Book Description
What the Kremlin wanted during the Cold War—and what it was willing to do to get it.
Nikita Khrushchev was a leader who risked war to get peace during the most dangerous years of the twentieth century. In Khrushchev's Cold War, Aleksandr Fursenko and Timothy Naftali, authors of the Cuban missile crisis classic "One Hell of a Gamble," bring to life head-to-head confrontations between Khrushchev and Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy. Drawing from their unrivaled access to Politburo and Soviet intelligence materials, they reveal for the first time three moments when Khrushchev's inner circle restrained him from plunging the superpowers into war. Combining new insights into the Cuban crisis, startling narratives on the hot spots of Suez, Iraq, Berlin, and Southeast Asia, and vivid portraits of leaders in the developing world who challenged Moscow and Washington—Castro, Lumumba, Nasser, and Mao—Khrushchev's Cold War provides one of the most gripping and authoritative studies of the crisis years of the Cold War. 16 pages of illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
More a book on foreign policy.......2007-06-29
Khrushchev was a fascinating character. He is one of the few Soviet leaders, which had humanity and warmth. If there is one issue that Khrushchev stands out for it is desalinization. I found it disappointing the book did not cover this part of him better. I would also have liked a more extensive section on the Soviet people and economy and how it affected his leadership.
However it is a terrific study of USSR's foreign policy during his era. While reading the book, It was surprising just how aggressive he was in his foreign policy. I had read it before but I thought that several cold war warriors (historians and politicians) were overdoing it. But it was interesting to read that they had not. His pressure tactics brought the world several times close to a major conflict and was the author of the closest call to a nuclear war that we ever had.
I look forward to Aleksandr Fursenko next book.
Nikita, the Wizard of Red Square.......2007-05-01
A solid history of the always probing, somewhat erratic, but ultimately war-adverse reign of Khrushchev during the 1950s and 60s. Those wanting to acquire direct insights into the thinking and motives of the leadership of the Kremlin during some of its most important Cold War confrontations with the U.S.--Suez, Berlin, Laos, and Cuba--should buy and read this book.
It is a wonder that a hot war was avoided when you are confronted by the authors, Fursenko and Naftali, with the gamesmanship, often played during this period in a vacum of real knowledge, on both sides of the Iron Curtin. It is a further wonder that the bankrupt political and economic system that was the USSR lasted as long as it did.
Khruschev - A most Amazing Mixture of Mercuriality and Idiosyncrasy Brought Vividly to Life.......2007-03-08
If - and that is a big if (the book is fully 600 pages long - it helps to fall ill when you read it - I did!) - you have the time and want to invest it for obtaining a first class overview over the great power play during the decade between 1955 and 1965 - the Khruschev era - this definitely is the book to read! Its authors not only provide a refreshingly new perspective to the (more or less well-) known events of, i.a., the first Israeli-Egyptian war, the (Soviet) occupation of Hungary and the Cuban missile crisis, they fully succeed in transforming this period of history into a most plausible and very exciting "story", in fact, into something of a "thriller" (in the best sense of the word). It is the story of a great power desperate to come up to its claim to possess or at least to be accorded equal status with the other - even greater - super-power, the United States or, more generally, the "West". In order to achieve that one goal, almost anything would do, even extreme brinkmanship that several times brought the world close to thermonuclear war. Khrushev is shown as a man to have carried within himself the dominating characteristics of the Soviet Union itself, viz., an enormous inferiority complex, trying to combine it with catching any opportunity that would present itself to bring pressure to bear on the other side, even using or better: threatening the use of force, wherever it seemed this might bring political advantage. Fortunately for the world, this mercurial leader who disposed of the means to blow up the world (or at least: great parts of it) was restrained enough (be it on his own reason, be it by his more risk-averse colleagues within the Presidium) not to actually let the world go "over the brink" but to withdraw each time at the last moment. It is the humiliation of these retreats as well as the sense of responsibility displayed by him in making them which, if anything, ultimately cost him his job and earns him the status of a statesman (rather than merely that of a cunning politician).
Against this background, only two - very minor - criticisms:
First, there is a really unwarranted "blank space" in the book as regards the European Economic Community (today`s "European Union") whose very creation was decisively triggered by some of the events described in it (Suez; Hungary), by making the European states mercilessly feel their own palsy vis-à-vis the super-powers. It is ironic - and should clearly have been mentioned in the book - to see how the very institution for whose creation Khruschev bore no minor responsibility - would become one of the cornerstones of the West's economic superiority and thus a decisive factor for the eventual downfall of the Soviet Empire.
Second, even though this would admittedly go slightly beyond the clear scope of the book (Khruschev's Cold War, restricting its topic to his role as politician), it might have been interesting for the reader to be permitted at least a brief peep behind the veil of this astounding politician's official role into his private life, if only to underpin/corroborate some of the conclusions regarding this most Mercurial character!
This leaves only one thing to be hoped for: at least I, for my part, am dying to read PART II: "The Breshnev Years", by the same authors, should it ever come out!
History in the Raw.......2007-03-07
Aleksandr Fursenko & Timothy Naftali's KHRUSHCHEV'S COLD WAR is an account of the major incidents of the Cold War from 1955-1964 told primarily from the Soviet (and specifically Khrushchev's) perspective. What distinguishes this book is that instead of relying on interviews and memoirs and third-party reporting, the authors have accessed contemporaneous notes and minutes taken at the meetings of the Politburo (Presidium), that handful of men who actually made the decisions guiding Soviet policy during this time. In other words, they get their data straight from the horse's mouth, untainted with revision and wishful thinking.
This makes for startling reading. For those of us used to seeing history in broad terms as a somewhat logical result of competing forces (political, military, moral, economic and cultural), this book provides a bucket of icy water in the face. The drivers of policy were all too often not reasonable responses to existing circumstances but irrational, thoughtless, ill-considered and unrealistic reactions based on hubris, petulance and plain stupidity. Khrushchev was clueless (perhaps we already suspected this). But so too was the entire Politburo (less predictable). And so too were the Western leaders--de Gaulle and Eden in particular; Adenauer also; Ike and JFK come through a little better, although far from unscathed.
This last is especially troubling. In authoritarian regimes thugs and idiots rise naturally to the top, but in developed Western democracies the system should inculcate a certain rationality in leadership, something mandated by the need to respond to the will of the electorate.
Which of course brings us to today. The Suez debacle and Iraq have obvious parallels. The incredible operational incompetence of the Soviets in building the missile sites before getting the weapons to Cuba (thus allowing the blockade) makes one think of the removal of troops from Afghanistan for the Iraq war, right when we had the Taliban cornered. The poor quality of intelligence brings to mind our own failures (WMD in Iraq, apart from others). And the consistent inability of Khrushchev to judge the consequences of his policies, as well as the failure of the remaining Soviet leadership to check or challenge him, brings to mind the current administration and the entire post-War Iraq strategy.
In this book, the blunders were Soviet (or English of French). Today, they are ours.
An outstanding achievement.......2007-02-21
The book is very detailed and examines the critical 1955 to 1963 period of the Cold War largely from the viewpoint of the Soviets. The authors had access to documents not before released, including minutes of the Presidium meetings. The authors portray the Soviet leadership in a new light with most members of the Politburo seeking to avoid any conflict with the United States and unwilling to follow Khrushchev on his more dangerous adventures in Cuba and Egypt. It is evident that neither the Soviets nor the communist block were unified in seeking world domination. Rather, the communist leaders were largely constrained by the same political concerns as American leaders. There is also very interesting information towards the end regarding the CIA's role in bringing the Baath party to power in Iraq.
