Strike Force
By Dale Brown
HarperLuxe Larger Print, 2007
Distributed by Thorndike Press
ISBN 10: 0-061-25931-4
Genre: Techno-Thriller
Reviewed by Herbert White - September 18, 2007
Strike Force is the newest addition to Dale Brown's Air Battle Force series of techno-military thrillers. In this installment, Iran is in turmoil. Anti-government insurgents, led by Major-General Hesarak al-Kan Buzhazi, are striving to topple the current government. The result is a three-sided civil war that threatens to destabilize the entire region. However, if the anti-government faction manages to come out on top, this would benefit the United States, the West, and the entire Middle East. Interwoven into this military thriller is an overview of the usefulness and potential pitfalls of having a space based military arsenal - and the potential that launching such a platform would have in starting an international arms race.
When Buzhazi approaches the American's asking for aid, the president sees an opportunity that he dare not pass-up. After all (in this book), Iran is a nuclear power with Russian backing. (Previously in this series, the US and Russia had been at war, and are now technically at peace, but neither side trusts the other). Like any good politician, he doesn't want it to become known that he has taken a role in toppling a foreign power, so he assigns Lieutenant-General Patrick McLanahan of the U.S. Air Force the task of surreptitiously aiding Buzhazi via the use of the XR-A9 Black Stallions, experimental space planes. Along with Captain Hunter Noble, astronaut and the XR-A9 Black Stallion test pilot, these two military men lead their respective teams into a battle that has the course of changing world history - or help push the world toward a global nuclear war. While McLanahan handles the politicians at home, and Hunter leads his elite team into battle, both men know that they will need to use all their hard earned skills, and the men and women at their command, to ensure that they achieve their objectives.
Filled with non-stop action and detailed descriptions of weaponry and battle scenes, this book will enthrall military techno-fans, as well as lovers of detailed and realistic stories of suspense and political intrigue. Although this book is part of the Air Battle Force series, it can be read as a stand-alone book. It is a must for all Dale Brown and techno-thriller fans.
Related Reviews:
Act of War, by Dale Brown.
When terrorists use a nuclear device to destroy an oil refinery in Houston, and then vow additional attacks, it falls to Major Richter and Task Force TALON to track them down.
Air Battle Force, by Dale Brown
Patrick McLanahan and his team of techno-geeks, working at a secret military base in Nevada, have created a robotic warplane. Although not yet tested, they are called to use it in battle as the US and Russia comes to blows after a coup in Russia.
