Undersea nuclear warfare. That is how to describe a series of techno thrillers I have been reading for the last few weeks. A bit overblown, but it accurately describes what this is all about and boy, what a ride!

Techno Thrillers are exciting and interesting reads because they take existing technology and real world-situations, extrapolates them liberally and take us along into dark and often dangerous adventures. Most of us will be familiar with the more “well known,” techno thriller writers like Tom Clancy who literally invented the whole genre. Then there are Dale Brown (not to be confused with the other Brown : Dan Brown), Larry Bond, Stephen Coonts, Patrick Robinson to name but a few of whom I have read.

One author who also writes in the genre is Joe Buff and his focus is submarine warfare.

The premise is that it is 2011 and a new world war has broken out - this time it is the US and UK Vs. The Boer-Berlin Axis (yes, Boers from South Africa, and yes it is that Berlin). Russia remains neutral, however it is covertly supporting the Berlin-Boer Axis. After the end of the Cold War, Techno Thriller are hard pressed to come up with the next credible “bad guys,” who are capable of fighting a conventional (as opposed to the asymmetric war of Iraq or Afghanistan) war with the U.S. But Buff manages to invent the most likely and probable opponents.

Just like WWI and WWII, a resurgent Germany under Kaiser Wilhelm (remember the deposed king of Germany in WWI?) , overruns most of Europe, and UK once again stands alone; if UK falls the US would have to declare an armistice and recognize the Berlin-Boer Axis gains in Europe and Africa. And yes, subs now use nuclear capable torpedoes to attack each other and surface ships.

And this is where the series takes off - starting with Thunder in the Deep: A Novel of Undersea Nuclear War, Deep Sound Channel, Crush Depth, Tidal Rip, Straits of Power and most recently Seas of Crisis. As of this writing, the war is in full swing and seems that it will take another couple of books for the war to end. While the books can be read individually, it is far more fun and captivating to read it in sequence.

Buff’s main character is a Lt. Commander Jeffery Fuller who is the Executive Officer of a new class of ceramic hulled attack submarines that can dive deeper, go faster and more lethal than any other submarine in the US inventory, the USS Challanger. But both Germany and South Africa have their own versions of the ceramic hulled attack subs with similar capabilities.

However by book three things were getting a bit mundane after the novelty of “Undersea Nuclear Warfare,” begins to wear off, however Buff then ramps things up so much so that by Sea of Crisis, you want to know how the US/UK is going to win the war – or will they?

While this is no War & Peace, Buff keeps the writing crisp and builds up to (generally) satisfying climaxes. If you are into Techno Thrillers then Joe Buff is a great read. If you are into compelling fiction, then he can more than satisfy your needs.

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