John Schettler's Blog, page 5
December 26, 2020
Get Ready For Zulu Hour!
Keyholder's Saga #2 launches new year on or before Jan 1
ABOUT ZULU HOUR
Strap on your pith helmet, load that Martini & Henry rifle, and stand to!
The Zulu War has long been a military history favorite, memorialized in two popular movies, Zulu Dawn,and Zulu. The first presented the invasion of Zululand when the British General, Lord Chelmsford, led his #3 Column across the Buffalo River on 10-11 January 1879. What followed was a series of missteps characterized by overconfident hubris, and downright stupidity. For reasons that seemed perfectly logical to the General at the time, he managed to violate most every rule he penned into his own orders and guidelines for the conduct of armies in the field in South Africa. Historians have long railed against his failure, even after being warned, to laager his wagons and create a sound defensive position at the camp he made near the prominent hill of Isandlwana. Then inexplicably to many, he divided his army without having sound intelligence as to their whereabouts and strength, let alone any real idea of their intentions. The result was the greatest military defeat and disaster to befall British arms in the colorful Colonial Period, when some 1300 British regulars and native troops were slaughtered in a grand massacre of the camp at Isandlwana—all while Chelmsford had half his army out on a reconnaissance in force to the east.
Could the disaster have ever been prevented? Would sound preparations at the camp and more prudence, caution, and respect for his enemy have reversed the tragic defeat? These are just a few of the question that writer John Schettler explores and tries to answer in his alternate history of Chelmsford’s invasion, and the battles that followed. Learning why Chelmsford did what he did is an important part of the tale, and this one gives us a very good look at his invasion in a wonderfully written military fiction.
Mister Schettler has been writing in the genres of military history and alternate outcomes for over 20 years. One of his first explorations was the award winning novel Meridian, which explored the fate of Lawrence of Arabia in the deserts of Syria during WWI. That novel spawned four others in the Meridian Series, which ended up visiting the time of the Crusades in Palestine, Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt and the Middle East in 1799, the famous ‘Battle of Tours’ when Charles Martel turned back the Islamic invasion of southern France in October of 732, and finally a thrilling tale that sends the Meridian Team back in time when they discover the great German battleship Bismarck was not sunk on its maiden voyage, which had a dramatic effect on the course of WWII. Their aim is to find out why, and do anything possible to send that battleship to its proper rendezvous with the Royal Navy, and a resting place at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean.
That final book in the Meridian Series tickled a long time fascination the author had for great fighting ships, particularly the battleships of WWII. He was going to write an alternate naval history of WWII, only with the German Navy built out much stronger, with behemoths like the Hindenburg overshadowing both Bismarck and Tirpitz in power, but then he took a leap of imagination and focused on another ship, the powerful Russian Kirov Class battlecruisers of modern times. That leap had since seen him write the longest continuously running story ever penned in his popular Kirov Series, where cadres of his most loyal fans have stayed with the story through all of 50 Plus volumes as of this writing. That tale finally became his grand alternate history of WWII, with heavy emphasis on all the naval engagements, but also all the major land battles fought in every theater of the war. It’s a deeply compelling tale of the war, and one where you can get lost in it for days on end with each new release in the series.
In the middle of that long saga, one major subplot involved the discovery of mysterious keys that open heavily engineered metal doors protecting hidden passages. All the keys had been found in special places in the history—at the famous Oracle of Delphi, embedded in one of the Elgin Marbles, the Rosetta Stone discovered in Egypt during Napoleon’s invasion, in a vase on display in the Summer Palace of the Qing Dynasty in China, and also in one of the recently unearthed Terracotta warriors. And these keys are what now make this journey to Zululand in 1879 possible.
The premise is a simple one: two wealthy industrialists have possession of one of these mysterious keys, which conceal rifts in spacetime behind the doors they open. They have used them to take long safaris through the past, wagering with one another on the outcome of famous historical battles. It’s the basic energy that Mister Schettler first kindled in his Meridian Series, and the first of these books titled Field of Glory opened what he calls the “Keyholders Saga” emerged from his Kirov Series in a wonderful retelling of the Battle of Waterloo. This one, the fate of Lord Chelmsford and his British Army in Zululand, is volume 2 in the series, and not to be missed by any fan of this history.
In fact, the more you know of the history of this campaign, the more you will be entertained. The author explores the effort made by Sir Roger Ames, the Duke of Elvington in Modern times, as he jousts with his nemesis, one Jean Michel Fortier playing for the Zulu side of this war. The Duke is trying to save Chelmsford and prevent the disaster at Isandlwana, and Fortier is trying to make sure the fierce impis of the Zulus properly devour the British. The result of this contest takes us to the heart of all the decisions Chelmsford had before him after crossing the Buffalo River into Zululand, and the alternative choices he might have made to alter the disastrous outcome. Yet even if you are not well versed in the history surrounding the battle, you will certainly be well educated by the time you finish this novel. It opens with a three chapter introduction from the Kirov Series, and then 33 all new chapters to relate the tale.
