Drone Strike

Dreamland #15

by Dale Brown, Jim DeFelice, Christopher Lane (Narrator)

On the President's orders... one man is tasked with averting nuclear war When the U.S. develops intelligence showing that Iran is in the final stages of assembling a nuclear bomb, the President orders Breanna Stockard and the Whiplash team to destroy it before the renegade nation can destabilize the shaky Middle East. Left with no other choice, Stockard sends young Air Force ace Turk Mako behind enemy lines. His orders: pilot a squadron of high-tech nano-UAVs from inside Iran to destroy the weapon and its assembly bunker. Turk and his accompanying Delta Force team succeed, only to discover another site and another device. With the fate of the region hanging in the balance, Turk and Delta Force must fight off Revolutionary Guards, Iranian MiGs, and the elite Quds Force to locate and destroy the second weapon. With time running out, Turk takes matters into his own hands, hoping to accomplish what no machine ever could... stop a nuclear war before it begins.

Genres: Fiction, Action, Thriller, Military Fiction, War

11 pages, Audio CD

First published May 27, 2014

About the author

Former U.S. Air Force captain Dale Brown is the superstar author of 25 consecutive New York Times best-selling military-action-aviation adventure novels: FLIGHT OF THE OLD DOG (1987), SILVER TOWER (1988), DAY OF THE CHEETAH (1989), HAMMERHEADS (1990), SKY MASTERS (1991), NIGHT OF THE HAWK (1992), CHAINS OF COMMAND (1993), STORMING HEAVEN (1994), SHADOWS OF STEEL (1996) and FATAL TERRAIN (1997), THE TIN MAN (1998), BATTLE BORN (1999), and WARRIOR CLASS (2001). His Fourteenth Novel AIRBATTLE FORCE will be published in late Spring 2003... Dale's novels are published in 11 languages and distributed to over 70 countries. Worldwide sales of his novels, audiobooks and computer games exceed 10 million copies.

Dale was born in Buffalo, New York on November 2, 1956. He graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Western European History and received an Air Force commission in 1978. He was a navigator-bombardier in the B-52G Stratofortress heavy bomber and the FB-111A supersonic medium bomber, and is the recipient of several military decorations and awards including the Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Combat Crew Award, and the Marksmanship ribbon.
Dale was also one of the nation's first Air Force ROTC cadets to qualify for and complete the grueling three-week U.S. Army Airborne Infantry paratrooper training course.

Dale is a director and volunteer pilot for AirLifeLine, a non-profit national charitable medical transportation organization who fly needy persons free of charge to receive treatment. He also supports a number of organizations to support and promote law enforcement and reading.

Dale Brown is a member of The Writers Guild and a Life Member of the Air Force Association and U.S. Naval Institute. He is a multi-engine and instrument-rated private pilot and can often be found in the skies all across the United States, piloting his own plane. On the ground, Dale enjoys tennis, skiing, scuba diving, and hockey. Dale, his wife Diane, and son Hunter live near the shores of Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

Reviews

[PamG · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like military thrillers, then you should enjoy this one. There may be a few technical details that don't seem to be 100% accurate, but that did not detract from my enthusiasm for this novel. Additionally, there are some technological and biological advances that are sci-fi. Some may not like this. Others may feel that there is too much detail on the military hardware. However, I was hooked from the first chapter. It's 528 pages and I finished the book within a day. The plot held my interest and the main character developed during the course of the book. This is the fifteenth book in the series and I have not read any of the previous ones. That did not matter to me. This fast-paced, action-packed novel was very compelling. I have two more of Brown's books on my To-Be-Read Bookshelf, and I need to move them up on my reading list.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This military thriller holds interest throughout its well defined plots in unfriendly Iran. As long as you understand war you should find this worthwhile. 8 of 10 stars

[Clay Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The dog fight at the end of the book reminded me of the movie Firefox.

[S.B. (Beauty in Ruins) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although tighter, shorter, and a bit lighter on the technological details, Dale Brown & Jim DeFelice's novels have always struck me as almost a TV version of a Tom Clancy blockbuster (a la Op Center). The stakes are very much the same, but the scope and the range are very different, with the few Dreamland novels I have read coming across as intimate, personal accounts of men going into covert battle, as opposed to epic tales of war.

Drone Strike is the 15th novel in the series, but it works completely fine as a standalone tale. There may be some deeper layers to the story that new readers will miss, or relationships where the significance of events will be overlooked, but not having read a Dreamland novel in quite a while I can still say it was a fine read all on its own.

The book does start off somewhat awkwardly, with some very heavy technological detail that very nearly turned me off, but once the stage is set and the details understood, Brown and DeFelice largely let the characters run with the tale. Turk is a solid action hero, a little too eager and patriotic to be real, but precisely the kind of man you want standing between the world and nuclear war. He's surrounded by a diverse cast of characters whom we get to know quite well, which makes the death toll among the heroes almost shocking. The idea of a female President is hardly novel in this day and age, and it was refreshing not to be constantly reminded how awesome or progressive it is, and to simply allow her to be the President.

Aside from an obvious love for military technology (and I must say the mini-drones are very cool), Brown and DeFelice clearly share a interest in exploring the fine line between doing your duty and doing what's right. There were several occasions in the story where that conflict came to a head, particularly where politics and ethics get in the way, but I think the decisions fall on the right side of that line more often than not. In addition, there's some great scenery, with the desert scenes having a lot more depth and detail to them than I expected. These are guys who have done their homework, and who know how to orient the reader in the scene, no matter where in the world the story takes them.

