Arctic Storm Rising represents the start of a new series for acclaimed thriller writer Dale Brown. It’s a departure from the world of futuristic techno-thrillers featuring the McLanahans and Iron Wolf Squadron taking on their Russian enemies in a battle of advanced military technology. In their place is Air Force Special Ops Captain Nick Flynn leading a ragtag army of banished malcontents, insubordinates, and scapegoats taking on …well…a Russian enemy with advanced military technology. But in this book, technology isn’t the stuff of science fiction. It’s quite realistic and the central aspect of a scary plot that has the US and Russia on the verge of mutually assured nuclear destruction.
This is a story that harkens back to the days of the Cold War with a modern twist. The Russians have a broken arrow event when one of their pilots, with nothing to lose, absconds with a new stealth bomber prototype loaded for bear with 12 nuclear-armed cruise missiles. A desperate race ensues between the Russians and Americans as each country tries to get their hands on the bomber at all costs and by any means necessary. Storms batter the area of operations and sleeper agents engage in sabotage, making it near impossible for the US to respond to Russian aggressions and attempts to recover their bomber. However, the US is fortunate to have an island of misfit soldiers close to the action who they must rely on to save the day. They’re not the A-team. Hell they’re not even the B,C, D or E team. But they’re the team of underdogs America needs in this very moment to thwart all-out nuclear war. Will they be successful? You’ll just have to pick up a copy of Arctic Storm Rising to find out for yourself.
As much as I enjoyed the McClanahan universe Dale Brown has written about for many years, I believe Arctic Storm Rising is a nice change of direction that will garner him more traditional-minded military thriller fans. The book still has the great character development and geopolitical plotlines that the author is known for, he just replaces sci-fi weaponry and battles in the dark vacuum of space with traditional soldiers wielding modern-day weapons while fighting on the frozen Alaskan arctic tundra.
As a result, Dale Brown delivers yet another captivating tale pitting Americans vs. Russians with the whole world facing dire consequences. He takes the time to set the stage and develop the characters before sprinting for the finish line with astonishingly intense action sequences. Consequently, Arctic Storm Rising is a fun thrill ride that is guaranteed to be enjoyed by fans of Mr. Brown’s prior work as well as fans of military thrillers by authors such as Brad Taylor, Ben Coes and Ward Larsen to name a few. Preorder a copy now and get ready to meet Nick Flynn, the genre’s newest hero.
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