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Brad McLanahan #2
Starfire
New York Times bestselling author Dale Brown—“the best military writer in the country” (Clive Cussler)—is back with Starfire, a masterful military thriller that explores a future all too possible and all too close: the weaponization of space.
With the death of his heroic father, bomber and space warfare veteran Patrick McLanahan, Bradley McLanahan must now fly solo, leading a team of young engineers designing Starfire, the world’s first orbiting solar power plant.
Starfire will not only deliver unlimited and inexpensive electricity anywhere on planet Earth, it can also transmit power to the moon, and even to spacecraft and asteroids. It’s a crucial first step in the exploration of the solar system, and Bradley and his team are on the cutting edge.
But U.S. president Kenneth Phoenix’s plans to militarize and industrialize Earth’s orbit sparks an arms race in space that eclipses the darkest and most terrifying days of the Cold War. Before he can prevent it, Bradley and his team are caught at the center of a battle that threatens to become an all-out global conflict for control of space.
With the death of his heroic father, bomber and space warfare veteran Patrick McLanahan, Bradley McLanahan must now fly solo, leading a team of young engineers designing Starfire, the world’s first orbiting solar power plant.
Starfire will not only deliver unlimited and inexpensive electricity anywhere on planet Earth, it can also transmit power to the moon, and even to spacecraft and asteroids. It’s a crucial first step in the exploration of the solar system, and Bradley and his team are on the cutting edge.
But U.S. president Kenneth Phoenix’s plans to militarize and industrialize Earth’s orbit sparks an arms race in space that eclipses the darkest and most terrifying days of the Cold War. Before he can prevent it, Bradley and his team are caught at the center of a battle that threatens to become an all-out global conflict for control of space.
560 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 6, 2014
354 people are currently reading
1194 people want to read
About the author
Dale Brown
154 books1,135 followersFormer 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
July 1, 2014
This is book #1 of Dale Brown's "Horny Teenagers In Space" series.
I read Dale Brown's first novel, The Flight Of The Old Dog, during a camping trip to Mt Lemmon near Tucson in 1987. A contemporary war/aviation thriller, I enjoyed it a great deal. I have read most of his novels over the years, and there have been quite a few -- years and novels.
Dale Brown writes aviation war novels and I have always been a pacifist hippie. But I loved his stories most of all, and I loved his always detailed and fascinating avionics science that always seemed only a year or two beyond what was possible with current technology.
All of those fun years came crashing to the ground with this novel. The first one hundred pages literally and repeatedly put me to sleep. Brown carries on and on about technology that should have fascinated me if he wasn't so droll and dreary and unimaginative. He tries to form some sort of a story along with the endless detailed drudgery to tie it all together and make it more palatable but fails miserably which only makes it worse.
And then after a hundred pages of tedium, comes the "Horny Teenagers In Space"
Dale Brown has evolved from realistic and fascinating stories of air combat to Horny Teenagers In Space saving the planet. Wunderkind college geeky nerds who are deferred to by both the President of the United States and the evil dictator of Russia.
Together, the Horny Teenagers In Space save the planet
as they combat death rays and spaceplanes
and their own libidos.
I read Dale Brown's first novel, The Flight Of The Old Dog, during a camping trip to Mt Lemmon near Tucson in 1987. A contemporary war/aviation thriller, I enjoyed it a great deal. I have read most of his novels over the years, and there have been quite a few -- years and novels.
Dale Brown writes aviation war novels and I have always been a pacifist hippie. But I loved his stories most of all, and I loved his always detailed and fascinating avionics science that always seemed only a year or two beyond what was possible with current technology.
All of those fun years came crashing to the ground with this novel. The first one hundred pages literally and repeatedly put me to sleep. Brown carries on and on about technology that should have fascinated me if he wasn't so droll and dreary and unimaginative. He tries to form some sort of a story along with the endless detailed drudgery to tie it all together and make it more palatable but fails miserably which only makes it worse.
And then after a hundred pages of tedium, comes the "Horny Teenagers In Space"
Dale Brown has evolved from realistic and fascinating stories of air combat to Horny Teenagers In Space saving the planet. Wunderkind college geeky nerds who are deferred to by both the President of the United States and the evil dictator of Russia.
