Loose Cannon [Hardcover]

Dean Ing (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 11, 2000

From the bestselling author of The Ransom of Black Stealth One

Dean Ing returns to his fascination with experimental aircraft, but this time instead of the big jets of The Ransom of Black Stealth One, this one is about smaller, more insidious flying machines.

Rob Tarrant is a genius at designing flying things, and his work for General Standards Corporation has yielded more than one patent for the aviation giant. But Tarrant's hobby is building miniature UAVs -- Unmanned Arial Vehicles, tiny remote controlled drones. They could be toys, but Tarrant's latest version is so small, and so stable, that he thinks he might be able to mount other miniaturized technology on board: chemical analyzers, or listening devices.

Being a good company man, Tarrant plans to give his little flying machine design to General Standards. But from the moment he describes the project to his boss, his life becomes a living hell -- for Tarrant has succeeded in building a device that has been the subject of a dozen top secret research projects. And everyone wants to stop him before he shows his new toys to the whole world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ing takes direct aim at the reader's sense of humorAconnecting more often than notAin this lighthearted thriller about a Silicon Valley engineer forced into hiding after one of his inventions attracts the interest of the wrong people. Rob Tarrant, a mild-mannered career man at enormous General Standards Corp., has high hopes for his miniature, remote-controlled flying machine, which can hover high above the ground, taking pictures or chemically sensing any number of things too small for the eye or nose to detectAeven pollution levels or pest infestation in crops. Tarrant expects praise and a promotion when he takes his so-called Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to his boss, the smooth-talking Ethan Lodge. And indeed, Tarrant's life does change instantly, but not for the better. Bewilderingly, he goes from being a faceless Silicon Valley drone to one of the most wanted men in the country, chased by, among others, U.S. and Israeli intelligence agents. After the first attempt on his life, the resourceful Tarrant goes to ground, employing various schemes and disguises to survive. Relying on wacky friends and family to elude his clumsy pursuers, he spends the bulk of his time trying to figure out why everyone is so riled about his seemingly innocuous UAV. Ing (The Nemesis Mission; The Skins of Dead Men), himself a longtime engineer and tinkerer, finds great sport in poking fun at lots of targetsASilicon Valley's self-importance, corporate arrogance, engineering nerdiness and government bumbling. The thriller as farce is only one of Ing's modesAhe also writes sci-fi-inflected suspense novels and more serious techno-thrillersAbut it is his best. The witty repartee and situational humor of his latest amusement are strained at times, but Ing continues to mine a profitable side vein in a field crowded with the claims of more conventional thriller writers. (Nov.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Man-on-the-run thrillers are a dime a dozen, but fresh ones are substantially rarer. Readers looking for something new will be happy to crack the covers of Ing's latest offering. Rob Tarrant works for General Standards Corporation, a high-tech company, but his hobby is building tiny unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). When he combines his work and his hobby by inventing a miniature flying machine only a few inches long, he is startled to find that someone suddenly seems to be trying to kill him. Is it his employer or a government agent? And, if the latter, whose government? Featuring well-drawn characters and reasonably sharp dialogue (Ing avoids most of the cliches of the genre), the novel reenergizes the on-the-run theme without straying too far from the familiar conventions. Experienced readers may see the conclusion coming a tad earlier than Ing would like, but getting there is still a lot of fun. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (November 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312871945
• ISBN-13: 978-0312871949
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,695,384 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As good as he ever was, October 26, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Loose Cannon (Hardcover)

Thought just another anonymous chip in the Silicon Valley, Rob Tarrant is actually a brilliant inventor who has brought several patents to his employer. As a way to relax away from the job, the designer enjoys building miniature unmanned aerial vehicles that use remote control devices to maneuver them.

Rob's latest toy tinkering leads to a very small yet stable flying device that he sees has incredible possibilities. Being a loyal company man, he informs his boss Ethan Lodge at General Standards Corporation about his latest gadget. However, the reaction to his new gizmo turns into a trip to the Twilight Zone for Rob as bungling government agents amongst others chase after him. As he hides amidst the sand dunes near San Jose, Rob cannot figure out what happened let alone how he will survive.

LOOSE CANNON is a lighthearted satirical look at the Silicon Valley food chain. The story line takes a bite out of just about everyone including the conceited corporations, the greedy governments, and the sandcastle-building savant-engineers. With this novel and tales like FLYING TO PIECES Dean Ing continues to provide ironic, amusing twists and zingers to the classic thriller of grandiose Goliaths chasing dweeby Davids.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Technothriller, September 23, 2001

By 

G. Styles (Vienna, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Loose Cannon (Hardcover)

Reading "Loose Cannon" reminded me how good Ing can be. His thrillers (like his earlier science fiction) always strike a nice balance between fascinating tech and quirky, interesting characters. What I've loved about his books since the first one I read is that I always come away not only entertained, but also informed about something worth knowing. (One of his early books turned me on to NPR.) This novel is also much less dark than some of his recent work, with moments of genuine humor. At one point I became so engrossed that I had to switch to another book at bedtime in order to be able to fall asleep.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a "warmer " ING novel, December 30, 2000

By 

John K. Wilson (omaha, ne United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Loose Cannon (Hardcover)

Mr. Ing has written another very readable yarn! His ability to weave aviation technology into a story is there, but scaled back. This time his love of family shows through, and it's a nice addition.

His dialog is witty or real, as needed. His characters are "real people". This one could be a movie, the special effects budget would be much lower than "Butcher Bird" or "The Ransom of Black Stealth One", I'd go see it.