All-in-all, a fun read that I managed to knock off over a few days. Like I said, I'm not sure where Drone Strike falls in the larger overall Dreamland story line, but it's a fine place to start.


Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Drone Strike to be a very entertaining book despite the usual Dale Brown caveat of too much technical detail. It is Brown's understanding of the high-tech weaponry being dreamed up that allows you to feel that you are right there in the air and on the ground with the characters!

Lots of action and political intrigue keep this book humming along. Main character Turk Mako, a pilot, learns first hand what ground-pounders endure as he has to perform his mission and evade the Iranian defences! It is all good high octane excitement and worth every penny!

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Familiar story themes to readers of Dale Brown...

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting!! Will re-read.

And amazingly pertinent as the Iranian imams are getting up to their old tricks.

Fight fire with asymmetric warfare.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turk blows up 3 underground nuclear facilities and nearly gets killed by friendly and enemy forces.

[Kenneth Flusche · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty Good Fiction

[Ray Theron · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting read which builds up to a suspenseful climax. I wouldn't say it's the best from Brown's pen, but certainly worth reading.

[Ray Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of best military thrillers that I have read. An interesting hunt that never got boring. This book will keep you going from beginning to end.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn’t put the book down.

[Charlie Bowers · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second Dale Brown novel I have read and I again found it to be just "Okay". Not bad, just not my cup of tea. This will probably be my last.

[Kathleen Demala · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read. exciting

A page turner. Did not want to stop reading. Though the first part was a little more technical once the characters came on it was great.

[Audrey Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspenseful till the very end!

[Ron Stough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

Held me spellbound from start to finish. Hard to put down even to try to sleep. Can't wait to start the next one.

[John Oldfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dreamland very good

[Randy Grossman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A US military group goes covert to destroy a couple nuclear facilities in Iran behind enemy lines using drone technology. Honestly a little bit of the authors description of this technology was beyond my understanding of it, but it was a mostly interesting story. After being successful in on strike, the group found out they needed to take out another one and HOPE for a rescue mission from the one in DC monitoring them by satellite technology. Unfortunately only one survives the ordeal. THe main character of the story was supposed to be assassinated for some reason, that I did't totally understand either, unless those in control felt he would talk if captured. A couple thoughts I wish to express from this story...it would be nice if the US actually HAD a presidential leader who was savvy and thoughtful about the country and those in the military, like the fictitious one in the story. At the same time there was an observation from this person that I thought was somewhat callous regarding human life. Near the end of the story the president ponders something like this..."well we only lost every member of the team except two...many Iranian military persons were killed...I suppose a few civilians too...such is war" (not exact quote but similar). Just thought this was a rather uncaring view of death of human beings. To me it was a bit of a turn off even though it was fiction.

[H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drone Strike is right on course with its mixture of action and adventure, with adrenaline-pumping plot. While I did not identify with Turk Mako, I was still interested in seeing how he will pull off his tricky task of setting off a nuclear plant in Iran to pieces with nano-UAVs while dealing with a hostile territory.

However, I had trouble fully immersing myself in the story because there were too many technical terms that I couldn't remember. And while I love war on terror books (hello, Mitch Rapp), I am not a fan of technical books and they tend to bore me. The writing style got me hooked, however, and I found myself wanting to turn page after page after page.

I didn't realize that Drone Strike was the fifteenth book in the Dreamland series already, and it did not feel like it. I was able to enjoy it as a standalone book, and I'm glad it was written that way.

It was interesting to read about the things that ran through their heads while in the war, and it made me realize how lonely and isolating a soldier's life can be. While they are on active duty, they have to face horrors that they cannot even talk about with their family or kids, and they have to keep it all in. It felt more personal because their thoughts were not just about killing or doing the job. Overall, Drone Strike is an enjoyable book on action and adventure, and I'm glad to have read it.

I'm always on the lookout for new authors to read, and I think I'll be checking out Dale Brown and Jim DeFelice's other books :)

[Ed Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whiplash is tasked to destroy an Iranian nuclear bomb building site. Turk Mako volunteers to control a swarm of nano-UAVs into the sight. Accompanied by a Delta Force team, Turk succeeds in completing the mission, only to be told that there is another sight that he must destroy. One by one, his Delta Force team is picked off by the Iranians in his quest to complete the next mission.

[J F Iungerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tight story - plausible. Yet could it really happen??

good storyline,excellent characters. very intriguing and difficult to put down. sometimes wonder about the super soldiers and not all our enemies are that dumb.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book seemed to have a lot more action than the previous ones. Fairly timely as it is dealing with Iran and nuclear weapons. Worth the read.

[Bob Porter]

Good Read

[Jim Morton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of tech wizardry but a good story. Loved the Iranians getting thumped. Highly recommended.

[Jerry Reddekopp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book

I've read many of Dale Brown's books and was never disappointed. This is one of his best. Would recommend it to anyone that like techno thrillers.

[Gregory S. Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

He's always been good.

Really enjoyed the action, yea even the superman parts. It is important that things remain normal in our Dream Land.

[Al Menaster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting use of drones and well paced. But only two drone attacks and one flying event; most of the book is our hero trying to get out of Iran.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the best book of the series so far. There was more story and less technical overall. For some who have been reading the whole series this might be a disappointment, but for me it made the read go much faster.