Havent read the books, but it is, indeed, a glorious game to play. My friend thought he was ready to go toe to toe with me online when the demo was still out, and I had been playing it for at least 2 weeks straight on end.
Well, he gets on, tries a rush but my tanks and rocket launchers cream him oh so suddenly. Then I secure my perimiter and set up a nice, NICE thick artillery squadron ALL along the bank of the river, find random spots, and have them pelt that location continuously for the duration of the game. Well, he decides to sneak in through the backdoor, and so when he does, I call in immediate troop deployment, and keep him busy at the main landing pad while I sneak in all my infantry into HIS base, and capture all of HIS landing pads and victory locations.
By that time I had kept his forces at my base busy enough where I could call MORE in, and by then I secured his two primary LZ's and then my own. He was left to defend at this bunkered position on a hill. I just had to blow him out with artillery. JOY!