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White Sun War: The Campaign for Taiwan (Casemate Fiction) Paperback – May 4, 2023

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 439 ratings
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"...a thrilling novel that allows readers to easily imagine the pace, excitement, fear, and trepidations of those involved in the conflict, but also makes them realize the dire consequences of war.” - Modern War Institute

After decades of poising on the brink, the United States and China finally go to war when China invades the island of Taiwan. Deploying their most futuristic technologies in this grand strategic competition of the 21st century, the stakes could not be higher. Not only the future of the Taiwanese people but the fate of the world lies in the balance.

In an era when humans no longer just use machines, but partner with them in all aspects of military operations, this fictional account views this future war through the eyes of the American, Chinese, and Taiwanese caught up in the maelstrom, revealing the heartbreak, courage, leadership, and despair of high-tech warfare played out on land, at sea, in space, and in cyberspace.

White Sun War asks readers to ponder anew an essential question for the future of security in western Pacific and the entire Indo-Pacific region: is a war for Taiwan winnable?

Table of Contents

Author's Introduction
Preliminary Operations
The Massacre

Phase I
1 Flood and Fire
2 Knife in a Space Fight
3 The Successors Dilemma
4 Lethal in the Littoral
5 Stormfront Approaching
6 Grey Wizard
7 Overall Defense Concept
8 The Beetles
9 Tiger of the Land, Dragon of the Sea

Phase II
10 What Happens in Nevada…
11 The Butchers Bill
12 Retreat, Hell
13 Adaptation Battle
14 The High Ground
15 Break In
16 Resolve
17 Courage and Wisdom
18 Remote War

Phase III
19 Save Our Dream
20 New Strategy, Old Strategy
21 Transition
22 Monsoon
23 The City
24 The Pledge
25 Battle for Taichung
26 Battle for Taichung II
27 Mors Honesta
28 Morakot the Second
29 The Bitter Plain
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    352 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Casemate
  4. Publication date
    May 4, 2023
  5. Dimensions
    5.98 x 1.02 x 8.98 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1636242502
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1636242507
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"White Sun War is a first-rate techno-thriller. It is an enjoyable read in and of itself, but its concept-driven narrative is what sets it apart from other books. The characters and their interactions illuminate ongoing debates about the future of war and how a conflict between the United States and China could well play out."
Diplomatic Courier

“White Sun War is a thrilling novel that allows readers to easily imagine the pace, excitement, fear, and trepidations of those involved in the conflict, but also makes them realize the dire consequences of war.”
Modern War Institute

"White Sun War is a must read for military leaders and security professionals concerned with contemporary and future warfare, especially with China. This book would be especially useful as a case study for professional military education to provide fictional concreteness, so to speak, to discussions of potential challenges inherent in the battlefields of tomorrow."
Parameters

"White Sun War reminds us that while great nations continue to chase the dream of short and decisive wars, they cannot escape the reality that great power wars are long and tiresome...an accessible, satisfying must-read for students and practitioners of modern and future conflict."
DODReads

"...[offers] policymakers and military leaders considerable fodder to ruminate about conflict in a world where great power conflict is back with a vengeance and how it might play out in an Asian theater of particular American concern."
PRISM

"The book is written partly as though it is a history created after the war ended, and the author clearly understands the changes in warfare which the latest technology creates."
WWII History Magazine

"To be successful, future war fiction requires an author who is militarily expert, has literary skill and an imaginative gift. Mick Ryan has all those qualities in abundance, and the result is a book that is entertaining, thought-provoking and quite possibly prescient. Not just an engaging tale but a warning of things to come."
Eliot A. Cohen, Robert E. Osgood Professsor of Strategic Studies, Johns Hopkins SAIS

"A gripping account of future war that is equal parts entertaining and sobering. Mick Ryan writes with a credibility and authority that transforms this techno-thriller into a provocative wartime narrative that belies its fictional roots. White Sun War reads like a collaboration between Asimov and Clancy, an entirely plausible scenario that presents readers with a chilling vision of a not-so-distant future. An absolute must read."
Steve Leonard, Senior Assistant Dean of the University of Kansas School of Business and co-editor of "To Boldly Go: Leadership, Strategy, and Conflict in the 21st Century and Beyond"

Mick Ryan is an outstanding military analyst, innovator, and advocate of fiction to teach about both what is enduring and what is changing in warfare. How wonderful he set himself the task of a novel — and added fabulous storyteller to his achievements.”
Kori Schake, Director, Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute.

