The Profession: A Thriller [Hardcover]

Steven Pressfield (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 14, 2011

The “master storyteller” (Publishers Weekly) and bestselling author of Gates of Fire, The Afghan Campaign, and Killing Rommel returns with a stunning, chillingly plausible near-future thriller about the rise of a privately financed and global military industrial complex.
 
The year is 2032. The third Iran-Iraq war is over; the 11/11 dirty bomb attack on the port of Long Beach, California is receding into memory; Saudi Arabia has recently quelled a coup; Russians and Turks are clashing in the Caspian Basin; Iranian armored units, supported by the satellite and drone power of their Chinese allies, have emerged from their enclaves in Tehran and are sweeping south attempting to recapture the resource rich territory that had been stolen from them, in their view, by Lukoil, BP, and ExxonMobil and their privately-funded armies. Everywhere military force is for hire.  Oil companies, multi-national corporations and banks employ powerful, cutting-edge mercenary armies to control global chaos and protect their riches.  Even nation states enlist mercenary forces to suppress internal insurrections, hunt terrorists, and do the black bag jobs necessary to maintain the new New World Order.
 
Force Insertion is the world's merc monopoly. Its leader is the disgraced former United States Marine General James Salter, stripped of his command by the president for nuclear saber-rattling with the Chinese and banished to the Far East.  A grandmaster military and political strategist, Salter deftly seizes huge oil and gas fields, ultimately making himself the most powerful man in the world.  Salter's endgame is to take vengeance on those responsible for his exile and then come home...as Commander in Chief. The only man who can stop him is the novel's narrator, Gilbert "Gent" Gentilhomme, Salter's most loyal foot soldier and as close to him as the son Salter lost. As this action-jammed, lightning fast, and brutally realistic novel builds to its heart-stopping climax Gent launches his personally and professionally most desperate mission: to take out his mentor and save the United States from self destruction.
 
Infused by a staggering breadth of research in military tactics and steeped in the timeless themes of the honor and valor of men at war that distinguish all of Pressfield’s fiction, The Profession is that rare novel that informs and challenges the reader almost as much as it entertains.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Gripping. . . provocative. . . a thinking person's techno-thriller."-Wall Street Journal

"'The Profession' is a compelling mix of modern weaponry, modern communications, modern politics and the warrior's ancient ethos of honor and loyalty. It moves quickly and with deadly precision ... This is the modern world taken to its logical and frightening extreme." - Los Angeles Times

"Steven Pressfield, in "The Profession", has written a novel of the near future that is as good and in some cases better than anything Tom Clancy ever wrote in his day."
-Mark Whittington, Yahoo!

"Pressfield’s military thriller stands out from the crowd by speculating on what the next generation of warfare will be like and then dropping the reader right into the action. Clancy fans should give this a shot." -Booklist

"When I read a novel, I want to go someplace, with somebody who's been there.  In THE PROFESSION, Pressfield takes us into the heart of combat—and even deeper than heat of the action: he takes us into the soul of the warrior. This is all the more remarkable because the world he leads us into hasn't happened yet—though we see its possibilities, its unfolding reality, all around us. To give us this book, Pressfield went to the places were soldiers and ideologies are colliding, and he sifted the thoughts, motives and skills of the men at the cutting edge of those conflicts. But best of all, for me, is that he seems to have looked into my heart too."
–Randall Wallace, screenwriter of the Academy Award winner Braveheart

“From owner-operated Apache gunships to The New York Google Times, THE PROFESSION is chilling because it rhymes just enough with today to make us wonder whether this future will be, or only might be. Pressfield's trademark lessons in honor and loyalty are here, woven into the classical tradition of the warrior's way. It's a ripping read.”
—Nathaniel Fick, author of the NYT bestseller ONE BULLET AWAY, and CEO of the Center for a New American Security

“Pressfield imagines a world in which private military forces have all the power…When the commander of the largest force around decides to take control of the United states, his top commando—Gilbert “Gent” Gentilhomme—opts to wipe out his commander. Pressfield dominates the military thriller genre, and his works are realistic enough that military colleges like West Point assign them." — Library Journal

"Pressfield's impressive research shows throughout this novel.... a book that paints an all-too-plausible future in which American outsources its dirtiest jobs."
—Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Steven Pressfield is the author of Gates of Fire, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Killing Rommel and The War of Art.  His books are in the curriculum at West Point, Annapolis and the Naval War College, as well as being on the Commandant's Reading List for the Marine Corps. He has an international following for his online series, including 'It's the Tribes, Stupid,' and 'Writing Wednesdays.' He is a graduate of Duke University and lives in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Crown; First Edition edition (June 14, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385528736
• ISBN-13: 978-0385528733
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.3 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (83 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #555,176 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

STEVEN PRESSFIELD is the author of the hugely successful historical novels Gates of Fire, Tides of War, and Last of the Amazons. His debut novel, The Legend of Bagger Vance, was made into a movie starring Matt Damon and Will Smith in 2000. He lives in California.

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#99 in Kindle eBooks > Health, Fitness & Dieting

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#83 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting

#99 in Kindle eBooks > Health, Fitness & Dieting

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Non-spoiler - gripping tale of the near future April 14, 2011

By scot16897 VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

The Profession is a book about a projected future of America and warfare, as told from the perspective of a soldier and his connection to his commanding officer.

