Red Phoenix

By: Larry Bond

Narrated by: J. Charles

Length: 23 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

From the author who collaborated with Tom Clancy on Red Storm Rising, this is the book that dares to show us the military hardware, global upheavals, and raw combat a second Korean War would unleash. How F-16s would blast across the 38th Parallel. How ultra-modern submarines would vie for the seas. And how two armies would turn the snowfields of Asia red with blood. A thundering geopolitical thriller of vast scope, this is Red Phoenix - and a new standard for military/political suspense fiction.

©1990 Larry Bond (P)2006 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A big, big book...A superb storyteller...Larry Bond seems to know everything about warfare, from the grunt in a foxhole to the fighter pilots far above the earth... Red Phoenix is wonderfully entertaining and deserves to be the best seller it is." ( New York Times Book Review)

"Gripping...masterfully accurate...Mr. Bond is in complete command." (Baltimore Sun)

"Harrowingly real and persuasive." (Newsday)

"A direct hit! The techno-thriller has a new ace, and his name is Larry Bond." (Tom Clancy)

Good story, distracting performance

I read this paperback when it was originally released, and lately I’ve been re-cleaning myself with some of my old favorites on audible to listen to while traveling. So a little dated and technology, the story remains solid with an engaging plot an interesting characters.

The thing I struggled with was the performance. I realize that narrator preference is subjective and individual, and unfortunately this one just didn’t do anything for me. For the most part, he did a four-star job when voicing the American characters (a little overdramatic at times but only enough to lose one star), but his attempts at Korean and Russian accents were just too much for me, to the point where it distracted me from the story and made me stop listening for a while.

As much as I would like to revisit this Red Phoenix, I’ve only made it through a couple hours of the audiobook and I don’t think I can continue. As I said, narrator preference is very subjective and some may appreciate the”performance” more than me. If so, I recommend this book for the story.

It went by to quickly...

This was much, much better than I had expected. It was well plotted with both a credible plot and characters. The reader did a marvelous job too. Try it, you'll like it!

Enjoyable, plausible story.

Loved it. I downloaded this book, looking for a good cold war story. I wasn't disappointed.

Great Story & Terrific Performer

This story of a renewed Korean War in the 1980s is the first and, I think, the best of Larry Bond's books. Although the passage of time has made it a sort of "alternative history" novel, it is thoroughly enjoyable for its characterizations, action, and pacing. Mr. Charles does an outstanding job with accents for the different nationalities in the story. I especially like the way he makes the North Koreans sound like Beldar Conehead. Audible 20 Review Sweepstakes Entry

decent

not as great as a Tom Clancy original, but decent enough. wouldn't recommend if not already a Tom Clancy fan

Interesting Imagining of a Korean War in 1989

This story presents the horror of war on the Korean Peninsula. It highlights the threat posed by a dynastic regime, especially in a country as insular as North Korea. North Korea has always been a wild card threat that South Korea needs to take seriously.

The story follows a plot similar to the history of the 1950s war. US and South Korean forces were decimated at the beginning of the war. Allied forces traded space for time to bring in reinforcements. Eventually, Allied air superiority and greater logistical capability eventually turned the tide.

US forces had more than 36,000 killed in the actual war. Combat descriptions depict the high loss rates of front line forces, the severe stress on survivors, and illustrates how combat deprives combat forces of sleep. This story covers generals as well as soldiers.

It slowly drew me in.

started slow but as the characters developed, it became interesting. Not a fan of the narration.

Amazing story and great Narrator!

Same narrator as The Hunt For Red October. could easily be made into a fantastic TV show, mini series or movie especially in late 2017 context of potential conflict with NK

Realistic political and military fiction

This is the first Larry Bond book I've read with the exception of Red Storm Rising. I love political and military fiction that is very detailed and completely plausible. I really felt like this was such a great plot because it felt like something that could transpire tomorrow. The plausibility isn't just limited to the military aspects of the book. The political scheming that led to the conflict felt so real. I also enjoy the Clancy-esque style of having multiple character viewpoints, plots, and locations all taking place simultaneously and jumping back and forth between them. When I first started the book, the narrator was slightly annoying to me, especially having just finished a 40 hour book with a fantastic narrator, but as I listened, the storyline was so captivating that I started to not mind the reader. His accents (Russian, Korean, Southern US, etc) and pronunciation of foreign places and names were very inaccurate to the point of being comical, but over time I really didn't mind. This is too good of a story to get hung up on the narrator...and his performance wasn't bad, just not the best. I highly recommend this book and I'm starting another Larry Bond book next.

Riveting

Really a fun listen. It's a complex story told in an easy to follow way. Well balanced between political intrigue, military reality and personal stories.