Beginning at the crossing of the Buffalo River on 10-11 January, the author shows why it took Chelmsford nearly 12 days to move just nine more miles into Zululand. In that interval, all the many possibilities and choices before him are explored, and Sir Roger Ames is doing his very best to get him to correct his oversights and errors, and push the course of the campaign to an alternate outcome. The history buffs will enjoy all of this segment, and then, midway through the book, the time to prove whether the Duke’s interventions have saved the hour finally arrives with “The Coming of the Shadows,” the massive Zulu army of some 20,000 men against less than 5,000 under Chelmsford’s command. From that point on, the last half of the book is all the alternate history battles that flowed from the Duke’s interventions, every bit as detailed and visceral as those in the movies.
So strap on your pith helmet, load that Martini & Henry rifle, and stand to! Zulu Hour is a wonderful leap into all this fascinating and exciting military history by an author that had emerged as the new master of that genre, with over 60 books out now that use some means of time travel to get modern day characters back in to the heart of these famous battles, and live them through in a way they never could while safe and sound in their libraries or reading chairs. Zulu Hour presents a convincing, well-researched alternate outcome of this first great clash between Lord Chelmsford and the Zulus, and it’s one no fan of the genre, or any of this military history, will want to miss.
December 1, 2020
Kirov Series: Jericho
The Next War: 2025
BUY NOW ON AMAZON: $4.99 (Kindle)
As the Siberians struggle to recover from the terrible event at Irkutsk, a tense pause in operations ensues. But Karpov is now eager to get north, and when he learns the Koreans are planning an amphibious operation against Vladivostok in the coming days, he is determined to intervene. Along the way he and Fedorov meet an old nemesis, now a newfound friend as they enter the Sea of Japan.
Out on the First Island Chain, China’s ‘Great Wall at Sea’ is now the object of Admiral Cook’s Fleet Carrier Force. He intends to shout down that wall with a storm of missiles and aircraft, as the USMC prepares Operation Sledgehammer against Amami and Okinawa.
Now Admiral Zheng Bao rallies the PLAN fleet in defense of the Ryukyus, and on the mainland, China musters its remaining ballistic missile ship killers in an effort to turn the fortunes of war in their favor. The last desperate battles of the war begin as the Western navies hammer on the wall that guards the East China Sea.
About Jericho:
The war that began in 2025 has now come full circle in the next volume of the Kirov Series, Jericho, as the fighting returns to the place where it all began in the Ryukyu Island Chain. The US Navy has now reached the edge of the East China Sea, the rocky “First Island Chain” that China hoped to hold secure. Billed as China’s Great Wall at Sea, the seizure of the Ryukyus from Amami in the north and south through Okinawa to the Miyako Islands lit the fuse on what might have been a limited conflict in the Pacific, but that was not to be. After engagements from the Med, to the Canary Islands, the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf, the war rolled back into the Pacific as the US secured its island bases at Palau, Yap, and the Marianas, and buttressed Singapore.
After a brief sortie into the South China Sea, Alpha Strike then presented the many campaign against Chinese position sin the Philippines. The effort was to break the network of airfields China relied upon, and without air cover, the fleet had limited staying power. Once munitions at Manila Bay ran out, they had no choice other than to fall back on Taiwan. Yet the last volume saw the return of Admiral Wu Jinlong, who had been relieved of his command earlier after his failure to take out US island outposts after seizing Davao in his Operation Sea Eagle. He was steadily driven from the Celebes Sea and retreated through the Sulu Sea to safer waters, only to find himself relieved and given command of a desk on Hainan Island.
In Alpha Strike, Wu Jinlong returns to torment the Japanese in action in and around the vital Tsushima Strait, called “The North Gate” connecting the East China Sea to the Sea of Japan, which the Chinese are now renaming the Bohai Sea. Alpha Strike then left us with the stunning detonation at Irkutsk, which shocked the Siberians and prompted Karpov to get Kirov’s bow headed north.
In Jericho, the PLAN begins the defense of its Great Wall at Sea along the Ryukyu Island chain, while Wu Jinlong redeems himself with his occupation of the Goto Islands and Tsushima. The US Navy has reinforced to have five Carrier Strike Groups available when the Roosevelt is moved from the Indian Ocean. That group joins Admiral Cook’s fleet carriers, Enterprise, Independence, Washington and John F. Kennedy. Now this powerful fleet sails east of the Great Wall at Sea, and begins its mighty shouts to start bringing that wall down. The USN has also seen the arrival of the entire “Gator” force, ten light carriers with other supporting ships carrying an entire US Marine Division.
The battles here are on a scale that has not been seen since WWII. Admiral Cook and the Marines will begin in the north to prepare the invasion of Amami, with the next big objective in the plan being Okinawa. The fighting in this volume is intense, and all the decisions made by either side are well explained through the musings and meetings of all the Admirals in charge. As this volume closes, Vladimir Karpov is eager to get north, particularly after the disastrous incident at Irkutsk. When the 48 hour cooling off period between China and Siberia expires, Karpov learns that Vladivostok is now threatened again. Liberated by his lately departed brother-self, Karpov now rushes north to oppose a big amphibious operation aimed at Vladivostok by the Korean Navy.
In Jericho, this astounding depiction of WWIII now careens toward its conclusion in the final volume of Season 7, Whirlwind. That will still leave the unfinished business between Kirov and company, and the dastardly machinations of Ivan Volkov, who also has a doppelganger operating in the past, and that is the substance of the final season of the Kirov Series, (yes, we mean it this time) coming next year after the war finishes in Whirlwind. There’s never been anything like this series. With a scope and scale that is truly awesome, it will end up running ten years before it concludes. Don’t miss the big battles here in Jericho, as this one comes to Amazon on December 1st.
