4 out of 5 stars
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The tension between the US and China pertaining to warfare has been at an all-time high for days innumerable, and this book depicts an exhilarating story about this tension. In the book, Tango Down: The China Sea by J. Len Sciuto, the SSN Tarpon, a United States Naval submarine, is considered missing after failing to report back to base at an appointed time. The submarine was sent to the China Sea to spy on a state-of-the-art Chinese aircraft carrier, the largest carrier in any military in the world. While recording the sonar tapes of the aircraft carrier, the submarine was spotted and taken down by Chinese battleships with a nefarious weapon that sliced through the sub. In effect to this, the SSN Cadinalfish, with Lieutenant Commander Rico Petrone as its navigator, is sent to the China Sea on a rescue mission to find the Tarpon and her survivors before the Chinese navy exploits her capabilities for their ships. Their mission is tested with high odds of destruction as the Chinese destroyers, commanded by an aggressive captain, use a weapon stolen from the US weapons database to threaten the destruction of the sub and its crew. Will the SSN Cardinalfish be successful in its mission and return to international waters and safety without having to send offensive missiles to the Chinese ships, thereby starting the much anticipated World War 3? Check out this fast-paced, exhilarating international thriller to find out.
International thrillers greatly interest and intrigue me, but this book took all that to a whole new level. This book introduced characters who acted outside the jurisdiction given to them, as the Chinese navy captain attacked any foreign vessel trespassing on the China Sea without the order of their president. I was amused at how the Chinese laid a strong claim to the China Sea and how they openly demonstrated their bid to annex all the countries adjacent to the sea, including Malaysia and the Philippines, which are allies of the United States. This book depicts the tension between the US and China as it stands today, as neither side wishes to start a war but both seek dominance over the other. The suspense in this book, although not fully demonstrated, was present on all the pages. I was also enthralled by the actions taken by the Cardinalfish to avoid an offensive attack against the Chinese ships in the China Sea, and how they tried as much as possible to use their weapons against them. This book also focused on one character, Rico Petrone, and I admired his wisdom, courage, and brilliant ideas, which were helpful in the success of their mission. I enjoyed reading this book, and if there's a second part after this, I would love to read that as well.
This book held a considerable amount of suspense, but from my standpoint, the author did not fully demonstrate the suspense to create an exhilarating effect in the mind of the reader. The book lacked the keywords to make the suspense more reeling, and I must state that had it been more elaborated, the reading process of this book would've been out of the ordinary.
Moreover, the story of how the SSN Cardinalfish evaded Chinese forces was repeatedly reported to higher authorities in the US, and even in a meeting with the Secretary General of the UN. The author didn't make much effort to adequately summarize the story as it was repeated multiple times, and this could have been avoided as it only made the book lengthy.
This book contained only a few errors, and I believe it was professionally edited. All said and done, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars, as I greatly enjoyed it, but not enough to give it a perfect rating. I would recommend this book to lovers of international thrillers, and especially to those who love naval warfare. If you're a fan of action novels, this book is suitable for you. What are you doing today?
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Tango Down: China Sea
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