9 books like Monroe Doctrine

Great narration is essential to any audiobook, and Joshua Saxon, who reads this over-the-top techno-thriller, nails it!

I don’t like waiting for the future to arrive; I want to read about it now, and this story from the pen of a real-life warrior put me right there, just five years into the future.

I love a good "what if" plot, and they don’t get much more "what if" than this one, which kicks off a great series.

The plot is mind-blowing, but it’s the gritty characters I love. I also loved the fact they don’t all make it through. There is no "plot armor" for the heroes in this one.

This is a book I read as a teen that inspired me to write war stories. I loved it because it doesn’t glorify war; Brian Callison is a master of writing about war as it is, from multiple perspectives, in all its bloody, brutal horror.

The action is great but almost secondary to the memorable characters he creates, and Brian Callison writes dialogue the way soldiers really talk. If you like this one, he's written a dozen more like it, and they haven't aged.

I was researching a novel and wanted to know more about the Cuban Missile Crisis. This non-fiction book reads like an action thriller, going hour by hour, sometimes minute by minute.

I finished this one in a single weekend and felt almost physically sick at the thought of how close the world had come to Armageddon in those few tense days and how lucky we were the leaders of the time were so determined to avoid it.

Would our leaders today be as level-headed? You judge!

I love how Micheal A. Palmer extends his vision of World War III to multiple theaters of war. Whereas other Cold War Turns Hot Military Fiction tends to focus on the Soviets Invading West Germany, Palmer spends considerable time in NATO's Northern Flank, the Mediterranean, and the Pacific theater. 

I really enjoyed this book because if focused specifically on the battles and not as much on individual characters. Don’t get me wrong, I love good character-driven stories, but it really feels like Palmer recognizes his strengths and plays to them. If you love war-gaming as much as I do, you’re going to fall in love with this book.

When writing Alternate History, authors are often challenged between world-building and character-building. It is difficult to do both well. Colin Salt’s novel approach (and I don’t know if that pun was intended or not, TBH) pays off well, where he clearly divides his book into a deep character dive, with a sprinkling of world-building, followed by a riveting war thriller.

I found the sub-title a bit dubious, but this book really is about love, mystery, and war, and each aspect is well told. In my experience, that combination is very rare. Most authors who can write a badass battle scene tend to embarrass themselves when they try to incorporate a true love story. But Colin easily slides between the two. The Mystery was fun, and I 100% didn’t see it coming.

I really enjoyed how Bart Gauvin and Joel Radunzel were able to collaborate in this “Video Game to Novel” adventure. Bart is an amazing scenario designer for “Command: Modern Operations,” a fantastic computer war game, so when he teamed up with Joel, it was a dream come true. 

I love how many of the battles in the book can be played as scenarios in the game (Including a major air battle over Northern Norway!). It’s a unique experience that I haven’t run into before, and it’s a lot of fun. Even outside of the video game, the story is well put together. I love the depth of the characters and their relationships. I was especially appreciative of the slow burn of the buildup to the action.  

I was skeptical of this novel, as I felt it was based on a flawed premise. The idea of a NATO vs. Soviet Engagement in the 90s was an open-and-shut case of NATO ass-whipping. By the 90s, the Soviet Machine was starting the downward spiral that we see fighting in Ukraine today. TK erased my doubts in the first few pages. I thought, “Brilliant!” and I was hooked.

There are twists in this book that you just don’t see coming. And when they hit you, it’s like a bucket of cold water. Just shocking. I can’t recommend this book enough. If you like Military Fiction, Cold War Goes Hot, or just Alternate History in general, this is a must-read!

This is the brass ring of Cold War turns Hot military fiction. I loved what Tom Clancy put down on paper back in 1986 and truly believe that without this book, none of the others on this list would have been written. I loved the depth and detail that Clancy digs into with regard to operational planning as well as tactical combat operations. 

I can’t compliment him enough on his easy explanation of complex systems and operations. If you like “rivet counting” this book is going to blow your mind. As a former Russian linguist for the Navy, I’m impressed with Clancy’s understanding of Soviet politics and strategy. As a self taught civilian, he knocks it out of the park.