Together, the Horny Teenagers In Space save the planet
as they combat death rays and spaceplanes
and their own libidos.
May 5, 2014
My name is Dan Pratt and I thrilled to have been invited as a guest reviewer by Angela. I am a fan of techno-thrillers, military aerospace, and space exploration. I also have some (VERY minor) technical expertise in these areas. I am also no stranger to Dale Brown’s storytelling. In fact, the very first book that I bought with my own money and read purely for the enjoyment of reading was “Flight of the Old Dog.” That novel introduced a cast of characters that have progressed and evolved over the last 20+ years and 20+ books—creating a parallel, but very similar world to the one that exists in 2014, the setting for “Starfire.”
This is the story of Bradley McLanahan, a mediocre undergrad student in the aerospace engineering program at Cal Poly University. Brad and his team of students have taken on an ambitious project related to the collection and transmission of solar power from space down to earth. Much of their success seems tied to McLanahan’s connections, which are mainly rooted in his father, Patrick’s military and civilian career. General Patrick McLanahan is Brown’s most prolific character, and the central figure in the series. Avoiding spoilers, there is espionage, combat, personal conflict and some agonizingly accurate political and bureaucratic gamesmanship by a cast of U.S. and foreign leaders.
What remains are the two signatures of a Dale Brown novel. There is suspense and story development that builds steadily into a thrilling page-turner, and exiting technology that is at (or tantalizingly just beyond) the cutting edge. The technology can be intimidating, but Brown is well-practiced at explaining things without getting buried in the details. He even includes a cast and glossary in the front of the book for reference.I suspect that I will make many trips to Google in search of more information on some of the interesting technologies that I was introduced to in “Starfire”.
The only criticism I have is that projects and technologies are developing much faster in Brown’s world than they are in the world full of red tape that we live in. I suppose that’s the point, though. As a teenager reading “Flight of the Old Dog," I was spoiled by what could be, and disappointed in what was. As details surfaced about “black” projects from the Cold War, I remember feeling ripped off because there were no space lasers or secret spaceplanes. That is my fantasy world—a world for people who aren't ready for elves or sparkling teenage vampires.
“Starfire” is an exciting, easy read—and a good techno-military thriller. Having not read any books in the series for some time, the book stands well on its own, and I suspect ties in well to the preceding ones. The end of the Cold War and shift to fighting insurgencies on the ground put quite a dent in this genre, but it’s nice to see that Dale Brown is still on his game. I give "Starfire" 4 books.
This is the story of Bradley McLanahan, a mediocre undergrad student in the aerospace engineering program at Cal Poly University. Brad and his team of students have taken on an ambitious project related to the collection and transmission of solar power from space down to earth. Much of their success seems tied to McLanahan’s connections, which are mainly rooted in his father, Patrick’s military and civilian career. General Patrick McLanahan is Brown’s most prolific character, and the central figure in the series. Avoiding spoilers, there is espionage, combat, personal conflict and some agonizingly accurate political and bureaucratic gamesmanship by a cast of U.S. and foreign leaders.
What remains are the two signatures of a Dale Brown novel. There is suspense and story development that builds steadily into a thrilling page-turner, and exiting technology that is at (or tantalizingly just beyond) the cutting edge. The technology can be intimidating, but Brown is well-practiced at explaining things without getting buried in the details. He even includes a cast and glossary in the front of the book for reference.I suspect that I will make many trips to Google in search of more information on some of the interesting technologies that I was introduced to in “Starfire”.
The only criticism I have is that projects and technologies are developing much faster in Brown’s world than they are in the world full of red tape that we live in. I suppose that’s the point, though. As a teenager reading “Flight of the Old Dog," I was spoiled by what could be, and disappointed in what was. As details surfaced about “black” projects from the Cold War, I remember feeling ripped off because there were no space lasers or secret spaceplanes. That is my fantasy world—a world for people who aren't ready for elves or sparkling teenage vampires.
“Starfire” is an exciting, easy read—and a good techno-military thriller. Having not read any books in the series for some time, the book stands well on its own, and I suspect ties in well to the preceding ones. The end of the Cold War and shift to fighting insurgencies on the ground put quite a dent in this genre, but it’s nice to see that Dale Brown is still on his game. I give "Starfire" 4 books.
