Book Review:
Electromagnetic Assault. Bruce Landay, Sisyphus Triumphant Publishing, April 2026, e-book and paperback, 361 pages.
Reviewed by Christa Haynes.
Electromagnetic Assault by Bruce Landay is a fictional military action/adventure set in the future where neurotech and nanotech are employed to restore humans after combat injuries and enhance their skills for special ops, and Androids and drones are commonly used to supplement military operations.
The story surrounds a dedicated female warrior, Jazmin, who survives an ambush that wiped out her entire team, and she vows to find the responsible person or organization. Not only is she a survivor, but she’s also a hybrid human robot- her injuries were repaired with futuristic ‘bionic’ parts. A journey of discovery, betrayal, and deception leads to the true villains.
Landay brings a fresh cast of female soldiers, politicians, and government officials to the page in a manner that resembles similar masculine themes as Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series. The few men in the story are portrayed as men with serious ethical and moral flaws.
One of the most interesting themes of Electromagnetic Assault is about PTSD and the emotional aspect of dealing with injuries and loss, as well as dealing with the physical changes of implanted robotics and enhancements. Throughout the book, there is an element of a ‘hive mind’ concept, which is intriguing and well employed in battle tactics and action scenes.
The highly directional and focused EMP weapon is certainly a concept that is both terrifying and very real- this kind of technology is certainly in our future, and Landay’s use of it as a fiction element nods to Dan Brown novels that have proven to be almost prophetic in nature.
Landay’s novel is realistic in military dialog and syntax and is likely to appeal to veterans and lovers of nonstop action, continuous conflict, and violent engagement. The story is well-constructed and, although this isn’t a book one might pick up as a quick read, its complexity is simplified by the journal-dated format. This novel fits well into the military action thriller genre.