Amazon.com
Gates, director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1991 to 1993, began in an entry level position and rose to the top. His insider's account of the Cold War, CIA operations and the unraveling of the Soviet Union is sprinkled with revelations including the fact that 1983 was the most dangerous year in U.S.-U.S.S.R. relations and that both the CIA and KGB sponsored countless "black operations" designed to embarrass and discredit the other side. Gates also reveals that he secretly met with KGB foreign operations chief Vladimir Kryuchkov on two separate occasions and how the CIA often acted in contempt of Congress. While none of this may come as a huge surprise, it never fails to shock when it's laid out in black and white by someone who was on the inside.
Customer Reviews:
"From the Shadows" by Robert M. Gates.......2007-10-01
Absolutely fascinating! Mr. Gates is an excellent writer and is able to make complicated information easy to follow. And what an insight he gave to the Presidents he worked for; he didn't have an axe to grind with any of them, even though they represented both political parties.
This is a book I enjoyed so completely that I hated to reach the end of it. It will be on my personal "re-read" list. No wonder Mr. Gates was selected to become Secretary of Defense in our nation's hour of need.
Engages the eyes and mind.......2006-11-17
Rarely do you run across a historical book that is so chocked full of names, dates and acronyms that engages your mind as you push to reader faster. Gates delivers great insight wrapped in words that are illustrative of the push and pull of power players - within and between government bodies - domestic and global. If you are curious about the claims of one party or the other concerning the end of the Cold War, then this book will prove to be enlightening. All contributed to the demise, but perhaps none more than the Soviets themselves. Great read. Engaging. Insightful. Illuminating. Perhaps now more than ever before this a read that helps look at the challenges we, as a global community, face today. Buy it. Read it. Gain perspective.
View from the inside.......2006-10-01
The CIA is probably the one institution that the US President controls the most; or so this book argues. Robert M. Gates spent over two decades working at the CIA, and is one of the few career officials who came in near the bottom and rose all the way to the top. This book is his memoir, and recollection of how the CIA served 5 consecutive presidents in the Cold War. Starting with Richard Nixon, and ending with the first George Bush, Gates shows how each president used, and sometimes abused, the CIA to further their policies with regard to the USSR and communist parties around the world.
The major points one gets from this book are as follows. First, Carter was no wimp with regard to the USSR. Second, the most dangerous years of the Cold War did not end with Vietnam; they included some years in the 1980's. Third, the CIA consistently disregards the laws of the US. Fourth, the CIA often gets suckered into doing thing at the whim of the president that it later regrets. Last, the first George Bush was probably one of the best diplomats the US has seen in recent times. Over all, this was a very good book and I am glad I read it.
Intense Reading - great enjoyment.......2002-09-18
Excellent account of what really goes on from the inside of the govt. They say that truth is better than fiction. This is true in a big way in this book. You will recall many of the events in not too distant history. They come alive in this book and history makes more sense. Intense reading - be sure to underline the names to keep track of the huge cast of characters. A big Aggie thumb's up for this one!
Informative but dry.......2002-07-23
Gates had access to some of the most fascinating characters in the history of the Cold War. His observations are incisive and revealing about many of these personalities; however, his book often reads like one might imagine a CIA memo reads, rather dry. The book provides feedback on several important historical instances but it does not go into much depth on any. I do not recommend it as a book used to learn the history of that era. Instead I would read it to gain a further understanding of what went on behind the scenes.
In general, I find Gates to be an interesting character himself. He has some hilarious anecdotes about life in the CIA. Such as when he is walking up the steps of Air Force One and turns to flip off several of the top officials (I think it was) in Romania after they botch his passport. In addition to a often dry sense of humor he also seems to have a great deal of character and integrity.
Average customer rating:
- Looking forward to reading again
- Eh-
- Lyrical, small history
- It ain't easy
- Let's Switch Focus
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Cold Mountain: A Novel
Charles Frazier
Manufacturer: Vintage
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Thirteen Moons: A Novel
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All the Pretty Horses
ASIN: 0375700757
Release Date: 1998-08-12 |
Amazon.com
This unabridged audio version of Cold Mountain, read by author Charles Frazier, deserves at least as much acclaim as the bestselling print edition, which won the National Book Award. The tale chronicles a Confederate army deserter's search for home and love in the last days of the Civil War.
Much has been made of the story's homage to The Odyssey, the origins of which are found in an oral tradition. One can't help but hear echoes of Homer when listening to Frazier's soft, deliberate voice give life to his lyrical writing and to his understated, yet convincing rendering of the overwhelming events of war. Both Frazier's prose and reading are leisurely, recalling a slow foot pace. His delivery is uniquely suited to Innman's arduous, adventure-filled walk toward home and to the possibility of a reunion with Ada, the woman he loves. The author's reading does equal justice to Ada, who is being transformed by her struggle for survival on her father's farm. There is precious little dialogue, and Frazier makes no effort at acting out the characters.
One small irritation in the production is a beeping noise at the end of each side. Another minor complaint is that the tapes don't have individual boxes, which was perhaps an attempt to make the overall package appear more booklike. The recording does, however, make deft use of two brief musical interludes. In a subtle twist, the fiddle music that opens the first cassette, when repeated as an accompaniment to the epilogue, carries a bittersweet and unexpected resonance. By all means, forgive Random House Audio the tiny glitches, pass over that slender abridged version, and take home the real thing. This audiocassette is a journey that will leave few listeners unchanged by the experience. (Running time: 14.5 hours, 12 cassettes) --Naomi J. Cohn
Book Description
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE
One of the most acclaimed novels in recent memory, Charles Frazier's
Cold Mountain is a masterpiece that is at once an enthralling adventure, a stirring love story, and a luminous evocation of a vanished American in all its savagery, solitude, and splendor.
Sorely wounded and fatally disillusioned in the fighting at Petersburg, Inman, a Confederate soldier, decides to walk back to his home in the Blue Ridge Mountains and to Ada, the woman he loved there years before. His trek across the disintegrating South brings him into intimate and sometimes lethal converse with slaves and marauders, bounty hunters and witches, both helpful and malign. At the same time, Ada is trying to revive her father's derelict farm and learn to survive in a world where the old certainties have been swept away. As it interweaves their stories,
Cold Mountain asserts itself as an authentic American
Odyssey--hugely powerful, majestically lovely, and keenly moving.
Customer Reviews:
Looking forward to reading again.......2007-09-12
This award winning story takes us back to the waning years of the Civil War in the lands east of Tennessee. The story uses two action fronts to relate the struggle of one ex-confederate soldier, Inman, to reach his beloved Ada. Both are struggling just to survive. He must cross hundreds of miles of rugged terrain on foot while simultaneously avoiding those who would kill him for desertion while Ada must learn how to survive on the farm she inherited from her recently deceased father. The vocabulary and descriptions in Cold Mountain are so very rich and full of colorful imagery that it is sometimes easy to mistake the prose for poetry. And though recently published, I'm sure that this passionate novel will constitute a welcome addition to the canon of American literature. Highest recommendations.
If you saw the movie, disregard it. Doesn't even compare to this work of literature.
