THE COMPASS ROOM

In James’ speculative novel, the embattled vice president of the U.S.A. must hold a fractured nation together in the face of polarization, threats of impeachment, and unrest at home and abroad.

The narrative opens with an emergency: Iran is firing missiles at the United States Capitol in the wake of an Iranian attack on the U.S. military. This could signal the beginning of World War III. As the president is inexperienced in matters of foreign policy, Vice President George Wartmann (called “Daddy Longlegs” by colleagues) is left to not only assess the situation but also to decide the best course going forward. Quickly, Longlegs orders that all attacks are to be treated as nuclear “until proven otherwise”; news soon comes that Iran is utilizing nuclear weapons elsewhere and testing nuclear warheads in an underground facility. The pressure compounds when Longlegs receives a “Hail Mary phone call” from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad reporting an attack beyond the homefront. Many world powers, including Russia, China, and Turkey, have bided their time, waiting to take advantage of the situation, and Longlegs, as the crisis mounts, is the only man America can turn to. This sequel to James’ Friendship Games (2025) finds the U.S. teetering on the brink of chaos as markets crash and the nation’s enemies maneuver to strike. While the narrative focuses on serious action, James infuses the story with a bit of levity, too; throughout the text, the characters bounce natural, buoyant dialogue off one another. In tense scenes, these lines offer clarity and humanizes the characters. (“Now you’re gonna lie to me? Because there is nothing I despise more than a liar”). Readers looking to engage with relatable heroes in a realistic, tumultuous setting will find this entry in the Wartmann series worth their while.

An exciting continuation of this political thriller series.