A Novel of the Next World War

2034

A chilling geopolitical thriller and real-world cautionary tale presenting a dark yet very possible future of war between the US and China &ndash; from two former military officers and award-winning authors 
 
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER &bull; &lsquo;A rippingly good read&rsquo; Wired 
______________ 
 
12 March 2034. 
 
In the South China Sea, US Navy Commodore Sarah Hunt is conducting routine freedom of navigation patrol while US Marine aviator Major Chris &lsquo;Wedge&rsquo; Mitchell tests a new stealth technology near Iranian airspace. 
 
By the end of the day, Wedge will be an Iranian prisoner, and Hunt&rsquo;s destroyer will lie at the bottom of the ocean. 
 
And a new, terrifying era will be at hand. 
 
So begins a disturbingly plausible novel, co-authored by an award-winning novelist and decorated Marine veteran and the former commander of NATO, a legendary admiral. 
 
Everything in 2034 is an imaginative extrapolation from present-day facts on the ground, informed by the authors&rsquo; years working at the highest and most classified levels of national security. Because sometimes it takes a brilliant work of fiction to illuminate the most dire of warnings. 
 
&lsquo;I could not stop reading 2034&rsquo; Phil Klay, author of Redeployment 
 
2054: A NOVEL IS OUT NOW

This kind of fiction can induce a kind of sublime awe at the complexity of the global networks in which we&rsquo;re enmeshed . . . 2034 and 2054 are near-future tales, extrapolating from the present to a carefully imagined next five minutes, designed to elicit a little spark of recognition, the feeling of being shown a possible path from &ldquo;here&rdquo; to a utopian or dystopian &ldquo;there&rdquo;

If you&rsquo;re looking for a compelling beach read this summer, I recommend the novel 2034

This crisply written and well-paced book reads like an all-caps warning for a world shackled to the machines we carry in our pockets and place on our laps, while only vaguely understanding how the information stored in and shared by those devices can be exploited.

Consider this another vaccine against disaster. Fortunately, this dose won't cause a temporary fever&mdash;and it happens to be a rippingly good read. Turns out that even cautionary tales can be exciting, when the future we&rsquo;re most excited about is the one where they never come true

There is conflict and catastrophe on a large scale, and it unfolds, as major conflicts tend to, with surprising twists and turns . . . This is not a pessimistic book about America&rsquo;s potential, but the picture of the world it paints before the central conflict will be a difficult one for many to accept, albeit one well supported by facts

I could not stop reading 2034. With sharply drawn, vibrant characters caught in an all too plausible future conflict, the novel left me fascinated, moved, thrilled and, ultimately, haunted

An unnerving and fascinating tale of a future . . . The book serves as a cautionary tale to our leaders and national security officials, while also speaking to a modern truth about arrogance and our lack of strategic foresight . . . The novel is an enjoyable and swiftly paced but important read

Utterly engrossing . . . [2034] is incredibly well-written, deeply thought-provoking, and it makes for uncomfortable and sober reading&mdash;in the best of ways...Elliot Ackerman is one of the finest writers to come out of this generation of military veterans and officers

A frightening look at how a major-power showdown might race out of control. . . . This compelling thriller should be required reading for our national leaders and translated into Mandarin

Those seeking a realistic look at how a future world war might play out will be rewarded

Chilling yet compulsively readable work of speculative fiction . . . Ackerman and Stavridis have created a brilliantly executed geopolitical tale that is impossible to put down and that serves as a dire, all-too-plausible warning that recent events could have catastrophic consequences

War with China is the most dangerous scenario facing us and the world. Absent a strategic method to manage our differences, Jim Stavridis and Elliot Ackerman&rsquo;s chilling novel presents a realistic series of miscalculations leading to the worst consequences. A sobering, cautionary tale for our time

Jim Mattis, General, U.S. Marines (Ret.) and 26th Secretary of Defense

A brilliant thriller! Masterfully plotted and elegantly written, 2034 is a literary tour-de-force. Let&rsquo;s just hope none of it comes true

Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Near Dark

A real page-turner, 2034 is a novel about a conflict we hope never happens. Drawing on their deep operational and diplomatic backgrounds, Admiral Stavridis and Elliot Ackerman have conjured a nightmare we desperately need to avoid. The novel is a cautionary tale for our times, and a reminder how quickly events can spin out of control&mdash;even before 2034

Robert M. Gates, Secretary of Defense 2006-2011

2034 is an exciting, interesting, and informative novel about a hypothetical future war with China that is largely determined by actual decisions already made...Anyone who is concerned about where today&rsquo;s military technology decisions are taking us should read this book

Karl Marlantes, author of Matterhorn and Deep River

Elliot Ackerman (Author) 
ELLIOT ACKERMAN is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Halcyon, 2034, Red Dress In Black and White, Waiting for Eden, Dark at the Crossing, and Green on Blue, as well as the memoir The Fifth Act: America&rsquo;s End in Afghanistan, and Places and Names: On War, Revolution and Returning. His books have been nominated for the National Book Award, the Andrew Carnegie Medal in both fiction and nonfiction, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize among others. He is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and Marine veteran who served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star for Valor, and the Purple Heart. He divides his time between New York City and Washington, D.C. 
 
James Stavridis (Author) 
Admiral Jim Stavridis, USN (Ret.), spent more than thirty years in the U.S. Navy, rising to the rank of four-star admiral. He was Supreme Allied Commander at NATO and previously commanded U.S. Southern Command, over-seeing military operations throughout Latin America. At sea, he commanded a Navy destroyer, a destroyer squadron, and an aircraft carrier battle group in combat. He holds a PhD from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where he recently served five years as dean. He received fifty medals in the course of his military career, including twenty-eight from foreign nations. He is the author of ten other books, including Sea Power: The History and Geopolitics of the World&rsquo;s Oceans and Sailing True North: Ten Admirals and the Voyage of Character, and is Chief International Analyst for NBC News and a contributing editor of Time magazine. He is currently the vice chair, global affairs, and managing director of the Carlyle Group and the chair of the board of the Rockefeller Foundation.

