ARC Light

by Eric L. Harry

Book Overview

In a scenario terrifyingly close to today's headlines, Harry's debut novel opens with a North Korean invasion of South Korea that leads, through a series of tragic errors and decisions, to a Russian... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0515117927
• ISBN13: 9780515117929
• Release Date: February 1996
• Publisher: Jove Books
• Length: 624 Pages
• Weight: 2.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

One of the Best Books Ever

This is a must read. If you like to read about things that could actually happen in the world today then pick this book up now. This is a book that will make you think what if this really happend. All characters are developed very well and you do have to keep up because it does jump around, has all Eric L. Harry books do. With all the jumping around it gives you a look at what is going on with other parts of the USA. This is a great book. I can't say anything else about it. You should see that it got a 5 star by everyone else so that should be enough to make you want to pick up and read it. Let me warn you though, you will read this book slow because you will not ever want it to end. ERIC L. HARRY AT HIS BEST!!!

Chilling Look at Post-Cold War Nuclear Dangers

The gradual dissolution of the dreaded Cold War atmosphere in no way translates into a permanent cessation from the dangers of nuclear warfare. In fact, for a brief period during the early 1990s, the threat of an atomic exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union seemed more possible than during the Cuban Missile Crisis of the early 1960s due to the collapse of the communist regime and subsequent coup by old Soviet hardliners. Literally tens of thousands of nuclear tipped missiles in silos and submarines throughout Russia and the world's oceans could have been launched by accident or on the orders of the coup plotters back in Moscow. The uncertainty of these incidents inspired Eric L. Harry to write "Arc Light," a novel about a limited nuclear exchange between a non-communist Russia and the United States. Harry's sprawling nuclear epic will raise the hackles of any reader who remembers the bleak old days of doomsday planes, MAD policies, and May Day parades in Moscow's Red Square."Arc Light" takes place in a near future scenario where the former Soviet Union, now a federated Russian Republic, undergoes a series of military coups after civilian leadership fails to alleviate serious economic problems. Moreover, the Russians fight several wars with China over the mineral rich Siberian regions. These Sino/Russian conflicts bring in the United States, who sends military advisors to assist the Russians in their logistical operations. In other words, the Russians and the Americans form tentative bonds centered on placating the Chinese menace. All goes well between the two former enemies until the North Koreans launch a surprise attack in order to reunite the Korean peninsula. This invasion ties up American forces in Asia, but it also creates enough confusion to allow a rogue nationalist Russian general named Zorin to seize control of the Russian government. Things go from bad to worse when China manages to squeeze off a few nuclear warheads against Moscow. Zorin, with limited information at his fingertips, thinks the warheads are American missiles and issues orders for a retaliatory strike aimed at American military installations in the continental United States. Five to seven million Americans die in this terrible exchange, along with millions of Russians who perish in revenge strikes conducted by the American military. The rest of the book tracks the disintegrating situation between the two countries as both sides struggle through unprecedented death and destruction, a process made no easier by the fact that situations keep arising that promise further war. Harry follows several characters and scenarios throughout the tribulations of a world at war. He takes us into the presidential aircraft when our leaders give the launch orders to wreak havoc on Russia. We see deep inside the Kremlin and we are privy to the battle plans of the Russian high command as they face down an American land invasion. We intimately walk side by side with National

Unforgettable!

This will be short and sweet, because the plot has been laid out by so many reviewers by now. Suffice to say that I read this book years ago, and have never forgotten how completely captivated I was. I couldn't believe the graphic realism, right down to the last thoughts of those who were dying. It was chilling because it just seemed so real. Of all the 3rd world war stories I've read, this is the one I enjoyed the most. I'd give it 10 stars! (And I'm a woman....probably my husband would have given it 20 stars if he'd read it.) Unfortunately, I lent this book out and never got it back. Now I see it's out of print. What a tragedy! By all means get a hold of it and savor every word...

The Hour Hand Sweeps Closer To Midnight

"Arc-Light" is the techno thriller for people who don't like techno thrillers. If Tom Clancy and his many, many imitators leave you cold, theres still a good chance that you'll enjoy this. North Korea invades South Korea and Russia launches tactical Nuclear strikes on insurgent Chinese forces...and thats just in the first ten pages. Over the next five hundred pages Eric L Harry deftly sweeps a trans-global cast of characters, that are unusually well written for a novel in this genre, into the nightmare of a world war that threatens to escalate into total Nuclear annihilation. One of the greatest page turning experiences of my life. I literally could not put this tome down until I'd turned the final nail-biting page and reached the shocking climax.

A fabulous read---superior to Clancy and terrifyingly real

If you're a Clancy fan, you should get to know and like Eric Harry. This book is tough to find, out of print, but worth it if you can lay your hands on it. I stumbled upon Harry's Invasion book--which was an excellent US-China war yarn set on US soil---interesting twist I havent' seen in most of this genra. While I previously felt Clancy's Red Storm Rising was the best war drama thriller I'd found, I took a chance on Arc Light and was rewarded in spades---order it used and count yourself lucky. After reading Clancy and War Day (Whitley Streiber), I thought the bar was set high but Harry paints a vivid picture of WWIII---whereas most novels are set in post-apocalyptic 'picking up the pieces' stages, Harry paints the picture for us as events are happening. Better still, it happens at the right pace---not too fast, not too slow---a steady diet of suspence, intrigue, and action. While Clancy would have spent 500 pages building up to the action we're all wanting to experience, Harry puts you right into it in the first 50 pages without jeopardizing character development or sacrificing story---truly a rare and splendid gift to be able to achieve. A GREAT read----the first 250 pages flow like water---you'll wish the story didn't end...