Review: 2.5 stars raised to 3 for posting purposes-in need of a comprehensive edit.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 07 15, 2014
This short novella (about 56 pages in length) is set in 2020, and postulates what a conflict between China, the US and Taiwan would be like with advanced weapons technology.I started off reading with great enthusiasm, as this sort of thing is right up my street. Although there is military action and drama, I wasn't hooked. This book just did not manage to hold my attention. In many, many, many places it reads like an essay--even within some dialogue episodes. It feels like the author is giving a lecture, not a fictional feast.The punctuation is lacking, and there are many clumsy sentences as a result. One example is:Once in a shitty grimy village near Kabul, Afghanistan a car bomb detonated with my tank crew and me standing only 100 feet from the explosion.and:She slipped into bed and pouting propped up on pillows, covers pulled up only to her navel.There is far too much telling in this novella, and nowhere near enough showing.I really wanted to like this book, but it just needs too much work. It is full of split infinitives and poor punctuation. It is also written in a passive writing style. This book is in need of a comprehensive edit. I give it 2.5 out of 5 stars, which will be upgraded to a weak 3 for posting purposes.