REVIEWS
Strategy is both art and science. Not many thinkers bridge this gap wisely. There are many charlatans. Sean McFate is the real deal.
Strategy is the art of anticipating the future, backed by the knowledge to act upon it. It requires a mind that is both highly rational and imaginative, which is rare. Sean McFate is one such strategist. He delivers a stunning suite of books that examine the future of war from historical, empirical, and creative angles. His non-fiction books unlock essential facts about war that are scarcely understood. His novels convey the underworld of modern geopolitics with chilling scenarios that follow where his non-fiction leads. Together his books unmask modern warfare, challenging conventional wisdom about what will produce victory in the years to come.
THE NEW RULES OF WAR
An Economist Book of the Year 2019
West Point "Commandant's Reading List"
The Times [UK] summer pick 2019
Evening Standard summer pick 2019
"Stunning. Sean McFate is a new Sun Tzu."
ADMIRAL JIM STAVRIDIS, FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER
"[An] iconoclastic book .... If we go on fighting our wars the old way, we shall go on losing them."
MAX HASTINGS, THE SUNDAY TIMES
"Essential reading....We must begin to grapple with the consequences of the new rules of war; if not, we will all be left behind."
GENERAL STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL
"The Freakonomics of modern warfare."
CONN IGGULDEN
"A lively and provocative way to think about modern warfare."
LAWRENCE FREEDMAN, FOREIGN AFFAIRS
"Why do western powers keep getting beaten when they go to war? This hard hitting polemic by a former US paratrooper explains why – we are addicted to expensive, big tech that is useless against guerrillas."
THE TIMES [UK]
"An important handbook for a new generation of warriors and a primer for the conduct of contemporary armed conflict."
SIR RICHARD DEARLOVE, FORMER DIRECTOR, MI6
"McFate's experience.. inform(s) this standout work of military science.. An authoritative and skillful analysis of the state of war today."
PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY
"The sharpest account of the dilemmas of war and peace I've read in years....A wonderful read."
EVENING STANDARD [UK]
"This book isn't pretty, but it's necessary reading for the strategically minded."
KIRKUS REVIEWS
"A thought-provoking book. Sean McFate has admirably captured the challenges we face with an evolving character of warfare."
GENERAL SIR NICK CARTER, FORMER UK CHIEF OF THE DEFENCE STAFF
"If we heed his advice, we may just make the necessary adjustments in time to avert a serious catastrophe."
PROF. ROBERT JOHNSON, DIRECTOR OF THE CHANGING CHARACTER OF WAR PROGRAM, OXFORD UNIVERSITY
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THE MODERN MERCENARY
"Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand a new component of modern warfare. The prevalence of privatized military forces raises serious political, economic, and moral questions. In The Modern Mercenary, Sean McFate applies his years of experience as a US army paratrooper and private military contractor to explore these questions through invaluable case studies and penetrating analysis."
GENERAL STANLEY A. McCHRYSTAL, CO-FOUNDER, McCHRYSTAL GROUP
"The Modern Mercenary is an adrenalin-fueled jaunt through today's battlefields, where we find not just the armies of the state, but 'security professionals' whose considerable skills are available for hire. Writing from first-hand experience as a contractor in the field, Sean McFate helps us understand this complex world beyond the cartoon criticisms and film-inspired lore to see both the obvious dangers and the potential benefits provided by a shadowy industry."
ADMIRAL JAMES STAVRIDIS, FORMER SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER OF NATO, DEAN, THE FLETCHER SCHOOL OF LAW AND DIPLOMACY, TUFTS UNIVERSITY
"The Iraq War and Blackwater may seem like yesterday's headlines, but the private military industry is still going strong. In The Modern Mercenary, a book powered by deep research and filled with fascinating details, Sean McFate deftly explores both the historic parallels of today's trade in military services for hire, and its likely future."
P.W. SINGER, AUTHOR OF CORPORATE WARRIORS: THE RISE OF THE PRIVATIZED MILITARY AND CYBERSECURITY AND CYBERWAR: WHAT EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW
"McFate understands his subject from the inside. His excellent book shows convincingly the urgent need for our governments, and those who work for them, to grasp the consequences of their frequent use of private military companies before they lose control of them."
GENERAL SIR RUPERT SMITH, KCB DSO OBE QGM
"At last we have a serious academic study of the role of military contractors in the execution of modern warfare. The analysis of neo-medievalism and the privatization of conflict is especially thought-provoking--a must read for political leaders who are drawn into having to fight today's wars."