March 31, 2014
I remember reading some of Dale Brown's earlier Patrick McClanahan stories, and thinking they were a tighter, leaner version of Tom Clancy-esque stories. I only read a few of those earlier novels, but only because I got behind and didn't want to try to catch up.
Starfire continues the Patrick McClanahan world though, and gives it over to the next generation of heroes, including Bradley McClanahan. He's the son of the famed General from the other stories. The narrative does a good job of catching the reader up on major events that lead the world and characters to where they are currently. That was good for me, since it had been some years since I had ready anything in this series.
I remember this series being very real-world military fiction. Cutting edge technology featured heavily in the stories I remember. Starfire goes beyond the cutting edge technology firmly into the near-future science fiction. A near-death character is kept alive inside of a robotic suit of power armor. College students develop an orbit-to-ground power-transmitting device and test it from a military space station, only to realize it makes a really good space-based weapon. And in this story, a new cold war has started over space-based weapons and vehicles.
On the whole, this was a good, fun book. Fans of previous installments will enjoy where the story goes. Fans of Tom Clancy or similar political/military fiction will enjoy this, though it's not as heavy on the political as a Clancy tome.
To nitpick, the narrative is very heavy on detailing the technology and sometimes spends way too much time describing in excruciating detail what is happening. In fact, the opening scene with a character going into space on-board a spaceplane, and docking and boarding a spacestation is one of those too-much-detail scenes. I almost didn't make it through that opening passage. But once I did, the action and actual story-telling picked up. Later sections that went into detail weren't nearly as in-depth as that opening passage and were easily skimmed over. I don't really need to know all the specific manufacturing and deployment history of certain missiles, jets, or whatever, just give me a nice quick overview if what is absolutely relevant to the narrative.
Overall, a good action/military story with a strong space element to the story.
Starfire continues the Patrick McClanahan world though, and gives it over to the next generation of heroes, including Bradley McClanahan. He's the son of the famed General from the other stories. The narrative does a good job of catching the reader up on major events that lead the world and characters to where they are currently. That was good for me, since it had been some years since I had ready anything in this series.
I remember this series being very real-world military fiction. Cutting edge technology featured heavily in the stories I remember. Starfire goes beyond the cutting edge technology firmly into the near-future science fiction. A near-death character is kept alive inside of a robotic suit of power armor. College students develop an orbit-to-ground power-transmitting device and test it from a military space station, only to realize it makes a really good space-based weapon. And in this story, a new cold war has started over space-based weapons and vehicles.
On the whole, this was a good, fun book. Fans of previous installments will enjoy where the story goes. Fans of Tom Clancy or similar political/military fiction will enjoy this, though it's not as heavy on the political as a Clancy tome.
To nitpick, the narrative is very heavy on detailing the technology and sometimes spends way too much time describing in excruciating detail what is happening. In fact, the opening scene with a character going into space on-board a spaceplane, and docking and boarding a spacestation is one of those too-much-detail scenes. I almost didn't make it through that opening passage. But once I did, the action and actual story-telling picked up. Later sections that went into detail weren't nearly as in-depth as that opening passage and were easily skimmed over. I don't really need to know all the specific manufacturing and deployment history of certain missiles, jets, or whatever, just give me a nice quick overview if what is absolutely relevant to the narrative.
Overall, a good action/military story with a strong space element to the story.
June 19, 2014
This political techno thriller features features combat between to national leaders. One leader is a brazen, cold-hearted, ego maniac, while the other weak, unimaginative and predictable. Nonetheless, the exciting plot lines, actions and characters makes this a worthwhile listen or read is you can handle sci-fi. 7 of 10 stars
April 10, 2017
Brandon McLanahan is a freshman college student trying to get a grant approved for he and his team to work on a space based power generating system. But the Russians are trying to kill him due to his father's attack on Russia fourteen years earlier. When the American president declares that the United States will exploit and defend their interests in space, a pace war breaks out.
July 7, 2015
Good story & the narrator is good too!
November 20, 2022
Awful! I don't know why I finished reading this. Almost no character development; the most developed character had nothing to do with the story, which was ridiculous in itself. International events and spark a nuclear war and a space battle. The thing I disliked most, the heads of state for the countries fighting against USA were portrayed and raging adolescent idiots. They yelled and screamed obscenities making absurd threats and carrying on with personal vendettas.
