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Dan Lenson #11
The Weapon
As a member of TAG Charlie—an elite team of active-duty sailors, SEALs, and civilian analysts—United States Navy Commander and Medal of Honor winner Dan Lenson must defuse emerging naval threats around the globe. The deadly Skhval K, an unstoppable rocket torpedo designed to destroy U.S. aircraft carriers, definitely qualifies.When the Skhval-K is demonstrated at a Moscow arms show, Dan tries to buy one so that the U.S. Navy can build countermeasures. But when the Russians sell the new weapon to Iran and China instead, Dan decides that if he can’t buy it, he’ll steal it…When a daring nighttime penetration of Iran’s largest naval base goes wrong, Dan finds himself captaining a submarine he barely knows how to submerge—while being pursued by Iranian destroyers and sub-hunting aircraft through the hazardous Persian Gulf. Never mind the weapon and the balance of power in the Mideast. This time, Dan will be lucky to escape with his life…
464 pages, Paperback
First published November 25, 2008
73 people are currently reading
165 people want to read
About the author
David Poyer
82 books240 followersAka D.C. Poyer.
DAVID C. POYER was born in DuBois, PA in 1949. He grew up in Brockway, Emlenton, and Bradford, in western Pennsylvania, and graduated from Bradford Area High School in 1967. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1971, and later received a master's degree from George Washington University.
Poyer's active and reserve naval service included sea duty in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Arctic, Caribbean, and Pacific, and shore duty at the Pentagon, Surface Warfare Development Group, Joint Forces Command, and in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. He retired in July 2001.
Poyer began writing in 1976, and is the author of nearly fifty books, including THE MED, THE GULF, THE CIRCLE, THE PASSAGE, TOMAHAWK, CHINA SEA, BLACK STORM, THE COMMAND, THE THREAT, KOREA STRAIT, THE WEAPON, THE CRISIS, THE CRUISER, TIPPING POINT, HUNTER KILLER, DEEP WAR, OVERTHROW, VIOLENT PEACE, ARCTIC SEA, and THE ACADEMY, best-selling Navy novels; THE DEAD OF WINTER, WINTER IN THE HEART, AS THE WOLF LOVES WINTER, THUNDER ON THE MOUNTAIN, and THE HILL, set in Western Pennsylvania; and HATTERAS BLUE, BAHAMAS BLUE, LOUISIANA BLUE, and DOWN TO A SUNLESS SEA, underwater diving adventure.
Other noteworthy books are THE ONLY THING TO FEAR, a historical thriller, THE RETURN OF PHILO T. McGIFFIN, a comic novel of Annapolis, and the three volumes of The Civil War at Sea, FIRE ON THE WATERS, A COUNTRY OF OUR OWN, and THAT ANVIL OF OUR SOULS. He's also written two sailing thrillers, GHOSTING and THE WHITENESS OF THE WHALE. His work has been published in Britain, translated into Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Hugarian, and Serbo-Croatian; recorded for audiobooks, iPod downloads, and Kindle, and selected by the Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club and other book clubs. Rights to several properties have been sold or optioned for films, and two novellas appeared in the Night Bazaar series of fantasy anthologies.
Poyer has taught or lectured at Annapolis, Flagler College, University of Pittsburgh, Old Dominion University, the Armed Forces Staff College, the University of North Florida, Christopher Newport University, and other institutions. He has been a guest on PBS's "Writer to Writer" series and on Voice of America, and has appeared at the Southern Festival of Books and many other literary events. He taught in the MA/MFA in Creative Writing program at Wilkes University for sixteen years. He is currently core faculty at the Ossabaw Writers Retreat, a fellow of the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and a board member of the Northern Appalachia Review.
He lives on Virginia's Eastern Shore with novelist Lenore Hart.
DAVID C. POYER was born in DuBois, PA in 1949. He grew up in Brockway, Emlenton, and Bradford, in western Pennsylvania, and graduated from Bradford Area High School in 1967. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1971, and later received a master's degree from George Washington University.
