ADVANCE TO CONTACT: 1980

U.S. Marines, Soviet airborne troops, Iraqi and Iranian soldiers, and Sandinistas and Contras tangle as the world inches toward Armageddon in Aaronson and Rosone’s series-starting thriller.

The authors explore an alternate version of 1979 and 1980 in which the era’s real-life military confrontations veer into fictional scenarios. The novel starts with the seizure of American hostages at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran by Iranian students, then proceeds to a rescue mission that recovers most of the hostages after a bloody firefight between Marine infantry and Iranian forces. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Iran ensues, but in this telling, the U.S. government conducts airstrikes that obliterate Iraqi tank columns. Elsewhere, an attack by Sandinista missile boats on American warships pitches the U.S. into war with Nicaragua. Meanwhile, President Jimmy Carter sees his approval ratings soar to over 70% as the administration seeks to secure ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. Meanwhile, Operation Bogatyr, the Kremlin’s plan to “free the workers of the world” by conquering Europe, proceeds apace. The novel has a teeming cast of characters from all the contending forces, but the closest thing to a protagonist is Marine Corps Sgt. Carlos Rodriguez, who fights Iranians, watches his marriage disintegrate stateside, and goes on a covert op to Nicaragua, where he’s taken prisoner by a Sandinista militia member who hates Soviets more than Americans. Aaronson and Rosone, both veterans, paint a panorama of military experience from every angle: tank melees, damage control in a stricken destroyer, helicopters blasted by sandstorms, soldiers drowning their grief in alcohol. The novel’s geo-strategizing sometimes bogs down in long-winded debates in the White House Situation Room. However, the action scenes are detailed, realistic, and gripping, especially in small-unit infantry clashes, which build from clipped, tense procedural to panicked frenzy: “ ‘Shoot back! For cryin’ out loud, Poole, you have to shoot back!’ Rodriguez screamed as he sent three-round bursts in the enemy’s direction.” The authors’ energetic prose and fine rendering of conflict make for an engrossing read.

A rousing war saga that blends alternate history with grittily convincing combat.