Black Storm (Poyer, David. Tales of the Modern Navy.)

Rating:
Summary: Gulf War again
Review: Although the 7th volume of Dan Lenson's experiences in the modern US Navy, this book seems to jump back to his earlier tours in the Persian Gulf. The opening scenes of insertion behind enemy lines are harrowing descriptions of helicopter operations that will have you ducking your head. Here and elsewhere Poyer extends the action not with technical descriptions a la Clancy, but through minute by minute narration from the point of view of each of the specialists along on the mission. The main similarity to CHINA SEA, his previous and incredible novel, is the vagueness of the force's target, some unknown kind of horrible Iraqi weapon of mass destruction (shades of today's headlines, too!). Once again poor Dan is on a deniable operation that won't earn him promotion.

Poyer is a master of claustrophobic conditions, whether underwater or in tight conditions like the sewers of Baghdad. Even in desert Iraq Poyer manages to find underwater(!) action (cf. his Tiller Galloway novels). Otherwise, the presence of navy man Lenson is hard to explain, and is something Dan also has to essay several times during the story itself (harking back to his work in TOMAHAWK). One disconcerting stylistic quirk is that Lenson finds time to ruminate on profound qualms of war and humanity even while in mortal danger during a fire fight in an underground weapons bunker ("when is counter-aggression more dangerous than the aggressor?"). Serious consideration of such thoughts, however, is what make Poyer's stories so different from mere technothrillers or the ordinary run of war novels. He truly is an excellent writer, psychologically acute and able to evoke just the atmosphere he wants, however much mainstream reviewers may ignore his military genre.

Rating:
Summary: BLACK STORM WILL JUMP START YOUR HEART
Review: I just finished reading David Poyer's latest tour of duty with Lieutenant Commander Dan Lenson. I recommend it highly to anyone who wants to enlist for an "A-Ticket" ride ready for immediate departure.

LTC Lenson's diaspora scrabbles across the rocky deserts of Iraq only to slosh trough the sewers of Bagdad. Poyer's warts-and-all portrait of personal and military ethics brings the combat experience into fine focus.

While BLACK STORM is set in the closing moments before the allied invasion of Iraq it is not a history lesson. BLACK STORM reads the tea leaves of tomorrows headlines. Read this book before some Hollywood hack neuters it for the screen.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: With lots of up to date military action and tech speak I found the book quite interesting. I have read three others and been impressed with Mr. Poyers writing. I feel his background has enabled him to write quite factual and compose a novel interesting to all that care for military action. I highly recommend this book.