This novel is competently written, and the backstory of the world it is set in is all too plausible. Action scenes are definitely Kratman's strong point (military background helps here) and there should be about 50 pages more of combat and 50 pages less of "character development--ahem". If you like pulpy, fun military sci-fi you'll probably enjoy this..now on to the criticism.

First, this novel is very derivative of the Domination of the Draka series by SM Stirling, particularly the installment titled "Under the Yoke". In fact, the entire plotline is uncomfortably close to that of Under The Yoke, substituting Muslims for Draka fascists. The archetypes of the characters (secret agent hero, slave girl turned world savior) are carbon copies as well, even down to their moral outlook and reactions to the world around them. I know there are few plotlines in sci-fi that haven't been done before, and I'm not accusing Kratman of ripping off the Draka series wholesale, but I would definitely recommend Stirling's books over Caliphate for those looking for a military sci-fi tale that explores the costs paid by a free society that must wage total war against a totalitarian ideology. The only thing Caliphate has going for it in that comparison would be its plausible setting.

Second, there are graphic sex scenes in this book. Now, for me that is usually no problem at all, but the fact the scenes are disguised as "look what those Islamic scoundrels do to their women and Christian slaves" rather than the medium-core porn that their writing style constrains them to is rather funny. He even makes it clear that the Muslim men are, shall we say, challenged in the manhood department. I was remined of the "sex habits of savages" literature that came out of the colonies during the Victorian age...pornography described as social commentary. It all adds up to be unintentionally hilarious to anyone who has come across well-written, story advancing erotica in fiction before.

All in all, if you are interested in the setting this novel takes place in, I'd recommend going to the bookstore and only reading the well done pseudo-history textbook entry in the middle of the novel. You'll get the core of the story without having to plod through the highly-derivative plot, as well as having to spend $25.

Interesting concept, but the characters are shallow, some side plots are eye rolling, and it was really hard to like this book.

But the afterward was great. Much more interesting than the actual novel.

Many muslims, by no means all of whom are extremists, will consider this novel Islamophobic. I definately do not share that view but I do understand it.

The book begins in 2103 AD, in a dystopian future in which the world is split into two warring power blocks, in both of which freedoms and rights which we take for granted have been removed. The Caliphate, an empire which includes continental Europe, is run by Taliban-style Islamofascist extremists who treat the christian minority like dirt. The USA has become a militaristic empire which wages a cold war against the Caliphate and a hot one against Canadian "rebels" (e.g. those who have resisted the forcible annexation of their country) and any other country which might allow Islam a foothold in the Americas.

The story revolves around two victims of the Caliphate's tyranny: Petra, a german girl who is taken from her family and sold into slavery to pay a tax levied on the Christian minority, and her brother Hans, who is conscripted as a Janissary.

One of the few Muslims who shows Petra kindness teaches her to read, enabling her to understand the one family posession she has been able to keep: the diary which her great-grandmother, Gabrielle von Minden, began to keep in 2003 and which explains how the ghastly world Petra is living in came into being.

There are two reasons I do not agree with those who will consider this book Islamophobic. First, although it presents the Islamic dictatorship in the book as a ghastly tyranny, the history in the book also has the United States grossly over-react to Al-Qaeda atrocities with terrible crimes of its own, and there is no suggestion in the book that the author would encourage those actions. Neither does the book suggest that either Christians or Muslims have a monopoly of good or evil. (There are no atheists in the book, partly because the Caliphate has exterminated them.)

Secondly, while Kratman is not suggesting that a future history like the one is inevitable, he is probably right that if we are stupid enough to let it come true, something like this could happen - and it is worth thinking about how to avoid that. If this book makes people think about how to stop anything like it coming true, that's a good thing.

Alternatively you can read it just as an exciting fantasy.

This is material that's been covered fairly extensively in non-fiction, most recently by Mark Steyn in America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It, but where Steyn uses facts and figures, Kratman uses characters and builds scenes that bring the visceral horror of living under an Islamist state to the reader in a way that non-fiction can't. It's one thing to read about gang rapes in European suburbs, it's another thing to read it being done to a sympathetic character. By taking the factual details of Islamist rule (as seen in Afghanistan under the Taliban, Saudi Arabia, Darfur and especially those parts of Iraq that were held by Al Qaeda) and applying them to fictional characters, Tom Kratman brings us face to face with the brutal mysogyny, corruption and bigotry that awaits us if we fail to fight the Jihadis. Before the Civil War, Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin (Wordsworth Classics), a work of fiction, which did more to enlighten people to the evils of slavery than all of the abolitionist non-fiction combined. If books carried the same weight today that they did in the 1850s, this would be a wake-up call to America and the world, but unfortunately, our culture isn't galvanized by the written word, and no Hollywood studio will make this into a movie out of fear of the repercussions, which is one the things that proves the book's premise. I only hope that enough of our leaders wise up before our cities end up like Boston, Los Angeles and Kansas City do in the book.

