Superb book, loses the half star as it is now rather dated. ( )

Among the best military technothrillers ever written. Written from the unusual perspective of the soldiers of the Soviet Army, with well-developed characters with unique and fully realized personalities and histories who are placed in situations of extreme stress and danger. Ralph Peters never once specifies the type or model number of any military equipment in the book, making it seem much more accessible than a soup of military acronyms, and gives the character development room to fully shine. ( )