Poyer's active and reserve naval service included sea duty in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Arctic, Caribbean, and Pacific, and shore duty at the Pentagon, Surface Warfare Development Group, Joint Forces Command, and in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. He retired in July 2001.
Poyer began writing in 1976, and is the author of nearly fifty books, including THE MED, THE GULF, THE CIRCLE, THE PASSAGE, TOMAHAWK, CHINA SEA, BLACK STORM, THE COMMAND, THE THREAT, KOREA STRAIT, THE WEAPON, THE CRISIS, THE CRUISER, TIPPING POINT, HUNTER KILLER, DEEP WAR, OVERTHROW, VIOLENT PEACE, ARCTIC SEA, and THE ACADEMY, best-selling Navy novels; THE DEAD OF WINTER, WINTER IN THE HEART, AS THE WOLF LOVES WINTER, THUNDER ON THE MOUNTAIN, and THE HILL, set in Western Pennsylvania; and HATTERAS BLUE, BAHAMAS BLUE, LOUISIANA BLUE, and DOWN TO A SUNLESS SEA, underwater diving adventure.
Other noteworthy books are THE ONLY THING TO FEAR, a historical thriller, THE RETURN OF PHILO T. McGIFFIN, a comic novel of Annapolis, and the three volumes of The Civil War at Sea, FIRE ON THE WATERS, A COUNTRY OF OUR OWN, and THAT ANVIL OF OUR SOULS. He's also written two sailing thrillers, GHOSTING and THE WHITENESS OF THE WHALE. His work has been published in Britain, translated into Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Hugarian, and Serbo-Croatian; recorded for audiobooks, iPod downloads, and Kindle, and selected by the Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club and other book clubs. Rights to several properties have been sold or optioned for films, and two novellas appeared in the Night Bazaar series of fantasy anthologies.
Poyer has taught or lectured at Annapolis, Flagler College, University of Pittsburgh, Old Dominion University, the Armed Forces Staff College, the University of North Florida, Christopher Newport University, and other institutions. He has been a guest on PBS's "Writer to Writer" series and on Voice of America, and has appeared at the Southern Festival of Books and many other literary events. He taught in the MA/MFA in Creative Writing program at Wilkes University for sixteen years. He is currently core faculty at the Ossabaw Writers Retreat, a fellow of the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and a board member of the Northern Appalachia Review.
He lives on Virginia's Eastern Shore with novelist Lenore Hart.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 14, 2014
Don't strand Dan on land.
February 5, 2010
Former Naval Officer David Poyer send his hero, Cmdr. Den Lenson, USN, out for an 11th naval adventure. Every now and then, I need a technothriller to cleanse the pallet. Poyer writes some of the best. I've read just about all of his work. Unlike many, his people are 3D and not just puppets to drive along the plot.
February 27, 2022
The last several Lenson novels had gotten better, and this one was going in that direction until the end where we see Lenson standing on the deck, staring into the dark...end of story.
So very many loose ends
So very many loose ends
June 23, 2023
In this #11 book of the Dan Lenson series, Dan is put on a task to get a newky developed weapon made by the Russians so that the USA can back-engineer it to create a defensive to counterattack it. He first tries to buy it directly from the company but is denied a chance, so they next attempt to steal it by faking a pirate atttack on the tanker supposedly carrying it to the buyer, but find out that the weapon never was put on board the ship despite the manifest statement. The last attempt which was the most dangerous, involved the team taking it off the Iranian submarine that it was put on. But following their luckm they were forced to improvise and Dan and his team steal the whoke submarine out of the port and sail the internstional ocean sea to get to a safe port.
