Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I have always enjoyed Mr Herman's books and believed he had a good grasp of what he writes about.
However, being a Malaysian who currently resides in Singapore, I'm apalled at what I've read so far. Yes I'm only halfway through the book but am already wondering about whether to continue reading.
While it is a work of fiction, the factual errors in the book coupled with a poor understanding of Malaysia and Singapore has greatly reduced my opinion of Mr Herman.
He may be an ex fighter pilot and writes well enough about aerial conflict and the workings of the American political and military machine, Herman should have at least put some effort into making the bits about Malaysia and Singapore beliveable.
The Malaysian Army for example is one of the few forces in the world to have successfully put down a communist insurgency. The way he portrayed Malaysian troops makes them sound more like the Iraqi Republican Guards.
US Marines and Rangers regularly train in Malaysia and have acknowledged their professionalism. The Malaysian Armed Forces may not be quite ready to fight a major conventional war, but in the context of this book, they would undoubtedly more than hold their own.
It's fine if you're only catering to the American market who still think Malaysia is a country somewhere in the Carribean but for those of us here who appreciate good fiction, this is a poor effort.
Let's hope he puts more effort into his next book. And no, watching Ben Stiller's Zoolander is not enough if you want to know about Malaysia.
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