2034: A Novel of the Next World War

A New York Times Bestseller right away!

Think of this as one more disaster-prevention shot. Luckily, this dosage won't result in a transient fever, and it's also a really enjoyable read. — Coaxial

"This book is written so well and moves along quickly that it reads like a warning in all caps for a world where we are dependent on the devices we carry around in our pockets and use on our laps."— The Post of Washington

This terrifyingly real geopolitical thriller, written by two former military officers and award-winning authors, imagines a naval confrontation between the US and China in the South China Sea in 2034 and the route that leads to a terrifying worldwide conflict.

While performing a normal freedom of passage patrol in the South China Sea on March 12, 2034, US Navy Commodore Sarah Hunt is on the bridge of her flagship, the guided missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones. She notices an unflagged trawler in evident distress with smoke spewing from its bridge. Major Chris "Wedge" Mitchell, a US Marine aviator, is experimenting with new stealth technology that day while flying an F35E Lightning over the Strait of Hormuz and flirting with Iranian airspace. By the end of that day, Sarah Hunt's destroyer will be sunk by the Chinese Navy and Wedge will be an Iranian prisoner. China and Iran have obviously coordinated their actions, which include using potent new cyberweapons that neutralize US aircraft and ships. America's confidence in the strategic superiority of its military is destroyed in a single day. A terrible new era is about to begin.

This marks the start of a startlingly realistic work of speculative fiction co-authored by a distinguished novelist, a decorated Marine soldier, a former NATO commander, and a legendary admiral who has dedicated most of his career to outwitting America's most formidable foes. Twenty-34 is a global cast of characters that takes us inside their heads as a series of haughty miscalculations on all sides lead the world into an intensifying international storm. It is written with a potent blend of geopolitical sophistication and human empathy. China and the US will ultimately have to bear an enormous price that permanently shifts the world's power dynamics.

Everything in 2034 is a creative extrapolation based on current local realities and the writers' years of experience working at the most secretive and top tiers of national security. Sometimes the most severe of warnings need to be illuminated by a masterful piece of fiction. 2034 is approaching much too quickly, and this cautionary story shows the reader a grim but plausible future that we must do everything in our power to avert.