Drone
Strike by Jim DeFelice with Dale Brown, is another installment
of the Dreamland series. This is the longest running air combat
series with the first novel published in 2001. As in all the
previous books DeFelice combines military issues with technology.
The main issues explored in Drone Srike are the use
of small Nano UAVs, Iran’s nuclear weapons program,
Breanna’s decision to send an American pilot, Turk Mako,
on a suicide mission, and the President’s decision not
to consult Congress and order a strike on Iran’s nuclear
bunkers.
DeFelice commented, “I hope the readers understand that
in a suicide mission the commander must choose between the
life of that one person compared to the greater good. In the
next book I will explore many questions left up in the air.
What will be the repercussions of Breanna’s decision?
Will Senator Zen Stockard run for President, and if so will
he win? Will Zen choose surgery to enable him to walk or his
political desires?”
The plot has Turk embedded in Iran with a small Special Forces
group. Their mission is to find the nuclear weapons and destroy
both the weapons and bunkers. There is constant action fighting
off Revolutionary Guards, Iranian MIGs, and the elite Quds
Force.
In this novel Breanna is more of a bureaucratic figure and
Zen pretty much just makes a cameo appearance. DeFelice explained,
“I needed to make the characters realistic. Because
of her age her role had to change. I also want to bring in
new characters like Turk to keep the storyline fresh.”
The most interesting part of the story is how it parallels
today’s world. There is a President who makes an autonomous
decision and decides to use technology instead of manpower
for the mission. DeFelice appears to be showing that it is
possible to narrow the players, limit the casualties, and
not have fingerprints, yet the mission can be accomplished.
The philosophical question explored is: what are the moral
choices leaders must make?
The technology used includes the Nano UAVs, prosthetic arms,
and a spacecraft. DeFelice noted, “I always want to
include cutting edge technology that is a few years out. The
Nano technology is several years away. The Spacecraft is based
on one the Air Force is currently testing. Regarding the medicine
used for Mark Stoner’s memory, that is very experimental
and controversial. The communication technology is pretty
much up to date. I did a lot of research for the prosthetic
technology. Something really neat is the experiment of teaching
robotic arms to catch a baseball. The software evolves itself
so that the arm can actually catch.”
What DeFelice is hoping readers get out of his new novel,
Drone Strike, is a lot of fun and entertainment.
Beyond that he hopes that people gain insight to the issues
explored and the technology used.
Other
reviews in this series
Retribution
#9
Revolution
#10
Whiplash
#11
Black
Wolf
#12
Raven
Strike #13
Drone
Strike #15
Target
Utopia #16
|
