THUNDER OF EREBUS BY PAYNE HARRISON

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.

THE LAST PRISONER BY DAVID LORNE

Copyright 1991.

In 1996 the Soviet Union is facing severe problems. A successionist revolt in Ukraine is backed by Germany. The United States backs an economic embargo for the Soviets movements in Poland. Meanwhile Larry Farnes is an immunologist who works for a secret germ warfare program. He decides to expose it after a woman he loves dies in an accident. For this he is sentenced to a federal facility on an island off the coast of Georgia.

The Soviets decide to survive they need to strike at the United States. The President is unpopular and facing a tough reelection. They lose a deadly germ in America which kills millions. To further distract a leaderless America, they launch an invasion with eight thousand men landed in Florida. Farnes manages to escape his prison after most of the people die of the plague. He teams up with a woman that is immune and heads off to the CDC in Atlanta. They have to fight the various lawlessness along the way. They reach Atlanta but the invading Soviets do too and destroy the CDC. Farnes is captured but the general of the Soviet invasion needs his help. Another plague was released on his invading troops and they are dying. They have to capture the secret research base to find a cure and stop the impending nuclear war.

A book written in the final year of the Soviet Union. A very sympathetic one that sees the Soviets justified in committing genocide because they were being bullied by the west. I wonder if he cried when the Soviet Union collapses. Anyway he did foresee that if the Soviet Union continued on they would face some serious problems to their existence. The book is an OK one. Nothing really special but does keep the reader’s interest. I did find it a bit unrealistic on the whole. I mean I can see them releasing a virus but the whole invasion plan was a bit farfetched. Even though the civilian leadership died, the nuclear command was still intact, and they were about to launch until Larry Farnes convinced them otherwise. So everything ends with them finding a cure. Millions of dead in America and a growing plague around to world but at least the Soviets weren’t being bullied anymore.

RED ARMY BY RALPH PETERS

Copyright 1989.

In the near future the Soviet Union has decided to invade West Germany. The First Western Front will attack in the north and head toward the Rhine. The plan is simply to force the West German government to ask for a separate peace. They gather their forces and attack. The Soviets engage various West German, British, Dutch, Belgian and American forces over a period of three days. They succeed in forcing the West Germans to ask for a separate peace and seriously weaken NATO.

While there have been books on a future NATO/Warsaw Pact conflict, I believe this is the only one to solely focus on the Soviet side. Peters a former Army Intelligence officer specializing in Soviet affairs has a firm grasp on the Russian character. It is told from a variety of viewpoints from the top general, to battalion commanders and airborne troops. Fighter pilots to the common conscript. Each of the characters has his own unique personality and motives. From Russian nationalists to a Jew that has to suffer the discrimination even though he has rejected his religion. Idealist young true believers of the system to the corrupt cynics out to take advantage of the system. He gives us a look at what it was like to serve in this system. A dreary life where they have to units have to grow their own food. Ethnics that can’t understand a word of Russian but somehow manage to function.

Peters takes the bold decision to have them win. His argument is that while NATO has excellent men, equipment and tactics, their greatest weakness is lack of unity. Each of the nationalities operates independently and undermines a cohesive strategy. The Soviets have filmed a phony destruction of a village to demoralize the West Germans and then have to make sure this village is really destroyed even though there is no strategic reason to destroy it. I can actually see the West Germans losing their political will and throwing in the towel.

Now this book had the misfortune of coming out at the end of the Warsaw Pact. In fact, the paperback came out three months after the Berlin Wall fell so it was dated when I bought it new. He had the misfortune of some of his best work coming out a time of fast change. His next book The War in 2020 that dealt with a future civil war in the Soviet Union came out literally after the fall of the Soviet Union. Still these books are enjoyable reads, and you can look at them as an alternate history that never materialized.

SWORD POINT BY HAROLD COYLE

Copyright 1988.

The Soviets have decided to invade Iran and seize their oil. The invasion starts off with them steamrolling over the weak Iranian army. The Americans of course won’t stand for this and send troops to stop them. The Iranians hate both sides and fight them as both invade the country. The Iranians are a minor nuisance to both sides as the two superpowers fight their first head on conflict.