And at the end of the book, even though a nuclear war was in progress, it just ended. Oh well, happily ever after. NOT!
And at the end of the book, even though a nuclear war was in progress, it just ended. Oh well, happily ever after. NOT!
September 3, 2022
Although oddly structured for a thriller, and remarkably heavy on the science for a genre that's more often known for guns and technology, Starfire was a thoroughly enjoyable read. It's been a long time since I read a Patrick McClanahan novel, but Dale Brown does a great job of catching up readers both familiar with and new to the world and its characters. This is very much a passing-of-the-torch kind of tale, with the focus on Patrick's son, but the spirit of the story remains the same.
The first half of the story moves rather slowly, as a college-level project seeks to re-purpose existing elements of the American space program in order to create energy and deliver it to Earth. There are some technological leaps required to make this plausible, but the science is well laid-out. It's not quite info-dumping, but there are a lot of conversations about project Starfire. Having said that, the science is fascinating in the level of detail Brown provides, and in the way he delivers it.
Paralleling the story of discovery and invention involving Brad McClanahan and his team of fellow students is another of aggression revenge involving the Russian president. It makes for an interesting tie to Brown's previous stories, with the next generation of McClanahans and Gryzlovs at odds with one another, and that long-simmering conflict is at the root of the wider conflict. While it's a bit implausible to see a world driven to the brink of war based on little more than a desire for revenge, it's only a part of the story, and there is some very real fear behind the political aggression. Having said that, while Dale Brown's stories always have a significant political element, the personal vendetta lends an interesting moral aspect to the tale as well. Brad McClanahan's evolution into something of an action hero parallels President Gryzlov's continued descent into madness, which itself parallels the evolution of a weapon of war into a tool for good (and back again). In all three cases we see how quickly and easily the best of intentions can lead us astray, and just how fine of a line there is between defense and aggression.
Making up for the pacing of the first half, the second half of the book quite literally takes off. Once project Starfire is ready to be put into place, and the team finds themselves in space, the action and the drama come to the forefront. At the risk of spoiling a pulse-pounding climax, Brown absolutely nails the idea of space warfare, along with the fragility of life in orbit. Threats come fast and furious as we race towards the conclusion, and the tension is incredible. Lives are at stake, both above and below, and the entire world is just one wrong move away from the next (and last) word war.
There's a little bit of something here in Starfire for everyone - science, technology, warfare, politics, and more - all wrapped up in a tightly plotted package. It's an exciting tale, smarter than most, and plays as well to those of us who dreamed of growing up to be James Bond as to those who dreamed of going up in the Space Shuttle. Whether you're already a Dale Brown fan or new to his work, it's a great read.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
The first half of the story moves rather slowly, as a college-level project seeks to re-purpose existing elements of the American space program in order to create energy and deliver it to Earth. There are some technological leaps required to make this plausible, but the science is well laid-out. It's not quite info-dumping, but there are a lot of conversations about project Starfire. Having said that, the science is fascinating in the level of detail Brown provides, and in the way he delivers it.
Paralleling the story of discovery and invention involving Brad McClanahan and his team of fellow students is another of aggression revenge involving the Russian president. It makes for an interesting tie to Brown's previous stories, with the next generation of McClanahans and Gryzlovs at odds with one another, and that long-simmering conflict is at the root of the wider conflict. While it's a bit implausible to see a world driven to the brink of war based on little more than a desire for revenge, it's only a part of the story, and there is some very real fear behind the political aggression. Having said that, while Dale Brown's stories always have a significant political element, the personal vendetta lends an interesting moral aspect to the tale as well. Brad McClanahan's evolution into something of an action hero parallels President Gryzlov's continued descent into madness, which itself parallels the evolution of a weapon of war into a tool for good (and back again). In all three cases we see how quickly and easily the best of intentions can lead us astray, and just how fine of a line there is between defense and aggression.
Making up for the pacing of the first half, the second half of the book quite literally takes off. Once project Starfire is ready to be put into place, and the team finds themselves in space, the action and the drama come to the forefront. At the risk of spoiling a pulse-pounding climax, Brown absolutely nails the idea of space warfare, along with the fragility of life in orbit. Threats come fast and furious as we race towards the conclusion, and the tension is incredible. Lives are at stake, both above and below, and the entire world is just one wrong move away from the next (and last) word war.
