Short story from the perspective of a disgruntled, disillusioned Chinese soldier.
Interesting and easy read.
Worth checking out.

In the near future, China appears to be at war with everyone. It's even invaded and occupied the US west coast. In a desperate letter to friend back in China, a Chinese mid-level officer risks being caught and punished (strapped to a "tiger chair) by describing what's really going on, how the war effort is way more difficult than anticipated or reported by the government.
It was interesting enough, feeling reasonably like a personal letter or journal entry Brooks has previously included in his books World War Z and Devolution. There are just enough hints and details to give a reasonable picture of what the whole situation is in the story, rhough the descriptions sound like anything you could read by a solider in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, etc. I liked it fine enough, I just might have been interested to read more from different perspectives in at least a novella.

With its focus on weapons and war strategy, this story should appeal to military aficionados. Not being one, I still appreciated the author’s hypothesis of what WWIII might look like from the perspective of a single Chinese soldier disillusioned by the drawn out battle.

We live in a time where publishing industry doesn't so much want the next best thing as they do the thing closest to the last thing that sold. Therefore, it is no surprise to see Brooks return to his old stomping grounds and write another epistolary style war tale.
For those who do not know, that's the entire construct of Brooks's very excellent WWZ. Both the novel and this story are very readable, but where WWZ boasts wild, off-the-wall originality, this is a lesser tale in all respects, including the page count.
Midn you, it's still quite good, Brooks is undeniably talented and a meticulous researcher, taking great care to make his stories detailed and believable. But overall, this tale of war, extrapolated from the current news and projected into the near future, is a bit of a one-note thing. Also hinky (a nod to his dad, Mel Brooks) and peculiarly jingoistic.
Overall though, it's a decent way to pass 60 minutes or so. Thanks Netgalley.

Max Brooks became one of my favorite authors after I read his novels World War Z. and Devolution. Although war stories are one of my least favorite genres to read, Max does a top notch job with Tiger Chair. Who else could let the reader into this imagined war and make it seem so real?

Joining the roster of Amazon Original Stories, is Max Brooks, well known for World War Z. In Tiger Chair an unnamed Chinese soldier is serving in California in a forever war. The narration is his secret letter to a childhood friend, sharing his experiences and hoping for help in trying to end the war.

The narrative unfolds sharing recent events but also diving back in to the recent past. Talking through the causes and early days of the invasion and the success brought by China's technological capabilities. US forces were defeated and pushed back beyond the Rocky Mountains. Despite the initial success, the war has stalemated and dragged on, becoming more of an anti insurgent campaign a la Afghanistan or Iraq.

Our narrator shares the pride of early victories and his present concern over the growing austerity measures and his forces inability to be as creative or adaptive as the insurgents challenging the occupation. He writes in hope his friend can help sway public perception of the wear in China in the hopes of deescalating or ending the conflict.

Brooks capably balances giving the narrator a tired and pessimistic voice while also keeping some hope alive and providing the background and of origins in a natural manner.

Recommended to fans of alternate histories, possible futures and other Brooks books.

"Tiger Chair" by Max Brooks is a powerful and thought-provoking short story set in a future where China invades America. Told through the eyes of a Chinese officer stationed in Los Angeles, the narrative unfolds as a heartfelt letter home, capturing the grim realities of guerrilla warfare and the moral dilemmas faced by soldiers.

Brooks expertly blends meticulous research with a compelling plot, creating a vivid and unsettling vision of the future. The story is both a thrilling read and a sobering reflection on the human cost of war. A must-read for fans of speculative fiction and military thrillers.

In Tiger Chair, a Chinese platoon leader writes a very long letter home to his best friend from the front. It is not a cheerful letter.

Ten long years ago, China declared a world war after a squabble in Taiwan. The letter writer has been stationed in Los Angeles for three years. Though the LA battle starts out well for China, soon the local insurgents are beating the AI run Chinese army and its drone Air Force with old school weaponry. Mirrors are used to divert drones. Black paint covers cameras. Dump trucks full of debris block roads. Even old school “dumb” missiles and torpedoes are used to fight back against the Chinese invaders. The letter writer doesn’t see a good end game for China and worries that his toddler son will eventually be drafted into this endless war.

The author is the author of World War Z, which I loved. He is also the son of comedian Mel Brooks. He gets one tiny zinger in the book about his father. It is definitely worth a quick online search to understand the joke. Otherwise, Tiger Chair is unrelenting grim. As is an unending war, I suppose. Not a fun way to spend an hour, for sure.

