The Krone Experiment

Krone #1

by J. Craig Wheeler

Book Description for Publication Date: August 15, 2012:
This techno-thriller novel is set at the time of the break-up of the Soviet Union, yet reflects today's headlines. Damage to a Russian aircraft carrier leads to a breakdown in the detente with the United States. Star wars erupt as the two countries invoke space-based weapons in a deadly face off in orbit. Robert Issacs, Deputy Director of Scientific Intelligence for the CIA, and his top aide, Dr. Patricia Danielson, connect the carrier damage with a mysterious seismic signal. Thwarted by internal CIA politics, they put their careers at risk to engage in an unauthorized consultation with Jason, the secret group of physicists who consult for the government. Astrophysicist Alex Runyan advances a fantastic theory that triggers a race for the truth before the conflict with Russia can spin out of control. The quest leads to the New Mexico laboratory of Paul Krone. The true danger dwarfs that posed by the international crisis. Bonus links to historical background material are provided at the end of the book. The Krone saga continues in the sequel, Krone Ascending, also available for Kindle.

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Amazon

367 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 1986

About the author

I'm an emeritus professor of astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin.

https://jcraigwheeler.ag-sites.net/in...

http://www.as.utexas.edu/~wheel/

http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/resear...

https://x.com/ast309

https://www.linkedin.com/in/j-craig-w...

My non-fiction genre is "astro lit." http://www.lablit.com/

Reviews

[Jared Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Left me wanting more with every page! Dated but still excellent.

[Shorel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone compares it to Clancy and justifiably so. However the plot is original and well written.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a word : brilliant!!

[Timothy Haas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced and well written. I enjoyed the action very much, especially the shuttle section.

[Otis Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now, Mr. Wheeler ain't just some daydreamer making up fairy tales—the man is a real-deal, high-falutin' professor of astronomy down at the University of Texas. So when he starts talking about orbital weapons and physics, you better believe he’s got the math to back it up! Our yarn starts out with a massive international pickle. A top-of-the-line Soviet aircraft carrier gets itself a small, neat vertical hole drilled right through it out on the high seas. The Russians automatically figure the United States hit 'em with some fancy space-laser, so they go and blast an American satellite out of the sky in retaliation. Before you can say "duck and cover," both superpowers are mobilizing their orbital arsenals and staring down the barrel of a global star-wars holocaust. Meanwhile, a sharp CIA scientific intelligence officer named Robert Issacs and his top aide, Dr. Patricia Danielson, notice a mighty strange seismic signal. It turns out this "Something" isn't just poking holes in boats—it's drilling neat little holes clean through the entire planet Earth! When the top brass at the CIA tell Issacs to mind his own business, he goes rogue and takes the data to a secret club of government physicists called "Jason". They track the whole mess back to a laboratory in New Mexico run by a scientist named Paul Krone. It turns out Krone's little physics experiment created a microscopic black hole—or something just as nasty—that is dropping straight through the center of the Earth, swinging back and forth like an unstoppable doomsday pendulum. If the USA and Russia don't stop shooting at each other in space, they're going to miss the fact that the ground is literally being chewed out from under their boots. This book is a dandy choice for anyone who likes their techno-thrillers with a massive side of authentic science. It's got plenty of political scheming, a dash of doomsday panic, and a premise that'll make you look at the floorboards a little differently. It might stumble around the middle of the trail while the politicians argue, but when the physics kicks into high gear, it’s a heck of a ride.

[Fred Gannett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book as a pair with the direct sequel Krone Ascending. The books work together as a pair the first laying out the world ending problem and its origin story. The second showing the impact and societal changes resulting from the world threatening situation. A solid team tackles the problem using worldwide resources the only possible way to address a world ending problem. Whilst the early involvement of three letter agencies is a bit suspect the flow of the story hangs together. The books have a bit of the feeling of a Tom Clancy thriller and a film has been made but not yet watched.
Overall a gripping yarn that will fill the empty space on your reading schedule.

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Novel of Nuclear Persuasion/The US; China and Russia Are Involved

JCW has penned a very important piece of fiction that every leader in this country needs to read. A a is sensitive event happens underneath a Russian's Aircraft Carrier which happens to catch fire at that moment. The following events lead to a near full blown war. This is an excellent read for the genre.....ER

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting story. very good storytelling .

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable book set in the cold war in the Tom Clancy mode. The Yankees and Soviets are at the brink of nuclear war and the hero of the book, a senior CIA officer, must try to work out what is really happening to save the world.

Details: I picked up this book as it was written by an acquaintance of my wife's. That probably meant that my expectations were probably lower than normal, but this book exceeded them.
It was fast-paced and well-researched. I like how this booked explore science theories (and I hate science), and fed them successfully into the plot without the science taking over. I loved the moment when the great idea was figured out - it really had me there.

The Takeaway: If you like Tom Clancy pick this up. It add a little more science than Clancy usually does. Fun!

[Vaidya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an interesting piece - set to cold war times & star wars (SDI) back drop. Several interesting elements ... I found it a rather good mix of plot, characters, context and story telling. You can tell the author is probably not a seasoned writer the way a Tom Clancy or Michael Crichton would be, but the # and variety of characters, barely enough character development etc. makes it readable. But talking of black holes as weapons was a bit too comical to make it believable, not withstanding the heavy dose of scientific jargon in the story.

The ending was something I did not expect, but in retrospect, well thought of indeed.

Good read all in all and I liked it!

[Floor Kist · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Krone Experiment blew my mind!
J. Craig Wheeler wrote an incredible story set at the time of the break-up of the Soviet Union. Damage to a Russian aircraft carrier leads to a breakdown in the detente with the United States.
A science team, led by the Deputy Director of Scientific Intelligence for the CIA, and his top aide, try to find out what happened. An astrophysicist proposes a mind-blowing theory about a fabricated mini-black hole. Their search leads to the Krone's lab. Krone is a real genius, but not an evil one.

If you're into hard science-fiction with a serious whiff of military and politics, then this is an amazing read.

[Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Soviet aircraft carrier is severely damaged at the start of this story, pushing the USSR and US toward a nuclear showdown. As the two governments push steadily toward the brink of mutually assured destruction, continued investigation by the CIA deputy director of scientific intelligence leads to discovery of a cause that could be even more destructive and more inevitable. Can preventing a nuclear holocaust still leave you hopeless? Entertaining thriller for my geek, science side.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this a very good book, but at times a bit too technical in what was going on. Also found it a little confusing at times when switching between characters. Very interesting olot and a great group of characters. This is one I would read again.

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

J. Craig Wheeler is my Astronomy prof. from UT Austin.

[Robert William Saul Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Bharat · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a very interesting premise. But suffers from lack of polish. There are some places where the transitions seem abrupt or the dialogue forced. I think it could have done with a good editor.

[Carl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very slow to get going. But interesting story overall.