Eh-.......2007-09-08
I just read a review from another reader that said that they threw this book in the trash when they were about 100 pages from the end. I am at that point, and while I won't throw it away, I am struggling to get through it. It's not that I feel it's written poorly or the characters lack depth, it's just boring. A whole page devoted to the task of yard work. I don't enjoy yard work so why would I want to read page after page about doing it? I know there there are other things going on but the detailed descriptions of corn cribs and bedspreads do not entice me to turn the page. It's not the worst book I've ever read, but I wouldn't recommend spending full price on it. Do go near it if you have ADD.
Lyrical, small history.......2007-09-05
I am realy coming to appreciate the modern trend to approach historical fiction from the standpoint of the small, personal history rather than the large, sweeping saga. Cold Mountain takes you down to the grassroots of the Civil War, a view you won't find in Gone with the Wind. (no offense intended - I enjoy those epic novels as well!) Frazier's language draws clear pictures that draw you into his protaganist's journey. I actually had no desire to see the movie, as the book had been so well brought to life in my mind by Frazier's words.
It ain't easy.......2007-08-26
Wow, just finished it. I had seen the movie, and knew that I liked it, but had forgotten the ending by the time I got to the book. My first impression was that it was not going to be something that I was just going to breeze through. The pictures that Frazier paints are so in depth, but rather than become cumbersome, it drew me in even more. The character development was unlike anything that I've ever read. It made me long for simpler times and the day when I can get out of the rat race and settle onto a farm myself. Highly recommended.
Let's Switch Focus .......2007-07-02
'Cold Mountian' was a book of great character development, but contained little else. When we first decided to read this book, both Kyle and I noticed that we could find many copies of it at the used bookstores that we frequented. This is usually a bad sign that we did not notice. Most of the story is occupied by the adventures of Inman on his odyssey home as he turns-tail from the fighting during the Civil War. He meets many interesting characters that always seem to cause problems for his journey following his overcome of the last troublesome situation. While the story of Inman hogs the book, the side account of Ada and her pursuit to revive the family farm gives us a glimpse of how 'Cold Mountain' might be a National Award Winner. The character development of Ada and her helping-hand, Ruby, is much more elaborate and enticing to the reader. I would feel better about seeing that gold sticker on the front cover of this book had I been able to focus my attention on Ada and Ruby instead of the overwhelming conflicts of Inman.
Average customer rating:
- Not Free SF Reader
- A stunning novel
- Best book
- The Secret At The Heart Of The World
- A great introduction to Powers' work.
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Declare: A Novel
Tim Powers
Manufacturer: William Morrow
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Binding: Hardcover
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Three Days to Never: A Novel
ASIN: 0380976528
Release Date: 2001-01-09 |
Amazon.com
This supernatural suspense thriller crosses several genres--espionage, geopolitics, religion, fantasy. But like the chicken crossing the road, it takes quite a while to get to the other side. En route, Tim Powers covers a lot of territory: Turkey, Armenia, the Saudi Arabian desert, Beirut, London, Paris, Berlin, and Moscow. Andrew Hale, an Oxford lecturer who first entered Her Majesty's Secret Intelligence Service as an 18-year-old schoolboy, is called back to finish a job that culminated in a deadly mission on Mount Ararat after the end of World War II. Now it's 1963, and cold war politics are behind the decision to activate Hale for another attempt to complete Operation Declare and bring down the Communist government before Moscow can harness the powerful, other-worldly forces concentrated on the summit of the mountain, supposed site of the landing of Noah's ark. James Theodora is the über-spymaster whose internecine rivalry with other branches of the Secret Intelligence Service traps Hale between a rock and a hard place, literally and figuratively. There's plenty of mountain and desert survival stuff here, a plethora of geopolitical and theological history, and a big serving of A Thousand and One Nights, which is Hale's guide to the meteorites, drogue stones, and amonon plant, which figure in this complicated tale. There's a love story, too, and a bizarre twist on the Kim Philby legend that posits both Philby and Hale as the only humans who can tame the powers of the djinns who populate Mount Ararat.
This is an easy book to get lost in, and Powers's many fans will have a field day with it. The rest of us may have a harder time. --Jane Adams
Book Description
There are histories beneath history. Tim Powers, one of the most brilliant and audacious talents in contemporary fiction, casts an eerie light on the terrible events that made the twentieth century and reveals what the Cold War was really about.Declare
After a ten-year hiatus, British academic Andrew Hale is abruptly called back into the Great Game by a terse, cryptic telephone message. Born to "the trade" and recruited at the age of seven by a most secret Secret Service, Hale, in 1963, is forced to confront again the nightmare that has haunted his adult life: a lethal unfinished operation code-named Declare.
Two decades earlier, as a young double agent infiltrating the Soviet spy network in Nazi-occupied Paris, Hale first encountered the incomprehensible rhythms of an invisible world. And from that moment on nothing was ever safe and knowable again. There also, his life became eternally linked with two others' lives that would recurrently intersect his at its most dangerous junctures: his "comrade operative," the fiery and beautiful Communist agent Elena Teresa Ceniza-Bendiga, the object of Hale's undying love, and Kim Philby, the mysterious traitor to the British cause...and perhaps to all humanity. Together they form an unlikely trimuvirate with one shared destiny: Declare.
But the Great Game is greater and far more terrible than Andrew Hale ever imagined. There is another, larger war raging unseen all around him, a cataclysmic secret conflict masked by a "Cold War" of national ideologies. And it is drawing Hale, Elena, and Philby inexorably toward world-shattering consequences on a Biblical mountain in the Middle East...and to a hideous feast of broken minds, destroyed lives, and devoured souls.
The remarkable imagination of Tim Powers has wedded John le Carré with Clive Barker to create something unlike anything previously contained between book covers. A sweeping epic adventure, a love story, a revelation, a nightmare, it is our past and our world as something other...Declare!
Customer Reviews:
Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03
Other things exist on Mount Ararat than the possibility of some rotting old boat. A complex web of spy organisations and agents have to work out what to do about the world's largest colony of djinn.
Mother Russia has a supernatural guardian that is holding the state together. Kim Philby, and our protagonist, Andrew Hale, are involved in both of these events, as is another agent, a woman named Elena, that both of them fancy, and have fancied.
The spycraft predominates.
A stunning novel.......2007-02-25
DECLARE immerses the reader in a mid-twentieth century spy world where a greater, miasmic cause eclipses the Cold War between communism and capitalism. Kim Philby, the real life British turncoat, plays a fascinating and fatalistic role in Tim Powers' globe-trotting adventure aimed at the destruction of an eerie, supernatural foe only a tiny number of human beings know to exist. Philby gets caught in a strange triangle with the complicated Soviet-turned-French spy Elena and the Crown's Special Operations Executive (SOE) agent Andrew Hale whose mysterious parentage, links to the Middle East, and psychic endowments destined him from birth to be an operative. It is Hale, ten years younger than Philby, whose story is told most of the time, although Philby, Elena, and cunning old spymaster Theodora also get their opportunities to fill in crucial blanks.
