Caliphate

Many books have been hyped as prophetic but that is the only word that can do justice to this novel. Consider, this book (published in 2010) posits a future in which the American voters, disgusted with a Congress that can't agree to get anything important done, in 2016 elects a demagogue who exploits fears of Islamic terrorism. Once in office this guy starts using the power of the Presidential Pardon to help extremists who support his agenda. Read this book folks. Then look around you and be afraid for the future.

Tom Kratman's Caliphate would have been the novel that Bruce Bawer of WHILE EUROPE SLEPT: HOW RADICAL ISLAM IS DESTROYING THE WEST FROM WITHIN could have written. Like George Orwell's 1984 or S. M. Stirling's DRAKA novels, this dystopian world exists in which an imperialistic United States, a Czarist and socialist Russia, the celestial kingdom of China, and the two Islamic caliphates are totalitarian or authoritarian in nature with little to choose from. The Christian minority in Europe is treated as second-class citizens under the strictures of Islam. The infrastructure under Islamic sway suffers from technological decline in which the Caliphate's purchase some military technology. The USA has a dictatorship that has evolved in response to a surprise Islamic terrorist act that destroyed three American cities: Boston, Los Angeles, and Kansas City. In fighting the Islamic terrorists, the USA has reached the same moral level as the enemy engaging in genocide and nuclear warfare to win. The race war between the Japanese and Americans in the Pacific theater of World War II was civilized in comparison. No quarter is given by either side. Tom Kratman creates a believable, dark future world as seen through the lives of several people. In Germany, nine-year old Petra is sold into slavery to pay the taxes that her parents owe. She is first the companion of a young girl who becomes her friend and protector before being sold into a life of prostitution. Her brother is drafted to serve in the military to serve his oppressors. The device of having Petra reading the diary of her grandmother explains how old Europe has become the victim of an oppressive Islam. Meanwhile, John Hamilton, of the Imperial Military Academy at West Point graduates to serve in combat actions that massacre Muslim Moros in the Philippines before serving in the intelligence service. He engages in evil actions on behalf of a greater good but his conscience won't let him rationalize what he has done. Life in the 22nd century USA is pretty grim in which the privileged few have automobiles while civil liberties are unknown. President Pat Buckman came into power in which he exercised the power of pardon for those who assassinated his political opponents. He dies in bed after nuking hundreds of millions of Muslims. In a non-fictional afterword, Tom Kratman explains that he has reached the same observations as Bruce Bawer although he does not refer directly to this author's work: 1) An intellectual ideological blindness by the elite that ignores the consequences of its intellectual pretensions. It rejects American humanism in favor of tolerating Islamic extremism. In return for being enablers, they will be the first to suffer consequences when their ideas don't work in practice. 2) The failure of Europeans to defend the values of democracy, individualism, secularism and toleration as part of a just society. Tolerating or "understanding" efforts at censorship such as the

Like other Kraftman's books, it has a political message (in line with traditional American values, and against Tranzis), However, this book differs - it is much more closely related to reality, and the author takes quotes from leading Muslim figures (Sheik Saleh Al-Fawzan, for example). The book is about Islam run amok, due to the weak character and wishful thinking of our European brethren, and to a lesser degree U.S liberals. In addition, it is well written, and keeps the suspense. It is not an easy book.

I'll say only two things about this book. 1. It gets five stars because it is a superbly written and horrifying techno-thriller that I just had to finish to see how it came out. 2. Don't go in unless you're prepared to meet people who consider child abuse and human slavery, two of mankind's oldest evils, to be religious duties. Item 1 means it's very enjoyable reading. Item 2 means it will take a little time to recover equilibrium after finishing it. It was worth the trip.

I read the book in one day, it was just so compelling. The scenes of slavery under Muslim rule were reminiscent of a book I read in the '70's(I think) written by(IIRC) Kyle Onstott, which is why those scenes were so realistic(other people writing the same kind of thing would reinforce the descriptions). I really got into the characters' heads, and could understand them. The plot moved and didn't get bogged down in details. The contrast between the US as we are today, and what we (will) become under such an attack is one of my worst nightmares, and I hope, but am not very confident, that we can avoid it. I guess that will require a big change in our current political culture(not very likely at this time).

This book has heroes from two dystopian societies. Following a nuclear terrorist attack and the lack of government response, the US turned into a fascist empire intent on taking on the world. Those are the good guys. The bad guys are the Caliphate, an extremist Muslim group that took over Europe because of high birth rates compared to the culturally European people. Muslim women are treated as property. Women who aren't Muslim are treated worse. We get the story from the perspective of one of those women, sold into slavery and prostitution. This book is interesting and well written. It's also nightmare material. As usual, Tom Kratman pulls no punches - when he talks about evil, he talks about EVIL.