I couldn’t help but feel there is a not so hidden political message here. However, I’m not exactly sure what it is. Is it about the amazing ingenuity of Americans? Is it anti-Hamas, anti-Iran, anti-Israel, anti-Russia or against any of the many other smaller wars popping up around the world lately? I feel it is against the futility of war in general. However, if you have strong feelings about either side of the current conflicts, this book may be troubling. For me, it was just rather forgettable. Well written but how did it teach, or at least show, me something I didn’t already know? 3 stars.

Thanks to Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Tiger Chair is a new short story from Max Brooks who also wrote the popular book World War Z. This story is conveyed through a found correspondence from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army during a fictionalized war between China and America fought on American soil.

i found this to be a gripping and realistic account of what a future war may look like with the sobering on going human cost. These stories that unfold are not new but ones that could be told from every war just the backdrop and technology differs. I found this short story to be a compelling window into where we draw the lines between war and humanity. It is a quick read that sucks you in from minute one wondering about the solider writing the letter and the reasoning behind it.

Max Brooks has a way of drawing you into the action right away. If you don’t know much about guerrilla warfare, you’ll certainly know a lot more after reading this short story. You can feel the desperation of the narrator and easily picture the horrific events that occur, so be warned that this contains a veritable boatload of violence. I’ll be interested to see if Brooks takes the story any further.

Props for the Princess Bride reference. 😉😄

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the advance copy. All opinions are mine.

This is a _short_ story, indeed. It's structured as a letter home from a Chinese soldier fighting in Los Angeles in a new world war. It's a dark vision of the future. Certainly, the idea that China attacked Taiwan and that blossomed into a much wider war, so wide that the Chinese People's Liberation Army has invaded the United States, is dark. Then there's the reference to "the first pandemic" and people suffering from "long-term COVID-31," suggesting that we'd only have to wait 7 more years from now before another COVID pandemic in 2031.

This was a quick read, and it's interesting but truly a sad view of what the future may hold. Sadly, it's within the realm of possibility, given humanity's propensity for violence and seemingly nonstop wars. Time will tell, but I do hope something like this doesn't come to pass. Overall, this is a well done short story, told from a single perspective, that of a soldier in a foreign land, tired of all the stupidity and bloodshed.

This story was well done, I just don’t think I was the target audience! This book was categorized as sci-fi, and while it was set in the future, I was expecting more sci-fi aspects. The story brings readers through correspondence from a Chinese soldier in WWIII as the Chinese army occupies Los Angeles. The story was well written and succinct, with each paragraph strategically revealing new information about the war. This story discusses war and fear of government in a very interesting way. I was occasionally confused while reading, but overall it wasn’t difficult to follow. I think someone interested in war-related literature would have enjoyed this story much more than I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon for the eARC!

I've always been a big fan of Max Brooks, from the beginning and with one exception, and again, in this novella that spares no one, the author has proven himself a great interpreter of current reality. Let's hope he is not also prescient.

Sono sempre stata una grande fan di Max Brooks, dall'inizio e con un'unica eccezione e anche stavolta, in questa novella che non risparmia nessuno, l'autore si é dimostrato un grandissimo interprete della realtá attuale. Speriamo che non sia anche un preveggente.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

This story is so short but I felt immersed the whole time. It's a snapshot of what is happening during a war, told from the point of view of the invading army. The army is Chinese and the country is America, and it had some Red Dawn vibes, as the Americans continued to fight against all odds. How long is this war going to last? How many Americans are left? How much of the US is under Chinese occupation? There were so many questions and this book was so tense. I highly recommend this.

Max Brooks delivers an interesting look at a possible World War III as told through a letter. The narrative itself wasn't as engaging as I wanted it to be. Nevertheless, an fascinating piece of speculative fiction.

Thanks to Amazon Original Stories and Netgalley for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.

Tiger Chair is a short story about an alternate history (not far in the future) where China invades America and Americans are fighting back. It is told in a letter from a Chinese general to a friend back home.

I thought this story was just ok. I was a bit bored throughout and I don’t think it really went anywhere. This is not my usual book and I think that’s why I didn’t like it much.

I don’t think k the writing was bad or anything, it just wasn’t for me.

Thanks to netgalley and Amazon for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This short story, set during WWIII in a Los Angeles occupied by the Chinese army, is presented as a letter from a desperate officer to his friend back home.
This story is very short, but very smartly written and with great subtlety. Each paragraph seem to reveal something more about how this war came to be, the fight of resistance, the horror of the situation, and the fear of your own government.
I found myself really involved and I recommend it.