The description of the conditions of being in a submarine underwater for a prolonged period of time with an unresponsive diesel engine and the electrical batteries decreasing to the point they can't use the airfiltration system properly while using equipment marked in a foreign language with only an 7 member team. Luckily one team member knew how to work the sonar equipment and one team member had been on a submarine where the entire crew knew every position and they had one team member who knew the basics of piloting a submersible and coud steer the submarine. They coudn't surface to vent the submarine air becuase they had Iranian crusiers following them who coud trakc them with sonar and attack them with depth charges. On top of this the submarine could not handle deep depth pressure so they were forced to maintain a low depth which lowered the sonar capacity of the ships following them. A very scary cat and mouse game, where they finallescape when they forced the shios following them into an area of oil dirges and tankers and they decide to use the weapon that they had gotten pictures of all the sychematitcs and the diagrams of its workings after taking it apart and putting it back together and fired it back at their pursuers.
All of this was hushed up and given a different explantion back in Washington D.C.
The description of the conditions of being in a submarine underwater for a prolonged period of time with an unresponsive diesel engine and the electrical batteries decreasing to the point they can't use the airfiltration system properly while using equipment marked in a foreign language with only an 7 member team. Luckily one team member knew how to work the sonar equipment and one team member had been on a submarine where the entire crew knew every position and they had one team member who knew the basics of piloting a submersible and coud steer the submarine. They coudn't surface to vent the submarine air becuase they had Iranian crusiers following them who coud trakc them with sonar and attack them with depth charges. On top of this the submarine could not handle deep depth pressure so they were forced to maintain a low depth which lowered the sonar capacity of the ships following them. A very scary cat and mouse game, where they finallescape when they forced the shios following them into an area of oil dirges and tankers and they decide to use the weapon that they had gotten pictures of all the sychematitcs and the diagrams of its workings after taking it apart and putting it back together and fired it back at their pursuers.
All of this was hushed up and given a different explantion back in Washington D.C.
November 2, 2020
"The Weapon," the eleventh book in David Poyer's Dan Lenson series, is one intense, nail-biting read. The book finds U.S. Navy Commander Daniel V. Lenson assigned to Tactical Analysis Group (TAG) Team Charlie. The team, comprised of active-duty sailors, SEALs, and civilian analysts, focuses on investigating and defusing potential naval threats around the world. The latest threat is the Skhval-K, a Russian-made rocket torpedo capable of destroying a U.S. aircraft carrier. Team Charlie needs to obtain the weapon's technical data and, if possible, the weapon itself. When an attempt to buy the sole existing copy of the weapon at a Moscow-based armaments exhibition falls through, the team discovers that Iran has obtained the Skhval-K. A snatch-and-grab caper against a container ship carrying the weapon comes up empty. The team's last chance at the weapon is a covert infiltration of an Iranian naval base and hijacking the submarine carrying the Skhval-K. The team completes the infiltration, commandeers the sub, and heads for safe waters. But, to paraphrase the poet, the plan "gang aft agley" and Dan and his team members are in mortal danger... If intense, well-plotted thrillers appeal to you, check out "The Weapon."
December 18, 2021
If you look at my latest "read" books you will notice that I have been on a David Poyer kick. Specifically his Dan Lenson series. This is because I read ONE book in the series (admittedly out of order) and it hooked me! Have since been trying to get my hand on every book in the series Preferring to read actual "hard copies" has slowed me down and made certain early works harder to come by. But eventually I will get them all read! And then probably start on his other works. Highly recommend this author.
March 26, 2021
Open disclosure, I have read almost all of the Dan Lenson series and with only two exceptions, I like all of the books. This one stands out as being one of my favorites. Having never served on a submarine, I don't know how many people would be required to operate a boat, but in this story it seems to be a little bit of a stretch. However, it is fiction and it makes for an exciting read.
