Divided States by Rick Treon

​Divided States by the award winning Rick Treon is aptly named. The novel takes place in what was once the United States of America but now, due to secessions, is in eight Allied Nations of North America. This is not a dystopian story, thankfully, but is rather a scenario involving nuclear weapons, military actions, and politics. Mr. Treon does a great job setting up the story and the conflicts in Part I. Pinnacle. The acronyms used were 

mostly lost on me, but the terrain is exceptionally familiar, set in New Orleans, the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma, Kansas, and southwestern Colorado. In Part II. Empty Quiver and Part III. Nucflash, the excitement escalates with vivid tactical actions including bullets and bodies, extremely well described by the author, and confusion as to who is on which side of the principal dilemma. Part IV wraps up the story satisfactorily, leaving room for the possibility of a sequel. I am pleased to give Divided States the five stars that Rick Treon has earned. Furthermore, I look forward to reading his next book.