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MWSA Review
The Suwalki Crisis by James Rosone is Book Two of a World on Fire series. Book One was The Gotland Deception. This second book, set in 2033, starts with an intense session in the Joint Intelligence Operations Center in Hawaii as there is “alarming maritime activity around Taiwan.” This chapter is loaded with acronyms as would be expected in this location under these circumstances. It is best read quickly – experience the intensity and don’t worry about most of the capital letters. PLA refers to the Chinese; ROC are the Taiwanese; EDEP or Eurasian Defense Economic Pact or Russia, China, and Belarus; acronyms ending with UV are underwater vehicles and SV are surface vehicles. Flipping back and forth between the story and the list of acronyms may make you miss the point – it’s intense!
Although the book title refers to a European location, the first 6 chapters are set in the Pacific. However, the Suwalki Gap, located between Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad, is key to what is happening in the Pacific. There are several major locales: Taiwan Strait, Bering Sea (Adak, Alaska), Gotland Island (Sweden), and Europe – specifically Poland, which abuts the Suwalki Gap. Controlling that contested area can isolate Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia from NATO. Other locations for the West include Colorado, the White House, the Philippines (where contractors with AI expertise are imbedded with a command center), Taiwan, Germany, and Belgium as well as various surface ships and submarines in the Philippines. EDEP locations include a destroyer and a submarine.
And then there are the spies. The Taiwan Study Group significantly impacts the ability to defend Taiwan from the Chinese attack. Most of the book is from the Western point of view, but there is enough from EDEP players to understand their point of view.
This book tells the worst possible scenario for the West – all of those key locales are attacked at once. The story moves smoothly and clearly through the various locations and engages the reader in each one. The reader is in the midst of battle – in all those locations.
Review by Nancy Kauffman
Author's Synopsis
The Suwalki Crisis is the second book in our World on Fire series. The war for control of Asia and Europe has started. It's now a race to see which side will destroy the other's ability to fight and determine who will dominate the 21st century.
Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Pages/Word count: 377 / 99,160