BUY NOW ON AMAZON: $4.99 (Kindle)
Paperback also available in a few days
Kirov Saga:
Volume #55 - Jericho
By
John Schettler
Part I – Vindication
Part II – The Swelling Tide
Part III – Urgent Sword
Part IV – Stand Your Ground
Part V – Attrition
Part VI – Engagement
Part VII – Sledgehammer
Part VIII– Island Wars
Part IX – Decisions
Part X – Old Friends & Enemies
Part XI – Bohai Sea
Part XII – The Big Stick
September 27, 2020
Alpha Strike
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August 3, 2020
Firedrake
Originally scheduled to wind up at Volume 56, the author now says he will need all those volumes to finish the war in 2026. At that time, the series is set to transition into the final confrontation between Kirov and crew, and Ivan Volkov, Karpov's long time nemesis since the early days of WWII. We were already clued in on the plan being hatched by Fedorov and Karpov, to navigate north to the Sea of Okhotsk so they can pay a visit to Tyrenkov in Siberia and put together a significant military force that they can then try to move to the past using the device that Director Kamenski so graciously left on the ship. In Far Horizon, we've seen it at work, saving the ship on more than one occasion with a timely backward step when they found themselves in the dangerous waters of the future. Yet not wanting to miss out on his first love, (war), Karpov decides to operate with the USN as they make their way north.
In this volume, Firedrake, we'll learn much more of what Volkov and his doppelganger have been up to, as John devotes nine consecutive chapters to that to conclude this volume, all written from the perspective of the ship and crew. The good news now is that the struggle between Karpov and Volkov may become a war, and so the entire 8th season is now being scheduled to deal with that climactic confrontation, and the series has license to continue through book 64. Hallelulia!
Here's what's brewing now as the war rolls into the Sulu and South China Seas in 2026...
Kirov Saga: Firedrake, Kindle Version $4.99, Trade Paperback: $19.99
As this volume opens, the war that erupted in November of 2025 is now 100 days old, and Part I presents a brief recap of the action seen to date, setting the stage to continue operations in the Sulu Sea. There the US Carrier Strike Group Washington has been struggling to control that sea and support Marine ARG’s reinforcing Puerto Princesa on the long barrier island of Palawan.
Before that action goes full bore, the narrative diverts to Iraq in Part III entitled “Baghdad Blues,” where we again ride with Sergeant King and company, (1/7th Recon), as they are tasked with leading an operation into the sprawling concrete jungle of Sadr City. CIA operative Colonel Jason Dunn rides along and calls the tune on objectives. He obviously wants to pay a visit to the Iraqi Defense Intelligence compound, but then throws Sergeant King a curve with orders to get him to the National Museum of Iraq. Dunn is obviously on a treasure hunt of some kind, and we get some clues as to what it might be about as the light recon troops fight their way towards downtown Baghdad. Unfortunately, the museum is on the other side of the river, and what started as a sweep of Sadr City becomes a major push into the heart of the teeming city, where chaos reigns as the Iraqi military is trying to escape to better climes. This three chapter segment gives us some resolution on the war in Iraq, as US and coalition forces close on the city from all directions to complete their mission.
Then Part IV takes us back to the Sulu Sea, and the naval air action that has been the heart of this season. China’s Admiral Zheng Bao has assumed command of the South Seas Fleet, and we are taken deeper into his plans and strategies as he now confronts not one, but three US Carrier Strike Groups. Relentless and methodical, the USN begins a campaign of reducing the outlying Chinese bases in Borneo and on the reef island bases that are so controversial today as potential flash points between the USN and PLAN. In these scenes, we go deeper into the command structure that prevails in the Chinese Navy, not a triangular system like the USN with the Captain at the top, and his XO and Command Master Chief on the two corners below, but a square, where every fleet, division, squadron and ship has a Party Political Officer (or Commissar) installed with co-equal authority to that of the Admiral or Captain.
From the height of Naval HQs at PACOM in Pearl Harbor and the Chinese Naval Theater Command in Hong Kong, we stand like a junior officer at the back of the room, privy to all discussions, strategy decisions, and the rationale behind orders issued to the respective fleets. Driven from the Indian Ocean back into their home waters, China is now desperate for the victory that Admiral Wu Jinlong was unable to deliver, and here the new Admiral Zheng Bao fights with quiet efficient skill, in spite of his irascible associate, the fiery Admiral Sun Wei.
As the action unfolds we see two entirely different methods of warfighting, largely resting on the structure of the navies both sides built before the war, and the weapons they carry. China has excellent new destroyers, but lacks real strength in its carrier arm, because its 4th Generation J-15 strike fighter is simply too vulnerable in contested airspace. This forces Zheng Bao to use his carriers in defensive roles as he struggles to preserve the valuable reef island bases, and hold the Palawan barrier intact, while looking for any opportunity he can find to put harm on his enemy. The more restricted waters here make it more difficult for the US carriers to abide by “Standing Order-1,” the dictum that they must never operate inside the 300 mile range marker, because doing so brings China’s deadly YJ-18 Strike Eagle missiles into play, doubling their fleet’s offensive power.
