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Invasion America #1
Invasion: Alaska
The invasion of Alaska has begun. And the Third World War may not be far behind.
In this controversial book, Vaughn Heppner explores the theme of a shattered America facing the onslaught of the new colossus in the East: Greater China.
The time is 2032, and the Chinese are crossing the polar ice and steaming through the Gulf of Alaska. They have conquered oil-rich Siberia and turned Japan into a satellite state. Now a new glacial period has begun, devastating the world’s food supply. China plans to corner the world’s oil market and buy the needed food for their hungry masses.
A weakened America uses old technology against the next generation of military hardware. The invasion unleashes the Hell of battle as two armies turn the snowfields of Alaska red with blood.
Invasion: Alaska is a thundering techno-thriller of vast scope from bestselling author Vaughn Heppner.
©2011 Vaughn Heppner (P)2013 Audible, Inc.
In this controversial book, Vaughn Heppner explores the theme of a shattered America facing the onslaught of the new colossus in the East: Greater China.
The time is 2032, and the Chinese are crossing the polar ice and steaming through the Gulf of Alaska. They have conquered oil-rich Siberia and turned Japan into a satellite state. Now a new glacial period has begun, devastating the world’s food supply. China plans to corner the world’s oil market and buy the needed food for their hungry masses.
A weakened America uses old technology against the next generation of military hardware. The invasion unleashes the Hell of battle as two armies turn the snowfields of Alaska red with blood.
Invasion: Alaska is a thundering techno-thriller of vast scope from bestselling author Vaughn Heppner.
©2011 Vaughn Heppner (P)2013 Audible, Inc.
Audiobook
First published December 9, 2011
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391 people want to read
About the author
Vaughn Heppner
144 books566 followersYou can visit Vaughn at www.vaughnheppner.com
I was born in Canada and remember as a small boy crawling in my snow-fort. I closed my eyes, and when I tried to open them, they were frozen shut. I didn't panic, but wiped away the ice crystals, unglued my eyes and kept on building my tunnel. Those were great days! I moved to Central California before seventh grade and couldn't believe I lived in a land where oranges grew on trees and you could pick grapes from the vine.
I used to wonder what I wanted to do with my life, what kind of work specifically. I was miserable not knowing and bordering on desperate. Then one day a friend gave me his typewriter. I began working on a novel. A different person told me it was much easier on a computer, so I bought one and began getting up at 4:30 A.M. each morning before work, writing for three hours. My eyes were unglued once again as the pang of misery left my gut. I knew exactly what I wanted to do: write. So now that's what I do, I write, and write, and write, and I love it.
I was born in Canada and remember as a small boy crawling in my snow-fort. I closed my eyes, and when I tried to open them, they were frozen shut. I didn't panic, but wiped away the ice crystals, unglued my eyes and kept on building my tunnel. Those were great days! I moved to Central California before seventh grade and couldn't believe I lived in a land where oranges grew on trees and you could pick grapes from the vine.
I used to wonder what I wanted to do with my life, what kind of work specifically. I was miserable not knowing and bordering on desperate. Then one day a friend gave me his typewriter. I began working on a novel. A different person told me it was much easier on a computer, so I bought one and began getting up at 4:30 A.M. each morning before work, writing for three hours. My eyes were unglued once again as the pang of misery left my gut. I knew exactly what I wanted to do: write. So now that's what I do, I write, and write, and write, and I love it.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
July 21, 2013
This book surprised me. I suppose because I wasn't impressed by the cover-art I didn't look for much in the way of a novel. I was wrong, this is a good book.
Why is it a good book (you ask inquisitively)? Well, from the first I was interested. The book follows a war that takes place 20+ years in the future. it is told from the point of view of individuals on both sides of the conflict and from the point of view of the "leaders". With an overview of general events and closeups of military actions there is a constant flow if interesting prose not to mention a generous supply of action.