Caliphate is a cautionary tale, like `1984', `Fahrenheit 451', or `Animal Farm'. Cautionary tales are medicine for a sick culture. If 1984 is a vaccine, and Fahrenheit 451 is a purgative, then Caliphate is chemotherapy. It's damn unpleasant at times, but then so is cancer.

To bastardize a quote from `the 300' "This will not be pleasant, you will not enjoy it, but it will be over far too quickly." If you are looking for escapist literature, the Miles Vorkosigan books are up in the Bs. If you're looking for a light romp with lots of violence, go look at Ringo's stuff...

This is the hard truth extrapolation with the hair still on... What `If this goes on' by RAH did for prime time religion, Caliphate does for the Islamification of Europe, but with a harder edge, probably because Tom Krautman thinks this is a more likely scenario than RAH did. But in spite of the unpleasantness, it's a book everyone should read. A book Europe should take to heart, but won't. And that's the point.

Well, let's face it, Tom isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but once you understand the level of intelligence you're dealing with, the novel can be alot of fun. Imagine how proud you would feel if you had a 15 year old mongoloid son and he buckled down and over the course of a year, he wrote this book. Not too shaby for a 15 year old Mongoloid. Just keep it in the 15 year old mongoloid category and you won't be raising the bar too high.

First read America Alone by Mark Steyn. Then read this book. Then vote Republican. This is a future with a percentage of occurring of over 70%. Europe is a corpse walking now---all this book does is supply the florescent green Re-Animator fluid and extrapolate from there.

Kratman tells an hypnotically fascinating story, and, despite the grimness of this future that our Democrats seem to embrace, there is a ray of optimism in this forbidding future. I wrote to the author and asked for a sequel, but he said the sales weren't great. Let's see what we can do to reverse this, eh? (My copy's hardcover)

There's another reason to buy Tom's books: he is a complete gentleman, especially kind and patient with questions and comments from his readers. And gentlemen and scholars of his quality are in short supply. They should be encouraged.

You probably have already read the premise of the book from other reviewers, so I'll skip that and get to what I liked and did not like about the book.
Okay, Pros:1) Most of the characters were interesting and their hardships were certainly described well. Kratman writes very movingly about the horrors of slavery and rape, and for that he should be applauded. The reader truly does feel as if these atrocities are or can happen to him/her or his/her dear kin.
2)While some did not like the Interludes from the past, they were my favourite part of the book. I enjoyed seeing the progression of Gabi from being an antiAmerican bigot and being willing to excuse almost anything from the Muslim extremists in the name of Tolerance to becoming someone who, over the course of the story has lost everything she holds dear to the fanactics and becoming someone who wishes for their extermination (with just cause, as the reader will see).
3) Kratman does paint a vivid (and highly likely) picture of exactly how Europe is being and most likely will be continued to be outbred by the Muslims and how in a generation or two they (the ethnic Europeans) will be a minority in their own lands. This is a wake up call that sadly will not be heard by those who need it most.
Cons:
1) Too much graphic sex. No, I'm not a prude, but I did think that the author could had made his point just as well and with a bit more class without showing his protaganist getting laid every other page. We are supposed to root for this character and he is shown taking advantage of oppressed women just as much as the Muslim bad guys. Some of the scenes actually made me roll my eyes; they were as cheesy as an old James Bond flick. Apparently this guy, even though he is described to be anything but attractive, has women throwing themselves at him left and right. Okayyy.
2) Too preachy. Just about all of the Muslims are bad (even those who seem kind do some really evil things) while the Christians are all noble and can do no wrong, even when they're committing genocide. Anyone who thinks that life under Christian theocracy would be any better than this needs to read up on the Spanish Inquisition. The choice isn't between which type of theocracy one should live under, but about fighting ALL theocracies (which, it should be said, that the "hero's" favourite sexual act would be defined as sodomy under Catholic law and punished as such in a Catholic state. Just saying).
3) Canadians (which I was natively born) and Europeans can do no right in this book. They are demonized for not wanting to have more children than they desire or can afford (I don't want to get into a breeding contest with people who consider women to be nothing more than walking uteruses, do you? I honestly don't think that we could win), for enjoying time off rather than working nonstop for possessions, and for enjoying some Socialist benefits. Hey, when your grandparents can no longer receive a Social Security check every month, make sure to thank them for not being supported by a "welfare state".
In closing, this is a good book but one that needs improvement. The truly scary part of the book is in the afterword where the author offers his tips (one of which is mandatory military service. Sorry, as a parent I don't think that my children should have to go fight in any war that they don't choose to enlist for) and his predictions for the future. To this, I ask: would life under the CHRISTIAN Taliban be any better? The goal, ladies and gentlemen, is not to decide which type of theocracy under which one should live, but to resist ALL of them. I know that my review will be regarded as the rant of a Canadian liberal (actually I'm more of a moderate) and an agnostic Jewish one at that, but please read with a grain of salt and keep an open mind.

