I recently finished reading both Firebreak by Richard Herman and H.M.S. Unseen by Patrick Robinson. The first is a military novel in the vein popularly indentified with Tom Clancy. The second is more of a spy thriller. It seems that real life has lately overtaken fiction, within cable news channels providing more intrigue and excitement than any novel, and actual events have eliminated some of the basis for both of these books. Of course, fiction doesn't have to be based tightly on real life, but these genres more than some depend on realism to remain interesting. One of them survives current events far better than the other.

Firebreak by Richard Herman
Firebreak was written in 1991 and concerns a buildup of military action in the middle east centered around a combined attack against Israel from Syria, Iraq and Egypt. Additionally, the President of the United States is dealing with a Russian parliament in turmoil, a wife in the hospital, and intrigue in his own cabinet. To top it all off, his own son is in Israel, right in the middle of the chaos. The action covers all the bases, taking us inside the Mossad, the inner chambers of the White House, the cockpits of assorted jets - including a couple of hotshot Iraqi pilots - and more. I'm sure that it all seemed plausible in 1991. It even seemed plausible in 2001. But the events of 2003 have eroded the foundation for this book, and I think it suffers as a result.

I tried to mentally substitute "Iran" every time I read "Iraq," but current events seem to have changed the entire region so much that even the underlying assumptions about how various leaders and nations would react given the right provocation seem antiquated. Still, the book provided an interesting look at how our military forces on the ground might act during a conflict, and the parts that focused on the pilots and their willingness to bend certain rules while working within the limitations set by wartime were the best. Israeli tank forces are also showcased in Firebreak, with great results.

The title comes from a "man-made barrier that contains a fire and keeps it from spreading and becoming much bigger, maybe uncontrollable." As the prologue explains, Israel's nuclear capability constitute "a firebreak the Arabs won't cross."