The Future of Warfare as Exemplified in Amasia

Review of Amasia: The Orion War -- The Future of Warfare?

The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of Amasia (2017) by Kali Altsoba, including an analysis concerning how the author draws on past military battles in history to extrapolate these events into the future battle for Amasia, the supercontinent that scientists predict will be created when all of the world’s continents collide around the North Pole. In addition, a discussion concerning how the author correlates real life together with historical armies and battles including prevailing misogynic views in the contemporary and future armed forces, and the implications of the formation of the first all-female military division. A comparison of the devastating totality and destruction of real-life wars and their science-fiction counterparts is followed by a discussion about soldiers who live to kill and lust for it, the effects of religion on warfare, most especially with respect to radicalized religious fanatics and extremists. Finally, a summary of the book together with key findings concerning the foregoing issues are presented in the paper’s conclusion.

Review and Analysis

One of the more compelling aspects of Amasia is the author’s reliance on real-world combat field reports as well as authentic journal entries and firsthand accounts provided by eyewitnesses to the horrific events that are used to create a future where war is no longer limited to regional conflicts between two belligerents where the outcomes are reasonably predictable advance. Moreover, as an indication of the well written aspects of this science fiction, Altsoba is meticulous in the use of empirical observations of past real-world military encounters to conceptualize what war might be like in the future. Likewise, by placing the action on a future supercontinent that comprises all of the various types of environments that characterize different continents today, the author is able to write about virtually any type or climate, weather, terrain, and wildlife, bringing more reality to an otherwise otherworldly scenario.

While the historical record shows that some people are attracted to military service based on a sense of patriotism or a desire to contribute in meaningful ways to their country, some people join the military out of a warped sociopathic desire to kill others, most especially those perceived to represent a threat to the nation’s interests and survival such as the genocidal Rikugun (RIK) forces. In this regard, Altsoba notes that in the future, some men and women eagerly joined up with bloodlust for the hated RIK in their hearts: “Their hate burns slower but as surely, its fire lighted by the death of a friend, or a brother, or a great grandparent who will never go to a Life Temple to receive death as a gift.”[footnoteRef:2] [2: “Bots” chapter in Amasia.]

While Altsoba prefaces this chapter with an epigraph from the Battle of Verdun, this reaction to the RIK invasion is more reminiscent of the Soviet Union response to Operation Barbarossa when Hitler invaded with a juggernaut of 4.5 million German battle-hardened troops, supported by tens of thousands of tanks, fighter/bombers and other materiel. Even in the future, though, some people are willing but still reluctant to fight and kill others. For instance, Altsoba writes that some conscripts who are “willing to serve, but not eager, waiting their turn to be called.”[footnoteRef:3] [3: Ibid.]

Notwithstanding these fundamental differences in their respective views about military service, it is clear that humans are faced with an extinction-level event that demands everyone’s cooperation and contributions to defeat the enemies that are likewise engaged in a struggle for survival. Even in this futuristic setting, though, misogynic beliefs still prevail and solders then, just as in the past, have used warfare as an excuse for exacting sexual favors from whatever women are available. For instance, Altsoba refers to “forced officer brothels” and even “rape camps,”[footnoteRef:4] [4: “Moons” chapter.]

There are also some eerie parallels between past military encounters and the events the unfold in Amasia, including most especially the manner in which views about the combat-worthiness of female combatants changes as the need for fresh troops intensifies and the harsh reality that women are just as good as men at defending the homeland and fighting a common enemy sinks in. Indeed, the same process was evident during the Viet Cong’s efforts to oust American forces from Southeast Asia as well as the Soviet Union’s use of female troops and officers during World War II, particularly during the Battles for Stalingrad, Leningrad and Moscow.