By contrast, the power of the USN clearly resides in the tremendous versatility of its Carrier Strike Groups. The long arm of the US Tomahawk missile is used to reduce enemy bases, and the carrier air wings have no equal in the world when it comes to the dizzying array of weapons they can put on an enemy target. Before the war, would-be pundits proclaimed the USN was woefully outranged by the Chinese Navy, pointing out the much longer ranges of the YJ-18 and YJ-100 strike missiles compared to America’s largely obsolete Cold War era missile, the Harpoon. Yet in this history, the Harpoon isn’t even deployed, and the USN fights with weapons that are now being rushed into development in our world, like the LRASM which is slated for deployment on the destroyers, and the modified maritime Tomahawk, also called the “Multi Mission Tomahawk,” which has a range of 1500 nautical miles, almost four times longer than China’s YJ-100’s 400 mile range.
Authors of those articles inveigh on the fact that China’s destroyers completely outrange those of the USN while forgetting that these weapons are in the pipeline and coming soon as the USN rediscovers the art of surface warfare. The so called experts also forget that, despite all the recent talk about “Distributed Lethality,” the Navy doesn’t fight wars with its destroyers in one, twos, and threes. In war, a US destroyer will never be far from a big deck fleet carrier, and that strike group is how America fights to win at sea. Of course, China knows that, which is why they have designed an array of hypersonic ballistic missiles capable of targeting ships at sea. Thus far the US missile shield has held firm, but as the war comes close to mainland China, the PLAN fights with renewed energy and strength, like the great Firedrake its is now rapidly becoming in our world.
The heart of this novel is therefore the intensifying struggle for the Sulu and South China Seas, 18 consecutive chapters that pit the wily new Chinese Admiral Zheng Bao against the three US carrier Captains and Admiral Cook. The Chinese Fire Dragon is putting up a furious defense, realizing that the stakes now are extremely high, and that they simply must find a way to stop the relentless advance of the US Navy. In the midst of it all, Karpov, Fedorov and company take a prominent role, as they push for the Palawan Gap. Kirov and Kazan must get through if they are to get back to the Pacific and head north as planned, but along the way, they encounter a derelict ship that suddenly sends the story off in a most unexpected direction.
Long time series readers know that the real meat and potatoes of the saga has always been about Kirov’s movement in time, taking the ship and crew across far horizons and into troubled and dangerous waters at every turn. This season, the temporal instability of Kirov has already taken us on one ride to a distant, bleak, and perilous future in the last volume. This evolution is something quite more.
The author devotes the last nine chapters of this volume to the ship and crew of Kirov as they face another bewildering series of events after the discovery of the derelict, and finally realize what they are now facing. Behind it all, both Fedorov and Karpov can sense, feel, and finally know that the shadow that seems to darken their path is being cast by their arch nemesis—Ivan Volkov. It is a segment very much like the chapters presented in the 2021 war, where Kirov and crew got a glimpse of the war just getting started in 2025, but on the Meridian they helped build with their interventions in WWII. Now, in this volume, the machinations of Ivan Volkov take a frightening new shape.
Loaded with naval air action at its heart, and twisted with mystery at the end, Firedrake’s pounding narrative leads us into the most decisive battles of the war in 2026. It will be followed with equal vengeance and furor in the next volume, Alpha Strike, as the USN and PLAN clash like two armored gladiators in the arena of the South China Sea. The author plans to take the war in 2026 to its conclusion by the end of this season in volume 56, but in this book, those last nine chapters give is a riveting preview of what will follow this season—the war against Ivan Volkov that will take the long saga to its final tumultuous and fiery end. In the meantime, hang on to your seats!
Kirov Saga: Firedrake, Kindle Version $4.99, Trade Paperback: $19.99
June 15, 2020
Kirov Sails to a Far Horizon
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Kirov and crew have slipped over some far horizon to a distant future that seems devoid of life, except for persistent stalking enemies on every compass heading. In a strange day of tension and battle, the seas once believed to be safe waters have become a web of danger and a private hell. With their sister ship Kursk destroyed, they now set their course for Christmas Island, preparing a shore party to determine why the world around them has gone dark, and where they might be in time. They will not get far before the alarms will sound again, and Kirov and Kazan are soon in a struggle for their lives.
In their wake, the war in 2026 continues as Admiral Sun Wei runs the Strait of Malacca to try and rejoin the fleet in the South China Sea. In the Indian Ocean theater, CSG Roosevelt leads a coalition task force into the Gulf of Oman. The mission now is to force the Strait of Hormuz and open the Persian Gulf to Allied shipping. To do so they will have to face the ‘Muster of Allah,’ as Iran vows to destroy the US Navy.