In the near-future, military responses to terrorism are increasingly waged by the rules (or lack thereof) of the local combatants, rather than the Western rules of war. Corporations ascend in influence and power as nation-states decline.

Unrest in the Middle East and other oil producing regions continues as the world powers position themselves to ensure continued resources.

Against this backdrop, Steven Pressfield tells the story of Gen. Salter, a military commander who falls from grace and becomes as a mercenary commander. The perspective for the story is that of a soldier who has long served under Gen. Salter, and is so close as to be considered a son of the General.

Because the story is told from the soldier's perspective, the thoughts and motivations of Gen. Salter are often hidden from the reader, and the reader is a witness to the events, a method Pressfield employed in the terrific "Gates of Fire."

This book is an interesting projection on where the world could go in the next 25 years in a global economy competing for dwindling resources and with traditional American concepts of life contrasting with the very different perspective and motives of those in other countries, particularly tribal cultures and developing countries.

At it heart, this book is a story about the recognition that the traditional American values are challenged by the changing times, economy, and exposure to other cultures.

I will say that I found the ending a bit choppy, but as you can see, it was not such a detraction that I lowered the rating I gave the book....

Pressfield, who has written a number of books on classical military history, tells his similarly classical story in the near future, but does so in the readable, interesting style that recalls his best books.

This is worth your read. Read more ›

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Great on details, but the storyline seemed to lack momentum... June 12, 2011

By Thomas Duff HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I picked up Steven Pressfield's latest novel, The Profession, on Amazon Vine this month. It sounded like a great premise... move 20 years into the future and look at war as a function of big business. Buy your mercenary forces and leave the fighting to the "professionals." The imagery and settings were excellent, but the storyline seemed to wander. I was having problems with the "so what" aspect of the book...

The overall plot involves a major conflict in the Middle East (where else?) which has the whole world trying to figure out exactly what and who is driving the conflict and bankrolling Force Insertion, which is the top mercenary business on the globe. A disgraced American general, James Sather, is running that show, and his overall goal isn't necessarily the same as the people and leaders who hired him. As the conflict escalates and unfolds, it becomes apparent that Sather's actions are designed to put him into a position of ultimate power, erasing nearly 300 years of checks and balances. The narrator of the story, Gent Gentilhomme, a soldier serving under the general, is the only person who is in a position to do something about it, and he's not entirely sure as to what the correct path should be.

From the perspective of the detail of the story, Pressfield is excellent. The writing is gritty and hard, and it matches the type of action I'd expect to see in a war story. It was as if I had been dropped into the middle of a conflict. The storyline didn't seem to have that same action and momentum, however. I was having a hard time trying to understand why things were happening and where the story was going. I didn't have the feeling that I had to keep turning pages to find out what would happen next.... Even once the end game had played out, my general feeling was "meh"...

The Profession was an interesting read for imagining what war might be like in the future. But as a story, it lacked the spark that made it a compelling novel.

Disclosure:
Obtained From: Amazon Vine Review Program
Payment: Free Read more ›

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Works well as a cautionary tale, not so well as a thriller April 18, 2011

By TChris TOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

The Profession is simultaneously a science fiction novel (to the extent that it's set in the near future), a military novel (although most of the fighting is done by private armies), and a political thriller. The novel works best as a cautionary tale; as a representative of any (or all) of those genres, it's lacking.

In the 2032 imagined by Steven Pressfield, private mercenary forces, primarily serving foreign governments and multinational petroleum companies, are all over the Middle East. Gilbert "Gent" Gentilhomme, who believes himself to be the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, works for Force Insertion, the largest of the private armies. Told in the first person from Gent's perspective, the story begins with furious action as Gent leads a team of mercenaries on a rescue mission. Gent's next mission (in Tajikistan) is assigned by the CEO of Force Insertion, James Salter, a former general and current narcissist who has an agenda beyond that of Force Insertion's customer base.

Cautionary tales can make compelling fiction (1984 is an enduring example); The Profession misses that mark. About a third of the way in, the action halts so that Pressfield can explain the rise of private armies. A longish chapter in the middle recounts Gent's African exploits while he was still a Marine and explains Salter's military downfall -- a Heart of Darkness diversion that contributes little to the plot and adds to character development in only a superficial way.... This is followed by another longish chapter that relates the (future) history of the Middle East which, like the (past) history, has a lot to do with war, oil, and American and Saudi politics. All of this mood-deadening exposition acts as a drag on a story that depends on action to justify its billing as a thriller. As a warning of a possible future, these chapters could form the foundation of a great essay; they just don't integrate well into the novel.

The book becomes interesting when Salter decides to engage in a rather aggressive act of nation-building. Salter is a truly scary dude. He describes himself as a warrior who worships "the god of strife," a fighter who strides "into harm's way for no cause, no dream, no crusade, but only for the striding itself and for the comrades at my side." This is the kind of megalomaniac who starts wars solely because he likes war. Whether Salter's actions (and, more importantly, the reactions in the United States and the rest of the world) are plausible is questionable, but this is a work of fiction; I won't downgrade it for telling an unlikely story. I will, however, criticize Pressfield for creating characters who are stereotypes and for killing the novel's momentum in the middle chapters. I liked the beginning and the ending (it avoided the predictable finish that I was dreading) and I appreciated the story's cautionary value, but as a novel The Profession has serious problems. I would give The Profession 3 1/2 stars if Amazon made that option available. Read more ›