There's a little bit of something here in Starfire for everyone - science, technology, warfare, politics, and more - all wrapped up in a tightly plotted package. It's an exciting tale, smarter than most, and plays as well to those of us who dreamed of growing up to be James Bond as to those who dreamed of going up in the Space Shuttle. Whether you're already a Dale Brown fan or new to his work, it's a great read.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
August 17, 2017
This was a solid contribution to the series. I am always impressed with the imagination of the author, who over the book series has created a new and very realistic future setting for the US military and world political scene. This future is based on real headlines from actual publications about happenings on the world stage, as well as technological developments, but the author further develops these headlines into situations and weapons systems that far surpass reality, but seem well within the realm of possibility. There is an incredible amount of thoughtful detail that enhances believability of his imaginations.
What I particularly liked about this book is the political commentary on what seems to be happening in today's world with the political twisting of the truth for political gain in the form of "fake news". Brown demonstrates how dangerous this can be by showing the direct link to international conflict, but then in the closing pages, discloses that even though the fake news that was released with the intent to twist the truth for political gain, the "fake news" ended up being closer to the truth than even those who felt they were the victims of this "fake news" even knew. It was an unexpected twist to learn that even those who had "all the facts" and were "in the know" were far from the truth, and were themselves being manipulated by others who were really in control, but who no one knows are even players in the game.
Continuing with his pattern in previous novels, the Americans stave off the attack, but not without significant cost, and though this is probably more akin to how things usually happen in real life, it may be less than satisfying for those who like tidy endings with everything wrapped up in a pretty bow.
4.5 stars
What I particularly liked about this book is the political commentary on what seems to be happening in today's world with the political twisting of the truth for political gain in the form of "fake news". Brown demonstrates how dangerous this can be by showing the direct link to international conflict, but then in the closing pages, discloses that even though the fake news that was released with the intent to twist the truth for political gain, the "fake news" ended up being closer to the truth than even those who felt they were the victims of this "fake news" even knew. It was an unexpected twist to learn that even those who had "all the facts" and were "in the know" were far from the truth, and were themselves being manipulated by others who were really in control, but who no one knows are even players in the game.
Continuing with his pattern in previous novels, the Americans stave off the attack, but not without significant cost, and though this is probably more akin to how things usually happen in real life, it may be less than satisfying for those who like tidy endings with everything wrapped up in a pretty bow.
4.5 stars
February 16, 2018
Brad McLanahan, the son of General Patrick McLanahan, attends school at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California as an aerospace engineering student. He assembles a team of students to put together a proposal for transmitting energy from space to earth. The proposal is reluctantly accepted by their professor because it will use the military Armstrong Space Station.
President Kenneth Phoenix announces a new initiative to use space for commercial use which the Russian president, Gennadiy Gryzlov views as an effort by the U.S. to militarize space. He holds a grudge against the late, Patrick McLanahan for the death of his father and has vowed to have Brad killed.
In spite of efforts to kill Brad, the project proceeds with the team receiving grants and support from around the world. The components are installed on Armstrong Space Station and at White Sands, New Mexico. The test encounters a problem which is overcome but it comes with a steep price.
Another great novel from Dale Brown. The book is 532 pages long but only has ten chapters which is why I gave it four stars. There are not many breaks in the chapters to use for stopping places. Other than that I enjoyed the story.
President Kenneth Phoenix announces a new initiative to use space for commercial use which the Russian president, Gennadiy Gryzlov views as an effort by the U.S. to militarize space. He holds a grudge against the late, Patrick McLanahan for the death of his father and has vowed to have Brad killed.
In spite of efforts to kill Brad, the project proceeds with the team receiving grants and support from around the world. The components are installed on Armstrong Space Station and at White Sands, New Mexico. The test encounters a problem which is overcome but it comes with a steep price.
Another great novel from Dale Brown. The book is 532 pages long but only has ten chapters which is why I gave it four stars. There are not many breaks in the chapters to use for stopping places. Other than that I enjoyed the story.
