Rating: 
Summary: ...
Review: It's actually an interesting idea - that we build an airplane that the Russians want to steal. In this case, it's the "Dreamstar", an airplane so maneuverable, it has to be guided by thought impulses. With it's forward-swept wings, it can outfly any other plane. It's only remote competition is a specially modified F-15, the Cheetah, flown by Brown's hero, Pat Mclanahan. Unfortunately, Dreamstar's pilot is actually a deep-plant Russian agent who's not only not above selling out the US, but completely pathological as well. Faced with the prospect of losing his chance to fly the airplane, the mole steals it, touching off a chain of fierce dogfighting and much superpower bickering. The Russians are perfectly craven, but the really annoying charachters are the heroes - teh kind of stalwart guys who know they're in teh right and won't let some stupid bureaucrat or politician get in the way. Almost as bad are the liberals - those who advise the president to wait and see, the kind we're supposed to hate more than the Russians. But the worst of all is the evil Russian spy, another one of Brown's demented villains. An indecisive, or simply inept or insecure villain could have made the whole thing perfectly plausible, and even added some fun to the mix. Instead, it comes off as a cheat (because the unbalanced bad-guy acts without reason, he doesn't require much in the way of charachter development, and also because it keeps the Russians from taking the sort of action that would have given them the plane before the book was half-way complete). We're supposed to overlook these flaws because "Cheetah" is supposed to be realistic, and I'll ahve to wait until some F-15 driver says "that's the way it is". Brown gives his charachters extensive dialog, even when they're supposed to be strapped into jet fighters screaming 50 feet over a the floor of a valley, or trying to evade hostil radar - as if it's no big deal. Brown stages his dogfights from a detached perspective - we know where every fighter is at every time (as opposed to the real world, where that kind of situational awareness is extremely rare). I remember having more fun with my flight sim games - and that was in 1993!! Much better was "Firefox", also about a thought-controlled superfighter getting hijacked.
Rating:
Summary: ...
Review: It's actually an interesting idea - that we build an airplane that the Russians want to steal. In this case, it's the "Dreamstar", an airplane so maneuverable, it has to be guided by thought impulses. With it's forward-swept wings, it can outfly any other plane. It's only remote competition is a specially modified F-15, the Cheetah, flown by Brown's hero, Pat Mclanahan. Unfortunately, Dreamstar's pilot is actually a deep-plant Russian agent who's not only not above selling out the US, but completely pathological as well. Faced with the prospect of losing his chance to fly the airplane, the mole steals it, touching off a chain of fierce dogfighting and much superpower bickering. The Russians are perfectly craven, but the really annoying charachters are the heroes - teh kind of stalwart guys who know they're in teh right and won't let some stupid bureaucrat or politician get in the way. Almost as bad are the liberals - those who advise the president to wait and see, the kind we're supposed to hate more than the Russians. But the worst of all is the evil Russian spy, another one of Brown's demented villains. An indecisive, or simply inept or insecure villain could have made the whole thing perfectly plausible, and even added some fun to the mix. Instead, it comes off as a cheat (because the unbalanced bad-guy acts without reason, he doesn't require much in the way of charachter development, and also because it keeps the Russians from taking the sort of action that would have given them the plane before the book was half-way complete). We're supposed to overlook these flaws because "Cheetah" is supposed to be realistic, and I'll ahve to wait until some F-15 driver says "that's the way it is". Brown gives his charachters extensive dialog, even when they're supposed to be strapped into jet fighters screaming 50 feet over a the floor of a valley, or trying to evade hostil radar - as if it's no big deal. Brown stages his dogfights from a detached perspective - we know where every fighter is at every time (as opposed to the real world, where that kind of situational awareness is extremely rare). I remember having more fun with my flight sim games - and that was in 1993!! Much better was "Firefox", also about a thought-controlled superfighter getting hijacked.
Rating: 
Summary: Exciting Air Action
Review: Read the prologue carefuly-you'll need it later. because everything in this exciting thriller fits together like a jigsaw puzzle. From the top secret deep cover Russian training school to the chase through Nicaragua to the final fate of the Russian mole, this is a book that will keep you in its grip until your through it. Although I'm not up on the aviation terms, I found that I didn't get lost in technicalities as you do in some thrillers. Dale Brown writes a mean adventure novel even with the jargon. Besides they give you the glossary for tech terms BEFORE the story. Pick it up, you're in for an exciting time.
Rating:
Summary: Exciting Air Action
Review: Read the prologue carefuly-you'll need it later. because everything in this exciting thriller fits together like a jigsaw puzzle. From the top secret deep cover Russian training school to the chase through Nicaragua to the final fate of the Russian mole, this is a book that will keep you in its grip until your through it. Although I'm not up on the aviation terms, I found that I didn't get lost in technicalities as you do in some thrillers. Dale Brown writes a mean adventure novel even with the jargon. Besides they give you the glossary for tech terms BEFORE the story. Pick it up, you're in for an exciting time.
Rating:
Summary: The best techno thriller I have ever read
Review: The combination of an excellent aircraft and mind control is perfectly descibed by Dale Brown. A book so good you only can stop reading after you finished till the last page. My only comment is that Dale Brown's books are not published in The Netherlands, and therefore most Dutch people are not awaire of this great writer.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book
Review: This is my second Dale Brown, and if i can describe this book in one word, the word is ACTION. THe descriptions of Dogfights are very good, and the plot is very good. THe only problem in this book is the date of the History .. 1996 .. and in the book the USSR still exists .. but we can forgive the autor .. because this book was writen in 1989.
Great Book ... must Read
Rating:
Summary: GRIPPING!
Review: This is one of Dale Brown's best achievements. He totaly grips you from the very first page and won't let go until the end of the very last page.
Rating:
Summary: GRIPPING!
Review: This is one of Dale Brown's best achievements. He totaly grips you from the very first page and won't let go until the end of the very last page.
Rating:
Summary: This one is the best of Brown
Review: This is the book that made me a Dale Brown fan. I read it a few years ago, but I still remember the great story about the integration of flight controls directly into its human pilot. To "become one" with the machine WOULD be the ultimate thrill ride if the machine was a high performance fighter aircraft. Just how DO you win against a fighter that reacts as fast as the human brain thinks? Dale Brown knows. This is THE classic of Dale Brown's books. If you don't like this one, well.....there's no accounting for taste
Rating:
Summary: A Truely Great Read
Review: This was a super read. The touching story of a young cheetah as it struggles to survive after the death of its mother. Kinda like Bambi in Africa. A real MUST READ!!!
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