If the main goal of a novel is to draw the reader inexorably into the world it creates, DECLARE is a smashing success. Hale is a man as frail as the rest of us in many respects, yet one who perseveres with bulldog determination to have another go at the Enemy years after his first attempt failed in a frenzy of mind-blowing atrocity. Also a man who loves only one woman despite all odds, Hale doggedly risks everything to reunite with her when the time is ripe. The Philby persona is more difficult to sympathize with. He's a weak, opportunistic man with many a ghost of his own. But he plays an absolutely necessary part in all that unfolds, although some of his vital actions are unwitting ones. Elena, debuting as a tough, atheistic spy in Paris in 1941, later embraces Catholicism (the religion of Hale's youth also) after discovering, in the bowels of the notorious Lubyanka prison, a shocking truth about Russia's "guardian angel." She switches her allegiance away from communism and works with postwar French intelligence, attempting to turn Philby again. Powers' complex and very deliberately structured plot (that jumps backward and forward in time and place) slowly unveils these entangled characters, their histories, their drives, their development. And although the darkly spectral premise underlying DECLARE does boggle the imagination, the story is told so compellingly that one is swept along willingly, even happily.
Many have heaped praise on this unconventional thriller. I can only agree. DECLARE is a richly conceived tale of beliefs, honor, odds, espionage, true love, family, mystery, and suspenseful adventure. Don't let it pass you by.
Best book.......2006-02-23
This book is without doubt the best book I have ever read, no contest, whatsoever.
The Secret At The Heart Of The World.......2006-01-30
"Declare" is one of the greatest espionage novels in the latter half of the twentieth century - the American century, the only American century there will ever be. It is disguised as a horror novel or a dark fantasy but every word in it is true. Mr. Powers transcends mere art in his depiction of two souls caught up in events to powerful for them. Its a book about how love endures all things, how our puny human choices matter even in the face of total darkness, and how (as T. S. Eliot put it) human beings can bear very little reality.
A keen and intelligent spirituality flickers like swamp fires through out "Declare". Mr. Powers says much and he knows far more than he's saying. There were moments when I read this little masterpiece and chills ran up and down my spine. Powers unveils the subterfuges of the human heart as it encounters sheer human malice and stupidity and beyond all of that something quintessentially non-human and terrifying because that something choses not to emphathize with us.
Perceptive readers will see into the heart of what Tim Powers is really getting at and it will give them shivers as they struggle through the meaningful but compensatory action sequences.
A great introduction to Powers' work........2005-12-28
This book requires some dedication on the reader's part, at 500+ pages, but the payoff is worth it.
Not only does Powers weave an unusual story of supernatural powers and cold-war-era spyfaring, but he makes it all the more compelling by using real locations, historical events, and even personas.
The main character, Hale, is a British spy whose lineage brings him into the fold of an ultra-secret spy organization within the British government whose directive is to counter the supernatural machinations of the enemies of the crown. The story begins when Hale is recalled to service in order to rectify a botched operation following WWII.
To that end, the story alternates between different timelines, explaining his original introduction to the service and leading to the doomed operation on Mount Ararat, in addition to his resumption of the operation years later. The reader is at first given only a cursory idea of what the service entails, but then is later treated to some very compelling and convincing events that bring this strange and frightening world into focus.
The author really shines in his attention to historical, geographic, and geopolitical detail as the story unfolds. Actual historical events and persons are used to great effect to build the story's foundation of spies and intrigue in Europe and the Middle East. From there, the author convincingly adds the menacing and fascinating aspect of the supernatural, while deftly maintaining the mystique by refusing to focus on it more than is necessary.
Just to underscore his hard work and love for the craft, the author appends some notes at the end of the story revealing quite a bit of the facts and characters behind the story, which is in itself a fun read.
I finished reading this story wondering if, in fact, the events of the story may have actually happened. That should say quite enough.
Book Description
homas Goltz is one of the founders of the exclusive journalistic cadre of compulsive, danger-addicted voyeurs who court death to get the story. In a first-person narrative that reads like an adventure, he explores the war in Chechnya, and focuses on the Samashki Massacre, the symbol of Russian brutality employed to crush Chechen resistance. Goltz relates the saga of this small town (sort of a Grover's Corners of the Caucasus), as it is drawn into war, and the fate of Hussein, the leader of local resistance. Chechnya Diary is a crossover work that will satisfy both armchair travelers as well as political scientists, historians, and policy makers.
Customer Reviews:
For the Layman.......2006-02-01
This is the true story about the struggle the people of Chechnya are going through - a region I know little about. It is written through the eyes of a war correspondent - an occupation I know little about. Goltz brings some understanding to the layman with a direct, no-nonsense writing style that will capture your attention and send your senses reeling through sorrow, joy, dispair, hope and more. A must read for anyone who wants to gain some knowledge of the on-going struggle of Chechnya without wading through a dull textbook.
How we really feel.......2004-10-29
I'll state straight away that I count myself a an old and loyal friend of Thomas Goltz, and I'm a journalist too, so my five stars should perhaps seen in that context. But I believe they are well deserved, not least for the personal bravery the author displayed in getting the story. For me, this book's particular value is that for once it strips away the shield that we reporters feel necessary to arm ourselves with to protect ourselves from emotional involvement with the subjects of our reportage. This is the first time I read the account of someone who has faced up to naked realities of this situation. The result is a rare and compelling tale of the relationship between the interviewer and the interviewed, and set against a backdrop that shows how both sides behave and above all feel when trapped in forces outside their control.
An improvement .......2004-09-06
This book is a sign Goltz has matured since writing "Requiem" and "AZ Diary", and has found his niche. This is to say, maybe he's realized he isn't much for political synthesis or history. He has obviously done a lot of good and original thinking about journalistic ethics in wartime and the "Hawthorne effect"--these are the reasons you want to read this book.
There are a lot of books, historical and journalistic, in several languages, on Chechnya and this is the least exciting and informative of the ten or so of those I've read.
"Allah's Mountains", "Chechnya--Tombstone of Russian Power" and "Chechnya--A Short, Victorious War" are more interesting and written by less self-obsessed authors.
Excellent portal into a hellish conflict--and more.......2004-02-18
Chechnya Diary isn't your typical book about war. For one thing, it reads more like an adventure or a novel than straight history. It's also much more philosophical than I would have expected. The book begins with the quote, "The observer affects the observed," and boy is that statement ever borne out as the story unfolds.
Author Thomas Goltz sneaks into the country to cover the war, and ends up in a small town called Samashki, where he depends on the hospitality of a man named Hussein. Ostensibly there to record the fighting, Goltz soon becomes intimately involved, raising many tough questions about journalistic ethics and the effects of media war coverage.
The book really picks up steam in the second half, as Goltz returns to Chechnya to discover the damage his participation has caused, and tries to rectify it.
It's a thought-provoking book that provides background on the Chechnyan war but also goes far beyond that to dwell on how our shallow media culture affects our understanding of world events (and beyond that, how media coverage actually determines the course of those events as they play out). Goltz is a likable narrator who doesn't shy away from implicating himself when it comes to the sticky moral questions. He brings to life real Chechnyans in such vivid fashion that you'll remember them every time you hear about Chechnya in the news.
I had tears in my eyes as I finished the book. Highly recommended.
An eye-opening experience.......2004-01-23
Until I read 'Chechnya Diary' I was willing to accept what seemed to be conventional wisdom about the conflict in Chechnya--i.e., just another incidence of Islamic fundamentalist terrorism. Mr. Goltz provides another view: i.e., an effort (at least initally) to restore to a displaced people the homeland of which they were deprived by the Stalinst regime. I also found it refreshing to read something by a journalist who is willing to acknowledge that his presence may have an impact on the turn of events. All in all, I think this is a most enlightening book and, like Mr. Goltz's 'Azerbaijan Diary', a terrific adventure story.