" As a keen observer of the Russian war in Ukraine, Ryan takes many lessons from the conflict and applies them to White Sun."
Aether: A Journal of Strategic Airpower & Spacepower

"Ryan’s novel should be used as a teaching tool for U.S. forces as well as for a general public that wants to better understand the strategic environment in the western Pacific and how technology, climate, and geopolitics can affect all of us."
Proceedings

“The author's professional background equips him well to describe changes in military technology and tactics, and these areas are covered well in the narrative.”
Army Rumour Service

About the Author

Mick Ryan is a strategist and retired major general from the Australian Army. A distinguished graduate of Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, as well as the USMC Command and Staff College and USMC School of Advanced Warfare, he is a passionate advocate of professional education and lifelong learning. In a 35-year military career, he commanded at multiple levels in the Australian Army and served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and East Timor. His first book, War Transformed, was published in 2022.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Casemate (May 4, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1636242502
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1636242507
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.98 x 1.02 x 8.98 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 439 ratings

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Mick Ryan

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
439 global ratings
A Good Read but a Little Too Technical
4 Stars
A Good Read but a Little Too Technical
I would recommend this to people interested in the Taiwan Strait hotspot, military hardware or futuristic conflicts.Mick Ryan clearly knows what he’s talking about being a retired Major General in the Australian Army. But his writing is a little wordy and hard to follow at times. The book tells the story of a war between China and Taiwan in 2028 with the perspectives of multiple characters. The focus is strongly on the military technology of the future. Which seems a bit too advanced for being just a few years away. But it is fiction after all.If you’re into those sorts of things, this book is for you. It’s also an important subject that more people should be aware of.
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Top reviews from the United States

Jim McCarthy
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Read that Provides a Glimpse into a Possible future
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2024
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There's a ton of creative ideas in this book that made me reflect on what the next conflict would look like.
One person found this helpful
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Tyler Moore
4.0 out of 5 stars A different kind of essay. Well worth picking up.
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2023
Verified Purchase
Mick Ryan has attempted something novel with this book by blending speculative fiction with a military white paper.

The books techinical approch to future warfare, as well as the considerations and possible outcomes on a war with China are faultless. There is some eye rasing questions asked, like Western Australia possbily ceeding from Australia. However for the most part the book is an intresting look from an expert in his field.

The fiction element is less refined, it would have been nice to the book to spend a little more time in the reeds, namely the large air and sea battle that gets mentioned in the novel. However it soilders on well enough to provide the glue for Major General Ryan's points on what we need to look out for in the future of warfare. To put it anouther way, Ryan isn't quite throwing down prose with the likes of peak Tom Clancy in something like Red Storm Rising, but there is potential there and hopefully he takes the time to develop it.

If you have any intrest in the future of land warfare or a possible war with China, pick up the book. I can see it popping up on quite a few miltary reading lists in the future.
4 people found this helpful
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Bill M
3.0 out of 5 stars Simplistic, Entertaining, and Informative
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2023
Verified Purchase
Don't look here if you're looking for a great war classic with well developed and flawed characters. Don't look here if you're looking for details on current and projected military technology. Don't look here if you're looking for a realistic description of how this potential war may end.

However, if you want to read a simple short book on how China, Taiwan, and the U.S. may fight if the Chinese Communist Party attempts to take Taiwan by force, this book is a good introduction to how the protagonists may employ operations on land, sea, air, cyber, and space, as well as the impact of information operations on the conflict. This is a good explanation of how man-robot teaming could significantly change the character of warfare in the very near future.

