Dale Browns Dreamland (Dale Browns Dreamland 1) [Paperback]

Dale Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2, 2001 | Series: Dale Browns Dreamland 1 (Book 1)

The first in a new series of high-tech thrillers centred on Dreamland -- a top-secret USAF weapons research centre -- from the acclaimed author of Flight of the Old Dog and Warrior Class. WHERE THE BEST OF THE BEST TAKE TO THE SKIES! Hidden in the Nevada desert is America's most advanced aerospace-weapons testing facility. Dreamland is the place where the nation's top minds come to develop artillery and aircraft that push beyond the cutting edge. And where the Air Force's top guns come to test them -- on the front lines of a new era in warfare. But the fiasco of a spy's infiltration has the Pentagon looking for an excuse to close down the expensive research centre. To clean up the mess, Lt Colonel 'Dog' Bastian is sent in. He's just the guy to shake things up! and does when a crisis erupts in Somalia. Into a hotter-than-hot war zone he sends his own daughter -- the pilot of a Megafortress bomber -- and a high-tech, unmanned flight system that could make or break the future of Dreamland.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Few novelists can craft an aerial battle scene more strategically than former U.S. Air Force Capt. Brown (Warrior Class, etc.), and he and DeFelice (Coyote Bird) are in fine form here. Set deep in the Nevada desert, Dreamland is the place where top minds converge to develop cutting-edge artillery and aircraft. The discovery of a spy among the ranks of Dreamland's top pilots unnerves the elite air force personnel assigned to the base and starts a downward spiral in spirits. When Lt. Col. Tecumseh "Dog" Bastian is appointed to keep Dreamland off the Pentagon's chopping block, morale is at an all-time low. Bastian's daughter, Capt. Breanna Bastian Stockard, is one of Dreamland's best pilots, as was her husband, Maj. Jeff "Zen" Stockard, before a training mishap landed him in a wheelchair. Together, father, daughter and son-in-law lead a team into battle-torn Somalia using the Megafortress test bomber, securing Dreamland's funding and restoring its dignity. In such a technically charged story, the sheer number of characters inconsistently referred to by their nicknames and real names parading in and out of the narrative only creates confusion. Although experienced military-thriller readers will marvel at the fast pace of this novel, novices may be left behind.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

'Clancy's got serious company.' New York Daily News 'When a former pilot 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 'Dale Brown is a master at mixing technology and action. He puts readers right into the middle of the inferno.' LARRY BOND 'You have to hug the seat when reading Dale Brown. The one-time US Air Force captain navigates his way at such a fearsome pace it is impossible to take your eyes off the page.' Oxford Times 'Dale Brown is a superb storyteller.' Washington Post

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins Pb (July 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0007109660
• ISBN-13: 978-0007109661
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,247,985 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb introduction to a great new series !, August 24, 2001

By 

Mr N Forbes-warren "author of RESURGENCE and ... (Newport, South Wales, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dale Brown's Dreamland (Mass Market Paperback)

Dale Brown has collaborated with Jim DeFelice(check out his WAR BREAKER, by the way) to produce an excellent new novel set roughly around the end of Dale's DAY OF THE CHEETAH but tying in nicely with SHADOWS OF STEEL. In the story, Colonel Tecumseh DOG Bastian is assigned by the White House to get Dreamland, the secret base at Nevada's Groom Lake, back into shape or else defence budget cuts will force the place to close. The first half of the book deals with experimenting on new weapons systems, in particular the FLIGHTHAWK unmanned aerial vehicles and also development of the EB-52 Megafortress, another old favourite! Dale Brown has also done well in creating some new characters, such as hotshot F-16 pilot Mack Smith, paraplegic ex-pilot Jeff Stockard who is a leading player with the FLIGHTHAWK system and is also burned out, concerned about his marriage to Megafortress pilot Breanna Bastian Stockard, daughter of 'Dog'. All these personal dramas intertwine well when things heat up in the book's secomd half. As well as the new faces, we also get cameo appearances from Patrick MacLanahan, loose cannon General Brad Elliot(who I sadly miss, this character really rocks!), Madcap Magician SPECFOR operative Hal Briggs and also National Security Advisor Deborah O'Day, who is undecided about closing Dreamland. Overall, memorable characters, fast pacing, easy-to-read narrative and some interesting military technology which might be in use today(you just never know what they've got hidden away) and some pulsating action scenes in the air and on the ground with a deployment of a Marine Expeditionary Unit on a search and rescue mission make this new Dale Brown story well worth the read. I eagerly look forward to reading more in the DREAMLAND series!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Started slow but finished at Mach 2, July 21, 2002

By 

W & T Perry "mr. and mrs. qc" (New River Valley, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dale Brown's Dreamland (Mass Market Paperback)

Was excited about this new series from Brown based on the goings-on at Dreamland. The opening novel takes place in 1995, not long after the events in his novel Day of the Cheetah. Basically, General Elliot is out of the picture at Dreamland, and Congress and all the other higher ups are close to closing this place down.

Enter Colonel Dog Bastian. He takes over Dreamland, figuring it will be ditched by the powers that be. This is the slow, and I mean slow part of the book, pretty much the first one half to two thirds of the book. Generally, we introduce new characters, besides Bastian, including his daughter and pilot Breanna Stockard, and her husband, who is wheel-chaired after a training accident in the prologue, Jeff. A few cameos from Dale Brown's other novels appear, such as McClanahan and Briggs. The only one that takes part in most of this novel from the past novels is Nancy Cheshire.

While they are working on projects at HAWC, tensions are mounting in Somalia, where Iranians are shipping in Silkworm missles. Also, involved is Libya. The Iranians are trying to get a "Greater Islamic League" set up against the west.

Eventually, our friends at Dreamland are sent over, in their modified EB-52 Megafortresses...along with U/MF's Flighthawks, which are unmanned planes flown by Jeff from inside the EB-52.

The novel picks up speed in the last one quarter as we have aerial and land battle scenes. Can the guys and gals of Dreamland succeed in their mission, and if so, this could save the Dreamland facility.

Also enjoyed Brown and Defelice adding some action from the Navy, and Marines in this one. If not for most of the book being slow, this would have ranked higher.

Betting the series will get better, now that the characters have been developed. Worth getting if you're a techno-thriller fan.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Good Book for the Aviation-Technology inclined, June 20, 2001

By 

M. Frost (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dale Brown's Dreamland (Mass Market Paperback)

This book introduced some a lot of new characters, for those of you who are familiar with DB and his other novels. The Return of the Megafortress and the other Hi-tech gadgets give a thrill. While those familiar with this type of book, following conversations that switch between "call signs" and names won't be hard to follow.