The book picks up after a second global depression with things having changed drastically. China is the richest most influential country in the world controlling almost all oil supplies. But there have been new discoveries in Prudhoe Bay. The fact that the "not so rich anymore" U.S. has a good oil supply from Alaska wouldn't be so bad except the world is also experiencing another "Little Ice Age" like the one that began in the Middle Ages. Food production in many places has dropped and the world is hungry. Specifically the last two rice harvests have been poor and China is having "rice riots". The most productive food growing country in the world is...the U.S.
Thus we have the setup for certain of China's leaders think that snatching the oil in Alaska for China would be a "Jim Dandy" idea to force America to get the Food producing countries (of which America is head as China is of the oil producing countries) to give China cheap grain.
The book gets one of my rare 5 star ratings as I was interested from start to finish and didn't want to put it down. I plan to buy the next and get to it quickly.
Let me say one more thing. There are many types of military science fiction. This is a "techno-thriller" it's told as a procedural. There are details about weapons, machines and so on (one false note is when he makes a mistake about a certain rifle caliber. I suppose one in the book "ain't bad" though. It did bug me however. Want to know what it was the bugged me? If someone asks I'll say). There is very little in this book about the private lives, emotional lives...love lives of the participants. There's some, but not much.
Allow me to dumb down my review and use a television illustration. Years ago (when it first came on) I liked Law and Order. It was a police procedural. The police investigated the crime, the prosecutors prosecuted. We find out very, very little about the detective's or the lawyer's personal lives. They originally shot for a balanced story. (Sadly over the years that changed and I lost interest). So this is a largely plot driven book with a fast moving well constructed plot and I can highly recommend this one.
Oh, and I do highly recommend it.
Why is it a good book (you ask inquisitively)? Well, from the first I was interested. The book follows a war that takes place 20+ years in the future. it is told from the point of view of individuals on both sides of the conflict and from the point of view of the "leaders". With an overview of general events and closeups of military actions there is a constant flow if interesting prose not to mention a generous supply of action.
The book picks up after a second global depression with things having changed drastically. China is the richest most influential country in the world controlling almost all oil supplies. But there have been new discoveries in Prudhoe Bay. The fact that the "not so rich anymore" U.S. has a good oil supply from Alaska wouldn't be so bad except the world is also experiencing another "Little Ice Age" like the one that began in the Middle Ages. Food production in many places has dropped and the world is hungry. Specifically the last two rice harvests have been poor and China is having "rice riots". The most productive food growing country in the world is...the U.S.
Thus we have the setup for certain of China's leaders think that snatching the oil in Alaska for China would be a "Jim Dandy" idea to force America to get the Food producing countries (of which America is head as China is of the oil producing countries) to give China cheap grain.
The book gets one of my rare 5 star ratings as I was interested from start to finish and didn't want to put it down. I plan to buy the next and get to it quickly.
Let me say one more thing. There are many types of military science fiction. This is a "techno-thriller" it's told as a procedural. There are details about weapons, machines and so on (one false note is when he makes a mistake about a certain rifle caliber. I suppose one in the book "ain't bad" though. It did bug me however. Want to know what it was the bugged me? If someone asks I'll say). There is very little in this book about the private lives, emotional lives...love lives of the participants. There's some, but not much.
Allow me to dumb down my review and use a television illustration. Years ago (when it first came on) I liked Law and Order. It was a police procedural. The police investigated the crime, the prosecutors prosecuted. We find out very, very little about the detective's or the lawyer's personal lives. They originally shot for a balanced story. (Sadly over the years that changed and I lost interest). So this is a largely plot driven book with a fast moving well constructed plot and I can highly recommend this one.
Oh, and I do highly recommend it.
March 3, 2012
David Weberesque, only with more wooden characters, more military technobabble, and more jarring use of italics for emphasis - but fewer vampires.
