.N. ever conspire to carve up American turf? In Mannske's not-so-fantastic fantasy, they would.

"Foreign and Domestic" chronicles a new American revolution in which the enemy turns out to be those most likely to take freedom for granted - Americans. Mannske has created a compelling American paradox wrapped inside a warp-speed firefight. I don't read a lot of novels but I stayed up two nights to finish this one.

I enjoy reading war thrillers anyway -- and this one combines the feel of a Tom Clancy adventure with today's timely issues:

What if a future U.S. president allows the U.S. to bend to the will of the world one time too many? What if the U.N. enters the U.S. in time of peace... and it never leaves? What if our country becomes so vehemently and emotionally separate (think red and blue states) that it actual splits?

While I was reading, I could picture Mannske's America -- it's not so unimaginable. Give America another Clinton election (it hurts to even contemplate), a few bad Supreme Court decisions, and our border, left unprotected. We might be there sooner than the author envisioned.

I've always been interested in the Civil War and the tension that must have been felt among neighbors and even among family members. I think Mannske must have the same interest b/c his book explores the idea of a modern Civil War where the "good guys" believe in the Constitution ... and the bad guys love the French! But before the U.N. invasion, they were all brothers.

Explores issues of immigration (including President Bush's recent Z visa idea -- yikes!), U.S. sovereigty, loyalty, patriotism and love of country. There's some kick-tail A-10 fighter scenes that made me think of movies like Independence Day and Top Gun (how can you go wrong there?)

In fact, I'd love to see it made into a movie. Mannske was a A-10 fighter pilot from the Gulf War and it shows... the scenes in the cockpit make you understand what all the fuss is about!

I've always had a soft spot for the Warthog fighters. It's nice to see the ugly brute get the spotlight over the sexier F-16's.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
Debt of Honor (Jack Ryan Novels)
Top Gun [Blu-ray]
Top Gun (Widescreen Special Collector's Edition)
Top Gun (Full Screen Collector's Edition)
Independence Day (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)Independence Day (Single Disc Widescreen Edition)
Warthog: Flying the A-10 in the Gulf War (Potomac Books' The Warriors series)

The author calls this book, "Near Fiction," i.e. "a futuristic story that ping pongs somewhere between non-fiction and science fiction." It is certainly all that and much more.

The book is about the US-UN War. Far fetched?

It is Book 2 of a trilogy and Books 1 and 3 have not been written yet. Odd?

Ask George Lucas.

I have to admit that it took me several chapters to wrap my brain around the author's concept of a near fiction war between the US and the UN, but the further one goes into the story, the easier the idea is to accept.

The thing which makes this all work for me is that Michael Mannske can flat out write. His characters come alive, his scenarios become plausable and his knowledge of the military gives the book an authenticity that near fiction and science fiction need in order to remain plausible.

Mannske says in the Afterword that he wrote this book because he was bored. That he wanted to escape the post 9/11 world and be "mesmerized again by cataclysmic clashes and superpower showdowns...where military strategies are brought to life and age old SIOP [Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol] war plans dusted off and tested in the crucible of the imagination."

The crucible of this author's imagination is white hot. If you are looking for a book that is not boring and quite mesmerizing, Foreign and Domestic is just the ticket. I promise you it will make you think and probably keep you up later than is good for you. It did me.

MORE! MORE! I see I'm going to have to go find and buy the rest of the series. I'm a "near-history" junkie and I love technological thrillers anyway. This is right down my alley.

Cross Tom Clancy with Dean Koontz. Mike knows his science and hardware, and he develops GREAT characterizations of the military men and women and their spouses and friends. Even the President of the United States, a traitor to the Constitution, is an interesting study and not entirely unlikeable. You want to choke his chief of staff--an ex-TV celebrity who--oh, never mind.

My only criticism is the fantastic premise, but I found that I was able to suspend disbelief quickly because of Mike's easy prose. I lived in the Middle States for a short while and I want to go back. I'm waiting for the next book, which I hope is a prequel.

I enjoy this genre but had a hard time getting into this book. It didn't come close to 'pulling me in' like Bracken's trilogy of "Enemies: Foreign and Domestic" did -- that series was a pleasure to read. This one.... well, I won't be reading book 2 or 3 of this series.

Great book! In the "against all odds" tradition of great novels this book really got to me. A glimpse at a not too hard to imagine predicament and "Hobson's" choice we could be faced with. Solzenitzen warned us - Mannske has too. Love the characters and their development - I can't wait for the next one. This book would make a great movie.

Hang on to your hats for one huge push of the envelope... a rebuilt UN has succeeded in dividing the US into enclaves under mandate control by other countries and a civil war is raging which puts family and friends on opposite sides. The Sovereign Forces are fighting hard to preserve our Constitution and save our one remaining asset - missile silos in the Middle States. The action is non-stop in the field and the home front as well. Technical descriptions and gritty put-down comraderie among the SF men crackles with authenticity - perhaps straight out of Mannske's own Gulf War experiences?

Can't wait for the rest of this triology - how could the UN get this power and how do we regain it? Hope Mannske doesn't make us wait very long. It's a sure-fire movie hit - heads up on this one Hollywood!

Written by a former Air Force fighter pilot, Foreign and Domestic: Campaign II - Battle for the Middle States is a dark, suspenseful novel set in a near future where the United Nations has become the world's next superpower and the president has turned traitor against his own country. When the UN invades America, an army of patriots rises up in rebellion, seeking to repel the invaders and the remove the president who invited them. Ex-Air Force pilot John "Spiderman" Trent and his band of Sovereign Forces is harassed at every turn, and his wife is targeted for internment; he is one of many called upon to sacrifice all for home, family, and the dream of a struggling nation. A thrilling political and military novel that resists being put down until the last page is turned.