MORE INFORMATION HERE
Kirov Saga: Far Horizon By
John Schettler
Part I – Spooky
Part II – Mama Bear
Part III – Desperate Measures
Part IV – Guardians at the Gate
Part V – The Fire
Part VI – Strait of Malacca
Part VII – East Wind
Part VIII– Jaws of the Beast
Part IX – The Muster of Allah
Part X – Flight of the Goeben
Part XI – The Wolves
Part XII – Vendetta
Kirov Series: Far Horizon
36 Chapters, 312 Pages, about 101,000 words
Kindle version:$4.99 – Available June 15, 2020Quality Trade Paperback: $19.99 (Available soon)
April 25, 2020
Able Fire
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The war in 2026 now get into high gear with the invasion of Iraq, but at the outset of this volume, Karpov and Fedorov try to sort out their problems with missing men, and determine what to do. Fedorov suspects the ship is becoming unstable, and tells Karpov why, revealing a deep fear he has harbored for some time. The story then takes us back to the travails of Admiral Wu Jinlong, as he continues his battle in the Celebes Sea. His Operation Sea Eagle is confronted by the Enterprise CSG and Kirov, where Admiral Wu Jinlong learns some very hard lessons on the strengths and weaknesses of his ships.
Now the Western Coalition launches their invasion of Iraq from the west, and we will ride through it all at the tactical level with a Light Troop of 1/7th Cav Recon Squadron, (1st Armored Cav Division). In a fast paced series of maneuvers, the action is reminiscent of Generation Kill, when a reporter, Todd Resel is attached to Sergeant King’s Light Troop for the ride. Through their eyes, we are led east across the deserts to the battle for the gaps, first in the north at Ramadi where the Coalition must kick open the door to take Highway 1 to Baghdad.
At the same time, a European column advances further south towards Karbala, as the Coalition forces move to encircle Baghdad. While the capital will be defended, Qusay Hussein has a different strategy in mind for the overall war, intending to hold as much of the country as possible. In the midst of this action, a CIA Paramilitary operative arrives and gets attached to the Light Troops, which will later lead us into a daring missing in Baghdad,
The action then shifts south to recount the push into Iraq by 1st USMC Division, with a provisional division composed of 1st Infantry and 3 BCT of 1st Armored Cav on their right. Now the war that began as a mission to liberate Saudi Arabia and Kuwait becomes a grab for the vital oil resources of Southern Iraq. Seeing their position in the Middle East in danger of collapse, China makes a bold decision to send its 13th and 21st Armies by rail through Central Asia and Iran, to the border of Iraq.
Then the action returns to naval warfare again, this time revisiting Admiral Sun Wei in the Gulf of Oman, who is still struggling to grapple with Captain Holmes on the USS Independence. His stubborn campaign there is soon shaken by news from the east, and the Chinese General Staff concocts a new plan for his fleet, with startling new orders. The battle with Independence is far from over as the US maneuvers to frustrate this plan.
Then we again return to Kirov, but not before a three chapter look at what Ivan Volkov has been up to aboard Tunguska, and it is no small matter! His quest for vengeance takes him to a most fateful place, with repercussions that could unwind threads on the tightly stretched rope of the Prime Meridian. The plan he sets in motion is earth shaking, and sets up what happens as this volume concludes. As the author often does when he approaches the mid- point in any of the 8 volume seasons, get ready for a most unexpected and amazing twist as this book ends, when safe waters suddenly become very dangerous for Karpov and crew.Action on land, sea, and air as the West begins to go on the offensive in the war in the Invasion of Iraq.BUY NOW FOR KINDLE: $4.99 In case you missed them: Volumes 1 and 2 of the war in 2025 and beyond...
November 7, 2019
Tangent Fire
About Tangent Fire :
Volume VIII in the Next War segment of the Kirov Series sees the war in 2021 end in a nuclear nightmare, but Kirov, with Tyrenkov aboard, has escaped to the future they helped to shape in 2025. Now all the principal players in the story begin to arrive, Kirov, Kazan, and Argos Fire coming forward from 1945. Karpov, the Siberian, begins his operation to liberate the port of Vladivostok, and Kirov once again enters the Sea of Japan to confront the Chinese Navy. But the fire of war begins to spin off wild tangents, as China launches Operation Wildfire in the Med to close the Western shipping lanes and seal off the Suez Canal. Argos Fire is soon caught up in the fighting, which sweeps across the “Middle Sea” from Gibraltar to Egypt when the Chinese begin a dangerous game of commerce raiding. As the tankers burn, a much stronger Royal Navy in 2025 stands to, as an enemy fleet bears down on the long time British bastion of Malta. Yet Elena Fairchild and the doughty Captain MacRae will soon have more things to worry about than they imagined. A late novel excursion takes them one step closer to unraveling the mystery of the seven keys....
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Kirov Saga Tangent Fire
ByJohn Schettler
Part I – VolkovPart II – KazanPart III – The SiberianPart IV – Beihai SeaPart V – Argos FirePart VI – Maersk HavanaPart VII – WildfirePart VIII– MaltaPart IX – Tangent FirePart X – GreensleevesPart XI – Keys to the KingdomPart XII – Excursions
316 Pages, 36 Chapters, about 105,000 words.Kindle Version: $4.99 ~ Quality Trade Paperback: $19.99
September 16, 2019
Available Now! Eagle Rising
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About Eagle Rising: Volume 7 in the Next War segment of the Kirov Saga.