July 3, 2013
This book surprised me. I suppose because I wasn't impressed by the cover-art I didn't look for much in the way of a novel. I was wrong, this is a good book.
Why is it a good book (you ask inquisitively)? Well, from the first I was interested. The book follows a war that takes place 20+ years in the future. it is told from the point of view of individuals on both sides of the conflict and from the point of view of the "leaders". With an overview of general events and closeups of military actions there is a constant flow if interesting prose not to mention a generous supply of action.
The book picks up after a second global depression with things having changed drastically. China is the richest most influential country in the world controlling almost all oil supplies. But there have been new discoveries in Prudhoe Bay. The fact that the "not so rich anymore" U.S. has a good oil supply from Alaska wouldn't be so bad except the world is also experiencing another "Little Ice Age" like the one that began in the Middle Ages. Food production in many places has dropped and the world is hungry. Specifically the last two rice harvests have been poor and China is having "rice riots". The most productive food growing country in the world is...the U.S.
Thus we have the setup for certain of China's leaders think that snatching the oil in Alaska for China would be a "Jim Dandy" was to force America to get the Food producing countries (of which America is head as China is of the oil producing countries) to give China cheap grain.
The book gets one of my rare 5 star ratings as I was interested from start to finish and didn't want to put it down. I plan to buy the next and get to it quickly.
Let me say one more thing. There are many types of military science fiction. This is a "techno-thriller" it's told as a procedural. There are details about weapons, machines and so on (one false note is when he makes a mistake about a certain rifle caliber. I suppose one in the book "ain't bad" though. It did bug me however. Want to know what it was the bugged me? If someone asks I'll say). There is very little in this book about the private lives, emotional lives...love lives of the participants. There's some, but not much.
Allow me to dumb down my review and use a television illustration. Years ago (when it first came on) I liked Law and Order. It was a police procedural. The police investigated the crime, the prosecutors prosecuted. We find out very, very little about the detective's or the lawyer's personal lives. They originally shot for a balanced story. (Sadly over the years that changed and I lost interest). So this is a largely plot driven book with a fast moving well constructed plot and I can highly recommend this one.
Oh, and I do highly recommend it.
Why is it a good book (you ask inquisitively)? Well, from the first I was interested. The book follows a war that takes place 20+ years in the future. it is told from the point of view of individuals on both sides of the conflict and from the point of view of the "leaders". With an overview of general events and closeups of military actions there is a constant flow if interesting prose not to mention a generous supply of action.
The book picks up after a second global depression with things having changed drastically. China is the richest most influential country in the world controlling almost all oil supplies. But there have been new discoveries in Prudhoe Bay. The fact that the "not so rich anymore" U.S. has a good oil supply from Alaska wouldn't be so bad except the world is also experiencing another "Little Ice Age" like the one that began in the Middle Ages. Food production in many places has dropped and the world is hungry. Specifically the last two rice harvests have been poor and China is having "rice riots". The most productive food growing country in the world is...the U.S.
Thus we have the setup for certain of China's leaders think that snatching the oil in Alaska for China would be a "Jim Dandy" was to force America to get the Food producing countries (of which America is head as China is of the oil producing countries) to give China cheap grain.
The book gets one of my rare 5 star ratings as I was interested from start to finish and didn't want to put it down. I plan to buy the next and get to it quickly.
Let me say one more thing. There are many types of military science fiction. This is a "techno-thriller" it's told as a procedural. There are details about weapons, machines and so on (one false note is when he makes a mistake about a certain rifle caliber. I suppose one in the book "ain't bad" though. It did bug me however. Want to know what it was the bugged me? If someone asks I'll say). There is very little in this book about the private lives, emotional lives...love lives of the participants. There's some, but not much.
Allow me to dumb down my review and use a television illustration. Years ago (when it first came on) I liked Law and Order. It was a police procedural. The police investigated the crime, the prosecutors prosecuted. We find out very, very little about the detective's or the lawyer's personal lives. They originally shot for a balanced story. (Sadly over the years that changed and I lost interest). So this is a largely plot driven book with a fast moving well constructed plot and I can highly recommend this one.
