Tidal Rip

I read this book as the first book-out of sequence- and could not wait to read the other prequels and sequels. This is a well written book for all readers and especially those favoring the sub/Naval military type books.

It pretty much began with Clancy's 'Hunt For Red October' and shortly afterwards Michael DiMercurio took the Submarine baton and ran (is still running, actually) with it. Not long ago Patrick Robinson began his own Sub series (sorry, they just didn't *do it* for me) but it has been Joe Buff that has really made this particular techno-genre his own. For those familiar with Buff's previous novels (Deep Sound Channel & Crush Depth) you know that a new Axis Power has formed between chiefly Germany and the newly white empowered South Africa against chiefly the United Kingdom and the United States. This is no ordinary war, either. It is a battlefield where the use of tactical nuclear weapons is an almost daily event. Somewhere in the back of my mind I wonder just how many nuclear weapons we have to dispense during this war because all those involved seem to be using them with reckless abandon. The war has created a major breakdown in shipping throughout the Atlantic, which has brought our story to several interesting and above all else, exciting missions in this series thus far. One item I have noticed that many readers did NOT enjoy was the passive love story arc that began with the first novel. Thankfully this storyline has been left firmly in the background of 'Tidal Rip'. The action is swift and plentiful, and once again, amazingly realistic. A good friend of mine spent several years in the Silent Service and assured me that Joe Buff was the Real Deal when it came to the realism of how a future naval nuclear war might happen. Of course a lot is pure speculation, however given the circumstances that Buff has created starting with his first novel, the action of both sides is amazingly accurate. For those techno-thriller fans who enjoy their warfare on the realistic side, you simply cannot ignore these books. The plot is in MY opinion, quite compelling despite what some of the so-called 'professional' reviewers have written. Suffice it to say that if you enjoy tales of war written from the perspective of a submariner and you HAVEN'T read Joe Buff yet, you certainly have some great stuff to look forward to. Fine brain candy, and a chilling scenario which I fervently hope does NOT come to pass.

Buff's first novel, Deep Sound Channel, was for me a defining work in the genre. But after the shock factor at the massive scale of the limited nuclear war wore off, his two followup novels perhaps overdid that shock factor until it became numbing. After a while, it seemed that Buff had fallen into a trap of having to outdo himself, by scripting even more implausible escapes from even larger nuclear explosions. Those two novels, while certainly action packed, seemed to follow almost the same story line, with the climax of the third novel being the only real distinction between novels two and three.I will leave the plot synopsis to other, but have to say that in this book, Buff gets back on track. We learn more about the politics of the ongoing war, and the battles become more than underwater slugfests. The submarines are quieter, the tension greater. I liked the addition of a new set of navy seals, led by a new character.The war spreads, with "neutral" nations starting to lean one way or the other, and a spectre of escalation into full fledged thermonuclear war becoming a very real possibility. Also, for the first time in the series, we see real growth in the character of Jeffery Fuller. For the first time I saw in him someone with the potential to lead a larger force. All in all, an enjoyable read that I voraciously devoured with great satisfaction.

This is the second novel I have read by Joe Buff (the other being CRUISH DEPTH).TIDAL RIP is an extraordinarily satisfying thriller that continues the story of the Boer/Axis war against America. The situation is desperate as Europe has already falen under the new Nazi domination and the axis powers are attempting to link up in Africa. Just as in previous wars, a convoy on men and equipment is steaming across the Atlantic to shift the tide.Into this mix fall two submarine commanders: Ernest Beck and Jeffry Fuller. They command the world's most advanced submarine platforms (ceramic hulled, deep diving predators). Beck's mission is to kill the convoy and possibly win the war. Fuller's mission is to kill Beck. They have the whole Atlantic in which to fight.A very satisfying read. Just one caution: Once I got going, I just kept turning the pages and forgot about going to bed.

In his fourth novel, Buff again proves that he is the most consistent thriller writer out there. His hero, Jeffery Fuller, returns to action in the USS Challenger, the only ceramic hulled attack submarine in the US fleet. The war between the Axis and Allies in 2011 is still raging, and each battle becomes more and more pivotal as the Allies try to win the neutral countries to their side while fighting off German and Boer aggression. Enter the SMS von Sheer, the newest German submarine, skippered by Captain Beck, a returning enemy from Buff's second book, "Thunder in the Deep."I'm not going to give away any more of the plot, but Buff- as he did in previous novels- introduces new, exotic locales, new technology that sounds as plausible as ever, and new characters that sound just as alive as the returning players in the drama. Buff's ability to describe thermonuclear war at sea and its effect on the people fighting it is incredible. You see the war through the eyes of two warring captains as they try to win the war for their countries, and regret each man they lose along the way.As in previous novels, there is plenty of combat, both between subs at sea and Special Forces on land...and Buff proves again his ability to grasp both the tactics of tactical nuclear war, and the geopolitical situations such a Berlin-Boer war would entail. It is an excellent work of fiction, but in an alternate universe, for such an enemy would never really exist. It does allow for a war between the US and a strategic peer in the near future (which in reality will not happen) and it allows for the book to have the feel of a WWII novel, just with much higher technology.This book does stand alone, and as much as I recommend reading the previous three novels, this one does not give away earlier plot lines. They are of such high quality that you should read them all before inferior works by Robinson and DiMercurio.