Book Description
Growing up on either side of the Iron Curtain, David Scott and Alexei Leonov experienced very different childhoods but shared the same dream to fly. Excelling in every area of mental and physical agility, Scott and Leonov became elite fighter pilots and were chosen by their countries' burgeoning space programs to take part in the greatest technological race ever-to land a man on the moon. In this unique dual autobiography, astronaut Scott and cosmonaut Leonov recount their exceptional lives and careers spent on the cutting edge of science and space exploration. With each mission fraught with perilous risks, and each space program touched by tragedy, these parallel tales of adventure and heroism read like a modern-day thriller. Cutting fast between their differing recollections, this book reveals, in a very personal way, the drama of one of the most ambitious contests ever embarked on by man, set against the conflict that once held the world in suspense: the clash between Russian communism and Western democracy.Before training to be the USSR's first man on the moon, Leonov became the first man to walk in space. It was a feat that won him a place in history but almost cost him his life. A year later, in 1966, Gemini 8, with David Scott and Neil Armstrong aboard, tumbled out of control across space. Surviving against dramatic odds-a split-second decision by pilot Armstrong saved their lives-they both went on to fly their own lunar missions: Armstrong to command Apollo 11 and become the first man to walk on the moon, and Scott to perform an EVA during the Apollo 9 mission and command the most complex expedition in the history of exploration, Apollo 15. Spending three days on the moon, Scott became the seventh man to walk on its breathtaking surface. Marking a new age of USA/USSR cooperation, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project brought Scott and Leonov together, finally ending the Cold War silence and building a friendship that would last for decades. Their courage, passion for exploration, and determination to push themselves to the limit emerge in these memoirs not only through their triumphs but also through their perseverance in times of extraordinary difficulty and danger.
Customer Reviews:
Dueling Autobiographies.......2006-11-15
"Two Sides of the Moon" is a fascinating addition to the library of any space historian, whether casual or professional. The book, written by American Astronaut Dave Scott and Soviet Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, focuses on personal and professional struggles set within the political framework of the 1960s (and early 1970s) cold war.
Although I would have preferred more technical detail in the book, I still enjoyed it very much though more from the human interest angle. I liked the technique of alternating narratives from the American and Soviet points of view: the book was skillfully written to reveal the emotions and perceptions of both sides of the space race during key points in the race to the moon (Sputnik, the Apollo 1 fire, Apollo 11, etc.) I found both authors to be likable and appreciated their willingness to share credit with people unknown to the general public, from important organizational keys like Bill Tindall's famous (within NASA, anyway) Data Priority Meetings (and their resultant "Tindallgrams,") to the awe with which Leonov held Sergei Korolev, the Soviet Chief Designer, whose death all but dashed Soviet attempts to land on the moon prior to the Americans.
The book has an upbeat and optimistic tone, and is good-natured throughout. I enjoyed the behind the scenes trivia the pair provided. Did you know that the first animals to achieve circumlunar flight were a pair of Steppe Tortoises on the Soviet Zond-5 mission? The were recovered safe (but probably confused) in the Indian Ocean on September 17, 1968. Little known facts like this made this book a treasure for readers who traditionally focus on the more technical aspects of the missions.
The book boasts an excellent Foreword by Neil Armstrong, Scott's commander from Gemini 8. Scott gives Armstrong ceaseless praise for his judgment during the emergency they shared, and it seems clear that Armstrong holds Scott in equally high esteem.
The book is a great telling of a compelling tale. I particularly found the travails of Leonov's youth to be astounding, and admire him more after reading this book for overcoming them to become one of the great names in spaceflight. Likewise, Scott is a high achiever and role model for generations of spacefarers for generations to come. I recommend this book highly.
Dueling Autobiographies.......2006-11-15
"Two Sides of the Moon" is a fascinating addition to the library of any space historian, whether casual or professional. The book, written by American Astronaut Dave Scott and Soviet Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, focuses on personal and professional struggles set within the political framework of the 1960s (and early 1970s) cold war.
Although I would have preferred more technical detail in the book, I still enjoyed it very much though more from the human interest angle. I liked the technique of alternating narratives from the American and Soviet points of view: the book was skillfully written to reveal the emotions and perceptions of both sides of the space race during key points in the race to the moon (Sputnik, the Apollo 1 fire, Apollo 11, etc.) I found both authors to be likable and appreciated their willingness to share credit with people unknown to the general public, from important organizational keys like Bill Tindall's famous (within NASA, anyway) Data Priority Meetings (and their resultant "Tindallgrams," page 194,) to the awe with which Leonov held Sergei Korolev, the Soviet Chief Designer, whose death all but dashed Soviet attempts to land on the moon prior to the Americans.
The book has an upbeat and optimistic tone, and is good-natured throughout. I enjoyed the behind the scenes trivia the pair provided. Did you know that the first animals to achieve circumlunar flight were a pair of Steppe Tortoises on the Soviet Zond-5 mission? The were recovered safe (but probably confused) in the Indian Ocean on September 17, 1968. Little known facts like this made this book a treasure for readers who traditionally focus on the more technical aspects of the missions.
The book boasts an excellent Foreword by Neil Armstrong, Scott's commander from Gemini 8. Scott gives Armstrong ceaseless praise for his judgment during the emergency they shared, and it seems clear that Armstrong holds Scott in equally high esteem.
The book is a great telling of a compelling tale. I particularly found the travails of Leonov's youth to be astounding, and admire him more after reading this book for overcoming them to become one of the great names in spaceflight. Likewise, Scott is a high achiever and role model for generations of spacefarers for generations to come. I recommend this book highly.
The Eagle & the Bear........2005-12-02
From all reports, the Cold War was competition between America and Russia to see who could get to the moon and win the "Space Race." Actually, it was who could design and manufacture nuclear arms to blast the other country off into space. So, this book has an odd coupling: an old Soviet astronaut, the first man to "walk in space," and a younger NASA Apollo commander who piloted Gemini 8. I watched all of those missions faithfully until the fatal explosion; after that, it was too traumatic to hear those words, "Go with throttle up."
Alexei Leonov starts with "Temperatures drop to below -50 deg. C in the small village of Listvyanka, Central Sibreia, USSR, where I was born on 30 May 1934." When he was four years old, his father was declared a subversive during the Stalin purge, so they lost everything and had to live in one room with eleven occupants.
David Scott came from a military family, born at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas, USA. Before his father became a "fighter pilot," he had an administrative job in a Hollywood film studio in California. David followed in the footsteps of his dad, acted as a technical advisre on the film, 'Apollo 13.'
These two military "commanders" from warring countries have nothing in common, except the moondance in space, as it is more an illusion. Their experiences were not even close. Granted, Leonov was the first man to "walk in space," securing a place in history. Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon in actuality; he was the commander of Apollo 11. After spending three days on the moon, David Scott became the seventh to hop around up there collecting souvenirs.
The photo sections speak a lot louder than the words. I'm not sure the average American citizen is ready to be reminded of all the personal terror and pain we endured for so long by their bullying and threats. The title should be called 'Opposite Sides on Earth," opponents to the end. You would think that, by now, USA would realize that trusting one's former enemy can backfire even in defeat.