Oh, and I do highly recommend it.
September 10, 2012
Awful book even considering the genre, this is still an awful book. I am an Alaskan. The author probably visited or read a tour book but I can't believe he knows Alaska.
Even without that, it is still an awful book.
Even without that, it is still an awful book.
December 4, 2013
Unfortunately not good. The premise is interesting from considering threats to the US. That is it. The story was extremely disjointed and poorly written. There were many ridiculous points to the story. One that almost made me put the book down was a sudden, extremely brief, encounter of passion that had absolutely zero bearing on anything. It was just thrown in for what I don't even know. Furthermore, the description of weapons and warfare were not believable. Alas, I won't be reading others in the series.
December 6, 2013
While I enjoy the genre, the writing jumped around a lot and I often felt like I missed part of the story. I also felt the characters were sometimes random in their behavior, and pretty shallow.
August 19, 2014
Heppner's book about a major war between a powerful China and an America that isn't just declining, but actually down and on the mat shows all the problems that give indie books a bad rap. I'll touch on each of them:
1) Terrible research. Heppner doesn't bother to reference Chinese military equipment using Chinese terms. Instead, he uses Russian. He is apparently ignorant of everything the United States military has developed in the last 15 years, let alone has in testing, and therefore has no concept at all of what even a weaker near future American military might look like. Instead, he relies entirely on late Cold War legacy systems. He can't even get basic historical details, like what happened at Pearl Harbor, or the basic geographic details of his Alaskan setting right.
The book is literally built on a foundation of factual errors. It's really, really ugly. No one who calls themselves a fan of mil-tech or military history should approve of this crud.
2) No proofreading. The book is riddled with typos, spelling errors and grammatical errors.
3) Knee-jerk political agenda. Heppner apparently doesn't understand that if you are going to put a political agenda in a book like this one, you do it sparingly and subtly. Instead, his vision of the future packs it with anti-Democrat fantasy propaganda guaranteed to offend... what, 1/3 to 1/2 of his audience? Even if some love him for it, at least as many will be turned off.
4) Wooden characters. And to get back to point #3, almost all the Americans are basically WASPs.
Once you know all of this and you realize that Heppner is rapidly turning books out at the rate of at least three per year -- he has multiple series running concurrently and just this one saw five volumes released in the space of three years -- one can only draw the conclusion that Heppner has zero respect for the craft of being an author. He doesn't think his books through, he does zero research, and he obviously publishes his first draft with a minimum of editing and no proofing.
By the way, while I know these books sold well, Heppner claims to be a "best-selling author." As far as I know, he has never broken the Top 100 on any major publishing list, let alone into the Top 25.
1) Terrible research. Heppner doesn't bother to reference Chinese military equipment using Chinese terms. Instead, he uses Russian. He is apparently ignorant of everything the United States military has developed in the last 15 years, let alone has in testing, and therefore has no concept at all of what even a weaker near future American military might look like. Instead, he relies entirely on late Cold War legacy systems. He can't even get basic historical details, like what happened at Pearl Harbor, or the basic geographic details of his Alaskan setting right.
The book is literally built on a foundation of factual errors. It's really, really ugly. No one who calls themselves a fan of mil-tech or military history should approve of this crud.
2) No proofreading. The book is riddled with typos, spelling errors and grammatical errors.
3) Knee-jerk political agenda. Heppner apparently doesn't understand that if you are going to put a political agenda in a book like this one, you do it sparingly and subtly. Instead, his vision of the future packs it with anti-Democrat fantasy propaganda guaranteed to offend... what, 1/3 to 1/2 of his audience? Even if some love him for it, at least as many will be turned off.
4) Wooden characters. And to get back to point #3, almost all the Americans are basically WASPs.
