Product Description

Patrick McLanahan returns to dramatic flying action as conflict between North and South Korea sparks an international crisis -- in the latest high-tech, high-action thriller from ex-pilot Dale Brown, the bestselling author of Flight of the Old Dog and The Tin Man. Filled with explosive adventure, unforgettable characters and cutting-edge technology, Dale Brown's New York Times bestselling novels have established him as the undisputed master of the aerial technothriller. Now he returns to the air in a spectacular novel about a new generation of brash young heroes...Aerial combat expert Patrick McLanahan's latest challenge is to turn a group of young, maverick pilots into America's premier tactical strike force. This already difficult task takes on unexpected urgency when the fragile peace in Asia is shattered as South Korean fighter-bombers attack North Korea in support of a massive people's revolt. To the world's surprise, North Korea surrenders, the borders are thrown open and the defiant new United Republic of Korea is born -- ready to use its reserve of nuclear warheads to take on the USA and even the might of China in order to preserve its sovereignty. Enter McLanahan's raw, audacious team, sent into the fray both to protect United Korea and to stop it...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #595141 in Books
• Published on: 2000-08-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 576 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Dale Brown, himself a former air force captain, knows that a good techno-thriller succeeds by its careful blending of the hard realism of modern warfare with the fantasy of sci-fi's best alternative reality stories. In Battle Born, Brown takes pains to frame his reality with all the necessary details. He begins with an extensive, international cast list; three pages of contemporary excerpts from newspapers that address the instability of the Korean peninsula and, finally, an explosive battle simulation in the Nevada desert, rich with the techno-speak of modern warfare: "'Radar altimeter set AUTO, bug set to 830, radar altimeter override armed,' the copilot announced on the interphone. 'Both TFR channels set to one thousand hard ride. Wings full aft. Flight director set to NAV, pitch mode select switch to TERFLW, copilot.'"

As the novel unfolds we then learn of a people's revolt against the Communist leadership of North Korea. The South Koreans, already in possession of their first nuclear weapons after the failed kamikaze run of a North Korean pilot, take advantage of the weakness and destroy key tactical sites in the North, forcing a stunning surrender of the Communist leadership and the reunification of Korea. Now in possession of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, the once fractious Korean peninsula poses a serious threat to China and the world seems poised for World War III. Enter USAF Brigadier General Patrick McLanahan. As head of a new B-1B Lancer tactical strike unit based in Nevada, McLanahan and his men target and destroy enemy missiles. With their Top Gun dramatics, the Lancer unit seems the only safety between stability and global annihilation as Korea and China face off.

While all this seems a bit too fantastic and fast-paced at times, Brown's battle dialogue maintains a narrative intensity that keeps it all fun. He does seem to underestimate the impact (pun intended) of using nuclear weapons in warfare, though; the book is premised on a history that involves the Chinese having used them in strikes on Taiwan and this new tale treats the subject with somewhat less gravity than might be imagined. That said, one can't help but return to those opening newspaper clips from time to time and wonder if the seeds of Brown's world are indeed contained in the ominous tea leaves of current events. --Patrick O'Kelley

Review
'Clancy's got serious company.' New York Daily News 'The best military adventure writer in the country.' Clive Cussler 'When a former pilot with years of experience turns his hand to writing thrillers you can take their authenticity for granted. His writing is exceptional and the dialogue, plots and characters are first-class... far too good to be missed.' Sunday Mirror 'Brown has the technothriller down cold.' USA Today

About the Author
Former U.S. Air Force captain Dale Brown was born in Buffalo, New York. He graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Western European History and received an Air Force commission in 1978. He was a navigator-bombardier in the B-52G Stratofortress heavy bomber and the FB-111A supersonic medium bomber, and is the recipient of several military decorations and awards. His most recent novel is The Tin Man.

Customer Reviews

Brown's best effort yet - believeable and exciting
I've read nearly all of dale Brown's books over the past 5 or 6 years - I'm a sucker for anything involving military aviation, which is his speciality. but I'm also a sucker for a good book, and I've yet to read a Dale brown novel that wasn't a compulsive page-turner. One of the main attractions of Browns stories are that they are all part of a long, ongoing storyline - the same characters appear in nearly all of his novels, chiefly Patrick McLanahan and Brad Elliott. This does not mean, however, that you need to read all of his novels before purchasing a new one - far from it. Brown's genius is his ability to make each novel a tale that stands alone, so that a first-time Brown reader can pick up any of his novels and read them, while regular fans get to read the "next chapter" of the ongoing saga. Battle Born's story revolves around a new Korean War, where the outcome is a United Korea. As usual, his research into the political, geographical, historical and military peculiarities of his subject matter is amazing, and the action in the story never halts. I won't spoil it for anyone yet to read this, but if you haven't read a Dale Brown novel, and like the technothriller genre, then try this. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Stunning, couldn't put the book down
Dale Brown has succeeded with yet another superb techno thriller. I was unable to put the book down from the moment I started reading. Suspense, Action, this book has it all. Totally reccommended.

This is an excellent aviation techno-thriller.
Battle Born has Dale Brown's character Patrick McLanahan and the others at Dreamland in search of the best pilots for B-1B Lancer bomber based anti-ballistic missile system.

The book is gripping, full of thrilling air battles and tense situations with the chain of command as the crews fight for the survival of their unit. Dale Brown, as an ex-USAF bomber pilot has superb knowledge and uses all the technical details superbly, without confusing the reader.

A brilliant read, both for Dale Brown fans, and those new to the genre.