Post by James G on Sept 15, 2019 14:00:42 GMT
I read the novel Total War the other day.
It was written in 1981 and is a short tale of the outbreak of WW3. It is classed as si-fi rather than alternate or speculative history.
The story tells the take of an outbreak of a nuclear exchange starting over a Soviet invasion of Pakistan before the nukes fly as many countries get involved.
As it is the first in a series of 27 (or 29, there were two smaller books) book known as The Survivalist series, about half of the book is told from the POV of the main character John Rourke. He is a full-on action hero!
There are some wild events covered in the book. Most of the US is blown apart in a massive ICBM attack using multi-megaton weapons though many of the return strikes on the USSR are hit by particle beam weapons to known out the inbound MIRVs. The US strikes see the whole country devastated with 175million lives lost at once! Nuclear strikes in California see the San Andreas fault broken open and the West Coast dropping into the sea. Neutron bombs kill tens of millions through the Mid-West while the destruction of NYC, Washington and Atlanta - plus surely other East Coast cities - kill so many more.
Following the neutron bomb attacks while the story has killing off so many people, the USSR starts landing airmobile troops through the Mid West with the still-standing Chicago and early site for their arrival. The US has stopped functioning as a state but the president - alive when everyone else seems to be dead - is told this news and decided that the Soviets will get him eventually and force him to have the US surrender. So he kills himself after telling as many of the population as radios can reach that he has no successor and to keep fighting.
Meanwhile, our hero Rourke, has survived the nuclear exchange and is in New Mexico. His family is in Georgia. He sets off to be with them, starting that by fighting 50 outlaw bikers first almost single-handedly (he has a little help but it mainly his work) and killing them. The future books will see him seeking to find them and then being with them among an occupied and guerrilla war ravaged US.
It is quite the story! Short and leaves you wanting more even when questioning the WTF stuff.
It was written in 1981 and is a short tale of the outbreak of WW3. It is classed as si-fi rather than alternate or speculative history.
The story tells the take of an outbreak of a nuclear exchange starting over a Soviet invasion of Pakistan before the nukes fly as many countries get involved.
As it is the first in a series of 27 (or 29, there were two smaller books) book known as The Survivalist series, about half of the book is told from the POV of the main character John Rourke. He is a full-on action hero!
There are some wild events covered in the book. Most of the US is blown apart in a massive ICBM attack using multi-megaton weapons though many of the return strikes on the USSR are hit by particle beam weapons to known out the inbound MIRVs. The US strikes see the whole country devastated with 175million lives lost at once! Nuclear strikes in California see the San Andreas fault broken open and the West Coast dropping into the sea. Neutron bombs kill tens of millions through the Mid-West while the destruction of NYC, Washington and Atlanta - plus surely other East Coast cities - kill so many more.
Following the neutron bomb attacks while the story has killing off so many people, the USSR starts landing airmobile troops through the Mid West with the still-standing Chicago and early site for their arrival. The US has stopped functioning as a state but the president - alive when everyone else seems to be dead - is told this news and decided that the Soviets will get him eventually and force him to have the US surrender. So he kills himself after telling as many of the population as radios can reach that he has no successor and to keep fighting.
Meanwhile, our hero Rourke, has survived the nuclear exchange and is in New Mexico. His family is in Georgia. He sets off to be with them, starting that by fighting 50 outlaw bikers first almost single-handedly (he has a little help but it mainly his work) and killing them. The future books will see him seeking to find them and then being with them among an occupied and guerrilla war ravaged US.
It is quite the story! Short and leaves you wanting more even when questioning the WTF stuff.
