Battle Born
Large Print Edition
By Dale Brown Random House Large Print, 2004
ISBN: 0-375-40861-4
Genre: Thriller
Reviewed by Herbert White - November 8, 2004
A nuclear war, started in Asia by the North Koreans is a real-life possibility. Will it ever happen? Hopefully not in Korea or anywhere else, but might it happen? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. In Dale Brown's thrilling novel, Battle Born, a possibility of such a nuclear confrontation lies at the center of the story. In this hair raising story, Brown once again sets the invincible, United States Air Force Brigadier General, Patrick McLanahan, to the task of preventing World War III from starting.
Like Brown's other books, this novel is very techno-heavy. A former Air Force Captain and pilot, Brown brings a sense of realism to his stories that has been unmatched since Tom Clancy's novel, Hunt for Red October. From supersonic dog fights to interservice rivalries and military bureaucracy, it is easy to imagine that Brown is chronicling real life events, rather than telling a riveting novel that will leave you breathless.
Battle Born starts out with a joint U.S., Japanese, and South Korean mock military exercise that turns horribly real when South Korean fighter jets sneak across the border and attack North Korean military command posts. With their military centers destroyed, the North Koreans admit defeat and the world breathes a sigh of relief as North Korea is reunified with South Korea. However the new United Republic of Korea is not as benign as the world might have hoped.
Resplendently arrayed with nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, the United Republic of Korea finds that is the de facto newest member of the league of superpowers. Korea feels that these weapons are an essential bulwark against Communist China. As Korea flexes its muscles, the United States takes pre-emptive measures to halt what they see as a burgeoning conflict. They send McLanahan, at the head of a tactical strike unit of fighter bombers, which is armed with new, ultra-secret weaponry, to seek out and destroy Korea's weapons of mass destruction, before they can use them. Battle Born is a heart-pounding story that will make you an instant Dale Brown fan, if you're not one already! Infused with just a touch of humor to break the tension, this story has more explosions than the Fourth of July. Battle Born is a must read for military techno-junkies, as well as anyone looking for an exciting read.
Related Reviews:
Plan of Attack, by Dale Brown.
The Russian Federation has launched a sneak attack on the United States. The US president has two options - cave in to the Russian's and admit defeat, or start an all out nuclear war. Only one man, Major General Patrick McLanahan, believes there is a third option that will allow the US to triumph without resorting to the use of nukes - the only problem is - no one will listen to him! Can he stop World War III?
