by Dale Brown
First published 2010
President Joseph Gardner faces an impossible choice when Pakistani missiles fall into terrorist hands and target Indian cities. America's newest weapon, the orbital satellite Thor's Hammer, can strike any location within seconds. Gardner authorizes its first combat use, but the mission fails catastrophically. Pakistan responds by opening Middle Eastern ports to Chinese naval forces. The crisis deepens when Somali pirates massacre a Chinese freighter crew, prompting China to invade Somalia and install missile batteries aimed at U.S. warships. Russian and Chinese spacecraft then surround an American space station in orbit. The message arrives as an ultimatum: withdraw American naval power or face destruction from above. Gardner and his military commanders must navigate between three potential wars on Earth and in space. The president discovers that controlling the ultimate high ground means nothing if using it destroys everything below.
Genres: science-fiction, military-fiction, adventure, action, political-thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, high-stakes
Setting: India, Pakistan, Somalia, United States
Period: 21st-century
416 pages · Hardcover · William Morrow
Content warnings: violence