May 19, 2021
Commander Lenson Pulls it Out Again
I can't think of any more superlatives. I'm beginning to think like Dan Lenson as I cannot stop and can't wait to go on to the next adventure. Sometimes it's just really good to forget about reality get into the story and enjoy yourself
I can't think of any more superlatives. I'm beginning to think like Dan Lenson as I cannot stop and can't wait to go on to the next adventure. Sometimes it's just really good to forget about reality get into the story and enjoy yourself
February 6, 2025
Very Enjoyable
Dan strikes again, saving the world from the bad guys with the help of his mates and allies. This was a very readable tale, almost in the page turner category. Poyer’s Lenson series continues to improve. Recommended
Dan strikes again, saving the world from the bad guys with the help of his mates and allies. This was a very readable tale, almost in the page turner category. Poyer’s Lenson series continues to improve. Recommended
September 24, 2018
A reasonably well-done military thriller. I enjoy the adventures of Dan Lenson and will read more of this series. it is a good but not great thriller.
May 6, 2012
I am beginning to think that Dan Lenson is stuck. That he is never going to get promoted and that this lack of upper advancement really means that we are going to struggle to see any mission worthy of our hero over the next several books.
Poyer has given us a hero who is one of the few that showcases what an officer who wears black shoes should be doing in the modern world. With so few competitors, we then should see a great deal of Lenson. But we don't see as much as we see some of those who have similar duties in navies that were extant 200 years ago.
And with the world the volatile place it is, we should see more of Lenson for that reason as well. Though our most recent engagements are of a land nature, the invention of missions and enemies that perhaps parallel reality but are not totally existent on this earth might give us more Lenson.
In any event we want believable Lenson. Whether in this book, can we believe in a torpedo that can go 200 knots an hour and thus be more deadly than anything our current Carrier defenses can handle, is something that perhaps we can believe. Harder to believe that the CNO and those on an equal footing can't figure out amongst themselves how best to acquire such an item and all stupidity breaks lose repeatedly leaving our hero to figure things out and save the day.
And with a short staffed crew, extricate themselves from the Gulf in a manner that the ship they have to do it in fully crewed, and without the problems that beset it might be difficult. I like these books, but I think Lenson can be faced with enough challenges already difficult then to add just one more thing, on top of a couple your not going to believe this'.
I am hoping that Lenson will find his way to higher command, and challenges that make sense soon. It is a shame to have boxed in a good hero in such a way that he begins to border on a comic superhero.
Poyer has given us a hero who is one of the few that showcases what an officer who wears black shoes should be doing in the modern world. With so few competitors, we then should see a great deal of Lenson. But we don't see as much as we see some of those who have similar duties in navies that were extant 200 years ago.
And with the world the volatile place it is, we should see more of Lenson for that reason as well. Though our most recent engagements are of a land nature, the invention of missions and enemies that perhaps parallel reality but are not totally existent on this earth might give us more Lenson.
In any event we want believable Lenson. Whether in this book, can we believe in a torpedo that can go 200 knots an hour and thus be more deadly than anything our current Carrier defenses can handle, is something that perhaps we can believe. Harder to believe that the CNO and those on an equal footing can't figure out amongst themselves how best to acquire such an item and all stupidity breaks lose repeatedly leaving our hero to figure things out and save the day.
And with a short staffed crew, extricate themselves from the Gulf in a manner that the ship they have to do it in fully crewed, and without the problems that beset it might be difficult. I like these books, but I think Lenson can be faced with enough challenges already difficult then to add just one more thing, on top of a couple your not going to believe this'.
I am hoping that Lenson will find his way to higher command, and challenges that make sense soon. It is a shame to have boxed in a good hero in such a way that he begins to border on a comic superhero.
May 12, 2009
I started this one a few times and read it in part because I was out of other books. It was ok ,but like may spy-ish kinds of books, the ins and outs are just plain too convoluded to me, and the descriptions of equipment etc don't raise a picture in my mind, so I really don't know what they are often talking about. In some books, I don't mind that so much because I enjoy the rest of the book development, but this book really didn't grab me on much of any level. Not an author I would go out of my way to find again.
