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Rockets' Red Glare
Andrew Churcher, son of a millionaire industrialist, undertakes a dangerous mission to clear his dead father's name and becomes involved in a violent power struggle with roots in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, unaware that he has become the bait in a deadly Soviet trap
359 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 11, 2016
Though "Rockets' Red Glare" was originally published in 1988 the story holds its own today. Admittedly, it does not do as well as some novels today in one specific area - techo - as back then no one had an iPhone or a tablet or even e-mail, but there is good, solid technology, some of which is very much around today. That aside, a true techo-thriller is a hybrid combining elements of science fiction, thriller, spy/espionage, action and war and Rockets' Red Glare delivers on all of them. Though I would not consider Dinallo on par with Michael Crichton or Tom Clancy, the two primary authors considered by many as the fathers of this hybrid-genre, he does well.
The story, which is well-written and fairly fast-paced, does start off a tad bit slow. That is due to Dinallo setting the stage with several intertwined subplots, all of which have some back-story development and do merge at what seems to be a quite appropriate time in the story. Dinallo is able to provide fairly detailed accounting of 1962 events as well as the primary 1987 setting of the story. He develops his characters well, possibly due to being a screenwriter where talent for movies is often times, not always, decided by how a character is described and portrayed in a screenplay.
The alternate history scenario aspect is where the bold action taken by President John F. Kennedy, which consisted of the long and grueling days of the Cuban Missile Crisis, did happen, just not with the same results that actually occurred. The Russian plan of 1962 only becomes known to others, outside of a very close circle of Premier Nikita Khrushchev advisors at the time, during the present day setting. And, boy, do the Russians have something up their sleeves!
Scenes occur in Houston, Geneva, Rome, Moscow, Camp David and the White House, as well as others, as characters are developed and the subplots move along. Dinallo pulls you in to the quest of Andrew Churcher, son of billionaire Theodor Churcher, who was evidently killed in an accident. Unknown to only a few Russian higher-ups, the elder Churcher had been trading national secrets for valuable works of art by the masters for over two decades. Churcher believed one, if not many, of the works to be forgeries and confronts the Russians in a threatening manner, at the time when global nuclear disarmament seemed about to be achieved during a NATO summit meeting.
Are the paintings real? Did Churcher really die? Do the Russians have an arsenal of atomic weapons unknown to but a few? Will the German or Italian representative, or anyone for that matter, uncover anything of importance? These are just a few of the questions that await as the clock counts down and everyone thinks global peace may be a reality.
Overall a well written novel that, to me, had some overly written romance scenes that did not really add anything to the novel, but probably would work in an R-rated movie. They do not spoil the tale, they just do not contribute anything of real value. I give it 4 stars as it is not just average (3 stars), it is a cut above due to plot development with all the subplots and characters involved.
The story, which is well-written and fairly fast-paced, does start off a tad bit slow. That is due to Dinallo setting the stage with several intertwined subplots, all of which have some back-story development and do merge at what seems to be a quite appropriate time in the story. Dinallo is able to provide fairly detailed accounting of 1962 events as well as the primary 1987 setting of the story. He develops his characters well, possibly due to being a screenwriter where talent for movies is often times, not always, decided by how a character is described and portrayed in a screenplay.
The alternate history scenario aspect is where the bold action taken by President John F. Kennedy, which consisted of the long and grueling days of the Cuban Missile Crisis, did happen, just not with the same results that actually occurred. The Russian plan of 1962 only becomes known to others, outside of a very close circle of Premier Nikita Khrushchev advisors at the time, during the present day setting. And, boy, do the Russians have something up their sleeves!
Scenes occur in Houston, Geneva, Rome, Moscow, Camp David and the White House, as well as others, as characters are developed and the subplots move along. Dinallo pulls you in to the quest of Andrew Churcher, son of billionaire Theodor Churcher, who was evidently killed in an accident. Unknown to only a few Russian higher-ups, the elder Churcher had been trading national secrets for valuable works of art by the masters for over two decades. Churcher believed one, if not many, of the works to be forgeries and confronts the Russians in a threatening manner, at the time when global nuclear disarmament seemed about to be achieved during a NATO summit meeting.
Are the paintings real? Did Churcher really die? Do the Russians have an arsenal of atomic weapons unknown to but a few? Will the German or Italian representative, or anyone for that matter, uncover anything of importance? These are just a few of the questions that await as the clock counts down and everyone thinks global peace may be a reality.
Overall a well written novel that, to me, had some overly written romance scenes that did not really add anything to the novel, but probably would work in an R-rated movie. They do not spoil the tale, they just do not contribute anything of real value. I give it 4 stars as it is not just average (3 stars), it is a cut above due to plot development with all the subplots and characters involved.
February 7, 2024
Not badly written but hard to get into pre cold war fiction.
July 15, 2023
The world faces another Cuban missel crisis and the good guy gets the girl.
November 1, 2015
Rockets's Red Glare is an entertaining Cold War thriller. The world is on the cusp of a signed nuclear disarmament treaty, but the Soviet Union may have a secret plan to establish a post-treaty advantage. Oil shipping documents show discrepancies that almost no one has detected.
The owner of a US mega-corporation is involved in the conspiracy. Things go awry in the payments to the corporation and the plot begins to unravel.
A ballet dancer whose mother's past is tied to a Russian diplomat and the son of the corporate magnet join forces to resolve the conspiracy. Neither appears to have the training or background to handle the situations they encounter, and yet they succeed.
The US military personnel are portrayed favorably and their technology is believable. Unfortunately, some of the US higher-ups appeared to me to be a little bit too capable.
Regardless, the story moves a long pretty well and builds to a thrilling climax
The owner of a US mega-corporation is involved in the conspiracy. Things go awry in the payments to the corporation and the plot begins to unravel.
A ballet dancer whose mother's past is tied to a Russian diplomat and the son of the corporate magnet join forces to resolve the conspiracy. Neither appears to have the training or background to handle the situations they encounter, and yet they succeed.
The US military personnel are portrayed favorably and their technology is believable. Unfortunately, some of the US higher-ups appeared to me to be a little bit too capable.
Regardless, the story moves a long pretty well and builds to a thrilling climax
November 26, 2011
At first, the book was really boring but by the end of it all, the pieces of the puzzle clicked in the right places that made me appreciate the last chapter. The story was really fast-paced and since I like the TV show, Alias, I've seen some similarities. It's not the best novel but I really enjoyed it. Just when I was about to stop reading it, I'm glad that I still tried to finish it. I can never really judge a book by its first chapter but by its last.
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October 2, 2008A Din
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews