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Book Review of Fortunes of War

Fortunes of War
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From Booklist: "The latest political-military thriller by this best-selling novelist starts off with a bang, not a whimper. The emperor of Japan, who has had some uncustomarily harsh words with his prime minister over Japan's role as a world power, is now the victim of a fanatical military group; these brazen but die-hard men break into the grounds of the Imperial Palace and assassinate--behead!--His Majesty. The emperor had been loathe to learn that his country not only possesses nuclear weapons but also has plans to invade Siberia for its oil reserves. Of course, the U.S. is drawn into the situation, and the stage is set for a World War III^-type conflagration. As is his trait, Coonts thoroughly grounds this swiftly paced narrative in the social, economic, and political conditions of the modern world. Russia's growing chaos after the fall of Communism and Japan's growing need to exercise its muscle inevitably result in a clash. There is a lot of diplomatic conversation here, a lot of talk about hardware, and considerable appeal for readers interested in international thriller-type diversion." Brad Hooper