Jet Stream - part one of WWIII, The Breakup Of America: A 21st Century Thriller: A story of American heroes facing America's darkest hour: The year is 2012... [Paperback]

R. L. Muehlberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1996

This fresh new angle on the future scenario thriller is presented in a unique new format: the novelzine TM. It's a novel printed in magazine form. Author R.L. Muehlberg spins the clock to 2012 A.D. He pits the world's newest superpowers, United Europe and the Asia-Pacific Confederation, against a world-weary, financially-exhausted United States and a divided Canada. In Jet Stream - Part 1 of Muehlberg's WWIII: The Breakup of America trilogy, an independent Quebec allies with United Europe in a surgical, brutal attack against the United States and Canada. Jet Stream is a cautionary adventure that warns against a frighteningly plausible future.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

The basic story line for my WWIII: The Breakup of America trilogy came to me one cold Fall night in the Connecticut woods in the early 1980s. I was in the Army National Guard at the time, assigned as a Platoon leader in an armored cavalry troop. Our troop was a small, well balanced unit of tanks and armored personnel carriers. That night, the troop was laagered and bedded down after a hard day of exercises. I couldn't sleep. I was still too wired up from the tension and excitement of the exercises. So, under the excuse of checking our perimeter area, I patrolled into the woods alone. There I was, on American ground in my uniform and personal gear, fully equipped for war - all I was missing was live ammo. The shadows among the trees, the slight wind and the cold created a surreal moment. It was as if there really was a war on. That's when it hit me. I looked north, toward Canada, and heard myself thinking, "Damn! What if Quebec really does secede someday? War could sweep across the continent."

Writing a novel based on that story line didn't occur to me, though, until 1994. When I did start writing, it all kind of poured out. I saw a world where the US is world-weary and isolationist and the new superpowers are a resurgent United Europe and an expansionist Asia-Pacific Confederation. I quickly decided to break the story into a trilogy. Part 1 (Jet Stream) would set the stage; Quebec, allied with United Europe, would shock the US and Canada with an invasion. Part 2 (Fate Laughing) would raise the stakes; the conflict would stab back into Quebec. Part 3 (Armageddon) would be the lightening strike; United Europe and the Asia-Pacific Confederation would battle for world supremacy by colliding across the North American continent. From the outset, I knew I'd show all sides of the conflict in positive and negative lights. I'd show ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events.

Fans are telling me that reading Jet Stream (it's the part that I've published so far) is like living a movie; it's so visual. I write in a style that lets you live the story along with the characters. Events that seem shocking and incredible to you are just as shocking and incredible to the characters. So while it may seem weird that America could ever reach the point where it breaks apart, you're drawn into that possibility in such a "my-god-it's-really-happening" way that you just deal with it - just as the characters must.

Do I want to see America and Canada broken apart? No. Hell, no. But I think about it. I've read too much not to accept that history is a long march of powers that have risen and fallen. The U.S. is a power. But how long will we remain such a dominant power? Jet Stream is about what it means to become, to grow and to fall as a nation - from many points of view. It makes you think...which is what I want you to do...and it's one hell of a ride.

About the Author

(e-mail: [e-mail]) R.L. Muehlberg lives in New York City. Born in America, he spent his childhood in Germany and England at the height of the Cold War. He served as an officer in the US Army National Guard in the Artillery and Armored Cavalry.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 130 pages
• Publisher: Muehlberg Press (October 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965334201
• ISBN-13: 978-0965334204
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,630,526 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Top Read, February 15, 2002

By 

John (Gisborne, Victoria Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jet Stream - part one of WWIII, The Breakup Of America: A 21st Century Thriller: A story of American heroes facing America's darkest hour: The year is 2012... (Paperback)

Jet Stream is a magazine form novel (the first in a planned trilogy - WWIII: The Breakup of America) set in the near future, a time when the U.S. is no longer a super power - where the newly formed nation of Quebec (along with it's powerful European Union allies) attempts the unthinkable - the invasion of the United States.

If you enjoyed the action and drama of Patriots by John Wesley Rawles, or Jerry Ahern's The Survivalist series of books, this will be right up your alley. Only difference here is that there are no advertisements, no bible lessons - just action and plenty of it. Author Muehlberg has you right along side for the ride as an out-gunned, out-numbered National Guard goes up against the might of a brutal enemy with the fire power of half the world at their disposal.

With all this action, that's not to say that character development suffers any. The author lets you get inside the heroes and the villains, laying their motivations, fears, and desires out for you to see - no one dimensional characters here!

Jet Stream is what my father used to call "a top read". It's the kind of book you'll start reading and won't be able to put down.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars USA Invaded By WHO??, May 3, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Jet Stream - part one of WWIII, The Breakup Of America: A 21st Century Thriller: A story of American heroes facing America's darkest hour: The year is 2012... (Paperback)

As a career Army Intelligence officer, I have often developed and participated in war games pitting US forces against a variety of enemies. I also am an avid reader of "Tom Clancy" type novels. With these two parts of my background, I am very sceptical of new authors touting new thrillers based on an invasion of the US and/or Armageddon. Richard Muehlberg makes the cut in both areas. The possibilities that Quebec may succeed from Canada and that there will be a United Europe are real. An alliance between these two and subsequent invasion of the US is no more far fetched than China or Japan invading our Pacific Coast or the Russians coming out of Siberia through Alaska or hostilities breaking out with Mexico or Cuba. This makes Jet Stream what I call "believable" fiction and will make you stop and think at any number of places in the book. But, what really makes this book is Mr. Muehlberg's wonderful descriptive writing style. No matter where the scene takes place, you can see it, feel it, touch it and taste it. A fantastic job is done in the development of each character. I seemed to learn more about each personality with every page turned. In fact, that is what I did late into the night...turned pages as I read and read. You cannot put this book down until you finish; and, then you want more (how about it Richard?)!! If you like fast, action packed, "believable" fiction, get a copy of Jet Stream. And don't blame me if you don't get your normal sleep hours once you start to read

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars American paranoia, January 8, 2000

By 

Thomas Widmann "viralbus" (Glasgow, Scotland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jet Stream - part one of WWIII, The Breakup Of America: A 21st Century Thriller: A story of American heroes facing America's darkest hour: The year is 2012... (Paperback)

Although this novel is easy to read, it's unfortunately completely unrealistic. It is, of course, realistic that Quebec becomes independent. It is, of course, realistic that the European Union (not "United Europe") tries to become a world power. But that the Union would invade a peaceful America is plain crazy! It seems to be a typical example of American paranoia.

Also, the military strength of the USA is so much greater than Europe's that something like this will not happen in just twelve years from now. In thirty or forty years, perhaps, but even then I very much doubt that Europe would invade the USA except to stop a fascistic, racistic and/or environmentally destructive government.

European imperialism? Been there, done that. No fun anymore.

These totally absurd premises made it difficult for me to enjoy the occasional well-written parts of the novel. It's also hard to believe that an invasion army that has come so far would give up because of one snow storm. To clutter the text with technical descriptions of weapons doesn't make the plot sound more plausible.

Not a book for Europeans. But paranoid war-lovers may enjoy it.