Critical Asset

 Critical Asset, Ian Tonnessen, Hardshot Publishing, 2021

In the year 2065, the Second Cold War is in full swing. The world is divided into military alliances with names like the Democratic Alliance and the United Caliphate. Dirac Station is a very secretive space station at one of Earth's Lagrange Points (look it up). It makes Earth's entire supply of antimatter, which has made colony ships to other stars much more possible. Antimatter is also extremely unstable, which is why the station has to be a long way away from Earth.

The country of Turkey is involved in an attack on Dirac Station. Does the Turkish government intend to weaponize some of that antimatter? Do ant-government rebels want to blame Turkey for the attack, and push America to take out Turkey's fascist government, permanently? Can the ensuing war be kept quick and local, or is Earth looking at World War III?

The USS Lincoln, with its Captain Jaana Pierce, is the only vessel in a position to fight the attackers. Many pitched battles are fought on the station. As the world edges closer to all-out war, Pierce risks her life, and pushed the limits of her duty, to end the rapidly approaching crisis.

This is an excellent novel. It has Blockbuster Movie written all over it. The author is a former intelligence analyst, so it feels very plausible. It has everything a reader could want: a combination of politics and near-future science fiction, violence, action and approaching nuclear war. Here is a story that is very much recommended.