Once you know all of this and you realize that Heppner is rapidly turning books out at the rate of at least three per year -- he has multiple series running concurrently and just this one saw five volumes released in the space of three years -- one can only draw the conclusion that Heppner has zero respect for the craft of being an author. He doesn't think his books through, he does zero research, and he obviously publishes his first draft with a minimum of editing and no proofing.
By the way, while I know these books sold well, Heppner claims to be a "best-selling author." As far as I know, he has never broken the Top 100 on any major publishing list, let alone into the Top 25.
October 24, 2012
I thought that the storyline had potential when I got this book. Way too many unnecessary repetative acronyms for me. Weak character backgrounds. I know this was fiction but the president launching nuclear weapons on invaders on US soil because he thought a female analyst brought him luck, really!?! I still think that the idea has potential for a good read just not in this book.
April 2, 2018
Alaska In War
The book was truly a page turner, but I thought it might be about the fact that during WWII we were ACTUALLY invaded. This was by the Japanese not the Chinese and it was just a couple of the islands in the archipelago of Alaska. It is not well known and I think that the government prefers to keep it that way
The book was truly a page turner, but I thought it might be about the fact that during WWII we were ACTUALLY invaded. This was by the Japanese not the Chinese and it was just a couple of the islands in the archipelago of Alaska. It is not well known and I think that the government prefers to keep it that way
November 13, 2021
Terrible ending thus the two rating. Seems as if the writer just decided ti quit. As a result I would not recommend the book. This guy is not a Larry Bond.
September 27, 2018
Great Book
I have really enjoyed this book. I cannot wait to continue reading the series of books. The Author has done a wonderful job in writing this book.
I have really enjoyed this book. I cannot wait to continue reading the series of books. The Author has done a wonderful job in writing this book.
September 10, 2024
Invasion: Alaska presents a well-structured plot, with each development logically stemming from previous events. The stakes for both sides are clearly defined, creating a palpable sense of urgency - regardless of where a reader's sympathies may lie, it's evident that neither side can afford to lose. While the characters lean towards being archetypes rather than fully realised individuals, Heppner does sprinkle in enough bits and pieces of individual quality to prevent them from becoming entirely one-dimensional. Nonetheless, they may not resonate deeply with the reader without the reader's personal identification with them.
The worldbuilding, while serviceable for the story's needs, is somewhat underwhelming. Although character actions and plot developments are believable within the established, the context itself - that is, the world - strains credibility and feels a bit implausible, even silly, after both immediate and intermediate reflection.
After finishing this first installment, I find myself somewhat ambivalent about continuing the series. While it didn't leave me particularly eager for more, Invasion: Alaska also didn't dissuade me from further exploration of its series, the way that some other books have.
The worldbuilding, while serviceable for the story's needs, is somewhat underwhelming. Although character actions and plot developments are believable within the established, the context itself - that is, the world - strains credibility and feels a bit implausible, even silly, after both immediate and intermediate reflection.
After finishing this first installment, I find myself somewhat ambivalent about continuing the series. While it didn't leave me particularly eager for more, Invasion: Alaska also didn't dissuade me from further exploration of its series, the way that some other books have.
November 25, 2021
The story was quite good and I was looking forward to more installments of the story, but the sheer number of typos (Mack being replaced with Mick and conquering European Russia written as conquering European Russian being the most recent errors in my mind) have turned me off the rest of the series. I didn’t check, but I have to assume this was self-published which is no excuse for these errors.
March 24, 2019
So many typos
Expect - except
I can't honestly recommend this book to anyone I know. I also can't wait to read the sequels.
#Wolverines
Expect - except
I can't honestly recommend this book to anyone I know. I also can't wait to read the sequels.
#Wolverines
December 3, 2021
Good book with realism
It was good to read just 1 book and get a complete story without having to suffer through uninteresting volumes in a series. The author hit it just right.
