Reading List for Team Yankee

Since the release of Team Yankee, I have pulled a fair number of dust covered books off my shelves to read, along with buying a small pile of new ones – thank goodness for the Kindle I say!

Here is my 2 cents on where you can start if you are looking to get in the Team Yankee mood…

Team Yankee

Pretty much the book that started it all. If you are looking for a fun read, that follows a single US Combat Team through World War III then this is the place to start. If you are planning on playing US forces in TY then this is a no-brainer to give you a little inspiration.

Team Yankee on Amazon...

Red Storm Rising

Tom Clancy was one of the most riveting writers of last century as far as I am concerned. Red Storm Rising covers WWIII with a great mix of “in the trenches” coverage mixed with the strategic concerns of fighting the war. Some of my favourite aspects of the book include his coverage of the war in the Atlantic onboard the USS Reuben James – needless to say it lead to me playing a lot of Harpoon in the late 80s and 90s.

Red Phoenix

Larry Bond worked on Red Storm Rising with Tom Clancy and not long after ended up writing a number of great books including Red Phoenix. In this, his first solo novel, he explores a war in the Korean Peninsular. After a domestic incident in South Korea, US politians seek to withdraw troops, leading to the North Koreas taking advantage of the situation and rushing forth across (and under) the DMZ.

Red Phoenix on Amazon...

Spoiler Alert: there is a sequel that follows on from Red Phoenix, called Red Phoenix Burning, but is set 20-something years later…

If you want to read more from Larry Bond then Vortex, which is set in South Africa is a good read. Sadly, I left my copy on a trans-tasman flight about 20 years ago. Luckily there is a Kindle version.

Last, but not least, is Cauldron, where France and Germany unite (you can tell this is fiction already right) to dominate Europe politically and then militarily. Great if you are looking for a book where the French and Germans are the “bad guys”.

The Red Storm Series

I’ve been devouring this series of novels by James Rosone and Miranda Watson over the past few weeks. Set in Europe “now” these novels feature the Soviet Union and China teaming up to take on the US “head-to-head” for control of the world. 

Set against an all to real backdrop of high tech social media manipulation and quickly developing battlefield weapon systems this series reminds me of Tom Clancy’s Red Storm Rising book – just longer.

Book 1: Battlefield Ukraine
Book 2: Battlefield Korea
Book 3: Battlefield Taiwan
Book 4: Battlefield Pacific
Book 5: Battlefield Russia
Book 6: Battlefield China

The Red Effect

Set in the 80’s, The Red Effect (along with the two follow-on books, Black Effect and Blue Effect) chart a similar course to Red Storm Rising with the Soviet Union launching all-out war on the west. Unlike a number of the other books of this genre it explores the use of battlefield WMDs by both sides. I really enjoyed the coverage of the lead up to the war with some interesting insights in to the work of the British Army Intelligence Officers that were responsible for spying on the Soviet Army in Germany.

The Red Effect

The Black Effect

The Blue Effect

Armageddon's Song

This series of novels written by Andy Farman is a whole lot more enjoyable than the cover art appears… As a series of novels I found it to be more “boys-own” adventure rather than Tom Clancy accurate, but it is a good roller coaster ride with plenty of action and adventure. Just leave your rivet-counting to the side and enjoy the explosions.

Pick up the whole series in one go on Amazon...

So, which one is my favourite? Good question... I've read Red Storm Rising over and over again, so much so I have two copies. But I've also been picking up some of Larry Bond's other books about submarine warfare - you did remember how much I enjoyed playing Harpoon though. Right now I am devouring the Red Storm Series on the train each day even though I could be watching the final season of Game Of Thrones so that must tell you sometime.

Check them all out, read the reviews and take a risk, you will probably enjoy them...