Breath of the Choson Dragon
Submitted by Joyce Faulkner on December 23, 2011 - 21:13Title: Breath of the Choson Dragon
Author: Jack L. Wells
Genre: Fiction, Thriller
Reviewer: Bob Flournoy
ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1450551963
The Book: Breath of the Choson Dragon. Awarded a GOLD MEDAL for Mystery/Thriller by the Military Writer's Society of America, Oct. 2010 and a SLIVER MEDAL for fiction, Branson Stars and Flags Book Awards, Nov. 2010. North Korea is always in the news, sometimes front page, sometimes buried in the back. It is a vexing and problematic child that won't be ignored and won't go away. My new book is a created scenario investigating how North Korea could make the front page with a vengeance. It is based on actual history and current events. Remember, there is nothing quite as dangerous as a maniac with a mission. And nothing as concerning as such a maniac with weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivery. "Breath of the Choson Dragon" captures the ideas and emotions of the people caught up in implementing, discovering and precluding a surprise attack; a surprise attack that is very plausible. Summary: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), surreptitiously, acquires two ex Soviet Juilett class guided missile submarines in 1993, and then missiles, and later thermonuclear warheads and prepares to use them in a preemptory strike against US bases in South Korea, Japan, and Hawaii 18 years later. Their objective: reunification of the Korean peninsula under their flag. The US Defense Intelligence Agency ultimately becomes aware by putting together divergent pieces of the puzzle and finally takes last moment action to covertly stop the threat just prior to the attack. Writing Concept: The story is told through the experiences of individual North Korean, American and allied officers and others and the locations move to various sites around the world. I have personally visited most of these locations. There is a lot of realistic military, business and personal dialog. Characters develop and grow and some ultimately even change their perspective. It is an accurate technological suspense novel told through human interaction. It is not buried in jargon and is written for the layman. Military and strategic terms are explained through dialog and the reader learns capabilities through situations, not just narrative.