It was good to read just 1 book and get a complete story without having to suffer through uninteresting volumes in a series. The author hit it just right.
October 29, 2022
A great reading!!!
Awesome story line and lots of action. Looking for the next book!! These are great stories and great books!!! Awesome!!!
Awesome story line and lots of action. Looking for the next book!! These are great stories and great books!!! Awesome!!!
August 29, 2012
I had no problem getting through this book, and I did enjoy the story/concept. However, it wasn't without a few drawbacks.
The big positive side of it was that, to me, it passes the smell test. That is, most of the story seemed entirely plausible and not just some fantasy. The events and descriptions really do feel like they could happen in the future as it is written here.
The first negative was that the author spent a great amount of detail describing the weaponry, vehicles, and aircraft. These kinds of details, while helpful, meant I wasn't reading about the action that kept me so interested in the book. My second gripe was that the end of the book seemed to be rushed, as if he simply wanted to finish it.
I mean, what was that whole paragraph about Anna and her bodyguard supposed to be about? I know it was a love scene, but it seemed terribly out of place, and in no way relevant to the storyline. And the end of the story was incredibly sudden and lacking something. One minute, we've got some great descriptions of combat, and a few pages later we've got an incredibly lackluster attempt at ending the book at a summit. I kind of felt cheated by the ending.
Overall, it does seem I'm bashing the book a bit, but I have to admit, it was a great ride throughout, and it did have that "can't wait to read the next chapter" thing happening. If you like books about combat or war, I would give this one a try.
The big positive side of it was that, to me, it passes the smell test. That is, most of the story seemed entirely plausible and not just some fantasy. The events and descriptions really do feel like they could happen in the future as it is written here.
The first negative was that the author spent a great amount of detail describing the weaponry, vehicles, and aircraft. These kinds of details, while helpful, meant I wasn't reading about the action that kept me so interested in the book. My second gripe was that the end of the book seemed to be rushed, as if he simply wanted to finish it.
I mean, what was that whole paragraph about Anna and her bodyguard supposed to be about? I know it was a love scene, but it seemed terribly out of place, and in no way relevant to the storyline. And the end of the story was incredibly sudden and lacking something. One minute, we've got some great descriptions of combat, and a few pages later we've got an incredibly lackluster attempt at ending the book at a summit. I kind of felt cheated by the ending.
Overall, it does seem I'm bashing the book a bit, but I have to admit, it was a great ride throughout, and it did have that "can't wait to read the next chapter" thing happening. If you like books about combat or war, I would give this one a try.
April 25, 2015
SO...I really wanted to give this book at least three stars, but just couldn't. While Vaughn takes the time to do the research on the environment of Alaska, like he got all the little towns in Alaska correct, He completely screwed up the other research. I realize in a science fiction book, there are things where you should just hit the "i believe" button and move on. But, when he puts so much research into half the book and none into the other, it is really hard to like to the book. And, it was mostly the military stuff he completely screwed up. It is only a two decades and change in the future. The military does not change that much.
The other thing that bother me was he introduced characters at an alarming rate, killed half of them, and failed to develop the ones that lived. Then there were the "troubled ex-marine" and "sleazy politician" characters that were so cliche I literally groaned inside reading their parts.
The jumping around was a headache. He tried to do it in the fashion that Tom Clancy does it in his books, but completely failed.
To be honest, the only reason I kept reading to the last page was because it helped me fall asleep at night. Even with the totally predictable plot and hokey science fiction, Mark McGinnis Scrapyard Ship series is far better reading.
The other thing that bother me was he introduced characters at an alarming rate, killed half of them, and failed to develop the ones that lived. Then there were the "troubled ex-marine" and "sleazy politician" characters that were so cliche I literally groaned inside reading their parts.
The jumping around was a headache. He tried to do it in the fashion that Tom Clancy does it in his books, but completely failed.
