''The Profession'' is a 2011

thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

novel by

Steven Pressfield Steven Pressfield (born September 1, 1943) is an American author of historical fiction, nonfiction, and screenplays, including his 1995 novel '' The Legend of Bagger Vance'' and 2002 nonfiction book '' The War of Art''. Early life Pressfield ...

. Set in 2032, the novel depicts a highly militarized future where there is severe conflict in the Middle East. A reviewer in the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' favorably compared the novel to

Fletcher Knebel Fletcher Knebel (October 1, 1911 – February 26, 1993) was an American author of several popular works of political fiction. Knebel was born in Dayton, Ohio, but relocated a number of times during his youth. He graduated from high school in Yo ...

and Charles W. Bailey II's 1964 novel ''

Seven Days in May ''Seven Days in May'' is a 1964 American political thriller film about a military-political cabal's planned takeover of the United States government in reaction to the president's negotiation of a disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union. The ...

''. ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' called the novel "A book that paints an all-too-plausible future in which America outsources its dirtiest jobs."

Plot

The novel follows the actions of a soldier-mercenary named Gentilhomme from

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

who follows the prolific,

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war. He ...

-like, General Salter, who himself commands a mercenary army after he has been disgraced and exiled from the U.S. 'Gent', for short, is ordered to

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

to find his old comrade and friend 'El Masri' to aid on a mission into

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

, where a new oil field has been discovered. At first their orders are to eliminate one warlord and put his son into power in Tajikistan, thus brokering a deal in which Salter will have some control over the rights of the newly discovered oil. However, upon learning of the news that the elder warlord has already been killed, their orders are changed. They eliminate the younger warlord, thus leaving the nation leaderless and in chaos, creating a vacuum that

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

rush into and keep them blind from other affairs. Meanwhile, Salter has taken control of all

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

n oil reserves and pipelines, strategically rigging them with explosives to be used if threatened. Salter effectively becomes the most powerful man in the world and begins bargaining away rights to the highest bidders. He hopes to seek revenge against those who had him exiled years ago and also return home as a hero and supreme commander in chief. Gent, Salter's most loyal soldier and the closest thing to a son he has had since his own son's death, is the only man that can stop him.

Themes

As per most Pressfield books, there are several reoccurring themes that are present in ''The Profession'' as well. There is, as always, the theme of warriors uniting in fraternity and under a mystic ''warrior code''. This dynamic is especially strong between Gent and El Masri. A minor theme is that of reincarnation, or re-occurrence of events, that seem to always find their characters through fate. For example, Gent narrates that he has always had a specific dream that in the end was his destiny in one life and one lived thousands of years before. There are also references to

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

which has been the subject of several of Pressfield's novels. There is a theme of liberty versus empire that is depicted in this novel and manifested in Gent, who has difficulty deciding between the two. It parallels the difficulties of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

with the gain of Imperial power at the expense of liberty and freedom of the people. At the end of the novel, the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

republic has a similar end as did the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

and Salter is even likened to Julius Caesar.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Profession 2011 American novels Novels by Steven Pressfield American thriller novels Fiction set in 2032 Novels set in the Middle East Novels set in the 2030s Crown Publishing Group books