A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Trident Media Group about the possibility of hosting an excerpt from the new Larry Bond novel on my blog.

My reaction was fairly predictable.

Larry Bond? The Larry Bond?  Military strategist extraordinaire?  Inventor of the Harpoon strategy game used to train Surface Warfare Officers?  The man who collaborated with Tom Clancy on RED STORM RISING? That Larry Bond?

Um… Yes.  Yes, I would be interested.  Sign me up.  Now.  Immediately, if not sooner.

I’ve been a huge Larry Bond fan since 1989, when his novel RED PHOENIX kept me tearing through the pages to find out just how badly the shit could hit the fan if the conflict in Korea went hot again. I’ve been waiting for a follow-up novel for about twenty-five years, and it’s finally here!

Larry Bond and his coauthor, Chris Carlson, are back with RED PHOENIX BURNING. This time, the North Korean regime has imploded, and the resulting power vacuum can only lead to a throw down of epic proportions.

I can’t wait to read it. Which brings me to the Bad News / Good News part of this blog.

The Bad News is that the excerpt they sent me is short. Really short.  As in short enough to be kind of frustrating.

The Good News is that the nice people at Trident Media are going to give away copies of RED PHOENIX BURNING to five of my blog readers.

So, check out a little slice of the book, and then stick around for instructions on how to win.

UPDATE:  Thanks for all the great comments!  Our five winners have been selected.  (The rest of us will have to buy our own copies.)

They were getting close, perhaps two hundred meters from the hill, when Guk reported, “We’ve found a body. It’s Chinese.”

That brought him up short. The others with Rhee had heard the report as well, and he signed for them to remain in place. “Confirm Chinese,” Rhee transmitted.

Guk responded immediately. “Digital pattern fatigues, weapon is a suppressed QBZ-03.”

Chinese weapon, Chinese uniform. The pieces fell into place instantly. Pathfinders, sent to seize and hold a strategic chokepoint, like a bridge, were a tactic as old as war. And the others must be Kim faction troops guarding the bridge.

“Engage the Chinese,” Rhee ordered. “Self-defense only against the other side.”

Rhee had barely finished speaking before Ban’s rifle boomed. Even with a muzzle brake and a suppressor, it sounded like a thunderclap. Rhee kept the glasses to his face long enough to see what was likely a Chinese soldier fall, and brought his own weapon up to cover Ban as he hurriedly shifted position forward. Oh was firing as well.

It was another two bounds before they saw any return fire, coming from the Chinese positions. It struck close to Rhee, who was in front, but Ban’s rifle boomed again and Rhee heard Ban report, “Target down.” The Kim side of the firefight was silent, but Rhee could hear the fire from his men, and Guk reported, “Engaged, two down.”

They kept moving forward, up the hill slope, team members staying low and bringing a lethal crossfire down on anyone that shot back.

Finally, they were near the crest, and Rhee saw a dead Chinese soldier, one of Ban’s victims, given the size of the hole in his chest. He switched back and forth between the IR goggles and the night vision binoculars, looking for enemies. All the nearby heat sources belonged to his men or freshly dead Chinese.

Guk’s voice warned, “Coming in from your right,” and the lieutenant and Corporal Dae joined the other three.

What do you think? Pretty damned cool, huh?

All you’ve got to do to win is write a non-SPAM comment on this blog, telling us a little bit about your favorite Larry Bond novel. Or, if you’re new to his work, go ahead and say so.  (Every Larry Bond fan has got to start somewhere.)

The first five people to comment will receive a free copy of the book from Trident Media Group. The rest of us will have to pick it up when it hits the stands in two days.