To be honest, the only reason I kept reading to the last page was because it helped me fall asleep at night. Even with the totally predictable plot and hokey science fiction, Mark McGinnis Scrapyard Ship series is far better reading.
February 2, 2021
This is a wider ranging modern warfare novel, that is up there with the likes of Red Storm Rising (Tom Clancy) and Vortex (Larry Bond). Set in the near future it has a good mix of real weaponry and futuristic technology which the author blends together well. The action scenes were well delivered, with pace and yet were able to retain the detail necessary to visual the battles taking place.
If I was to be critical of one aspect of the novel it would with some of the character interactions which seem to undergo large transformations with no little justification. One is example of this is Anna a mid level bureaucrat working for the National Security Advisor as a ‘China expert’. She tries to alert the National Security Advisor to a possible Chinese invasion of Alaska and since the President is trying to a keep lid on ‘war mongering’ against China has her placed under almost house arrest so as to keep her quiet. After the invasion starts, not only is she instantly forgiven and reinstated but ends up in the Whitehouse bunker advising the President directly.
Overall thoroughly good read, and am off to look for book 2 in the series.
If I was to be critical of one aspect of the novel it would with some of the character interactions which seem to undergo large transformations with no little justification. One is example of this is Anna a mid level bureaucrat working for the National Security Advisor as a ‘China expert’. She tries to alert the National Security Advisor to a possible Chinese invasion of Alaska and since the President is trying to a keep lid on ‘war mongering’ against China has her placed under almost house arrest so as to keep her quiet. After the invasion starts, not only is she instantly forgiven and reinstated but ends up in the Whitehouse bunker advising the President directly.
Overall thoroughly good read, and am off to look for book 2 in the series.
May 24, 2022
One of my favorite genres to read is “alternate history.” Although much of that is written about events of the past, on occasion futuristic “alternate history” comes out and makes for a good read. An Amazon suggestion for me, based on my history of reading those books was Vaughn Heppner’s Invasion series, taking place in the not-too-distant future.
The first book in the series is Invasion Alaska. It’s the year 2032 and the problem of global warming is no more. Instead, the world has gotten colder due to several factors including some hyperactive volcanoes. The US is a weakened state, having dealt with an economic crash that makes it one step up from a third-world country. The one thing it still has that everyone wants is the mid-western bread-basket.
To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
The first book in the series is Invasion Alaska. It’s the year 2032 and the problem of global warming is no more. Instead, the world has gotten colder due to several factors including some hyperactive volcanoes. The US is a weakened state, having dealt with an economic crash that makes it one step up from a third-world country. The one thing it still has that everyone wants is the mid-western bread-basket.
To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
August 1, 2014
There are elements to Invasion: Alaska that are Clancyesque, in the vein of Red Storm Rising, but it misses somewhere along the way. Maybe it's because Clancy tended to write about technology that wasn't that far into the future, but had yet to be deployed. Technology done enough that it was foreseeable in a future battlefield. Invasion: Alaska is set 20+ years into a dystopian future. American armament is essentially static while the Chinese field hover tanks and triple turreted monsters.
On the whole, it was just OK. There were elements that got lost (the preacher turned infantryman would have been fun to explore more) and the characters came across as stiff.
Don't get me wrong, it's not bad, it's just not great. If anything, it proves how hard this genre can be and how good Clancy really was.
On the whole, it was just OK. There were elements that got lost (the preacher turned infantryman would have been fun to explore more) and the characters came across as stiff.
Don't get me wrong, it's not bad, it's just not great. If anything, it proves how hard this genre can be and how good Clancy really was.
March 1, 2012
Similar to Tom Clancy's epics -- in particular, Red Storm Rising -- Invasion: Alaska gives an all-sides view of a Chinese invasion of Alaska in 2032. China is now pre-eminent, and the US a mere shadow of its former glory. But the US controls the grain, and China needs that grain to feed its masses. Already controlling the Siberian oil, China decides on a sudden invasion of Alaska to grab the American oil fields, and use them as bargaining chips for grain.
