Electromagnetic Assault by Bruce Landay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you like futuristic military techno-thrillers, you’ll probably like this book.
Do I need to say more? Let’s consider the many varieties of book reviews including consumer, preview, sponsored, literary, professional, and academic.
In this case I’m a reader (or consumer, if you prefer that term, which I don’t). This is a preview because the book will be released April 7 (although you can pre-order it). It’s almost sponsored because I know Bruce and critiqued earlier versions of the opening chapters, and he sent me a free copy of the final book, but I’m writing this review because I want to give my honest opinion.
Tips on how to write a review usually recommend writing a summary of the book. To my thinking, this habit largely results from an unexamined hangover from middle school book reports when you had to summarize a book to prove to the teacher that you actually read it, no matter how tedious your summary was (and is). We’re adults now, and we have all the tedium we need. You can just read the book blurb, which is blissfully brief.
A critical assessment is also recommended for a review. In this Electromagnetic Assault, bullets fly around and things blow up a lot. For this reason, I found the battle that takes place in my old neighborhood in Milwaukee especially entertaining. There are endless plot twists, as befits a book of this type. To say more would spoil your fun. So much for my summary and assessment.
The reviewer is also advised to mention relevant information about the author. Bruce is a former Air Force officer. You will notice the expertise.
More broadly, I think there three types of book reviews:
• The first is for readers who haven’t read the book but wonder if they want to. That’s what we’re doing here.
• The second is for readers who aren’t going to read the book but want a useful, thoughtful summary from a professional so they can feel like they’ve read the book. The review provides a lengthy non-tedious analysis. You can often read these in upscale magazines and academic settings, which is not where we are now.
• The third kind of review subjects the novel to literary criticism regarding its writing style and thematic development. I think the very short chapters add to the velocity of the book, which is an appropriate attribute for a thriller. To discuss its literary merits further, we would both need to have read the book, and so far only one of us has.
To conclude, I believe Electromagnetic Assault is a worthy addition to its sub-genre. Enough said.


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