Thriller with a Purpose: “Red Phoenix Burning” by New York Times bestselling authors Larry Bond & Chris Carlson
This page-turning, technically informed novel has a serious purpose. It allows us to imagine the day when the tyrannical Kim Jong-un regime is vanquished and all Korean people enjoy freedom, including the freedom to reunify their great nation. Once I started reading this book, I couldn’t put it down, and I doubt you will be able to either…
Larry Bond & Chris Carlson
RED PHOENIX BURNING – Now Available for Pre-Order
Intro & Excerpt
Intro: In 1989, Red Phoenix showed what might happen if North Korea invaded the South as it did in 1950. That was the threat the Republic of Korea and its main ally, the United States, planned and trained for. Today, another scenario has emerged: Instead of invading the south, what if the Northern regime imploded, disrupted by a coup or some other form of internal stuggle? Unpredictable at the best of times, Kim and his followers could lash out, not just with conventional attacks, but chemical and nuclear weapons as well. Any internal breakdown would also trigger a massive humanitarian criris. The entire North Korean nation of 24 million lives on the edge of starvation in the best of times. If the meager government-issued rations stopped, hundreds of thousands would be at risk. And with the governement’s control disrupted, almost as many might take the chance to escape the hunger and danger by going South or towards China. The South Korean government now spends a lot of time thinking about this problem, but it’s also an opportunity. With the Kim regime seriously weakened, the South would have the chance it’s waited for to take back their country. But how would China and Russia feel about a united Korea?
Excerpt:
Kary Fowler heard the shout from Kwan all the way in the kitchen. “Fowler-seonsaengnim, come quick!” Kwan, alert but hobbled with a broken ankle, had volunteered to watch the front gate and serve as general lookout.
Others outside repeated the call, and she motioned to some inside as she left the dining hall. Whatever was going on out there, it sounded like Kwan needed reinforcements.
Thank heaven she hadn’t heard any pistol shots. She’d loaned Kwan Sergeant Choi’s gun, not only because he had sentry duty, but because he’d served in the army and might actually use it, if need be.
She burst out the front door of the dining hall, but had to clear the office building to see the gate clearly. She rounded the corner at speed and, glancing back, was relieved to see two other women in her trail.
The gate was still closed, and Kwan was pointing down the road. In the twilight, she could see a knot of people trudging unsteadily toward the mission’s gate. She hadn’t slowed down, and he opened the gate before she reached it.
She turned onto the road and hurried toward the group. She could tell they needed help just from the way they walked—exhausted, barely lifting a foot before putting it down again. As she got closer, she could see darker patches in the dirt and grime that covered them.
She called behind, to people still in the compound. “Ok, get a stretcher!”
An older woman was in front, leading a glassy-eyed little boy. A few steps behind was a girl, and a young man with an older woman on his back in a fireman’s carry. The girl saw Kary come out the gate and ran to meet her, calling, “Ajumma, please help us, my mother, my brother . . .”
Kary ran past the girl, then the woman and boy, and reached up for the mother. She could only hope the wound wasn’t as bad as it looked, because the upper part of her garment on that side was dark with blood. Even in the sunset’s light, the woman, perhaps a little over thirty, was dangerously pale. The man, his face streaked with dirt and perspiration, kept walking as Kary examined his passenger.
She was still alive, although her pulse was fast and weak. Lifting the corner of her bloody garment, Kary could see a round hole. She’d seen enough bullet wounds in the past few days, and could only guess what it had done to the bones in her shoulder. There would be a much messier wound in the front, although resting on her savior’s shoulder may have staunched the bleeding somewhat.
Two of her helpers arrived with the stretcher, and positioning it behind the pair, they gently leaned the woman back, and then level, before setting off at speed for the dispensary. The man nodded and wearily said “Thank you” before falling, first to his knees, and then face-first onto the road. His back was bloodstained as well, and the girl, pointing, said, “His name is Cho. He’s hurt, too.”
Kary called for another stretcher, then told the girl to follow the others with her mother. Taking Cho’s hand, she knelt down next to him and waited for help.
Red Phoenix Burning Synopsis
North Korea has one of the world’s largest standing armies, capable of unleashing a massive arsenal of chemical and nuclear weapons. With an unstable government, under absolute dictator Kim Jong-un, North Korea more closely resembles an organized crime ring than a real nation-state. Millions live on the edge of starvation while Pyongyang’s ruthless generals, crooked bureaucrats, and vicious secret police wage a covert war against each other to expand their rival fiefdoms. RED PHOENIX BURNING explores the implosion of this corrupt regime—a coup that triggers a bloody civil war among the North’s brutal factions. The world is dragged into a violent and rapidly widening confrontation amid North Korea’s shattered ruins, bringing it to the edge of an all-out war that could engulf the entire civilized world.
Fans of the original RED PHOENIX will be delighted to see favorite characters like Colonel Kevin Little, Brigadier General Tony Christopher, and Colonel Rhee Han-Gil returning to battle, older and wiser, alongside a new cast of heroes and villains. RED PHOENIX BURNING will also offer readers a deeper look behind today’s headlines of turmoil and uncertainty—a look made all the more profound by the in-depth knowledge of war, military technology, and geopolitics brought to bear by Larry Bond and his co-author Chris Carlson.
About the Authors
Larry Bond is 64 and lives with his wife Jeanne in Virginia, outside Washington, DC. After co-authoring Red Storm Rising with Tom Clancy, he has teamed with several different authors to write eighteen novels: Five with Pat Larkin, starting with Red Phoenix, eight with Jim DeFelice, The First Team and Red Dragon Rising series, and five with Chris Carlson, including the Jerry Mitchell series, and his latest book, Lash-Up. Five of Larry’s books have been New York Times bestsellers.
He has also co-designed the Admiralty Trilogy series games and is editor of the Naval SITREP.
Larry’s only nonfiction work is The Mighty Fallen, in collaboration with the photographer f-stop Fitzgerald. A photographic visit to the military many memorials in the United States and Canada, Larry’s introduction and text accompany f-stop’s stunning photographs of monuments honoring the service and sacrifices made by America’s veterans.
A U.S. Navy veteran, Larry was a surface warfare officer before leaving the Navy in 1982. He then worked as a naval analyst for defense consulting firms in the Washington, DC area. He now writes and designs games full-time.
Christopher Carlson is a retired Navy Reserve captain and Department of Defense naval systems engineer. He began his navy career as a submariner, and transitioned to the naval technical intelligence field in both the Navy Reserve and in his civilian job with the Defense Intelligence Agency.
He has co-authored several published works with Larry Bond, starting with a short story, “Burial at Sea,” in the Tombs anthology, and five full-length novels, Dangerous Ground, Cold Choices, Exit Plan, Shattered Trident, and Lash-Up.
An avid wargamer from an early age, Chris is one of the co-designers of the Admiralty Trilogy tactical naval wargame series. He has also authored numerous articles on defense technology and naval warfare. Chris lives in Northern Virginia with his wife Katy.
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