Invasion [Paperback]

Eric L. Harry (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Berkley Pub Group (Mm) (May 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425171418
• ISBN-13: 978-0425171417
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,190,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Invasion by Eric L. Harry, March 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Invasion (Paperback)

One of the best page-turners I've read in YEARS. The basic scenario is one where China has become a gigantic expanisionist power at a time when American Baby Boomers were more concerned with Social Security than increasing military funding to meet the Chinese threat. The result of this was a shrinking of the American military establishment at a time when China increased their standing army to about 60 million men. The Chinese in quick succession invaded Korea, whose shipyards allowed them to build dozens of 500,000 ton megacarriers, then Indochina, Japan, India, and the Middle East...all while the U.S. stood idly by. Finally, the Chinese invaded the Caribbean, destroying much of America's navy and Marine Corps in the process, landed 5 million men in Cuba, and were then poised to invade the defenseless Gulf Coast of the U.S.

The book centers around the actions of the new President of the U.S. and his daughter, an Army infantry soldier. It also focuses on several characters on the Chinese side who have a far-fetched family relationship with the President and his daughter.

The book continues on a breakneck pace and is great fun. The only objection I have about it is it's inplausibility. Although the date of the invasion is at least 10 years in the future, it really seems impossible that China could have the technology or the wealth to build an army and navy of the magnitude portrayed in the book. It is equally far-fetched that even a liberal Democratic administration could stand idly by and allow the Chinese to take over half of the world.

The book ends off at a place which allows for many sequels if the author so decides. I'm looking very much forward to reading them.

Albert

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seeing through the haze, December 15, 2002

By 

"ccperkdog" (ALEXANDRIA, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Invasion (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read through nearly 50 reviews of this book and have noticed a reoccuring complaint that only substantiates my belief that most Americans are ignorant of the world outside of their television sets. I contest the arguement that this book is implausible.

As a United States Marine and a student of International Security in college, I would confidently state that China does have the technology to match ours, is significantly upgrading its military, and is training it to fight the United States. the facts are out there. Particularly in the area of naval power where Chinese shipyards are now designing and constucting amphibious assault ships and aircraft carriers. Unfortunately after 1992 the Russians were willing to sell the Chinese anything in the arsenal to include an aircraft carrier, nuclear submarines and the latest generation main battle tanks and air superiority fighters to match what we have. They (the Chinese) then reverse engineer these weapons, retool their factories and start cranking them out like GI Joe Dolls (made in China). The Chinese have ICBM's (our latest technology stolen right out of our labs) and launch capability for spy satellites (they are close to haveing manned spaceflight).

If you think they can't build guided munitions look at the country of origin for that GPS you may have in your closet. Smart bomb technology is 30 years old here in the States, trust me they have it. The Chinese military can't match our latest toys you say? Whatever...I merely have to look at where this brand new Dell laptop I'm typing on, US Government issue which the Navy and Marine Corps is switching to servicewide, was made...yep China. Our latest tech is MADE IN CHINA.

I think of all the Marines that died in the Chosin Reservoir fighting the Chinese during the Korean War and it saddens me that we ever let them get this strong. They have the numerical advantage, they are closing the technological gap. Americans are too arrogant to think it can ever happen here. So were the Romans, right? Thank you Eric Harry for pointing this danger out.

Side note...There are over a billion Chinese, most of whom are peaceful farmers. It isn't racist to be against the tens of millions of warmongering party faithful. And last time I checked my "Middle Kingdom" history, the upper Chinese socio/economic classes have been racist towards all foreigners for over 2000 years. A society with a superiority complex. Harry hit it right on the mark. (The other day, 12/12/02, the US reprimanded a visiting Chinese General for making a veiled threat to nuke Los Angeles if the US interfered in a Chinese military takeover of Taiwan...disturbing interpretation of peaceful behavior)

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great book....if you like totally implausible scenarios, April 26, 2000

By 

Albert Russell (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Invasion (Mass Market Paperback)

I actually greatly enjoyed reading this book, but where most books in this category have at least some factual basis, Invasion absolutely none. It is simply impossible for China to become as powerful as the book portrays it becoming. Some of the glaring problems I had with the book are as follows:

- China invades India..Why? They have virtually no industrial base, few raw materials, and virtually no food for export. Plus they would have to attack over the Himalayas, a logistic impossibility (one of many in the book).

- The Chinese Navy....I understand that in the book Korea was invaded and their shipyards were used to make the 500,000-ton super-carriers and super-transports, but how could they possibly build so many? The book talks about landing 700,000 troops a week in America. It is at least a month trip for a transport to travel from China to the American Gulf coast. Even if 20,000 troops were on each transport, calculating travel times, at least 300 half-million-ton transports, not to mention escorting carriers and warships would be needed to support this. And this is at a time when Europe is being blockaded and our West Coast is being invaded, and American submarines are sinking 1,000,000 tons of Chinese shipping a day in the Pacific! Add up the numbers and there is no way China could produce enough steel to do all of the above even if they could somehow get the raw materials from the West to do so.

Also the book talks about a Chinese Army of 60 million. How do they feed these guys? All of the food exporters of the world (US, Australia, Canada, etc.) would not be supplying them with food (to say nothing about iron ore and other materials). China can barely feed themselves now. How could they do so with 50 million more of their farmers in uniform?

A good deal of the American Navy was slaughtered when a wolfpack of 100 Chinese diesel submarines ambushed them in the Florida Staight. Does anyone really think that a huge American fleet could possibly sail blindly into that many submarines(or even one?), especially since diesel subs have to rise to snorkle depth every day or so to replenish their air? Come on, Eric, you can do better than that.

- The president got a call in the White House saying that a giant Chinese fleet just landed huge numbers of troops in San Diego. How can a fleet with a million men just sail up to America's biggest Pacific Navy base and just unload an invasion army without being noticed beforehand? Give me a break!

I understand that the book takes place 10 years or so in the future, but it must be kept in mind that China basically imports all of their warships at this time, and doesn't even manufacture a first-line fighter aircraft. Also, China is a very poor country on a per-capita basis and would get much poorer after they began invading their neighbors and America stopped buying toys from them. They simply would not have the capacity from a manufacturing, food producing or technological standpoint to do most of the things attributed to them in the book.

However.....I'm looking forward to the sequel. The book kept my attention, and the battle descriptions were first-rate. If you don't mind pure fantasy as opposed to plausiblity, then Invasion is a book for you.

Albert