
Copyright 1991.
In the near future the United States and the new Soviet Confederation are at peace. Only there are problems. The Soviets are running out of oil. This will endanger their new economy and they need to secure new reserves. Invading Iran is the logical step. The Americans have developed a new weapon. As powerful as a nuclear bomb but without the fallout. This would stop their planned invasion. Yet the only source of the material for this weapon is in Antartica. Right next to McMurdo Station. The Soviets launch an invasion to seize the base. Stationing their sole aircraft carrier there and flying in hundreds of planes. The Americans respond with three carrier battlegroups. They succeed in sinking the Soviet carrier and taking back McMurdo. The Soviets respond with a new submarine launched ballistic missile that turns into a torpedo. They destroy the American carriers and the 6th Guards Airborne Division lands. Yet there are bigger problems as the active volcano Mount Erebus is about to blow.
This is probably the last techno-thriller that portrayed the Soviets as a credible threat. Sort of a last hurrah for them. It was written in their final year and came out after they collapsed. So, it was a bit dated when I bought the paperback version in 1993. It envisions the Soviets as being able to reform themselves economically and politically to become a stable and prosperous country. While China in this future is mired in a destructive civil war. Of course, the opposite happened. The Soviet Union collapses and the successor states became basket cases. China became more stable and prosperous.
Well besides getting the future wrong, the author does deliver a very solid book. He puts the action in the unique place of Antarctica. He gives us a story filled with plenty of action. It seesaws from the Soviets winning to losing and winning again. Then a shallow President who was a former news anchorman has a nuclear bomb detonated which sets off the volcano. At the end the two superpowers are the losers and the rest of the world forces them to sign a peace treaty. A very enjoyable story with believable action and compelling characters. I would not mind reading more from this author.