Volume VII in the Next War segment of the long Kirov Saga now takes the war in 2021 to Europe as NATO begins its long awaited counteroffensive to liberate the Baltic States. Operation Eagle Risingbegins with a bold stroke to cut off the Russian salient of Kaliningrad, and liberate Kaunas and Vilnius in Lithuania. As the American divisions push through the Suwalki Gap, strong German and British contingents under Brigadiers Berg and Kinlan are on their left, fighting their way across the Neman River. Eventually, the plan is to drive north to Riga, the capital of Latvia, and cross the Daugava River. Can the vaunted Russian Army stop them while also fighting a dramatic battle for control of Kharkov in the Ukraine?Meanwhile, Kirov moves east towards a meeting with Tyrenkov at the Northern Shamrock, only to find the Grey Wolves in a daunting and perplexing encounter when they reach that far flung Arctic outpost. They soon realize things are terribly wrong....
The war in 2021 moves to Europe in Volume 7, Eagle Rising , the name of the NATO operation to begin the liberation of the Baltic States. Before the war, armies were evaluated by their strength on paper, the hot new hardware they were building, or the sheer numbers fielded , yet very few units in the Armies of the world actually had any real combat experience. The United States was the great exception within NATO, having fought two massive Gulf wars, an endless war in Afghanistan, and ten years in Iraq. American generals had proved they could transport, deploy, stage and operate massive land forces in a major full spectrum, multi-domain ground war. Other NATO partners joined in those battles, giving them some experience as well. On the other side, Russia had fought in Chechnya, Georgia, the Ukraine and Syria, giving some of its many brigades a taste of modern combat. As for China, in spite of its massive Army, rapidly growing Navy and burgeoning Air Force, it had virtually no modern day combat experience of any kind.Now all sides would all be put to the test in a way that had not been seen since WWII. Fighting insurgents in Iraq, which represented the bulk of the time the US was there, or hounding ISIS out of Syria, is not the same as meeting a peer adversary on a modern day high intensity field of battle. Now we’re about to see just how good the tanks, APC’s, and troops on every side are in a fast paced ground war on two fronts in Europe. Concurrent with NATO’s Operation Eagle Rising, the Russians have countered on the far flung fields of the Ukraine with a surprise offensive of their own.By moving their entire 58th Army out of the Caucasus, where no action was expected, they rapidly doubled the number of troops they had in the Donbass. At the same time, other units from their Central Military District crossed into Ukraine from Belgorod. There, on those blood sodden fields where Zhukov’s Red Army battled Manstein’s Armeegruppe South, the Russians stage a big operation aimed at pinching off Kharkov.Both actions are presented in the first 18th Chapters of this volume, a mighty clash of modern armies that ends up featuring Brigadiers Berg and Kinlan prominently in the action. As these battles begin to reach a conclusion, the story takes us back to Korea again briefly for a dire escalation there that starts that doomsday clock ticking again. These battles all come to a head by the mid-point of the book, and the likely military outcome in the Baltic States and Ukraine is decided. Then the story shifts back to Kirovand company in the far north, after Karpov put in his stunning Zircon strike to drive Captain Tanner’s CVN Washington out of the war with heavy damage. The ship makes it to a friendly port, but just barely, and will be long months in the shipyards.The whole second half of this volume now focuses entirely on Kirov and crew. The ship returns to Severomorsk and the crew is given a much needed shore leave. While Karpov tries to clean house, Voronin, his would be Zampolit (Political Officer), is still scheming, and with Ivan Volkov in the mix. Voronin had earlier threatened to use his elite “Grey Wolves” security force to bring Karpov to heel, and plots are still simmering on and off the ship in this port call. Silenko’s steady recruitment of Gennadi Orlov proceeds and the plot thickens when Volkov gets involved. Tyrenkov comes to pay Fedorov and Karpov a visit, and as the three men discuss Russia’s prospects, it becomes clear that Tyrenkov is also scheming on something.Things come to a head on the docks at Severomorsk, but Kirov will soon find itself out to sea again, with puzzling orders that Karpov vows to disregard. The result is a most unusual ending to this book, when Fedorov and Karpov try to figure out how they can use the gift hidden in Director Kamenski’s briefcase. (Have any of you guessed what it is yet?)In an eerie sortie east, Karpov intends to go pick up his old Air Commandant Bogrov and his airship crew, but instead the ship and crew meet the Grey Wolves, only not in the way they first feared and expected. It becomes a haunting little side trip in parts IX and X of this one, and also sets up what is going to happen next, because this look at the next war has many more battles to be fought—just not where you might expect them. To say more would spoil the ending, but seeds planted earlier in the tale now grow to take us up the bean stock to another round of WWIII action, as the author widens his lens to show us something more.
The next book in the series, entitled Tangent Fire now comes up in the position that has been reserved for the season finale. Is this the end? We asked John about it to get the scoop .
“No,” said John, “the 8th Volume in this season will not end the series yet. While it will bring the events of the war in 2021 to a conclusion, our heroes, and the ship, have yet more work to do. Telling you about it now would spoil the ending of Volume 7, so you’ll have to wait and see. All I can tell you is that, much like the story line that occupies the second half of Eagle Rising, what follows next will be largely centered on the ship, but I’ll let Fedorov and Karpov tell you about it all in this book. Enjoy!”
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Kirov Saga Eagle Rising
ByJohn Schettler
Part I – ChangelingsPart II – Article VPart III – The CauldronPart IV – Stand FirmPart V – Trick or TreatPart VI – Fork in the RoadPart VII – The Devil’s BargainPart VIII– Plots and DevicesPart IX – The Frozen NightPart X – Grey WolvesPart XI – The MushroomPart XII – Reunions
August 17, 2019
Ice War
The hot war gets chilled in the arctic cold...