This book seems like it could be very prophetic to me. What happens to Europe in a hundred years if population trends continue as they are now? How will the Christians be treated when they are a minority and Islam is the majority? The book is a great adventure story. Sometimes it's hard to tell who the good guys are, but you will definitely know who the bad guys are. It's nearly worth the price of the book just for the epilogue. What happens in the USA is disturbing but Kratman's explanation for the changes make sense. An excellent reading experience, as usually is the case, from Kratman. I hope there are sequels.

A fast read, I couldn't put it down. A fairly simple plot line of boy rescues girl, but set in a all to possible future. Kratman has done his homework on what is happening in Europe, and illustrates it with both story elements and quotes from the European press.

Kratman's writing gets better with every novel he writes. The political message he puts across in this novel is much more integrated into the story line than his first couple. The info dumps are smaller and fewer. More of the background of the world is written as story or within the story and much less obvious.

This is the best book I've read so far this year. I was fully entertained and educated at the same time. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

In Caliphate, Tom Kratman tackles familiar territory but applies a slight twist. A series of massive attacks on US soil, and the resultant responses, reshape the world dramatically. After committing extreme atrocities in revenge, the United States becomes an American Empire while Europe, lost to it's own stagnation and lack of will to fight for it's own identity, becomes a Caliphate after the massive influx of Muslim refugees rolls in waves from the destroyed Middle East.

What sets this book apart from Kratman's other novels with familiar content is his unwillingness to draw conclusions. Every side has its good guys in their own ways and their dramatic moral failings as well. All of the characters acknowledge over and over again how terrible the world is.

This book is a great read, slightly horrifying because Kratman has extended current news headlines to a conclusion that can easily be considered logical, and that all sides of the political spectrum would probably agree to be a "Bad Thing".

Read it.

I came across a blurb for "Caliphate" while browsing the Baen Publishing site. I'd never read any of Mr. Kratman's novels, but decided to try this one since I'm a huge fan of dystopian and "thought experiment" fiction.

I thought "Caliphate" was a great read and finished it in two sittings.

This book isn't an attempt to clothe commentary on current events in a sci-fi or horror plot (think of Joe Haldeman's feelings on Viet Nam in the "Forever War"). The author begins with a "what if" based upon the current state of affairs in Europe and extrapolates out a plausible but very frightening storyline. It was extremely disturbing and sadly I've seen some of the news reports used as inspirations for plot elements in the book. "Caliphate" will infuriate some "willfully blind" people but will appear as a harbinger of an extremely frightening future to others who wonder if Europe as we know it will survive the 21st century.

The world the author creates is inevitable. A must read for any thinking American. I suggest reading "America Alone" by Mark Steyn before Caliphate. It will provide a factual basis for the creation of Kratman's world.

To get really depressed, try "Age of Tolerance" by Glen Reinsford. Where America will end up if we follow the European model outlined in Steyn and Kratman's books.

Just finished Caliphate last night loosing a bit of sleep as I couldn't put it down. Tom Kratman's newest book is a great, well paced, action filled read. Each new book he writes show a definite improvement in both story telling and character development. The picture painted in Caliphate is not a pretty one nor is it for the faint of heart. It does look like a possible future, certainly for Europe and the population trends we are seeing. I hope there are more stories coming in this time line soon. Thanks for writing this!

Caliphate explores two very realistic and scary cultures from a future not too far away from our present.

Europe as a Western entity has lost itself. It has become a part of a Islamic power which follows law every 16th century Arab (or any Salafi) would agree with. This sucks. It sucks for the non-Muslims. It sucks for women. It even kind of sucks for the guys at the top (well at least compared to what they would have in a functioning society).

