Taiwan Under Attack:
Operation Reunification
ASIN B0HDBXVF7V
This is the sixth volume I have read by Simone, and I have picked up a number of others, almost all his fiction that is available in English. After reading The Baptism of Lucid: A Sacrament in the Red Silence of Mars I became fascinated with Simone’s works and wanted to dive deep. At the time of reading that first one, this was listed as the second in the Astrodiesm series. But he has since been reworking how his books connect and the series break downs. Before reading that first one the author had reached out asking for a review of a different volume, one of his non-fiction offerings. But some of these fiction titles really grabbed my attention. It is hard to categorize this volume. Some would claim it is Science fiction, some military fiction, and some call it speculation or scare mongering. . On Amazon it is uncategorized at the time of writing this review. I did pick it up the day it released and read it the next day.
The description of this volume states:
“In 2038, Taiwan’s emergency systems all run on one national network. When thirty critical nodes fail in forty seconds, NSB officer Wei-Ting is ordered to stand down. Officials call it a glitch. It isn’t.A master key has been turned. Hospitals go dark. Radar feeds are delayed. Reunification is meant to be silent.Against orders, Wei-Ting and analyst Yang race to stop a cyber takeover before the island disappears without a single shot fired.A short, high-stakes speculative thriller.”
About the author we are informed:
“Simone Nespolo is the author of practical guides focused on artificial intelligence, digital marketing, and automation for small and medium-sized businesses. He holds a degree in Economics and has developed solid experience in professional training, customer service, and the creation of strategic, results-driven content.
Occasionally, he devotes time to writing fantasy short stories and to analyzing contemporary geopolitics, approached with a critical and accessible perspective.”
The authors note states:
“This is a work of speculative fiction set in an alternate timeline in 2038. Real places, institutions and companies may appear alongside fictional or fictionalized organizations, laws, technologies and events. The geopolitical and military events depicted are imaginary. The views expressed by the characters belong to the characters alone and do not represent the author's position on Taiwan's political or legal status, the People's Republic of China, reunification, independence or the One-China principle. No real person is intended to be portrayed, and no classified or operational security procedure is described. Medical procedures, hospital systems and locations have been fictionalized for narrative purposes.”
Before the first chapter we have these words:
“Worldbuilding Note — 2038
In 2038, Taiwan's emergency infrastructure ran on a single national backbone. Hospitals, power stations and public-alert systems had been tied together after the Strait Crisis. The arrangement had been sold as resilience. Its critics called it centralization.
Within the National Security Bureau, one unwritten rule had survived the 2035 Macau incident:
“Certainty is a luxury the island can no longer afford.”
DOCUMENT INTERCEPT
NSB SIGINT DIVISION — FICTIONAL RECORD
DATE: 2038-08-04 | TIME: 23:14:00 TST
SOURCE: Offshore relay — Shanghai footprint
DESTINATION: Kaohsiung Quantum Hub
DECRYPTION STATUS: Partial
CHANNEL: QKD session failed, fallback to classical encapsulation — metadata recovered, payload incomplete
----------------------------------------------------------------
...authorize [REDACTED] commencement.
Phase One is green.
The sleep is over.
Reunification will be silent...”
The sections in this volume are:
Worldbuilding Note — 2038
Document Intercept
Winds of Change
The Architecture of Chaos
The Da'an Protocol
Shadows in the Alley
The Analog Horizon
Hard Cut
The Zero Hour
Epilogue - Dawn Over the Strait
This is a fascinating piece of short speculative fiction. It is a tightly written story. With most of the events taking place over just a single day. It is a story about an officer willing to risk it all. And one that made me think of Westwing episode ‘A Change is Gonna Come’. And also of the original Red Dawn movie, from 1984. Except this time it is a secret attach beginning by overtaking the interconnected systems.
It is a great story with excellent characters. Though I cannot but help hoping Nespolo will write the story of the oft mentioned Macau Incident. I could easily see this story being expanded, and becoming a novel, or central piece in a series of stories.
It is an interesting piece. Both for its speculation, for the well written story and for hopefully setting up other stories. A wonderful little read, well worth the time and effort!
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2026 Catholic Reading Plan!
Books by Simone Nespolo:
A Collection of Three Film Plots
Ancient Maps for New Journeys
Local autonomy: The Natural Antidote to Fascism and Communism
Praying for Money
The Imperial Revival and Japan’s Demographic Crisis
The Necessary Schism of the American Catholic Church
…
Books of Guided Prompts:
10 Prompts to Sell with ChatGPT
15 AI Prompts for Small and Medium Enterprises
20 AI Prompts Ready for eBook Writers
…
Fiction:
Doge – Martian Colonial Ship
The Garden of Ashes
The Last Venetian Painter
…
Dark Futures Series:
Selfie
Whales
…
Catholic Science Fiction Series:
…
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