Elliot Ackerman

James Stavridis

This kind of fiction can induce a kind of sublime awe at the complexity of the global networks in which we’re enmeshed . . . 2034 and 2054 are near-future tales, extrapolating from the present to a carefully imagined next five minutes, designed to elicit a little spark of recognition, the feeling of being shown a possible path from “here” to a utopian or dystopian “there”

This book tells us more about the present than the future, it does so with dry wit, and offers philosophical insights into our relationship with technology . . . a satisfying combination of two very different things: “chilling vision of things to come” and “page-turning beach-read”

As well as being a pacy, gripping page-turner of a thriller, 2054 has the advantage of being written by two men who have seen the future, and have thought profoundly about it. It would make a sensational sci-fi movie, with powerful modern-day overtones. Don’t venture into the future without having read this book

2054 is a compelling, terrifying and totally plausible thriller of future world history and calamity – not so far away – crafted into a sophisticated geopolitical narrative superbly handled by this unique partnership of retired admiral/NATO supremo, and a prize-winning literary writer of beautiful novels who also happens to be a decorated Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Excellent – and a worthy sequel of their thriller 2034

Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The World: A Family History

In 2054, the US President dies unexpectedly, the ‘Dreamers’ and ‘Truthers’ are at odds across America and a second Civil War beckons. A terrifying glimpse into the near future

Another top-shelf thriller about near-future geopolitical turmoil . . . Ackerman and Stavridis paint a sweeping and resonant portrait of a world faced with a powerful technological advancement it doesn’t fully understand. The results are genuinely chilling

Gripping and imaginative . . . an enjoyable techno-thriller that explores the chaotic, self-destructive potential of human ingenuity

An enjoyable, intelligent and ultimately frighteningly plausible version of a future

James Stavridis

Praise for 2054

This kind of fiction can induce a kind of sublime awe at the complexity of the global networks in which we’re enmeshed . . . 2034 and 2054 are near-future tales, extrapolating from the present t ...

This book tells us more about the present than the future, it does so with dry wit, and offers philosophical insights into our relationship with technology . . . a satisfying combination of two very different thi ...

**As well as being a pacy, gripping page-turner of a thriller, 2054 has the advantage of being written by two men who have seen the future**, and have thought profoundly about it. It would make a sensation ...

This kind of fiction can induce a kind of sublime awe at the complexity of the global networks in which we’re enmeshed . . . 2034 and 2054 are near-future tales, extrapolating from the present t ...

This book tells us more about the present than the future, it does so with dry wit, and offers philosophical insights into our relationship with technology . . . a satisfying combination of two very different thi ...

**As well as being a pacy, gripping page-turner of a thriller, 2054 has the advantage of being written by two men who have seen the future**, and have thought profoundly about it. It would make a sensation ...

This kind of fiction can induce a kind of sublime awe at the complexity of the global networks in which we’re enmeshed . . . 2034 and 2054 are near-future tales, extrapolating from the present t ...

This book tells us more about the present than the future, it does so with dry wit, and offers philosophical insights into our relationship with technology . . . a satisfying combination of two very different thi ...

**As well as being a pacy, gripping page-turner of a thriller, 2054 has the advantage of being written by two men who have seen the future**, and have thought profoundly about it. It would make a sensation ...

Books by James Stavridis

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Praise for 2054

This kind of fiction can induce a kind of sublime awe at the complexity of the global networks in which we’re enmeshed . . . 2034 and 2054 are near-future tales, extrapolating from the present t ...

This book tells us more about the present than the future, it does so with dry wit, and offers philosophical insights into our relationship with technology . . . a satisfying combination of two very different thi ...

As well as being a pacy, gripping page-turner of a thriller, 2054 has the advantage of being written by two men who have seen the future, and have thought profoundly about it. It would make a sensation ...

This kind of fiction can induce a kind of sublime awe at the complexity of the global networks in which we’re enmeshed . . . 2034 and 2054 are near-future tales, extrapolating from the present t ...

This book tells us more about the present than the future, it does so with dry wit, and offers philosophical insights into our relationship with technology . . . a satisfying combination of two very different thi ...

As well as being a pacy, gripping page-turner of a thriller, 2054 has the advantage of being written by two men who have seen the future, and have thought profoundly about it. It would make a sensation ...

This kind of fiction can induce a kind of sublime awe at the complexity of the global networks in which we’re enmeshed . . . 2034 and 2054 are near-future tales, extrapolating from the present t ...

This book tells us more about the present than the future, it does so with dry wit, and offers philosophical insights into our relationship with technology . . . a satisfying combination of two very different thi ...

As well as being a pacy, gripping page-turner of a thriller, 2054 has the advantage of being written by two men who have seen the future, and have thought profoundly about it. It would make a sensation ...

Books by James Stavridis

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter

**As well as being a pacy, gripping page-turner of a thriller, 2054 has the advantage of being written by two men who have seen the future**, and have thought profoundly about it. It would make a sensation ...

**As well as being a pacy, gripping page-turner of a thriller, 2054 has the advantage of being written by two men who have seen the future**, and have thought profoundly about it. It would make a sensation ...

**As well as being a pacy, gripping page-turner of a thriller, 2054 has the advantage of being written by two men who have seen the future**, and have thought profoundly about it. It would make a sensation ...