If you don't mind the political correctness (every hero in this book is a heroine), and you want to gain a basic understanding of how the military will fight in the future this book is worthy of your intention.
16 people found this helpful
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Nicholas Greene
5.0 out of 5 stars A thoroughly readable and thought provoking novel
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2023
Verified Purchase
Having read The Third World War at the right time, I'm a sucker for the 'history of something that hasn't happened' genre. This is an excellent addition. It's not perfect; there are some 'as you know bob' explanations, but the characters, on both sides, sound like normal people and do things that make sense, considering what they know.

The end game, well, it seems a bit far fetched; but off things happen in wars, so ok. 2034 may be a better prediction of how things would play out, but this is a much better novel. Recommended, will probably give as a gift this Christmas
3 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad read!
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2023
Verified Purchase
It has a good pace and build up. I generally enjoyed it but it felt sometimes there was too much filler.
I found myself skipping some paragraphs because it was spending too many lines going into uninteresting details. On the other hand, the story line was entertaining.
One person found this helpful
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Edgar
5.0 out of 5 stars One possible future, for a war that is, unfortunately, very possible
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2024
Verified Purchase
This is a story about a war as it may turn out, written as if in retrospect, as a historical telling. If you want to understand possibilities for this event that is, unfortunately, not unlikely, this is a must-read.
One person found this helpful
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Warren Stapleton
5.0 out of 5 stars Superbly imagined glimpe into the near future of war
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2023
Verified Purchase
General Ryan's first novel is superbly imagined. This book provides a frighteningly realistic glimpse into the near future of war that does not lose sight of the human dimensions of conflict. His description of how each side attempts to integrate the different war-fighting domains provides a vivid example of how multi-domain operations might actually work and evolve. Underneath the technical wizardry, there is a compelling human story with characters that one can recognize and relate to. I could not put it down.
Highly recommended.
3 people found this helpful
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Hunter
4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read but a Little Too Technical
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2023
Verified Purchase
I would recommend this to people interested in the Taiwan Strait hotspot, military hardware or futuristic conflicts.

Mick Ryan clearly knows what he’s talking about being a retired Major General in the Australian Army. But his writing is a little wordy and hard to follow at times.

The book tells the story of a war between China and Taiwan in 2028 with the perspectives of multiple characters. The focus is strongly on the military technology of the future. Which seems a bit too advanced for being just a few years away. But it is fiction after all.

If you’re into those sorts of things, this book is for you. It’s also an important subject that more people should be aware of.
Customer image
Hunter
4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read but a Little Too Technical
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2023
I would recommend this to people interested in the Taiwan Strait hotspot, military hardware or futuristic conflicts.

Mick Ryan clearly knows what he’s talking about being a retired Major General in the Australian Army. But his writing is a little wordy and hard to follow at times.

The book tells the story of a war between China and Taiwan in 2028 with the perspectives of multiple characters. The focus is strongly on the military technology of the future. Which seems a bit too advanced for being just a few years away. But it is fiction after all.

If you’re into those sorts of things, this book is for you. It’s also an important subject that more people should be aware of.
Images in this review
Customer image
Customer image
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Heinz Dieter Jopp
5.0 out of 5 stars Möglicher Krieg um Taiwan
Reviewed in Germany on October 25, 2023
Verified Purchase
Die derzeitige Kommentierung des Ukraine Krieges und jetzt auch des bevorstehenden Krieges in Gaza lassen erhebliche Defizite der Medien bei der Beschäftigung mit modernen Kriegsformen erkennen. Dies mag in Teilen daran liegen, dass neue Technologien und deren Unterstützung im Krieg für viele böhmische Dörfer sind und bleiben. Beginnend mit Tom Clancy haben sich einige Autoren wie Peter W. Singer (Ghost Fleet) oder auch Admiral a.D. Stavridis (2034) entschieden, mögliche künftige Auseinandersetzungen in Form einer fiktiven, aber realistischen Erzählung verständlich zu machen.