GENERAL SIR RICHARD DEARLOVE KCMG OBE, MASTER, PEMBROKE COLLEGE AND FORMER HEAD OF MI6
"McFate's persuasive, unsettling, and nonpolemical account describes the way PMSCs are changing the face of war."
PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY STARRED REVIEW
"Mr. McFate writes with an insider's knowledge . . . the worrying trends he describes make this book a powerful call to arms to those who do not want a world awash with mercenaries."
THE ECONOMIST
"While making the case that contractors are a here-to-stay force, McFate points out that this has deep implications, both positive and negative, for modern warfare and international relations, and believes it's important to consider both sides."
THE NEW YORK POST
"The Modern Mercenary is filled with fascinating stuff, and its bottom line is that there is no stopping the continuing development of the market for force."
STRATEGY AND BUSINESS
"What McFate does best in this book is to add structure and sobriety to the discussion by classifying different types of mercenary services and firms, and to carefully and dispassionately lay out the arguments for and against a 'free market for force.' "
SCHOLARS AND ROGUES
"Thought-provoking . . . Some of [McFate's] stories have never been told before, which makes the book particularly valuable."
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
"[The Modern Mercenary] is a highly provocative and enriching addition to the literature on the private military industry and stands apart from much contemporary scholarship on the subject . . . McFate does a good job interweaving a rich and easy-to-read historical analysis with his overall thesis, drawing fascinating parallels between our medieval past-complete with mercenaries, military entrepreneurs and privatized warfare-and their post-modern contemporaries in an emerging neo-medieval present."
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
"The Modern Mercenary will reward anyone looking for a deeper understanding of market-driven contemporary conflict."
WAR ON THE ROCKS
"A thoughtful, interesting read that may turn out to be scarily prescient in the years to come."
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TOM LOCKE SERIES
"McFate just might be the next Tom Clancy, only I think he's even better... The action is non-stop and shuttles back and forth between scary-believable and rollicking good fun. I read High Treason during a six-hour plane ride and the trip went by like the snap of my fingers."
JAMES PATTERSON, #1 NYT BESTSELLING AUTHOR
"High Treason has brutal assassinations, shocking betrayals, even heated gun battles in the shadow of the White House. It had me breathless—from the sheer audacity of its storytelling to its breakneck pacing. It's not to be missed!."
JAMES ROLLINS, #1 NYT BESTSELLING AUTHOR
Step aside, faux thriller writers and armchair warrior storytellers. Ex-mercenary Sean McFate has produced a first novel that's assured, authentic, timely, gritty, and most of all real... I enjoyed the hell out of it."
C.J. BOX, NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF BADLANDS AND OFF THE GRID
"With well-drawn and fascinating characters and ground level espionage and combat sure to please fans of Brad Thor, Tom Clancy, and Daniel Silva, Shadow War is simply one of the most entertaining and intriguing books I've read in quite some time."
MARK GREANEY, #1 NYT BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF BACK BLAST
"Shadow War has pace like a catapult, sudden and fierce, and it will hit readers straight between the eyes."
TED BELL, NYT BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF PATRIOT
“Wars produce warriors. Some, like special operator-turned mercenary Tom Locke, find it a curious calling that pulls them into the darkest of nights and most dangerous of places. Shadow War brings all of it to life in fascinating detail.”
GENERAL STANLEY McCHRYSTAL, CO-FOUNDER, McCHRYSTAL GROUP
“An American James Bond meets the twists and turns of “Homeland.”
ADMIRAL JAMES STAVRIDIS, FORMER SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER OF NATO, DEAN, THE FLETCHER SCHOOL OF LAW AND DIPLOMACY, TUFTS UNIVERSITY
"Intelligent, funny, gritty, Ferrari-paced - at times even electric. Shadow War is in the running for best debut of 2016!"
BEN COES, NYT BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF EYE FOR AN EYE
"I was blown away…. simply one of the most entertaining and intriguing books I've read in quite some time.”
MARK GREANEY, #1 NYT BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF BACK BLAST
"For Black Ops and lots of military action, join Tom Locke for an exciting, wild ride."
CATHERINE COULTER, AUTHOR OF NEMESIS
“A gripping journey inside the world of modern warfare and espionage, and those who enjoy a good military thriller will be hoping that more Tom Locke adventures will follow quickly.”
BOOKLIST
“[A] terrific debut… Resonance and depth [are] certain to make Shadow War the book others… seek to replicate. A tour de force of form and function for a new geopolitical reality.”
PROVIDENCE JOURNAL