Fatal Terrain

✍ Scribed by Brown, Dale

• Book ID: 108245333
• Publisher: Berkley
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 309 KB
• Series: Patrick McLanahan 6
• Category: Fiction
• ISBN: 039914241X

✦ Synopsis

The bestselling author of Dale Brown’s Dreamland and Warrior Class, Dale Brown thrills readers with his chillingly realistic descriptions of high-tech warfare. Now, in this explosive novel, Brown takes to the Asian skies…

The People’s Republic of China has launched a terrifying attack against Taiwan. Cold. Swift. Deadly. The U.S. isn’t willing to stand by and watch, but when they come to Taiwan’s aid, they’re dealt an unexpected blow from Chinese forces. It looks like the U.S. is going down…

Until aerial strike warfare expert Patrick McLanahan and genius Jon Masters come into the picture. Together, they have created a monster—the EB-52 Megafortress. A high-tech display of weaponry, fully equipped with stealth cruise missiles. The most sophisticated bomber the world has ever seen. The unsinkable “flying battleship.”

Now China is on its way to a nuclear high noon. And the Doomsday clock is ticking…

From Library Journal

In this all-too-predictable tale, a reconfigured B-52 bomber and its doughty crew try to prevent a war between Taiwan and the People's Republic of China. Dastardly politicians and greedy military careerists attempt to thwart our friends in the skies, but, aided by hawkish President Martindale, strike-warfare expert Patrick McLanahan and his buddies put their prototype aircraft through its paces while flirting with their own capture or destruction. Unfortunately, Brown here fails to live up to the thought-provoking substance of his previous books, notably Shadows of Steel (LJ 6/15/96). The major characters from those earlier works reappear (accompanied by turgid recapitulations of past escapes) and seize the opportunity to weigh in on the side of the good guys. Despite battle scenes and lots of shouted dialog, the pace is leaden and the characterizations dull. Only for comprehensive Brown or aviation-fiction collections.
-?Elsa Pendleton, Boeing Information Svcs., Inc., China Lake, Cal.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The Old Dog (an airplane, as Brown regulars know) learns yet more new tricks in Brown's latest technothriller. The EB-52 Megafortresses (improved descendants of the Old Dog) are about to be scrapped, the rest of the U.S. heavy bomber force radically downsized. Then the Chinese seriously try to conquer Taiwan, and President Martindale wants to defend it equally seriously, despite U.S. military weakness, interservice rivalry, and political opposition. Led by Brad Elliott and Patrick McLanahan, the reunited Old Dog crew flies one official mission against the Chinese--and then is faced with arrest for exceeding orders. The next mission--unofficial--becomes justly compared with the exploits of the Flying Tigers of World War II and precipitates a decisive U.S. bomber counteroffensive that defeats the Chinese. Longer on well-handled action and hardware than on characterization (virtually all the navy personnel in it are caricatures), the yarn is another consistent page-turner from Brown, anyway, and won't disappoint his numerous readers. Roland Green