A deadly new weapon hits the international arms market---and the only way to preserve the balance of power in the Mideast is to hijack the Iranian sub that carries it.
United States Navy Commander and Medal of Honor winner Dan Lenson has been handed another outside-the-box assignment. TAG Charlie, an elite team of active-duty sailors, SEALs, and civilian analysts, is tasked to investigate and defuse emerging naval threats around the globe. When the Skhval-K---an unstoppable rocket torpedo designed to destroy U.S. aircraft carriers---is demonstrated at a Moscow arms show, Dan tries to buy one so that the U.S. Navy can build countermeasures. But he’s lucky to escape with his life when he’s set up by Russia’s new counterespionage service.
When the Russians sell the new weapon to Iran and China instead, Dan decides that if he can’t buy it, he’ll steal it. But when a daring nighttime penetration of Iran’s largest naval base goes wrong too, Dan finds himself captaining a submarine he barely knows how to submerge, pursued by Iranian destroyers and sub-hunting aircraft through the shallow, hazardous Persian Gulf.
Authentic action and daring espionage combine in a timely thriller set in a hair-trigger military environment.
A deadly new weapon hits the international arms market---and the only way to preserve the balance of power in the Mideast is to hijack the Iranian sub that carries it.
United States Navy Commander and Medal of Honor winner Dan Lenson has been handed another outside-the-box assignment. TAG Charlie, an elite team of active-duty sailors, SEALs, and civilian analysts, is tasked to investigate and defuse emerging naval threats around the globe. When the Skhval-K---an unstoppable rocket torpedo designed to destroy U.S. aircraft carriers---is demonstrated at a Moscow arms show, Dan tries to buy one so that the U.S. Navy can build countermeasures. But he’s lucky to escape with his life when he’s set up by Russia’s new counterespionage service.
When the Russians sell the new weapon to Iran and China instead, Dan decides that if he can’t buy it, he’ll steal it. But when a daring nighttime penetration of Iran’s largest naval base goes wrong too, Dan finds himself captaining a submarine he barely knows how to submerge, pursued by Iranian destroyers and sub-hunting aircraft through the shallow, hazardous Persian Gulf.
Authentic action and daring espionage combine in a timely thriller set in a hair-trigger military environment.
May 29, 2009
Military thrillers aren't among my preferred genres, so take this review with a grain of salt. If you're a fan of David Poyer and his Dan Lenson series, you'll probably like this book better than I did.
I found many of the details too esoteric for someone like me, and I don't fancy joining the US Navy just to find out what some of those acronyms mean. Similarly, especially near the end of the book, Poyer has way too much fun describing how to operate Juliet submarine. The amount of jargon might intimidate some readers.
That being said, as thrillers go, The Weapon had great pace. A couple of early setbacks, then a tense, action-packed climax and quick resolution. Not much I can complain about there.
The characters weren't great. I didn't like Dan Lenson much; Poyer didn't seem to spend much time establishing him as a useful person. Then again, since he's the main character of a lengthy series of novels, this just may be a sign that Dan Lenson was once a great character who is now suffering from Series Decay. I'm not qualified to judge that.
An OK book, but it's not what I want to read. It has very little to offer beyond mild entertainment; I usually prefer books with a little more depth.
I found many of the details too esoteric for someone like me, and I don't fancy joining the US Navy just to find out what some of those acronyms mean. Similarly, especially near the end of the book, Poyer has way too much fun describing how to operate Juliet submarine. The amount of jargon might intimidate some readers.
That being said, as thrillers go, The Weapon had great pace. A couple of early setbacks, then a tense, action-packed climax and quick resolution. Not much I can complain about there.
The characters weren't great. I didn't like Dan Lenson much; Poyer didn't seem to spend much time establishing him as a useful person. Then again, since he's the main character of a lengthy series of novels, this just may be a sign that Dan Lenson was once a great character who is now suffering from Series Decay. I'm not qualified to judge that.