May 5, 2017
A high tech military thriller set in the world where the worlds air forces and technology have been used to fight in a world where the cold war heated up in the late 80's I enjoyed this books fast pace and technological foundation. While it is a little over the top with its space programs and robotics the tech is worked into the plot rather well and there were plenty of surprises and action. Brad McLanahan, the son of the hero of the previous novels Patrick McLanahan, is the head of a team of college students working on a project to build a solar power plant in space when the President's announcement of a plan to industrialize space leads to an arms race in space with the Russians. Good action and characters that moved the plot along this was a fun adventure to read. I received a free copy of this book through Goodread's First Reads Giveaways.
September 22, 2018
Our hero is Patrick McLanahan's son, Brad; a freshman at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. This freshman finds time to build team who constructs a space laser, gets if funded and deployed to an orbiting space station. That's pretty good stuff except this dude is just a freshman, who probably hasn't taken Math 101 yet, let alone the BS liberal arts class designed to round him out. Ignore that and it's a pretty good and exciting sci fi novel by an author known for very technical details about guns an airplanes. Thought provoking, of course, because it contemplates militarization of space against a crazy foe in the Kremlin. Having read about half the series, I was about ready to give up on Dale Brown, because the technical details of an electronic jammer, e.g., were pretty boring.. but maybe I'll listen to another?
May 18, 2017
Brad McLanahan is now a Freshman at Cal Poly, leading a team of undergraduates developing a new space based solar collector that can beam power back to the planet.
The Russians are still mad at Brad's dead father Patrick and desire to kill or discredit Brad. When Brad is attacked, a protective detail moves in to protect him. He also undergoes martial arts training. Politicians and protesters decide this is a new space based weapon. The Russians demand the Armstrong space station be decommissioned. A space war ensures between the US and Russia, with China assisting the Russians. I thought the battle scenes were a little rushed and unbelievable. There is an interesting twist at the end. Overall a decent book, and it appears the McLanahan series will continue.
The Russians are still mad at Brad's dead father Patrick and desire to kill or discredit Brad. When Brad is attacked, a protective detail moves in to protect him. He also undergoes martial arts training. Politicians and protesters decide this is a new space based weapon. The Russians demand the Armstrong space station be decommissioned. A space war ensures between the US and Russia, with China assisting the Russians. I thought the battle scenes were a little rushed and unbelievable. There is an interesting twist at the end. Overall a decent book, and it appears the McLanahan series will continue.
September 1, 2017
Brown's focus on hard science is what made this book so good. The plot grips me right from the beginning, being an underachieving Aerospace Engineer myself like the protagonist. While I haven't had the opportunity to read any of the other Patrick McLanahan series books, I will definitely give them a shot despite Patrick being one of my least favorite characters. In my opinion Brown sort of wrote himself into a corner or perhaps is just setting up book #20, but the ending fell quite a bit flat compared with the rest of the book. There were several unresolved plot lines at the end and it sort of just fizzled. I'm hoping he was setting up for book #20, but we'll see.
August 14, 2022
Fast, enjoyable read - something I look for on a vacation.
There were a number of problems that kept bothering me, like:
1. There are a number of sexual encounters that don’t add much if anything to the plot.
2. The bad guys are immature and/or incompetent
3. The book just ends. This is clearly a continuing series complete with an almost-cliffhanger and those always annoy me
4. Sometimes the science gets in the way. Some scenes are way too detailed and come across as the author showing how much research was done
Not sure I’m up for the next one, at least until my next vacation.
There were a number of problems that kept bothering me, like:
1. There are a number of sexual encounters that don’t add much if anything to the plot.
2. The bad guys are immature and/or incompetent
3. The book just ends. This is clearly a continuing series complete with an almost-cliffhanger and those always annoy me
4. Sometimes the science gets in the way. Some scenes are way too detailed and come across as the author showing how much research was done
Not sure I’m up for the next one, at least until my next vacation.
August 13, 2024
This is the second book according to Goodreads in the "Brad McLanahan" spinoff or 'next generation'. I might argue it is actually the first since he takes the lead and Patrick died in the previous book. There is also a lot of transitions into the next two books with the new president - Stacy Anne Barbeau. Gryzlov - Junior - is still president and he is moving to make Russia great again. For the first time in the entire series, Dale Brown is truly serializing the story. Before, it felt like there were years and even decades between stories. Now, from Starfire and through the next five books, the events are much more closely packed together - a matter of months if not years.
