Shattered Trident

Blood of War

By: Larry Bond

Narrated by: Dick Hill

Length: 19 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

While trailing a Chinese nuclear attack sub, Jerry Mitchell, the captain of USS North Dakota, is shocked to see the Chinese boat torpedo a Vietnamese merchant ship. This blatant act of aggression is the opening gambit in a war that has blindsided the U.S. and quickly embroiled all nations in the western Pacific. These nations, bound together in the newly formed Littoral Alliance, have begun a covert submarine campaign aimed at crippling China’s economy before China can set in motion its own plot to dominate the region. In a desperate attempt to buy the president enough time to resolve the crisis diplomatically, Mitchell’s submarine squadron is ordered to interfere with attacks by both sides. China and the Littoral Alliance are both determined to win, no matter the cost, and as each side increases the level of violence, they approach a dangerous tipping point. In a race against time, the submarines of Mitchell’s squadron must execute their mission before the world witnesses an economic catastrophe—or worse, a nuclear exchange.

©2013 Larry Bond and Chris Carlson (P)2013 Recorded Books

VERY GOOD!

I really enjoy this. Great story, loved the political aspect of it. Good work by the writer. Can’t wait for the next one!

Excellent Military Techno-Thriller and Topical

Larry Bond has an excellent command of the technology of naval, undersea and rocket/missile warfare. This book is similar to a Tom Clancy novel at Tom's best, loaded with military detail. The premise is that China has chosen to assert control over a wide swath of the South China Sea (sound familiar)?

This is a fairly long book (over 19 hours of listening), so the plot and the characters are fully developed. Of course, this type of book has to create some heroes, both political and military. And it has to create some weaklings also. So while the war in the Pacific explodes with realistic military fury; you have characters that are a little too cute. Think of it as "The Hardy Boys Do World War III."

I found this book vastly entertaining, informative and spot on when the military, weapon, tactics and strategies unreeled. The political picture in the three belligerents was somewhat muddled...just like real life!

The narration was very good considering the vast amount of characters and voices needed. I rate this a fully excellent modern military novel.

Simply awesome!

This story could be ripped straight off the pages of the news today. We need more Jerry's in the world

Surprisingly engaging

Not a big fan of submarines. Prefer spy/paramilitary storys. But #3 & #4 in this series have been so good, you'll lose sleep reading them. Enjoy,

A bit tedious

Have enjoyed the Jerry Mitchell series, but this story was my least favorite so far. There were just too many conference room scenes that dragged on interminably. The Jerry Mitchell action was... well... not very action-packed. The plot line pushed the limits of my suspension of disbelief- quite far-fetched and contrived. However, I will move on to Fatal Thunder and hope for better. I like Dick Hill's voice and am very accustomed to it from the Jack Reacher series, so no complaints there, although a number of other reviewers seemed unhappy with his narration.

Kept my attention & kept me wanting to keep listening.

The storyline is close enough to reality to spark your interest.
The action portions were well done.
I enjoyed this book

Good thriller

the book is Well written. Some of the performance leaves a little bit to be desired with regards to the Asian accents but in general it demonstrates a good differentiation between the individual parties with regards to the narration of the book. The story has a very credible premise and good prosecution of the story with regards to potential for military interactions in the event of a South China Sea War.

Not one of Bond's best. Enjoyable, but predictable

Would you try another book from Larry Bond and/or Dick Hill?

Sure. Bond has some very good ones and some that don't work or are too much like a comic book.

Would you recommend Shattered Trident to your friends? Why or why not?

No. There is very little "action" or even drama. Way, way too much dialogue by people "offscreen" that are very two-dimensional. Mitchell seems to have acquired supers powers now or something.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator really needs to listen to people who speak Asian languages as their mother tongue. He made them all sound the same whether they were Chinese, Japanese or Indian. Much of the time his "Asian English" sounded like Peter Lorre - not as Mr. Moto, but as Joel Cairo (Maltese Falcon). Got to the point that I dreaded any more dialog from the various Asian government people becuase of his voice.

Was Shattered Trident worth the listening time?

Not really. IT was much too predictable, with very little real drama or action.

Any additional comments?

Larry Bond has written some good books, but seems to need a better editor or yet a different writing partner.

Mitchell Continues to Move up in Command

Jerry is now the Captain of his own Boat and in the middle of a shooting War.

May want to cancel your trip to Japan.

Would you consider the audio edition of Shattered Trident to be better than the print version?

I didn't read the print version.

What did you like best about this story?

The complexity, and real world geo political concepts, "torn from today's headlines" make this a strong listen. I was drawn in immediately. How one book can influence what becomes a global conflict seems to be abit of a stretch, and yet it has happened in the RW repeatedly, and with highly impactful results.

What about Dick Hill’s performance did you like?

The interaction of these characters, and the precision with which Dick Hill brings them to life, is compelling. Hill really allows the drama and tension of the moments to shine.

Who was the most memorable character of Shattered Trident and why?

The US navy officers, and the President, are well crafted characters, but the real depth is the Navy Commodore. Complex on one hand, and almost facile on another.

Any additional comments?

This is a fine effort, with a resolution that is at once rather surprising, and yet genuine. I was grabbed and stayed with all the characters and storyline right from the get go.

As noted by some other reviewers, even though this is a Sub Story, the dialogue doesn't get too off track , and on balance this reads well for anyone who likes thrillers. You will enjoy this one!