Onslaught: The War with China - The Opening Battle

Starred review from October 3, 2016
Poyer’s superb 16th thriller featuring Capt. Daniel V. Lenson., USN, steams into the roughest waters yet as China continues its smash and grab for world power. In addition to mounting a defense against Chinese aggression toward such Pacific Rim nations as Taiwan and Japan, Dan has to run a ship, the USS Savo Island, where a rapist is on the loose. A host of other problems pile on his shoulders, until just staying upright and functioning becomes problematic. Meanwhile, Dan’s wife, Blair Titus, is running for Congress in a U.S. gradually disintegrating into chaos, and SEAL Master Chief Petty Officer Theodore Harlett Oberg is preparing his aging and battered body for a mission that will thrust him into a situation so dire that he wishes he were dead rather than alive. But the keel of the story—the naval battles with China—are always foremost, and Poyer is among the best authors, present or past, to write these electrifying scenes. Military-action fans will eagerly await the second installment in what appears to be a distinct story arc within the larger series.

October 1, 2016
The latest novel by Poyer to feature Naval Captain Dan Lenson is also the second in the War with China series. He stopped a potential nuclear war between India and Pakistan, but now China is making moves to take over the entire Pacific region of Asia. Lenson and his commanders have to tread a thin line between staying neutral and defending themselves from an enemy that wants to start WWIII. Poyer does an admirable job balancing between war scenarios while also showcasing life aboard a navy vessel with a crew dealing with stress and potential sabotage. The realistic nature of the novel will impress those who enjoy their naval fiction, but readers unfamiliar with the previous books might at least want to start with the author's previous installment, Tipping Point, to get the full enjoyment of the tale. There are two more books coming in this battle, so the non-ending makes complete sense.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)