In diese Form fällt auch das vorliegende Buch „White Sun War“. Der Autor ist Stratege und pensionierter Generalmajor der Armee Australiens. Seine Kenntnisse der Region, des Südchinesischen Meeres, handelnder Akteure und neuer Technologien wie KI fließen in seine Erzählstränge ein und machen deutlich, wie eine militärische Auseinandersetzung in nicht allzu ferner Zukunft aussehen könnte. USA und die VR China setzen dabei ihre futuristischen Entwicklungen ein. Dabei kommt es auch zur Frage, ob schnell lernende autonome Systeme den Soldaten überlegen sein werden. Ryan lässt Erfahrungen des Ukraine Krieges und dem bewunderndswerten Verteidigungswillen der dortigen Bevölkerung einfließen in eine heute noch dringend notwendige Stärkung des Bewusstseins der Taiwanesischen Bevölkerung. Der Krieg findet an Land, auf See, im Weltraum und Cyberraum statt. Und über allem taucht die grundsätzliche Frage auf: ist im Indo-pazifischen Raum ein Krieg um Taiwan gegen eine hochgerüstete chinesische Armee zu gewinnen?

Die dargestellten möglichen Verluste an Mensch und Material erscheinen sehr plausibel. Der beschriebene konventionelle Krieg würde für alle Kriegsparteien zu ökonomischen und ökologischen Folgen führen, der die Akteure um Jahrzehnte in ihren Entwicklungen zurück schmeißen würde.

Dieses Buch kann allen besonders empfohlen werden, die sich politisch, ökonomisch und militärisch mit künftigen Kriegsverläufen beschäftigen müssen. Nur so kann eine mögliche Überraschung Handelnder zumindest eingegrenzt werden. Für Europäer wird spätestens jetzt deutlich, dass ihr Handeln auf der Basis einer regelbasierten Ordnung der Vergangenheit angehört. Ein Krieg um Taiwan mag zwar weit weg erscheinen, dürfte aber auch die Europäer schneller als von Einigen erhofft zu Beteiligten werden lassen.
One person found this helpful
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M.D.
4.0 out of 5 stars Realistic fiction about a war that may be just around the corner
Reviewed in Sweden on September 19, 2023
Verified Purchase
Very interesting read about a plausible Taiwan/PRC scenario in the not too distant future.
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Ben Mendelsohn
2.0 out of 5 stars People just don't talk like that
Reviewed in Japan on December 12, 2023
Verified Purchase
Former Australian Major General Mick Ryan has clearly done a lot of homework on his subject matter. The descriptions of cutting edge military technology and modern battle tactics used by the US and China are nothing short of Lavish. It also feels like he has not spoken to a human being perhaps ever in his life. It's as though nobody ever introduced him to the concept of contractions.

There is a forward in the book written by a fictitious author speaking several years after the book's events, where he claims that he had originally planned to make the book a straight history of the US-China war, but decided to make it a story to make it feel more real. He should have stuck with his first idea, because the characters are basically hollow vessels for giving briefings to the reader, and they talk it pretty much all the time. The dialogue is so bizarre that it feels less real than ever. If I wasn't already somewhat interested in the strategic elements, I'd probably have been bored to tears. I recommend a hard pass unless you're really, really into military affairs and geopolitics.
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WONTOLLA
5.0 out of 5 stars VERY THOUGHT PROVOKING
Reviewed in Australia on October 3, 2023
Verified Purchase
A very interesting oversight of what the future must hold, written by an author whose background eminently places him to know what he is writing about.
The story line also was good, with realistic heroes and enemy, again, well written.
I await the sequel keenly
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Amazon Kunde
3.0 out of 5 stars Zu Teuer
Reviewed in Germany on November 15, 2023
Verified Purchase
Der Preis ist mir für den Inhalt zu groß und unter den chinesischen Robotern konnte ich mir nicht viel vorstellen.
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