This was Coyle’s second novel after his first Team Yankee. Like that first book the story deals with the men fighting this conflict. While the first dealt solely with the perspective of one tank platoon in a war in Europe, this one gives us a variety of viewpoints. From both the Soviet and American side. We get to see it from the generals in charge to the common enlisted man. From pilots to submarine crews. Coyle does a great job of giving us characters that are unique with their personalities, strengths and weaknesses.

His greatest is capturing the feel of actual combat. The confusion and terror of the battle. You have moments like where an American and Soviet group join forces to stop the Iranians launching a nuclear strike to start a larger war. Being an army officer, he has a firm grasp of the men and tactics in the army at the time. His choice of Iran was a realistic one as many speculated the Soviets did want to invade Iran for its oil and warm water ports. The Middle East was considered the flashpoint for any start of WWIII. The ending where they have a ceasefire and partition the country was also very realistic. This was probably one of the last books written about a Soviet invasion when the country was still at its peak. Next year would see the Berlin Wall fall and the slide toward the dissolution of the Soviet Union. This was Coyle’s best book in my opinion and I highly recommend for any fan of military fiction.

GOOD FRIDAY BY ROBERT LAWRENCE HOLT

Copyright 1987

In the near future the Soviet Union decides to invade Saudi Arabia and seize their oil. A large air fleet has left Afghanistan headed for the oil fields at Dharan. Another fleet loaded with Cubans is headed for Riyadh from Yemen. The Saudi air force is completely helpless as their weapons are no match for the Soviets. The American President a history professor decides that America must invade Saudi Arabia first. With the marine contingent in the gulf, they stage a fake invasion with the reluctant consent of the Saudi king. Only elements of the Saudi military resist and decide to massacre a compound of westerners. Anyway the marines manage to set the airfields at Dhahran on fire which disrupts the operation. A Saudi prince leads his fellow countrymen on the airport tarmac at Riyadh with their cars to drive off the Cubans. Everything works out as the Americans use this to install a more pro-western government and drive the Iranians out of Kuwait.

A techno-thriller without any thrills. The whole setup of this kooky invasion is just ridiculous. The scene where they use cars to drive off the Cubans is absolutely hilarious. I get the feeling that the author really has no idea how a military operation works. He has the Soviets so overpowered that the Saudi’s lose over two hundred of their advanced fighters without losing a single plane. Yet they land on an airfield soaked with oil and burn up. I won’t even talk about the goofy car scene. Or the convoluted reasoning about having to invade first. I am pretty sure that the Soviets were aware of the importance to America of the Saudi oilfields.

Actually, rereading this when we have been involved in the region for decades was quite interesting. The Iranians invading Kuwait and being able to continue to occupy it is obviously something America wouldn’t stand for. The author has such a positive outcome in the region with a more liberal government for the Saudi’s. They even decide to confiscate their foreign reserves as punishment for the massacre and give it to the IMF to give out third world loans. Wow is this a globalist wet dream. Of course, we know the real outcome of our involvement and it was anything so successful. A strange book from a more simpler time that was mildly interesting.

AMERIKA THE TRIUMPH OF THE AMERICAN SPIRIT BY BRAUNA E. POUNS

Copyright 1987.

In the near future the Soviet Union comes to the conclusion they are losing the cold war and drastic measure must be implemented. They detonate nuclear explosions over America and the EMP knocks out America’s communications and nuclear defenses. America has no choice but to surrender. They are to disarm the military, destroy the dollar and in effect become a client state of the Soviet Union. Ten years later America is divided into regions and the puppet government controlled by the People’s Progressive Party(PPP) maintains a Communist style economy and political structure. The nation is also occupied by the UNSSU(United Nations Special Service Unit) comprised of Warsaw Pact and other Communist forces.

Now that the Soviets control the world things are not doing well. Rebellions all over threaten to unravel the victory. The Politburo wants to detonate nuclear explosions over select American cities to demonstrate their power to the world. The general in charge of the occupation comes up with a less extreme plan. The congress will be destroyed in a staged terrorist attack and the regions will declare their independence. In effect the country will be several smaller client states.

The story follows three men in the Central Administrative Region in the Mid-West. Devin Milford a former Presidential candidate who tried to oppose the takeover and ends up in a prison camp in Texas. He gets released and returns to Milford, Nebraska. The other is his best friend Peter Bradford who is the town administrator and one who believes in cooperation with the new order. He is the first to be chosen to lead the new country of Heartland. The third is Colonel Andrei Denisov the KGB agent in charge of the region. Through these three we see the various viewpoints of the resistance and pragmatism to the new regime. All comes to a head when the Heartland secedes and a big fight with the UNSSU.

