The Scorpion's Gate

By Richard A. Clarke

Book Overview

Fiction can often tell the truth better than nonfiction. And there is a lot of truth that needs to be told. -Richard A. Clarke From the noted counterterrorism expert and #1 bestselling author comes an astonishing fiction debut-a novel of terrorism, warring nations, and political treachery... that could happen tomorrow. For three decades, Richard A. Clarke worked in the White House, State Department, and Pentagon. As adviser to four presidents, he traveled throughout the Middle East, visiting palaces, military bases, and intelligence centers, meeting rulers, soldiers, and spies. Some of what he found appeared in Against All Enemies. Much more of it appears here. In an extraordinary geopolitical thriller filled with the kind of cutting-edge authenticity only someone on the inside could bring, Clarke takes readers just five years into the future, when forces both in the Middle East and the United States are at work to launch another war. But this time, it could be bigger. This time, it could be nuclear, and spread to Asia and beyond. A coup has finally toppled the sheiks of Saudi Arabia, and put a determined but shaky Islamic government in its place. Everywhere, the scent of oil has begun to attract the scorpions, and among them are men in Washington and another capital ready to strike a devil's bargain to fundamentally realign the map of the Middle East. The plans are not the same, however-though some of the planners think they are. Hidden agendas, fierce ambition, conflicting loyalties, faulty intelligence, catastrophic miscalculation-soon the dominos will start to fall, and not even the efforts of a few dedicated men and women on the outside may be able to stop an unstoppable folly. . . . Blending exceptional realism with intricate plotting, razor-sharp suspense, and a remarkable cast of characters, The Scorpion's Gatewill be one of the most talked-about novels of the year.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399152946
• ISBN13: 9780399152948
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons
• Length: 305 Pages
• Weight: 1.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

fiction?

Richard Clarke is an immensely intersting individual and I like his writing style. He paints a grim picture in this book, but I guess that is the mood of our culture. We keep trying to blame ourselves for everything when things go wrong. There are people who should be held responsible, but it shouldn't be us. He writes in the colloquial so it is an easy read.

What it takes.

When the public muses about how intelligence is gathered; first as information which is then analyzed, then evaluated, and employed in making decisions; they think it's a simple matrix (if they grant so many steps are involved). Clarke shows how even among the best liaison procedures, the push and pull of influences can pervert the findings. Intelligence cannot be driven by policies. It's purpose is to provide suitable information which can be evaluated and analyzed, and vetted throughout each of the preceding steps, and then used as a guide to decision-makers who are either formulating or executing policy. You can't send out for the measurements of a basketball ball court and accept "slam-dunk" as an answer. The information needed to get to the end of the game cannot be desired. It must be tested until the results are history.

A reliable glimpse into the future?

Fast-forward ten years....what will the Middle East look like? Richard Clarke presents here a possible (likely?) scenario, albeit in fictional form. Upfront I'll admit that this reviewer considers Clarke a true American patriot and, yes, indeed, perhaps also a hero. (History will be the ultimate judge, of course.) But, even if you disagree, you must admit that Richard Clarke certainly has the street cred to write such a book, which, by the way, not only presents plausible scenarios, but also rewards the reader with an engrossing story. The story line is nimbly paced, yet sure in its footing, and it engaged this reader from page one continually until the end. Treat yourself to a gripping read, and maybe get a view of the future, as well.

fabulous thriller

In 2010, Supported by the Chinese, a coup has taken out the despotic leaders of Saudi Arabia replacing it with the Republic of Islamyah. The zealots in charge begin to bring their anti-western fundamentalist Islamic fervor to nearby Bahrain by blowing up favorite haunts where the hated infidels reside. The area is quickly falling into chaos with the Chinese pushing for more discontent to further extricate the west out of the region. Secretary of Defense Henry Conrad pushes a military solution to the Middle East crisis as he wants to invade Islamyah so that the United States can regain control of the oil. Others want to take over the entire region by force while some believe we must use diplomacy to mute the growing influence of the Chinese. Though the middle of winter in DC, the heat is on in the capital and not just because the weather is spring-like as both sides escalate the hostilities with nuclear war between the United States and China imminent unless cooler heads prevail. THE SCORPION'S GATE is a fabulous thriller in which anti-terrorist expert Richard A. Clarke extrapolates what the future might hold based on what if consequences of decisions made by the current administration. The story line is frightening as the scenario seems plausible as Mr. Bush's legacy to the world (it will solve the long term solvency of the social security issue). Though Mr. Clarke makes the error of many first time novelists of trying to get everything into the plot, futurologists will appreciate this strong look at what might be forthcoming (who in the 1970s predicted we would still be fighting the war against drugs today?). Harriet Klausner