ABOUT ICE WAR:The Kirov Series now takes us to the frozen north in Ice War, Volume VI in the Next War segment of the saga, and it’s one of the best in the series. With NATO planning its counter offensives in Norway and Europe, Karpov and the Pacific Fleet are recalled to Severomorsk, but getting there will not be easy. After their strange displacement to the future of the world they helped create with their many interventions in the past, The fleet slipped back into the war we’ve been following and put into Vladivostok at the end of Volume V, Deep Blue. Now Karpov hopes to get as far north as possible before his fleet is discovered, as the Americans believe it perished in the eruption of the Demon Volcano.
It isn’t east to hide that many warships, even in the vast ocean spaces of the Pacific, and soon the Americans are investigating the sudden appearance of unknown ships emerging from the Sea of Okhotsk and heading north. What follows is a classic naval pursuit, as Captain Stark and the Nimitz Strike Group is dispatched to investigate the contacts. Karpov must get through the vast Bering Sea, and then pass the narrow strait between Siberia and Alaska, a place he calls “The Gates of Hell.” It is a harrowing warning of the action that will ensue in this volume, which features a riveting sea chase, gripping sub duels, and later, the Air, Land and Sea battles for the North Cape.
The Pacific Fleet eventually comes home to Severomorsk, but not without paying a price. Karpov and company are then immediately pulled into the naval action in the Norwegian Sea when Tyrenkov orders the seizure and reinforcement of the remote northern Islands of Svalbard. The British are leading the NATO effort to make a helicopter assault to recapture those islands, even while Karpov is delivering reinforcements for the Russians. Then the US Washington Strike Group gets into the action under Captain Tanner, and things really begin to heat up in a series of naval duels on and under the sea.
The land action in the north Cape is briefly covered in one segment, but that external battle is counterpointed by a simmering internal conflict aboard Kirov precipitated by the dark presence of Colonel Voronin, the ship’s new Zampolit, or Political Officer. The Black Crow, as the crew comes to call him, is sticking his nose into the affairs of the ship, and this inevitably draws sparks with Karpov, right from the outset of this volume. There are some very tense confrontations on the bridge, and both sides scheme to get the upper hand in the little power struggle. Knowing Karpov as they do, series veterans know what to expect when Voronin’s transgressions rub him the wrong way.
All in all, Ice War is presented with good depth and loaded with naval air action. Battles here cover the Bering Sea Chase, action off Svalbard, NATO’s counterattack in the North Cape, and the climactic “Battle of the Barents Sea.” At the end, the author tips us off on what’s coming next, the big NATO offensive in Europe, code named Eagle Rising. As the Ice War concludes, we asked John where the series is going next.
“The conclusion of Ice Warwill present an interesting discussion between Karpov, Fedorov and Tyrenkov, and that will lead them on a special mission as we go to the ground war in Europe, NATO’s big offensive to liberate the Russian occupied Baltic States. There we will meet Brigadier Berg in the 21st Panzer Brigade, and of course Brigadier Kinlan with the British contingent, and they will take us into that ground war, which will really decide Russia’s fate in this war.”
“What about the Chinese? Is the conflict in the Pacific over?”
“No. That end of the war suffered a severe check with the eruption of the Demon Volcano, but that war resumes after a three week interruption, so I’ll also be covering the US campaign into the East China Sea, the Chinese intervention in Korea, and the Argos Fireleads a combined NATO group into the South China Sea again as the West goes on the offensive in an attempt to break the Chinese Navy.”
“Does Kirov get in on that action?”
“Not directly, as the Fleet is in the north now, but there will be a few twists yet to come involving Kirovand crew, so stay tuned.”
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Kirov Saga Ice War
ByJohn Schettler
Part I – Seven SkunksPart II – Strange BedfellowsPart III – Harried NorthPart IV – Hidden DangerPart V – The Gates of HellPart VI – JeremiahPart VII – Ardent FirePart VIII– RegroupingPart IX – Cold FuryPart X – Sea EaglePart XI – SubmarinesPart XII – Free Radicals
June 20, 2019
Kirov Series heads out into the Deep Blue
Series fans have been eagerly awaiting next installment of the saga, and even the title was not known until just a few days before release. As always, the web site puts up the cover a few days before publication, and here we are, hip deep in World War Three.
In this expanded retelling of the events that started that war, we have all just seen real life imitating fiction with the recent tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman. Let us hope the ballistic missiles don’t soon follow. That was but one of the many action scenes presented in this marathon depiction of the war. Focusing primarily on the naval and related air combat, we’ve seen fighting in the North Sea, Norwegian Sea, Denmark Strait, Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean, and all the seas bordering China. Some of the small unit actions, with Argos Fire and the Fairchild Group providing our point of view, were among the most interesting. In them we saw how a few competent naval task forces could deal with the so called “String of Pearls” China has been building with bases through the Indian Ocean. Now, in Deep Blue, the fighting is much closer to home.
The story takes up right where it left off in Resurgent, with Fedorov rushing into the ready room to tell Karpov what has happened. Hints of the odd effects related to time shifts, and missing crewmen cast a shadow over their plans earlier, and now the looming presence of an event series readers know is coming will soon have a major impact on action in this volume--the Demon Volcano.
