Long before Dec. 7, 1941, at least three novels -- the earliest published in 1906 -- predicted a surprise attack on Hawaii by Japanese naval forces. Indeed, whatever debates historians and anthropologists might exchange over the inevitability of war, one can hardly deny that all too often, works in the genre of future war fiction have a disturbing way of coming true.
With the vacuum created by the breakup of the Soviet Union, Asia was expected to become increasingly unstable, and soon afterward such representative works as "The War in 2020" by Ralph Peters (1991), "Pacific Nightmare" by Simon Winchester (1992) and "Debt of Honor" by Tom Clancy (1994) made their appearance. Fortunately the peace has held; but inspired by 9/11 and subsequent events, it's hardly surprising books with doomsday scenarios continue to appear.
In his latest work, British TV journalist Humphrey Hawksley, author of the "Dragon Strike" and "Dragon Fire" -- novels that placed China at the center of conflict -- has shifted the spotlight to North Korea, which is secretly collaborating with Pakistan to confront their traditional enemies, the United States and India.