Vintage Book Review - World War III by Brian Harris

World War III
Brian Harris
Publisher: Pocket
Release: January 1, 1982
ISBN-10: 0671442937
ISBN-13: 978-0671442934
261 Pages (portrait view)

World War III by Brian Harris is an altogether realistic portrayal of events that might push the world into global conflict. Wheat shortages in Russia, global depletion of oil resources, and rogue military units come together to bring the world to the brink of global destruction and seconds away from nuclear war. World War III builds up into an exciting though frightening and quite realistic scenario of events that could cause two super-powers to come to blows that force the world into its final conflict. Brian Harris does an excellent job of building up events that could prove the annihilation of the planet but his strong suit is the action scenes. Every time a gun is drawn, a bomb explodes, or someone dies in World War III it is for a purpose. There is no gratuitous violence here and I, for one, found it refreshing that he never strayed from the plot of the book. That he left us hanging was exactly the right way to end the book.

The amazing thing about World War III is that while it was written in 1982 the premise and the story still hold up admirably. I'm not entirely sure if that's because world politics hasn't changed that much in 30 years or because of Harris' skill with a pen. Being a book lover I'd have to side with Harris. This book is recommended for post-apocalyptic fans, military geeks, and action/adventure fanatics of all kinds.

3 out of 5 stars

The Alternative
Southeast Wisconsin ( )