This was quite a fun read, even if the characters were rather two dimensional. The Clancy comparison is completely valid there, but that's okay. It's the battles you want to read, and the politics.
There seems to be a hint of more to come, which I hope Heppner gets to do.
This was quite a fun read, even if the characters were rather two dimensional. The Clancy comparison is completely valid there, but that's okay. It's the battles you want to read, and the politics.
There seems to be a hint of more to come, which I hope Heppner gets to do.
March 7, 2012
This is a Tier 1 book, plain and simple. I think my only beef was that the first quarter+ was character and story building, but even that part really added to the rest of the later story.
If you like military fiction, one with a science fiction element (it's 30 years in the future), if you loved books like Red Storm Rising or Team Yankee then you'll very probably like this book.
If you like military fiction, one with a science fiction element (it's 30 years in the future), if you loved books like Red Storm Rising or Team Yankee then you'll very probably like this book.
May 31, 2012
Interesting story about China which grew to superpower status and America which lost the same.
I enjoyed reading the near-future war story Heppner creates from the usual tropes, seasoned with starving chinese population, an abundance of boy childs following the chinese one-child-rule and american isolationism. Just about the only thing keeping me from choosing five stars is the sometimes heavy-handed way in which he tends to describe chinese technical superiority which is countered by the naked heroism of the oh-so-valiant cops, hunters and assorted other average Alaskan adversaries.
I enjoyed reading the near-future war story Heppner creates from the usual tropes, seasoned with starving chinese population, an abundance of boy childs following the chinese one-child-rule and american isolationism. Just about the only thing keeping me from choosing five stars is the sometimes heavy-handed way in which he tends to describe chinese technical superiority which is countered by the naked heroism of the oh-so-valiant cops, hunters and assorted other average Alaskan adversaries.
April 22, 2015
‘Invasion Alaska’ is a very good story but I had a hard time rating it. There is a lot of story development taking place so the author gives the reader a good look behind the scenes in China. The scenes are very descriptive which helps fill out the details to the reader. On the downside these take away from time that could be spent on the action and character development (the characters are a bit flat and static throughout). That being said it’s a pretty good mix as long as you’re not looking for mile a minute action. If I could give it 3.5 stars I would but since I can’t 4 stars it is.
June 28, 2014
This series sounded so good I went ahead and bought the whole series before reading even the first book. I haven't been disappointed so far. It has a realistic plot and well thought out and written characters. I liked the idea of the Militias being involved makes it seem more realistic when more than likely during this time the military had been drawn down. I'd recommend this book to anyone who would like to read a near future military thriller. Now on to the next in the series.
June 1, 2014
Had a really slow start, picks up a lot though part way through. It was odd trying to pick out what I thought was really over the top unlikely, and what was just my own sense of patriotism making me biased. A good action/wartime read by the end. It felt pretty realistic with the interaction of politics and strategy causing the best plans to go haywire on both sides.
June 7, 2014
Written in the vein and style of Red Storm Rising, Invasion: Alaska presents a plausible futuristic war scenario. As with RSR, you get the Strategic view, Operational view, and Tactical view by using disparate characters from both sides. It was a fun ride and I look forward to reading the further books in the series.
June 15, 2014
Really interesting and thought provoking..futuristic but not in a sci fi way. I have absolutely no military training or knowledge so I don't know if any of the weapons/vehicles exist or are in development..
That was a very awkward sentence! But I really did like the book and I'm reading book 2 now.
That was a very awkward sentence! But I really did like the book and I'm reading book 2 now.
March 17, 2015
I am enjoying this series. The only thing I can honestly think of to criticize about it so far is the fact that there are few dates given throughout the story. Not a huge deal, but I think it would have added a little more to the story if more dates had been given. Other than that, good work. It left me wanting to read the next book which is always a good sign.
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