This miniseries from 1987 came about when Ben Stein suggested this as a counterpoint to the movie The Day After. Well four years later they succeeded in getting it made. By 1987 thought the evil empire was looked on more favorably with Gorbachev and his policies of glasnost and perestroika. There was the usual shrill condemnation from the various media. The Soviets of course condemned it as the UN who were portrayed as tools of the Soviets. Yet its worst enemy was the script. A series that was 14 1/2 hours long broadcast over seven days was a flop. The ratings were big in the beginning but quickly dropped and they never delivered to the advertisers as promised.

This book is an adaptation of the screenplay by Donald Wrye who also directed the series. Now it has been over thirty years since I saw this but remember I liked it. I can see though why it might have not been a success. The book can be a bit drawn out at times and a bit preachy. The book goes into detail how the Soviets gained control where the TV series was bit vague. I think the vagueness was better as the reason explained. The military is well aware of EMP and all our systems are shielded. Plus the launching of nukes over the country would have been detected and probably lead to a nuclear war. The series was spot on that the Soviet Union was losing as a few years later became very obvious. I think my biggest surprise is that a series like this was ever green lighted by the entertainment industry. They are notoriously left leaning even back then.

Anyway this was a fun nostalgic look back to my teenage years. The series is available on youtube if you are interested in checking it out.

HIGH COMMAND BY ANTON EMMERTON

Copyright 1986.

In this near future the Soviet Union invades Scandinavia. Using chemical weapons they conquer it in six days. Then they give an ultimatum to Great Britain. Surrender or else. The weak Labour government decides to surrender and without a shot fired, Great Britain becomes the Soviet British Protectorate. Their military is disbanded, and they are under the occupation of the Soviets to help them reorganize their economy.

Yet there is a nascent resistance forming. The Defense Intelligence Agency hear that the man behind this takeover will be staying at a resort in Cornwall. John Sulley a former member of MI6 was trapped in Los Angeles when the takeover occurred. He is recruited by the DIA to go in and assassinate Marshal Gorontsyev because he lived in the area and knows the people and the resort. The incentive is he can rescue the woman he loves who was trapped in Soviet occupied Britain. Thus begins his training and infiltration into Britain. Only this mission is cancelled because the President will meet with the Premier in London and the government doesn’t want any controversy during this meeting. Needless to say Sulley and friends ignore this and go ahead with the plan.

This book shows that America wasn’t the only country with an inferiority complex when it came to the Soviets. This one has them just give up in spite of being a nuclear power and having the second largest military in NATO at the time. They meekly submit to being a protectorate which is just a level above a full colony. Now I could point out that Norway was a NATO member so America and the alliance would have been obligated to come to their aid. Needless ignoring their brutal invasion and losing Britain I couldn’t see NATO surviving this.

Now in spite of this kooky scenario, the book is an enjoyable thriller. Its cover invokes a more WWII feel, and this story could have worked set in WWII or any other country. It is basically a love story set in an occupied country. It has evil occupiers and a resistance fighting them. Some espionage intrigue on both the Soviet and American side. Plus, a good old action sequence at the end. I highly recommend it for this reason.

THE TAKEOVER BY G.C. EDMONDSON & C.M. KOTLAN

Copyright 1984.

In the near future the Soviet Union has organized a successful oil embargo of America. The economy comes grinding to a halt and the Navy is running out of fuel for its ships. The Soviets realize that this will soon end and decide to take advantage with their plan Cassandra. They detonate a nuclear bomb in the capital of a small Carribean nation. They threaten to detonate ones hidden in Washington and New York if America doesn’t surrender. So they take over America and start assassinating all the people that will cause trouble. Only Admiral Conyers refuses to give in. He leads a fleet of trident submarines that can still threaten Russia.

