I was not expecting so many layers within this short sci-fi story. WOW! Very smart and so unique. I only wish it was longer.

This short story was a thrilling, nail-biting experience. The audio made this story even more invigorating. The narrator's voice was chef's kiss — the cadence, expression, and the time was just classy. Definitely an enjoyable short read. Looking forward to read/listen more from this author and narrator.

Tiger Chair is bone chilling in a way that only Max Brooks can deliver. His stories are always rooted so strongly in reality that they serve both as entertainment and precautionary tales. Following a Chinese Solider in the midst of a war with America, this short story explores the horrors and harsh realities of war regardless of the side one's on.

This book just wasn't for me. I did not vibe with the writing style. It felt very disjointed and it struggled to keep my attention. With such a short audio I found it difficult that I couldn't stay focused. I felt the author went off on tangents that I just couldn't care about unfortunately. I felt lost with no background about the narrator or the situation. Hopefully a different big by this author will resonate better in the future.

Not what I expected but holy hell was this fantastic! China attacks the US and Max really goes into the horror or war. This was a short story was so intriguing and engaging. Read or listen or both. Totally great!

♡𝙰𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 &| 𝚎𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠♡
3.5 🌟
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I picked this book as my short story prime member for the month of June and then applied for the audiobook! The audiobook is great! But the overall story just wasn't for me. The storyline is set in WWII. So, if you are interested in WWII, this book is totally for you.
𝙽𝚘𝚠 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎!
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Thank you, Netgalley, and Brilliance Publishing Audio for the (ALC)-Audiobook for my honest review.

Tiger Chair, a new short story by Max Brooks makes me so mad. Presented as a letter from a Chinese solider writing to his friend back home, it tells the story of World War III. Of China’s attack on America, and this solider’s experience in the battleground of Los Angeles, begging his friend to do what he can to end the war so that the soldier’s son won’t someday get wrapped up in the never ending war. The audio of this story is so well done, the story doles out detail after detail of how badly the war is going, how demoralized the soldiers on the frontline are, how hard the fight against them is going. And this soldier’s impassioned plea to his friend to get the word out about the truth of the war is touching, as is his concern for not just his own son but his fellow soldiers. It’s amazing that even though he and the Chinese army are the aggressors, the tale is told in such a way as to make you sympathize with him. Of course it helps that what he really wants now is peace. So why did I say it makes me so mad? Because all this is is a short story; easily finished in a single sitting. I would love to see not just an entire book based around this imagined WW III but an entire series. From the start to whatever the eventual conclusion would be. That would be a series I’d enthusiastically read cover to cover. Please let this be a tease of things to come. I’d like to thank Brilliance Publishing, Amazon Original Stories, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced audio copy of Tiger Chair.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R35VXKXH1YQ2ZQ/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This story, in the form of a letter home has two major flaws. 1) It's boring, and 2) it's racist. The Chinese letter writer home says the invaded Americans all pull together. Apparently there is no division between types of Americans, they all pull together in a way that would never happen in China. Sure, and America is the greatest democracy in the world. I felt like that was going to come up, but it didn't. This is weird, anti-Chinese, pro-American propaganda. If it wasn't so ra-ra Americans are the best at resistance and no-one else knows anything about freedom, it might have been an indictment against war in general.
The narrator chosen sounds very American. I'm not sure why that choice was made. There are a lot of references to historical wars that seem to come from a very American point of view.

This audiobook was made available for me to listen to and review by Max Brooks, Amazon Original Stories, and NetGalley.

This novella is set during a future armed conflict in which China is occupying Los Angeles, California, during World War III. The story is told as a letter written home by a soldier. There's horror, hopelessness, overwhelm, and fear of a forever war situation. As the story unfolds, the author explains how the war developed and why he's in such deep despair.

This is very clever and timely. Especially the bit about the citizens filming the soldiers and posting on social media.

The narrator is Greg Chun. Mr. Chun's voice is perfect for this somewhat grim narrative. His voice conveys a lot of emotion, and it really makes this story work.

Thank you to Max Brooks, Amazon Original Stories, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

🎧3.5 ⭐️

I had the audiobook read by Greg Chun

A short slightly speculative story of a Guerilla war between China and America. It only feels speculative because it hasn’t happened the technology is already in use.
The story is a letter sent from an unknown Chinese officer to his best friend to try and get the truth of the war out to Chinese people. It pulls from WW1&2 Vietnam, Afghanistan for technical lessons learned and what’s currently happening in the Russian / Ukraine war regarding lack of information within the aggressor’s population.

Considering it’s from a Chinese soldiers pov it’s confusing as both the narrators accent and the language used are very Americanised, so it lacks authenticity for me.
He is caring and compassionate trying his best to look after the men under his command. The very act of writing the letter puts him in jeopardy.
I liked the message portrayed.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook copy of Tiger Chair by Max Brooks in exchange for an honest review. This short story shows a different viewpoint of war. This book was well written and interesting.

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.