With a charge given to him directly by Tyrenkov, Karpov is ordered to go out and sink another carrier, and he seldom disappoints. How that might happen is part of the twist in this offering, something that the author often does at the heart of each new season. After the sharp naval action in the Yellow Sea, China now exerts more pressure by lighting the fuse in Korea, creating another major crisis point for the United States to contend with. The American answer is Operation Urgent Fire, a fast sealift of the 25th Infantry Division to Japan, for eventual deployment to Korea.
After giving us a taste of the ground war when Kim’s warriors cross the DMZ, the action shifts to Kirov and the Russian Pacific Fleet, as Karpov sets out into the Deep Blue again, looking for that carrier to notch his belt. He finds a good deal more than he expected, and we get a fitting glimpse of the future he and Fedorov helped shape with their many interventions in the last war. You may be surprised to learn how that all turned out, and the tremendous implications a few tweaks in the history had on the situation in the Pacific.
Thus far the series has taken an in-depth look at the naval war, and we have seen both the strengths and shortcomings of each side. China’s burgeoning shipbuilding is surging ahead, but they lack strong carrier based forces that can bring significant air power, and strike capability, out into the Deep Blue. That has been the realm where the United states had reigned unchallenged for the last 80 years, largely because of their expert ability to deploy aircraft carriers. Those air wings have ruled the skies over the seas since the 1940’s, and it is no different here.
On the other hand, we also see that this war has caught the US in a kind of twilight zone between the last 30 years and the war they have to fight now, where its navy largely operated to project power ashore with air strikes and cruise missiles. Little emphasis was placed on surface warfare, and now the USN faces down a strong peer competitor in the Chinese Navy. With Chinese destroyers that can fire anti-ship missiles with three and four times the range of the old US Harpoons, American destroyers seem to be viable only as an integral part of a US carrier task force. In effect, the US can’t really go toe to toe with the Chinese fleet without a carrier present, which is why the early loss of both Eisenhower and Carl Vinson were such heavy blows to the navy. Now here comes Vladimir Karpov, the next pretender to the throne. He soon learns that the Americans might have made a better friend than an enemy.
The Chinese solution is to find strength in numbers, and mass their fleet to face the Americans, advancing in a phalanx of destroyers and frigates, bolstered by the few carriers they have. Supported by their considerable land based air power, China has been able to control the green waters of the East and South China Seas, but the Deep Blue is still dominated by the US. China began the war with 54 large surface warships, from the type 051B destroyer north to their newer type 055 fleet additions. That new destroyer has proved highly effective, but by 2021, there are only six available. In action thus far, they have lost 15 destroyers, almost a third of their heavy naval assets. This has prevented them from fully isolating Taiwan and Japan, and forced them back to their littoral waters, and now the US wolf is finally at the door when the DF-21D’s run out.
On the US side, the 7th Fleet was badly outnumbered at the outbreak of the war, but it got strong support from the Japanese and South Korean navies, until reinforcements could arrive from the 3rd Fleet. The US strategy now is to use adroit carrier tactics and sea based air power, brave the DF-21D zone, and then bring the missiles. The only problem is that the author has tracked down actual inventory numbers on weapons that would really be available to both sides. A good many articles hype the latest arrows in the US quiver, notably the LRASM, and the Multi-Mission Tomahawk, which can strike both land and sea targets. You may be surprised to learn how many will actually exist by 2021, including the much lauded new US Standard Missile-6.
Meanwhile, the reinforced Russian Pacific Fleet keeps getting smaller as losses reduce the number of ships available for operations. Both Karpov and Fedorov can see the futility of trying to win the war through force of arms, yet always the warrior, Karpov remains ever confident in his abilities.
On the other hand, Ex-Navigator and now Starpom (XO) of the mighty Kirov has been conflicted throughout the series, and haunted, by images of a devastated future world they saw during an odd forward shift in book one. Preferring to use his words rather than missiles, it is no surprise that he argues for a way to find a negotiated settlement to the war before things get out of hand. The only man who could initiate those talks is Tyrenkov, Karpov’s ex-Chief of security and intelligence, but the cagey spymaster doesn’t see the same future as Fedorov, which leads to some dissension and turmoil before this book ends.
All in all, the war is grinding forward into real dangerous territory, both on land and at sea. China reinforces Korea to offset US reinforcements, and in Europe NATO has completed its mobilization and is getting ready for a major counteroffensive against the Russians. It is there that we will most likely learn the fate of two other time traveling characters that led modern day forces into the cauldron of WWII--Brigadiers Kinlan and Berg.
As this one ends, action on the macro and micro scales ratchets the tension up another few notches, setting the stage for the next volume, where every side in this war presses for advantage while skirting the dangerous line of escalation that could lead to the conflagration Fedorov fears.
Head out into the Deep Blue to catch all the action, as volume 5 in the season goes on sale June 20--Available Now!
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Kirov Saga
Deep Blue
By
John Schettler
Part I – M.I.A.
Part II – Regrouping
Part III – Urgent Fire
Part IV – Off Track
Part V – The Demon
Part VI – Brothers in Arms
Part VII – The Lost Sheep
Part VIII– Eagle and Dragon
Part IX – Wind and Thunder
Part X – Sea of Japan
Part XI – Affinity
Part XII – Insurgent