Parallel evolution of two individuals during the space race.......2005-05-19
I bought this book just a month ago while in a business trip and I must admit that my first impression was that the book was a sort of commercial best-seller, rather hollywood-like. So I was not expecting serious really serious content. But the more I read, the more I came to the conclussion it was a really good book.
I had not the kind of tech-focused expectations of Thomas Moody (see useful review above), but I think it is serious enough for the non-tech or specialized public, whithout been arcane. It's rigorous and at the same time, very readable. A real page-turner.
I think that the book is worth the money. Provides a smart picture not only of space race but also of cold war in a wider sense, from a special and interesting point of view.
Overall, the point with the book is that it is based on two different careers and lives, wich brings a richer depiction of the evolution, both professional and personal of this two outstanding men, astronaut and cosmonaut, at the same time that their respective space programs in Soviet Union and USA.
My congratulations to the authors, the journalist, editors and all people involved in the project. A very well balanced approach on how to present the story and how to narrate it. They've got a great result.
I really enjoyed this book.
The moon race from vastly different perspectives..........2005-02-23
In his seminal work "A Man On the Moon", author Andrew Chaiken describes the quintessenal American astronaut: "Even in a pack of overachievers like the astronaut corps, David Scott stood out. He seemed to have come straight from Central Casting, a six footer with All-American good loooks and built like a decathlon champion. In some circles there was a joke that if NASA ever came out with an astronaut recruiting poster, Scott should be on it." This glowing testament and the providence of being on the most ambitious lunar mission up to that point (Apollo 15) made Dave Scott seem somewhat a hero to young Apollo-crazed 5th grade students like myself (in 1971). That feeling really never went away, so it was with great anticipation that I undertook this dual auto-biography with Alexei Leonov...and the result was mild disappointment. I suppose I expected more in-depth discussion of the technical aspects of Apollo 15 and the training for it, but got a rather pedestrian telling of that mission and the events leading up to it. True, "Two Sides of the Moon" doesn't promise to be a comprehensive account of any particular mission, rather an overlay of two perspectives of the moon race between the Soviet Union and the U.S. If looked at from that perspective, this work is a useful addition to the mountain of literature on the space race...indeed Leonov exposes much new information on the Soviet program that essentially carries this book.
Thrown together for the symbolic Apollo-Soyuz joint mission in 1975, Scott and Leonov established a shaky initial relationship that prospered following the demise of the Soviet Union and this book is the result of the many story-telling sessions that followed. From Sputnik to Gagarin's ground-breaking manned orbital mission and on to the Leonov commanded Apollo-Soyuz, the reader is treated to the beginning of the Soviet Space program, now with the perspective of over 40 years. The successes and failures were surprising revelations to me...as was the leadership and vision of Sergei Korelov, the "Chief Designer" and the true leader of the Soviet program.
The American program, certainly well documented to date, is rather blandly described by Scott...although useful discussions of Gemini 8 (Scott's first mission), Apollo 9 and of course Apollo 15 make the Scott sections worth the read. Again, when compared to Chaiken's work, Scott's first person rendering of his initial training for and prosecution of this fabulous mission lacks much verve and emotion...many humanistic tidbits, like Scott's iron command of the mission and the resulting embarrasment of the "stamp scandal" are given relatively short shrift...for that matter so to is his mission to the Appenine Mountains. Hadley Rille, Mount Hadley and Hadley Delta exploration points were argueably the most scenic and scientifically important (i.e. the Genisis rock) spots that astronauts visited on the moon, but Scott just doesn't get that emotion across. He tries, but I constantly had to reference Chaiken's book to reinforce that grandeur...a real shame.
What does work with this book however is the integration of the two stories and the disclosure of the initial cooperation between the two programs. Many readers, unaware of these details, will surely find this interesting, as did I. The post space program paths that both men took is also interesting and relevant, although some more personal details from Scott would have rounded out the story-line a little better. For example he mentions his former wife Lurton, but does not go into the cause of that break-up...was it the space program that caused it as happened with many of his peers, or something else? Sadly, one gets the impression that both men are rushed to get their story published, so these important details are left out.
Another in a long recent line of biographies of the Apollo program, this work should stand out somewhat as it gives an interesting new perspective of this well-told story. Scott and Leonov are not great story-tellers, but by combining their career stories, the reader is given a useful look at both programs...but with just a little more effort, this could have been so much better.
Book Description
A landmark collaboration between a thirty-year veteran of the CIA and a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist,
The Main Enemy is the dramatic inside story of the CIA-KGB spy wars, told through the actions of the men who fought them.
Based on hundreds of interviews with operatives from both sides, The Main Enemy puts us inside the heads of CIA officers as they dodge surveillance and walk into violent ambushes in Moscow. This is the story of the generation of spies who came of age in the shadow of the Cuban missile crisis and rose through the ranks to run the CIA and KGB in the last days of the Cold War. The clandestine operations they masterminded took them from the sewers of Moscow to the back streets of Baghdad, from Cairo and Havana to Prague and Berlin, but the action centers on Washington, starting in the infamous "Year of the Spy"--when, one by one, the CIA’s agents in Moscow began to be killed, up through to the very last man.
Behind the scenes with the CIA's covert operations in Afghanistan, Milt Bearden led America to victory in the secret war against the Soviets, and for the first time he reveals here what he did and whom America backed, and why. Bearden was called back to Washington after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan and was made chief of the Soviet/East Euro-pean Division—just in time to witness the fall of the Berlin Wall, the revolutions that swept across Eastern Europe, and the implosion of the Soviet Union.
Laced with startling revelations--about fail-safe top-secret back channels between the CIA and KGB, double and triple agents, covert operations in Berlin and Prague, and the fateful autumn of 1989--
The Main Enemy is history at its action-packed best.
Download Description
A landmark collaboration between a thirty-year veteran of the CIA and a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, The Main Enemy is the dramatic inside story of the CIA-KGB spy wars, told through the actions of the men who fought them.
Based on hundreds of interviews with operatives from both sides, The Main Enemy puts us inside the heads of CIA officers as they dodge surveillance and walk into violent ambushes in Moscow.
This is the story of the generation of spies who came of age in the shadow of the Cuban missile crisis and rose through the ranks to run the CIA and KGB in the last days of the Cold War. The clandestine operations they masterminded took them from the sewers of Moscow to the back streets of Baghdad, from Cairo and Havana to Prague and Berlin, but the action centers on Washington, starting in the infamous "Year of the Spy" -- when, one by one, the CIA's agents in Moscow began to be killed, up through to the very last man.
Behind the scenes with the CIA's covert operations in Afghanistan, Milt Bearden led America to victory in the secret war against the Soviets, and for the first time he reveals here what he did and whom America backed, and why.
Bearden was called back to Washington after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan and was made chief of the Soviet/East European Division -- just in time to witness the fall of the Berlin Wall, the revolutions that swept across Eastern Europe, and the implosion of the Soviet Union.
Laced with startling revelations -- about fail-safe top-secret back channels between the CIA and KGB, double and triple agents, covert operations in Berlin and Prague, and the fateful autumn of 1989 -- The Main Enemy is history at its action-packed best.
Customer Reviews:
Milt Bearden gives us the data dump.......2007-03-27
My introduction to Milt Bearden came from reading "Charlie Wilson's War" by George Crile. A great book by the way, I would highly recommend it.
I would recommend this book to people who are interested in Cold War history.
