The great strength of this tale is that it is told by an insider who really knows. The moral of this story is clear. The relentless hollowing out of the military and defence postures of the west have placed us all in danger. This is a parable with a real message about our general ineptitude in the new realities of hard power...The best piece of super power military fiction since Tom Clancy's The Hunt for Red October. Enjoy this riot of a book. And be very afraid - it really could happen like this. Robert Fox Evening Standard