Tiger Chair: A Short Story

A tale of an invaded America, from the point of view of an invader.Brooks is a brilliant author. He does his homework and fills the gaps. He is able to look at the ordinary and find a way to make it unique and new. His abiity to portray the perspective of the invading protaganist makes him human and us sympathetic towards him.I expected the story to be a warning. "Watch out, China is coming!" Instead it is more of a "What if China invaded?"We also get a chance to look at ourselves as the invaders. We might not see ourselves that way, but it is important to remember that others do.It also made me consider Israel's invasion of Gaza more critically. How was it different from the way the US invaded Iraq and Afghanistan? How was it different from Russia, in Ukraine?America and the Russians (and China, in the story) were careful, cautious, trying to minimize civilian casualties. This caused more military casualties.Israel has not been careful or cautious towards the civilian population. They are using the might of their military to protect their troops.I appreciate the explanation of the failure to allow initiative in the actions of junior officers and enlisted, and how military policy ties the hands of senior officers.This short story is packed with thought and meaning. Well worth reading.

I got this one for free through the Prime First Reads program as the bonus short story for May 2024. Although I'm not big on reading war stories in general, this one was set in the future, giving us a glimpse into where we could be headed if humanity continues on our current path. The author of 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑊𝑎𝑟 𝑍 gives us a lot to think about in this compact yet complex 50-page story, and the intriguing tale is hard to put down.

An interesting war letter that makes you think about a grim future and provides a perspective from an active participant in the war. The story has some emotional undertones and can definitely play on the heart strings of some. For me, it felt like the short story could've used a different approach with some shorter letters sent out over multiple chapter to give the reader a break. For someone like me that reads bute-sized pieces at a time, it was hard to find good places to stop without disconnecting completely from the story or stopping midway through a though from the writer.

Built as a letter to an old friend, Mr. Brooks showcases the very same talents and skills that he did for World War Z. He weaves a terrific yet terrifying yet uplifting vision of a future war, fought on the coast of California. His protagonist, patriotic, yet concerned soldier from China, is both sympathetic and believable. Cannot wait for another story.

Tiger Chair by Max Brooks is a short story written in epistolary style as a letter from an officer in the People’s Liberation Army (China) fighting an insurgency in occupied Los Angeles. Mr. Brooks is the author of two novels of note in the horror genre; World War Z is well-known and was released theatrically, as well as Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre (a 5-star read for me). This 49-page letter is from a disillusioned military officer to his brother and is to be smuggled from the Occupied Zone in LA in a soldier's prosthetic leg. The letter is instructive, describing the onset of WWIII via an invasion of Taiwan and subsequently the West Coast of America. With the war bogged down in the Rockies and occupation/counterinsurgency duty, the soldier is racked by doubt as resistance and casualties mount, morale plummets, and the mobile crematoria never cool. Very interesting and well-worth time taken to read it. Four stars; AB sez check it out.

All telling. Little to no showing. From the standpoint of a Chinese solider writing home to his friend from occupied Los Angeles- who wants to disclose shocking truths about the war. But nothing was really shocking. It was a lot of war speak and talking about a lot of people with Chinese names that we had zero connection to. AI this. Nano technology that. Deng xioaping. Xhao Jiang. And on and on. I had no idea who they were or why I should care. Clearly, war stories are not my genre but even so, I was desperate for SOME thing or someone to care about and I just didn’t. Sorry. The random mention of me Brooks made me think he is his son - same last name and all. But I honestly don’t even care enough to google. I’m sure he writes good films but it’s a no for me. Sorry.

Max Brooks put forth an interesting story told from the point of view of a soldier in the middle of a long war. That doesn’t sound unique until you realize that the soldier is Chinese and that he is in Hollywood fighting the insurgence of Americans that just won’t give up their country under siege.This book was different and reasonably well written, but I can’t say that I liked it. To go into why would give away more of the plot and for someone who likes this stuff I wouldn’t want to ruin it for you. I will give it three and a half stars for creativity and writing and round it down with my opinion.

Interesting first person of a Chinese occupation of America . loved the Mel Brooks Easter Egg . Nice Little read; . fast paced

I really enjoyed this. It was very will written and researched. It portrays a believable narrative for the not so distant future when the USA is invaded by China. Give it a look.I just wish it was longer in terms of narrative.

Well written, cleverly thought out, carries the reader along…but I just didn’t believe the premise. I don’t think future insurgencies, lacking strong support from outside, stand much of a chance against a strong occupying force. North Vietnam and Afghanistan needed crucial foreign supplies. It’s very obvious today in Ukraine - they need supplies; fighting spirit and good leadership are not enough. I also doubt that China would worry about hearts and minds of any populace they conquered. And finally, I’m dubious that China, under authoritarianism, will ever develop superior technology to America. Extra star though, for pointing out that China may one day be a serious threat to world peace.

I got this as an amazon first reads. Not my usual genre but it was only a short story, so I thought I would try it. That was NOT expected. Very engaging , it has really stuck with me, even a few days after I finished. Just one character telling a story in a letter to his friend. Such a simple premise but the writing really elevated it into something more. Really worth a read and I am glad I tried it.

Presents the story in a unique style of a first-person letter to home,I like that it is just an account (fictional) written by a person who is tired of war and who believes he will never get home to family and friends.

This short book is a narrative by a Chinese soldier following the invasion of the US West Coast. A good concept but I found it hard to read because it is little more than just a slab of text which follows no form. There are no breaks or chapters. If this is a journal, why not present it as one with stops for dates etc ? This would make it more coherent, rather than just trying to worm out important points from the mass of words. Max Brooks structured World War Z brilliantly, really disappointed he could not do the same here.