My only dissapointment with this book is that in the epilogue Milt doesn't approach the question of whether or not the rules have changed from when he was chief of the SE Division, and if those changes are for the better. For example, let's take "extraordinary renditions" - in the days when Milt was chief of SE Division the unwritten rule was that USA and USSR didn't kill or unduly rough up each other's spies. Now that we engage in those kinds of activities, are our CIA operatives in the DO more cautious? Are there more restrictions on their movements when they are overseas? And has the change in methods and attitudes affected our relationships with other intelligence agencies, and if so, for the better or for the worse?
A curious discrepancy.......2006-12-18
Much as I have enjoyed this fascinating book, I wish to point out a startling anachronism. Bearden makes much of the delivery of the "120 mm Spanish mortar" to the Mujahideen in 1987, and elaborates on how teams were trained in applying GPS readings to precisely deliver their ordnance beyond visual range. "It came...with a ranging system worked out by Langley...that fused the low-tech mortar with the high-tech world of satellite guidance." And "Once their exact coordinates had been calibrated, the leader of the team would feed the GPS data into a small computer, add the coordinates of the target, and then query the computer for the precise compass direction and elevation..." This procedure, GPS and all, supposedly led to devastating night attacks on the Spetsnaz battalion at Chagasaray on 28 Nov 1987 and 15 Dec 1987.
Problem: Although initial use of GPS was reported in 1990, it did not become operational until 1993. In 1987 the satellites had not been launched yet (this was during the Challenger stand-down).
We can only conclude that while the attacks and the mortars were real, the procedures and the "ranging" method used must have been invented by the authors for literary convenience. No doubt this is the ghost writer's shortcut, not Bearden's, but this does raise questions about technical accuracy throughout the volume.
Valuable insight into the climax of the Cold War.......2005-11-18
In a brief period of time between 1989 and 1991, the world changed dramatically. Several significant events transpired, each literally changing the way the world worked overnight. In The Main Enemy, Milt Bearden and James Risen provide a detailed and fascinating view into the struggle between the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Soviet security service, Komitet Gosudarstvenoj Bezopasnosti (KGB).
Anyone aware of the state of world affairs for the last half of the twentieth century would be hard pressed to believe any of the events that took place as the final decade of the century was poised to begin. Starting with the Soviet Union's withdraw from Afghanistan in 1989, we observed as one event followed another, each coming as a greater surprise than the previous. We watched the collapse of the Berlin Wall and saw the reunification of Germany shortly thereafter. Not long behind Germany's rejection of socialism, we saw revolutions in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Rumania, and elsewhere. In the latter half of 1991, we watched a failed coup in the Soviet Union, and as that year drew to a close, the Soviet hammer and sickle was replaced with the Russian tricolor flag over Moscow.
These were not events that took place on their own. These were the highly visible climax of an ongoing struggle between the proponents of the Soviet Revolutskyj Mir ("World Revolution") and their counterparts in the West -- including Britain's MI6 and America's CIA. Such a conclusion wasn't always assured, and there were times when CIA was baffled by the tremendous success of KGB's operations against Western agents and interests. It is during these "1985 losses" that the book opens, providing a foundation that helps the reader to see just what was happening in the world of intelligence.
Milt Bearden is a career CIA officer, having spent a lifetime in the shadows and working for America's interests. James Risen is an accomplished journalist. The collaboration -- which also includes the input and assistance of many other players from many sides in this international game of strategy and intrigue -- is an admirable success. The story is gripping, compelling, and personal. The book is well-structured and the prose makes it easy to forget that The Main Enemy isn't a novel, but a book of real history.
For those of us whose understanding of intelligence is primarily from the technical side -- most likely through Bamford's glimpses into the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) -- The Main Enemy is instructive, helping us to see the value of human intelligence (HUMINT) and its role in world affairs.
While hardly the definitive work on the operations of CIA, The Main Enemy provides valuable insight into the climax of the Cold War. Hopefully its accessible style will help to open this important chapter of history to a wide audience -- not just spy buffs.
Great Read.......2004-07-04
For those of us who were a bit younger at the end of the Cold War and were more interested in girls and cars than politics, this is a great read about the spy games that went on between the CIA & KGB, both directly (eg. in Washington or Moscow) or indirectly (Afghanistan) and about the political changes that happened at the end of the 80's and early 90's. I have read a lot of Tom Clancy's novels, and this one has them beat for intrigue and insight. Anyone who enjoys books told from a truly inside perspective will love this one.
I LOVE SPY BOOKS.......2004-05-04
This is another terrific spy book that is worth reading. Was completeley drawn in by this one !!! Another Cold War era book I would recommend is the one by Benjamin Weiser titled " A Secret Life" about a Polish Colonel ( Ryszard Kuklinski ) on the Polish General Staff who passed on some 40,000 Warsaw Pact and Soviet documents to the CIA from 1972 to 1981.
Book Description
In the ocean depths, America's warriors ceaselessly patrol the dark territory on freedom's outer edge. These are the battles fought in silence...and in secret. The newest fight begins when the People's Republic of China buys a fleet of highly stealthy and deadly attack subs from a cash–hungry Russia and takes advantage of international unrest to lay claim to territories they have long considered their own. US Commander Tom Garrett is asked to serve as Executive Officer on board the USS Seawolf to monitor the PRC's activities as they use all the firepower necessary to close the Straits of Taiwan in preparation for invading their "renegade province." As the Chinese fleet moves in for attack, it's left to Commander Garrett to sink the Chinese boats, break the PRC siege of Taiwan, and avenge those who were lost in the struggle.
Customer Reviews:
Has an authentic ring to it...this must be what modern sub combat is like.......2006-03-16
This is the first Riker novel I've read. Had Tom Clancy continued featuring thesilent service in his fiction, he could have done no better. First the few minor glitches: there is some confusion in naming characters in the parallel SEALS and submarine events. Submariner Garrett somehow intrudes in the meeting between SEALS commmander Morton and his Taiwanese counterparts, when it is clear that he could not have been present. Some other person is meant here. Also, although Riker likes to use authentic jargon, he uses the terms "Get out of Dodge" (for vamoose) and "clusterf***" ( 21st century variant of SNAFU) repetitively.
That said, the political as well as the techno-naval aspects are handled deftly, and sound quite convincing. The book provides a painless and dramatic primer on how modern attack subs operate in a combat situation. Ditto for the SEALS. The motivations and reactions of the men....and women...are not caricatures, as in too many techno-thrillers. I look forward to following Commander Garrett to his Virginia class boat.
Good sub novel.......2004-10-03
Seawolf was a very interesting read - from the action to the political situations. The characters were well developed and the plot well paced. There were a few technical things, character name mix-ups (i.e. Garrett named in place of Gordon), and a few odd Chinese phrases (though it could have been Cantonese he was using instead of Mandarin). These little things did not detract from the overall enjoyment of the book.
I find Riker's take on the Taiwan issue interesting; though it might have been just for the plots sake that he presented it the way he did. It's an interesting scenario for the future.
Couldn't put it down.......2003-07-28
Tense and thrilling, but without a lot of the artificiality of many submarine books/movies. Riker's story kept me glued (I won't say "riveted") to its pages.