The United States has become an empire. It doesn't have hegemony over the world, it is slowly conquering it. This will happen from time to time when a few of your population centers disappear overnight.

It is in this future nightmare that Tom Kratman tells an exciting tale. Be prepared to be horrified by a future that could await our great grand children. Also be prepared for anyone of the liberal persuasion to possibly be offended.

I was disappointed in this book, because it spent too much time pontificating and not enough telling a story.

This book consists of five different parts. The prologue is a heavy-handed analogy about willful ignorance. The main plotline is interesting, well written, speculative fiction story set in a detailed and often horrific distopian future. Then there are "interludes", telling the story of the female protagonist's several times great grandmother. These are combined with a, again very heavy-handed, message about idealism and it's lack of connection with reality. The fourth portion of the novel is a very awkwardly inserted history showing how the world of the book came to be. Finally, there is a nonfiction "afterward" in which the author chooses to hold forth about his view of where the world is going.

If this book had consisted wholly of part 2, it would have been amazing. The world is well realized, the writing is good, the characters are, if a bit cardboard, still engaging, and the plot (of that portion) keeps things moving nicely along. Unfortunately, the author chose to clutter up an otherwise enjoyable story with the overly moralistic "interludes" and "excurses" that slowed down the pacing and made me wish that he'd get back to the action, already. It was a bit like watching an exciting movie on tv, but being forced to periodically change the channel to either a horribly overdone soap opera or a dead boring documentary on the History Channel.

I'm not going to go much into the afterword, other than to say that he puts forward a number of alarming statistics and facts, but provides absolutely no references, only a few inadequate citations, and expects the reader to take him seriously. It's expostulation without any visible foundation.

My recommendation is this: if you want to read a great story, ignore the prologue, skip any interludes or excursus, and avoid the afterword. If you do that, you'll have an enjoyable read. If you want moralizing with your distopia, try Nineteen Eighty-Four, or Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited. You'll be much more satisfied.

Don't read this for the logic, or characterization. Every character, whether German, American, Arab or Chinese sound just alike.
But the plot speeds along and if you don't think about it too much, it's guilty fun.

Tom Kratman continues to get better. Yellow Eyes was a very good book, and both A Desert Called Peace and Carnifex continued his evolution as a writer. Excellent tales all. Caliphate is a tight book that is horrifying with action throughout. This seems like the culmination of all his works to date. No wasted words at all.

The interludes worked well to advance the story in a way that showed how such a state came to be.

This book is not for the faint of heart, or the weakminded. For those who have the stomach to read it, it will stick with you long after turning that last page. It shows what very well could happen in the not so distant future if corrective action isnt taken.

Most Heartily recommended.

Caliphate is a very well written novel of a world one hundred years after a terrorist nuclear attack on the U.S.A. The book effectively combines both the story of a group of people in that future world wth "Interludes" that describe the events that led to the attack and the U.S.A.'s reaction to it from the point of view of a liberal German woman from the present time. These interludes are very well done and reveal what happened at a pace that makes you want to read the entire book in one sitting. Overall, the book is one of Mr. Kratman's best and should be read by anyone who is interested in world politics(including Europe)and one direction we could be heading in if we are not carefull about maintaining our liberties.

A good cautionary tale about appeasement, but those who are willing to see the problems already do, and those who aren't, won't. A good read, if not quite as gripping as the Legio Del Cid books, or the Tuloriad.

The group of peoples & cultures to whom we refer to as being "European" are on the path to cultural extinction. What is ironic is that Europe will end, not because of armed invaders, but because of their willing abrogation of cultural identity coupled with a level of narcissism that demands everything for nothing and blinds them to the well being of future generations ... of course, pile irony on irony, we are talking about relying on generations of people that they don't care to bring into existence anyway. When future generations stand in judgment of these fools and asks how this could this have happened, all that someone need do is hand them a copy of this novel, say, "Res ipsa loquitur" and walk away.

Nature abhors a vacuum and another culture is willingly and energetically filling the niche created by the imploding Europeans. As surly as a glacier moves inexorably, crushing everything in its path, it is inevitable that within the next couple of generations - demographics really do not lie - Europe will become a majority Muslim state. This isn't a value judgment ... it is simply an acknowledgment of the force of numbers and time. The question is, what will happen when an unassimilated culture lawfully gains majority control of an `enlightened' democracy and its institutions and uses them to establish a theocracy?