This book is a very confusing one. I was confused when I first read it and thirty some years later I am still confused. I never really understood how the Soviets took over. They have their twin ambassadors who have been exposed to radiation in an accident and are dying do the blackmailing. The leaders of the government decide to just give in and presto the Soviets are in control. Then the main story is about the son in law of Admiral Conyers. He owns a machine shop in Los Angeles and gets involved with the government in exile because his wife could be used as a hostage. First though he has to rescue the wife of one of his employees and young son who were deported to Mexico. They get involved with a KGB Mexican agent who wants to set up a separate state of Baja from Communist Mexico. There is a subplot of a Japanese American who is captain of an oil tanker smuggling oil through the embargo. His tanker gets destroyed by a Soviet destroyer when they shoot a missile into the tanker. The Soviets then go after him because they think there might be some super-secret weapon instead of an incompetent captain shooting a missile into an oil tanker. They pursue him all the way to Israel where he takes over the intelligence position with the embassy.

This book really just goes off on some wild and unexplained tangents. Although everything ends happily where the Soviets withdraw to face all the revolts and threats closer to home. A very strange book.

I, MARTHA ADAMS BY PAULINE GLEN WINSLOW

Copyright 1982.

It is an alternate future where Reagan and Bush were assassinated, and President Carmody assumed the office. Under his administration the nation’s nuclear defense was reduced to practically nothing. The Soviets launch a preemptive strike and destroy the countries nuclear silos in the west. Defenseless the U.S. must unconditionally surrender. The Soviets waste no time in setting up a Communist state. One where people are drafted into work projects. Mass arrests and executions of potential troublemakers. Martha Adams a U.N. employee finds out her husband worked on a secret project during the Reagan administration. A nuclear weapon so powerful it could destroy all of Russia. She and an Israeli agent make the dangerous trip across an occupied America to find this weapon in Utah so they can force the Soviets to withdraw.

This is my favorite standalone novel of a Soviet conquest book. The premise of a weak government and the sudden attack was done very realistically. What I found most disturbing was the way people just meekly accepted the surrender and actively participated in the Soviet’s plans. We get a very brutal occupation of forced labor, resettlement of populations and the eventual dismemberment of the United States.

This book did remind me of the novel Not This August. It has the same basic premise of America totally defeated and occupied. One person finds a secret weapon and uses it to free the country. This book is of course updated for the eighties. China is not an ally and in fact the only country actively opposing the Soviets. They get in a limited nuclear war and hold their own against them. This book also doesn’t just limit the point of view to the main character. We get to see the occupation from the Soviets side. There are three individuals put in charge. Marshal Borunokov the military planner behind the attack and presumed future premier. Virinsky the KGB head of North America and Ramon Perez the Castro like ruler of Cuba. Each of these men constantly jockey for power with delusions of grandeur. They even argue about remaining Washington after themselves. The name eventually becomes Hall City after the American Communist leader. The book holds your interest from beginning to end and never lets up in the middle. I highly recommend this book for it’s story is very relevant even though the Soviet Union is no more.

THE AZRIEL UPRISING BY ALLYN THOMPSON

Copyright 1982.

It is ten years after a Soviet sneak attack has decimated the United States. The cities are destroyed, and the rest of the country is occupied by the Soviets. Yet a resistance network has slowly formed and ready to launch a general uprising. The mysterious woman only known as Juanita has become a mythical figure in the resistance. She travels around the country organizing and rooting out traitors. A former Air Force Lt. Col becomes her companion and lover as they travel organizing the big uprising code named Azriel. Finally, the big day arrives, and they attack the Soviet garrison at Valdosa, Georgia.

This book has a simple idea. The Soviets have launched a surprise attack. The attack was obviously one sided as they seem to have totally caught the country off guard. The main character is a beautiful but driven woman to drive the Soviets out. This book reads like a travelogue as Juanita and her companion travel from Florida to New Hampshire and back. Along the way we find out about her past life and why she is so cold. The story ends on a high note although a major character dies.

The post nuclear world is believable with what seems to be a Soviet state in decay. The only thing we find out about the rest of the world is at the beginning there is a brief mention of an incursion by the Soviets across the Canadian border. The Canadians apparently have the political and military clout to get the Soviet commander court martialed. There is also one sentence that mentions the border wars with China and the use of human waves. Otherwise, we are left to wonder what the state of the world is. At the end during the big uprising the American rebels reveal themselves to have jets and a B-52 to transport their provisional government representatives. I would have liked to explore this further, and it would have made for an interesting sequel. Unfortunately, this is as far as I know Allyn Thompson’s first and only novel. An enjoyable standalone novel of a Soviet invasion of America.