House of Mystery Sessions
- Apr 7
- 4 min read
By Bianca Rose
Book Notions
Humphrey Hawksley is an author, podcast host, commentator, and journalist. His reporting with the BBC has taken him to crises around the world. The three books in his future history series -- Dragonstrike, Dragonfire, and The Third World War -- have been praised as authentic, catastrophic scenarios which begin with a Chinese strike in the South China Sea. His Rake Ozenna espionage thriller series is set in the Arctic and High North, beginning with Man on Ice, a Russian invasion of the Alaskan island of Little Diomede. Rake is an island native and a special forces veteran with the Alaska National Guard. The late, great Nelson de Mille applauded Rake as being smart and tough, and we’re glad to have him on our side. Humphrey nonfiction work includes Democracy Kills: What’s So Good About Having The Vote, published during the Iraq civil war, and Asian Waters
Q: Welcome back to the show. It’s been a few years—does it feel like the world has changed much?
A: In some ways, yes; in some ways no. When the Berlin Wall came down, it felt like democracy had won and history had turned a corner. But now we’re seeing tensions that resemble the 1930s or the period before the First World War. It feels less like progress and more like history coming full circle.
Q: Your thriller series is set in the Arctic. What inspired that?
A: After Russia first threatened Ukraine, I became interested in the US–Russian border in the Arctic. That’s where the two nuclear powers face each other directly. I visited Little Diomede Island, where Americans can literally see a Russian military base just a few miles away. That setting became the foundation for the Rake Ozenna series.
Q: That border hasn’t historically been a flashpoint, has it?
A: Not really. It’s remote, harsh, and strategically difficult. During the Cold War, there were incidents—Russian forces shot down American aircraft—, but both sides avoided escalation. There was almost an unspoken agreement to keep that border quiet.
Q: You mentioned research at the Naval War College. Was that helpful?
A: Very. The United States Naval War College gave me access to experts for both the thriller series and my nonfiction book Asian Waters. It’s a fascinating institution—historically, even foreign officers have studied there.
Q: Did you have a specific theme in mind when you began the series?
A: The first book, One Man on Ice, grew out of a simple “what if” scenario: what if Russian forces seized Little Diomede under some pretext? There’s no major military presence there. It would take minutes. When I asked policymakers what would happen in that case, half said the US would retaliate immediately; the other half said they might let it go. That uncertainty became the heart of the story.
Q: How did you create your main character?
A: Initially, I considered the typical military-thriller hero—an elite intelligence officer swooping in to save the day. But I realized the toughest people in that region are the locals themselves. So I created Rake Ozenna as someone native to the island, an Iraq veteran who understands the terrain, the weather, and survival in extreme conditions.
Q: How much do current events influence your plots?
A: A great deal. I have a journalism background, so I’m drawn to real-world tensions. One book explored the Norway-Russia border. Another looked at Japan and Russia, which technically never signed a formal peace treaty after World War II. My upcoming novel, Operation Icebreaker, deals with tensions around Greenland and NATO. Real events often catch up with the fiction faster than I expect.
Q: Is it harder now to write geopolitical thrillers given today’s political complexity?
A: It is. In the past, it was easier to define a clear antagonist—Russia, China, Iran. Now, especially with something like Greenland, the tension can feel like the West versus itself. Instead of portraying entire nations as villains, I focus more on individuals within institutions who drive conflict. And I keep the heavy politics in the background, emphasizing action and character instead.
Q: How long do you plan to continue the series?
A: I’d like to write at least two or three more books. The Arctic remains strategically important, especially as ice melts and trade routes open. There’s still a lot of story potential there.
Q: Did you originally plan for this to become a long-running series?
A: No. The first book started as a standalone idea while I was on assignment.
But readers andpublishers responded well, so it evolved naturally. With each installment, I’ve been able to explore the characters more deeply.
Q: Can you tell us more about Rake personally?
A: He’s an Iraq veteran with deep roots in his Alaskan homeland. He falls in love with a trauma surgeon he meets overseas—she’s half Russian, half Estonian—but their different worlds make a traditional life together difficult. That emotional tension runs alongside the geopolitical drama and gives the series a more personal core.
Connect With Humphrey
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