In this review for The Wall Street Journal, Howard W. French assesses "2034: A Novel of the Next World War," co-written by Elliot Ackerman and retired Navy Admiral James Stavridis, which imagines a catastrophic U.S.-China confrontation touched off in the South China Sea.

A Freedom of Navigation Patrol Turns to Catastrophe

French traces the novel's opening, in which Commodore Sarah Hunt leads a flotilla through the disputed Spratly Islands, only to be lured into a trap by a burning Chinese trawler that leaves her battle group defenseless against a Chinese carrier strike group.

A Novel Grounded in Naval Expertise

French credits Admiral Stavridis's command experience, including as NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, for the novel's convincing sense of how a great-power naval confrontation could unfold, and quickly, by accident.

Warnings About Decline, and a Case for Immigration

French reads the novel as a warning against the folly of war with China amid America's relative decline, and highlights the arc of Sandeep "Sandy" Chowdhury, a National Security Council staffer whose story makes an unexpected case for immigration as one of America's greatest strengths.

Read the Full Review

This review originally appeared in The Wall Street Journal.

Read “‘2034’ Review: Navigating a Disaster” at The Wall Street Journal →