This leads us to the novel. Colonel (ret) Kratman tells two stories in Caliphate. The main story follows a pretty standard techno-thriller formula, i.e., an agent of the good guys has to infiltrate unfriendly territory of the bad guys in order to complete a mission and if he fails the good guys are doomed. Judging story one on this level alone I believe that Colonel Kratman really hits it out of the park. The story is action packed but character-driven enough so that the "techno" part of techno-thriller doesn't take over. As a stand alone this would have made for a fun read.

However, it is the second story that really takes this novel to the next level. The second story is told in a series of interludes, in the first person (as excerpts from a diary) telling of the cultural implosion of Europe - told from the viewpoint of one of the masses who willingly contributed to that implosion. The level of detail and world building contained in the interludes is amazing and could stand alone as its own novel. Combined, the sum is much greater than its parts and the parallel stories really bring this dystopian world to life.

All that being said, the Colonel has created a great action techno-thriller set in a viable, logically extrapolated, near-future dystopia that is well written, fast paced and thought provoking regardless of your political bent.

I will refrain from going on about the Afterword as it really deserves its own review and offers a great deal of thought provoking material.

Five Stars.

Like other Kraftman's books, it has a political message (in line with traditional American values, and against Tranzis), However, this book differs - it is much more closely related to reality, and the author takes quotes from leading Muslim figures (Sheik Saleh Al-Fawzan, for example).
The book is about Islam run amok, due to the weak character and wishful thinking of our European brethren, and to a lesser degree U.S liberals. In addition, it is well written, and keeps the suspense.
It is not an easy book.

This book has heroes from two dystopian societies.

Following a nuclear terrorist attack and the lack of government response, the US turned into a fascist empire intent on taking on the world. Those are the good guys.

The bad guys are the Caliphate, an extremist Muslim group that took over Europe because of high birth rates compared to the culturally European people. Muslim women are treated as property. Women who aren't Muslim are treated worse. We get the story from the perspective of one of those women, sold into slavery and prostitution.

This book is interesting and well written. It's also nightmare material. As usual, Tom Kratman pulls no punches - when he talks about evil, he talks about EVIL.

Caliphate focuses on politics, islam, and the societal clashes that governments and people face without cultural assimilation. There are a lot of different views on how Europe is going to deal with their population integration problems. This one seemed very well thought out, looking at likely long term impacts of making 'easy' or 'comfortable' decisions.

I almost gave the book a 5 star for the way Kratman did his interludes. I loved them. Be prepared to get two stories out of this book. The main story takes place roughly 100 years from now. The interludes are their own story taking place from 2003 through roughly 2020. The two stories are tightly connected and get the reader involved in both. Many authors hop around in time within their stories, but the way Kratman did so was easy to follow and enjoyable as opposed to the normal tedium I experience trying to keep the hops straight.

Whether or not the course of history Kratman describes comes to pass, it should give anyone pause to consider the possibilities he lays out. He seems to ask you to take off the rose colored glasses and weigh decisions based on likelihoods instead of hopes. It's nice to see an unvarnished view that isn't candy coated by today's media. Give people the information and let them make their own decisions.

I read the book in one day, it was just so compelling. The scenes of slavery under Muslim rule were reminiscent of a book I read in the '70's(I think) written by(IIRC) Kyle Onstott, which is why those scenes were so realistic(other people writing the same kind of thing would reinforce the descriptions).

I really got into the characters' heads, and could understand them. The plot moved and didn't get bogged down in details.

The contrast between the US as we are today, and what we (will) become under such an attack is one of my worst nightmares, and I hope, but am not very confident, that we can avoid it. I guess that will require a big change in our current political culture(not very likely at this time).

Seems to put all the conservative fears in one disjointed basket. Has obvious liberal and dem figures as caricatures. A John Kerry figure as a sniveling conniving Sec of defense plotting to give everfything to the Gauls. Decadent evil orgying UN type figures supporting traitorist liberal press thats supplying information to the Islam/fascists. It seems to want to appeal to the simple minded dittoheads. ps I'm voting McCain and I can't stand this drivel.

I'll say only two things about this book.

1. It gets five stars because it is a superbly written and horrifying techno-thriller that I just had to finish to see how it came out.

2. Don't go in unless you're prepared to meet people who consider child abuse and human slavery, two of mankind's oldest evils, to be religious duties.

Item 1 means it's very enjoyable reading. Item 2 means it will take a little time to recover equilibrium after finishing it.

It was worth the trip.