Time to read a modern thriller after all the horror anthologies I knocked off this past winter. I was alerted to Kurt Schlichter’s The Attack by a friend. I checked out the premise, read the first pages that were part of free preview.

I have heard Kurt Schlichter filling in on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show now and then (why do I even listen to Hugh Hewitt?). I knew of his on-line pieces at Townhall.com.

The Attack was written after Hamas’ attack into Israel last October. The premise is an October 7^th type attack on the United States. Ten thousand Moslem jihadis have been infiltrated into the United States across the open southern border. Iran is in command, has the cells organized, weapons procured, targets picked for teams.

Day 1: Attack on public spots on a Tuesday.

Day 2: The terrorists hit the suburbs to increase the body count as the police are guarding the public areas.

Day 3: Attacks on infrastructure.

The book is a series of short chapters of first person narratives including Arab jihadis, police, army, civilians, Mexican cartel members etc. Lots of AK-47s, Glock pistols, SIG-Sauers, and even a CZ-75.

The resident of the White House breaks a hip fighting against the Secret Service agent herding him to the bunker. The ostensible V.P. has a breakdown and hides in her office the first day. She gives a word salad speech on Day 2.

There is even a chapter devoted to a guy who takes in orphaned dogs after the attack.

“We had a lot of senior dogs who were confused and scared. Many were physically hurt. All of them missed their families. They would howl sometimes. It made you cry. I just wanted to find them someone to love them again. And they deserved it. They never hurt anyone. They just loved us, and those bastards used that to hurt them and us. But there were some great stories out there of dogs protecting their families. There was Rambo, the corgi who attacked the ankle of a terrorist coming up to a house where a mom had three kids. The bastards shot the doggie, but Rambo gave the mom time to grab a Glock and blow the bastard away in her front yard. Eddie was an Australian shepherd who actually herded a couple toddlers away from some bastards who had broken into their house.”

U.S. dead are around 170,000 to around 11,000 jihadis. Antifa and some college students also participate as auxiliaries for the jihadis. They call in false alarms to the police on Day 2 and some take part in butchery in the suburbs. Many are given the death penalty from military tribunals afterwards.

There is United States nuclear retalitation against Iran using some nuclear bunker busters, an invasion of northern Mexico, expulsion of illegals. The FBI is dispanded with its duties broken up among a few new agencies.

The Attack is a normi-con thriller. My personal view is any big terrorist attack is going to go for a knock out blow like an EMP attack as in Forstchen’s One Second After. I think also the cities would collapse as there would be opportunistic looting and never underestimate the incompetency of governments whether local, state, or federal. Schlichter has martial law and rationing but a recovery in a year. I am more cynical.

This was a page turneer. I knocked it off in two nights. If you are in the mood for a modern thriller on a big scale give The Attack a try.