An excellent adventure.......2002-10-24
This book from the start is action action. Some sub books that I have read get way into the techinical aspect of the sub. This book could be read by both a novice or an exeprienced sub reader and still be enjoyed. The ending is a spectacular display of tactical writing that could easily compete with Tom Clancy. High recommendations
Best "Silent Service" Outing Yet. Fun Read!.......2002-10-03
This was a very fast, engaging, enjoyable story from beginning to end. I have read all of the Silent Service series books by H. Jay Riker and they just keep getting better. I am really eager for the next one, which -- I won't give anything away -- the epilogue suggests will be called VIRGINIA CLASS. At least I hope so. I am a real fan of submarine novels and this one stands up well compared to the rest of them. Read it soon!
Book Description
The epic, courageous, and disastrous untold stories of the submarine war between the U.S. and the Soviets, through the eyes of the Russian admirals who commanded the submarine fleet.
For devotees of submarine espionage such as Blind Man's Bluff, Rising Tide tells the Soviet/ Russian side of the most secretive operations of the Cold War. For the first time, seven Russian admirals with decades of experience on submarines or commanding fleets give us the inside stories as told to leading naval historian Dr. Gary Weir. They detail the undersea successes, such as the surveillance of U.S. submarines leaving Puget Sound, and the innovative techniques Russia developed to trail the U.S. Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. They reveal the development of the first nuclear submarines, and the internecine battles among Soviet bureaucrats that led to the deaths of many Russian sailors. And they give firsthand accounts of deadly events, such as the sinking of the K-219 off Bermuda and the collision of the U.S.S. Tautog and the Soviet K-108, including unpublished photos of the incident's aftermath. Rising Tide also reveals the many catastrophes and the occasional heroic rescues in the Soviet submarine fleet, and answers many questions surrounding the sensational loss of the Kursk in August 2000.
Covering submarines from the first advanced diesel subs in the 1950s to the Kursk in 2000, with the authority only senior naval officials can deliver, Rising Tide is the complete story of the Soviet side of the gripping, secret life of the submariners in the Cold War.
Rising Tide tells the story of one of the most important technological contests in human history, and does so in a gripping, exciting narrative.
Customer Reviews:
In Defense of a Decision.......2007-03-25
Rummaging through the reviews, I see many criticisms that basically say the Russian first-person testimony should be diluted with a flood of other (mostly American) opinions to "round it out".
I would, however, argue that it was a good decision. For one thing, the book is very short and as other critics have mentioned, there wasn't enough space for everything as it is. He can only concentrate on something, and in this case he decided to go for what the front-line Captains had to say.
Another factor is that the testimony could not afford to be further double-crossed. The book's primary targets are people who have been indoctrinated by Tom Clancy (whose reach is worldwide) and American submariner community into believing American sub invulnerability. If he allows the undercut, he might as well not write the book because 99% of the readership will just believe the American version.
A very good example of why NOT undercut is in Nathan Alexander's review. This is how most of the readership was probably indoctrinated. No need to increase the indoctrination depth further, methinks.
Objectively, are the Americans the best sources? The book reveals (in the few undercuts it allowed in the endnotes) that Soviet Captains make computations assuming that American sonar is at LEAST equal to theirs, while American captains go from the assumption they have a vast superiority. The latter assumption will likely lead to a large number of false negatives in guessing whether the Soviets counterdetected them - interpretations which will be enshrined in reports (and later books) and become "fact", which enhance this assumption...cycle repeats. This whole problem is so severe even Tom Clancy decided to write about it obliquely in the Sum of All Fears (see my review of that too).
As for the spelling mistakes, must say they don't bother me much.
An impressive effort but..........2007-02-02
I really wanted to give this 3.5 stars but because I can't I've gone for four stars as anyone with an interest in submarines and/or the Cold War really should read this book. Based around the potted memoirs of several Russian submarine officers, the authors offer an alternative view to books such as the excellent Blind Man's Bluff. Considering what the Russian, sorry, Soviet submariners had to deal with in terms of politics within and beyond the Navy, shoddy, passing-the-buck workmanship (in constructing and repairing the boats) and a general technological lag behind their Western counterparts, what they achieved needs to be more widely known. This book goes some way toward doing this.
However, I have to admit that I did find myself questioning some of the claims made by the submariners. There was no major argument against their claims and they were largely taken as gospel. Fair enough, I suppose, considering this is a book revealing the Cold War exploits of the "evil empire". A major criticism I did have was that Appendix 2, detailing specifications of various Soviet and US submarines, neglected to list three of the classes that featured heavily throughout the book - the Soviet "Alfa" class and US "Los Angeles" and "Sturgeon" classes. I found these omissions surprising considering the types' role in the Cold War battles under the sea. Small potatoes really as these specifications can be readily found elsewhere. It just seemed odd not to see them there!
Appendix 1, however, is an excellent potted history of the Russian/Soviet Navy. So, although there's a few things that might get the reader thinking "Hang on, what about...", this book goes some of the way to filling the hole in learning about what the other side did during the Cold War. Brave men one and all those who sail beneath the ocean.
Silent Reds.......2006-02-21
Very good book giving the side of the Soviet "Silent Service" during the cold war. Obviously edited to some extent, but not so bad that you can't fill in the blanks if you have a cold war submarine background. Very interesting points of view on what the Red Sub's were trying to do to us as we were doing to them.
Interesting, inaccurate, can't spell.......2006-02-12
Interesting. Obviously the author became good friends with some Russian submariners, and of course, that is the inside story. So, for that reason, especially if you find it on the $3.33/copy bargain shelf (as I did), do buy it. There will probably never be another book published in the West, based on such interviews.
Inaccurate. Opinions of former Soviet submariners, no matter how "nice" or enthusiastic they are, should not be taken as a fact, especially when numerous other sources contradict them. So, as a source of "oral history", it is a great book ... but should be taken with a grain of salt. Other reviewers before me went into the details...
Can't spell... The mis-spellings are there on almost every page, whether related to a place name, a submarine type, or an acronym. Just a small example, so I don't waste the reader's time by the hundreds of errors: The so-called GIUK Gap is an important place in the history of Cold War submarine operations (and even today0. It refers to the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom gap (two relatively narrow sea passages), well guarded by Western anti-submarine forces. The abbreviation, as "GIUK" makes geographic sense, but "GUIK" does not. Yet, the authors have both on the same page, referring to the same place. Many of the mis-spellings may be low-cost type setting errors, but even so...some are definitely not.
Recommendation: buy it if you can find it on the bargain rack...
Flawed facts mar good story.......2006-02-04
The concept was great. The execution leaves a little to be desired. It is obvious that Mr. Weir is an apologists for the Soviet Navy and tends to view much of what the submarine force did as nothing short of god-like, while the American effort was lacking and far behind the Soviets. Mr. Weir's pronouncement that Soviet subs habitually tracked American Ohio Class SSBNs is so ludicrious that it is beyond flawed research. The Ohio class SSBN has never been successfully tracked by an foreign submarine force and probably never will be. Mr. Weir also states that Soviet ICBMs were more accurate that the American versions is also absurd. Data released after the Cold War ended, as well as data collected during tests of the Soviet missles conclusively proves that the Soviet missiles were very inaccurate as well as had the annoying tendency to explode when fueled prior to launch. It seems that Mr. Weir was far more gullible when it came to what the Soviet submarine commanders had to tell him. I guess he didn't bother to check his facts, assuming that the Soviets would never exaggerate. It's too bad, really. The stories told in the book concerning the more personal aspects of the numerous mishaps of Soviet nuclear boats and the drive to produce a vital, powerful submarine force is well worth reading. Just don't beliece everything you read.
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