Target Utopia, a Dreamland
thriller, by Jim DeFelice and Dale Brown is an exciting read.
As with the earlier Dreamland books there is a return to the
action-packed scenes of air fights, and the character interaction
is strewn with tension. At the forefront of all the action
is the main character, Breanna Stockard.
Although she is not among those who are directly fighting
on the front lines, Breanna is the focal point. As the Whiplash
Director of the Department of Defense Office of Special Technology
she must decide the mission and the fate of those she sends
into harm’s way. In addition, her relationships with
her husband, Senator Zen Stockard, her father, Tecumseh Bastian,
and one of Whiplash’s pilot, Captain Turk Mako is explored;
yet, there is not any resolution in this book.
In an action-packed plot, Breanna sends a Whiplash team headed
by Colonel Danny Freah into Malaysia to investigate Muslim
extremists who have found a UAV. Along with pilot Turk Mako
and newcomer pilot, Torbin Van Garetn (Cowboy) they discover
a conspiracy that involves a former member of the taskforce
team, Lloyd Braxton. They are in a desperate race to recover
the aircraft and capture those responsible before actions
will set off World War III.
An interesting point explored is how commanders must decide
which is more important the mission or those who they must
command. DeFelice noted, “I wanted to explore the balance
between accomplishing the mission and risking people’s
lives. Commanders must deal with the practical and philosophical
issues.”
Besides Breanna other interesting characters include President
Mary Christine Todd who is someone any American would want
as the first woman President. She is willing to listen to
all points of view, including those who disagree with her,
is always willing to make the hard decision, understands her
goals, and has a realistic point of view. Another noteworthy
character is the villain, Braxton. He is very intelligent,
a science nerd, self-absorbed, socially stunted, and narcissistic,
inotherwords a psychopath. He believes in Kallipolis, the
psychopathic take on Plato, that philosopher kings would run
the world.
DeFelice also gave a heads up about a future book. He will
be writing a new series with Dale Brown, a spy thriller involving
robotics. This techno-thriller is based on technology just
released and is written closer to the present time than the
Dreamland novels.
Whether writing a fiction or non-fiction book, DeFelice has
an inspirational story where the backdrop is real world events.
Other
reviews in this series
Retribution
#9
Revolution
#10
Whiplash
#11
Black
Wolf
#12
Raven
Strike #13
Drone
Strike #15
Target
Utopia #16
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