September 19, 2019
This book has an excellent descriptive narrative. It was the first Dale Brown book I’ve read and I wasnt completely disappointed with it except for the ending. It feels very rushed and when it all begins picking up to the ultimate climax it ends so quickly that I felt very dissatisfied with the buildup they were aiming for. Although I feel this one has missed opportunities and some throw away characters that I guess we are supposed to care about but don’t, it’s still a decent read and I enjoyed it.
April 18, 2021
Could not finish it, book was awful. Very predictable, he would lead up to a big “surprise” but anybody could figure it out before he got there. He tries to be too technical and scientific and spends too much time explaining how things would work if they were real, lost interest real quick. Book should be considered sci fi and not thriller. Loved the original Dale Brown books but starting at Tin Man he stopped writing good books, thought I would try this one to see if he got any better in his writing and he hadn’t. Do not recommend this book.
December 16, 2018
As always, Dale Brown leads the way in "lead the way technology" based fiction. Even when his hero has begun to get "long in the tooth". I think it is time to finally retire Patrick and move on with some of the other characters that he has introduced over the years, however, in this case his development of some of his new characters indicates that he is on his way in that direction. Great book and the development of the Russian conflict shows that we are in for at least a couple more books.
February 23, 2021
Have been a big fan of Dale Brown for years - his early books were on par with the likes of Tom Clancy. The more recent novels have gone downhill somewhat and this is a fine example. A fairly thin plot, some dreadfully flat and stereotypical characters and it was as if he suddenly realised he needed to finish so the ending was rushed through. And some of the content - I mean, I’m all for suspension of disbelief, but this pushed the limits of that.
September 24, 2017
I read some of the earlier books in this series. long on technical details about space, aircraft, space, and so on. the secondary characters were well defined and you did want them to succeed. the politics was a bit heavy. the military paranoia and the aggressiveness of china and russia was startling.
May 9, 2018
What a great read
I have been reading most of the storyline for the Mclanahan exploists this one was agood story to do with the Russians and Americans in the space wars with Patricks son going up to the space station to end up having a war with Russia and China using a laser system to attack there bases it was a great read.
I have been reading most of the storyline for the Mclanahan exploists this one was agood story to do with the Russians and Americans in the space wars with Patricks son going up to the space station to end up having a war with Russia and China using a laser system to attack there bases it was a great read.
June 10, 2018
We listened to this book on cd. It probably deserves more than a 3-Star rating but not quite a 4. You can read the book description to know what it’s about. It had a lot more description about space technology than I understood, but the story was still easy to follow and it got pretty intense in places.
April 10, 2019
Tom Clancy supposedly said "The difference between reality and fiction is that fiction has to make sense." While I am a fan of Dale Brown's writing and needed a basic thriller to make me less depressed after reading Cormac McCarthy's The Road, lots of Starfire didn't make sense. On top of that, there was a lot of plot but little story if you know what I mean.
March 19, 2023
I know this was fiction but it was written 2014. took place 2015/16. it's a very futuristic look at our military. Like think Space Force already in full swing. Like so in full swing they are already trying to get rid of it. Just weird to read a futuristic novel taking place basically the yr it was written
May 19, 2020
I've read a couple of other books by Brown and picked this one up in on of the little library book boxes in our neighbourhood. Didn't realize it was part of a series but can be read as a standalone novel. It was good enough to make me pick up another in the series if it was free.
August 7, 2023
Don’t you hate it when you are a few hours into listening to a book when you realize you’ve read/listened to it before. Apparently i forgot to note it in Goodreads. Good story, high tech and a little far fetched but I enjoyed it again.
October 6, 2023
This book doesn't suck, and I don't regret reading it, but it's unlikely I'll ever recommend it to anyone. I do like how the pace picked up near the end, but most of the book felt like a made-for-TV movie.
September 28, 2025
This series is a little more sci/fi than normal war/threats bad guys. Some robotics and other futuristic weapons take center stage in them and are at times, very detailed.
At the same time, they are fast paced and fun to read.
At the same time, they are fast paced and fun to read.
June 5, 2017
Good read waiting for more
Good read
Waiting for the next one. They should be as good as the prior ones. A fast read for all
Good read
Waiting for the next one. They should be as good as the prior ones. A fast read for all
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