An OK book, but it's not what I want to read. It has very little to offer beyond mild entertainment; I usually prefer books with a little more depth.
June 30, 2014
This is the 11th in the Dan Lenson series, I’ve read the first one and this one, I don’t seem overly disadvantaged by not reading them in order.
These are military thrillers, featuring a main character that, while driven, is not an all action hero. At the point of this book Lenson is leading a small and elite team that consists of both military types and civilians. Some nice character dynamics between the different types of approach and personalities and this remains true for the whole book, with no un-natural “and then they all bonded” moments.
His team are tasked to obtain a unique Russian designed missile and after a couple of failed attempts, end up stealing an Iranian sub and heading for help that may not actually be there.
Author David Poyer writes realistic military thrillers, I thought this was better than The Med, the other book I read. These are weighty books that give the right level of attention to the plot and the characters and have an appropriate level of pace. I enjoyed it and will be seeking out further adventures featuring Mr Lenson.
These are military thrillers, featuring a main character that, while driven, is not an all action hero. At the point of this book Lenson is leading a small and elite team that consists of both military types and civilians. Some nice character dynamics between the different types of approach and personalities and this remains true for the whole book, with no un-natural “and then they all bonded” moments.
His team are tasked to obtain a unique Russian designed missile and after a couple of failed attempts, end up stealing an Iranian sub and heading for help that may not actually be there.
Author David Poyer writes realistic military thrillers, I thought this was better than The Med, the other book I read. These are weighty books that give the right level of attention to the plot and the characters and have an appropriate level of pace. I enjoyed it and will be seeking out further adventures featuring Mr Lenson.
March 13, 2012
Actual rating: 2.5 stars.
I have enjoyed David Poyer's novels and was looking forward to this one. I am disappointed. The Weapon seems hastily written, and more of a potboiler than previous Dan Lenson adventures . . . it almost reads as a serial, with cliffhangers at the end of every other chapter. Promising subplots (Lenson's relationship with his politically-connected wife, his promotion status & future with the USN, the menacing SEAL who's begging to turn out to be some sort of bad guy, etc) are introduced but then dropped, leaving you wondering why Poyer didn't follow through. Earlier Poyer novels were better than The Weapon . . . don't waste your time on this one.
I have enjoyed David Poyer's novels and was looking forward to this one. I am disappointed. The Weapon seems hastily written, and more of a potboiler than previous Dan Lenson adventures . . . it almost reads as a serial, with cliffhangers at the end of every other chapter. Promising subplots (Lenson's relationship with his politically-connected wife, his promotion status & future with the USN, the menacing SEAL who's begging to turn out to be some sort of bad guy, etc) are introduced but then dropped, leaving you wondering why Poyer didn't follow through. Earlier Poyer novels were better than The Weapon . . . don't waste your time on this one.
June 15, 2012
Only ok as a military techno-thriller (maybe better as a James Bond type movie). I found this novel to be too much written to a formula and quite predictable (we all know what becomes of characters who do not have a full name).
May 1, 2009
I've read his books before, and this is another in his series with his flawed hero Dan Lenson. I think I more enjoyed the early works. This one kind of wore on me.
May 28, 2011
LOVE this series. Dan Lenson is a real hero. The scrapes he gets in!!!
January 1, 2022
Poyer seemed a bit out of his element with this SEAL-focused story, but the last third of the book is great.
March 31, 2015
World Class
As always, the author delivers a fine story. The detail and the characters are terrific, and the suspense just will not end.
As always, the author delivers a fine story. The detail and the characters are terrific, and the suspense just will not end.
November 7, 2015
Lensen's luck...tiplical Navy politics...
December 9, 2015
Turgid. I know the formula is that anything that can go wrong, will, but this just drug on and on.
August 7, 2016
love this series
August 3, 2016
Entertaining story!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews