Storming Heaven [Abridged] [Audio Cassette]

Dale Brown (Author), Robert Foxworth (Narrator, Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1994

Lieutenant General Robert Blocker races against time to stop a deadly gang of ruthless terrorists who are using large commercial aircraft to bomb unsuspecting targets, including Los Angeles International Airport. Read by Michael Nouri.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Brown ( Chains of Command ) shamelessly promotes himself and his previous works in his eighth aeronautical techno-thriller. Thus, this unwieldy tale of domestic terrorism includes forces and characters (notably maverick Coast Guard Rear Admiral Ian Hardcastle) from prior books, as well as gratuitious self-references ("They had gotten that idea from a techno-thriller novel published a few years back . . . called Hammerheads "; or, "This is not some Dale Brown novel, this is real-life"). Supervillain Henri Cazaux, rich beyond measure from drug- and gun-running, has vowed revenge upon the U.S. government for abuse he suffered at the hands of Air Force security police when, as a youth, he was caught dealing hashish to American troops. He begins by bombing major civilian airports; the government, which must predict his next targets and outwit him, eventually has to employ military forces over the skies of our largest cities. Although Brown raises some provocative issues, such as the problem of interagency rivalries and the appropriateness of using military force in civilian areas, his political biases and heavy-handed sarcasm--especially in dealing with a certain gray-haired President who hails from the South and has "a duplicitous and questionable private life," and with his First Lady, "a tough-as-nails bitch"--blur the plot and will irritate readers who simply want to fly vicariously. Brown's aeronautical knowledge is broad and accurate, and his flight scenes are first-rate; it's too bad that he weighs them down with all that extra baggage.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In this recording of Brown's novel, terrorism is sweeping across the county. Using civilian aircraft, a vengeful ex-commando named Henri Cazaux attacks airports in major U.S. cities. Meanwhile, authorities disagree on how to combat this terrorism. Retired coast guard admiral and ex-federal law enforcement officer Ian Hardcastle is appointed by the President to track down Cazaux. The chase is on, with a major part of the action based in and around aircraft and airports. To appreciate this drama one should be familiar with the language of flying, air traffic control, and communications. Robert Foxworth's narration is well paced, and he easily handles the technical passages. The story moves along quickly, but character development doesn't seem to have been a priority for Brown. Nonetheless, this is a good choice for collections with technothrillers.
Catherine Swenson, Norwich Univ. Lib., Northfield, Vt.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Dove Entertainment Inc; abridged edition edition (June 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787100498
• ISBN-13: 978-0787100490
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,257,168 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Former U.S. Air Force captain Dale Brown is the superstar author of 21 action-adventure "techno-thriller" novels: FLIGHT OF THE OLD DOG (1987), SILVER TOWER (1988), DAY OF THE CHEETAH (1989), HAMMERHEADS (1990), SKY MASTERS (1991), NIGHT OF THE HAWK (1992), CHAINS OF COMMAND (1993), STORMING HEAVEN (1994), SHADOWS OF STEEL (1996), FATAL TERRAIN (1997), THE TIN MAN (1998), BATTLE BORN, (1999), WARRIOR CLASS (2001), WINGS OF FIRE (2002), AIR BATTLE FORCE (2003), PLAN OF ATTACK (2004), ACT OF WAR (2005), EDGE OF BATTLE (2006), STRIKE FORCE (May 2007), SHADOW COMMAND (2008) ROGUE FORCES (2009), EXECUTIVE INTENT (2010) and A TIME FOR PATRIOTS (May 2011). Fourteen of his novels have been New York Times best-sellers. He is also the co-author of the best-selling DREAMLAND techno-thriller series and writer and technical consultant of the Act of War PC real-time strategy game published by Atari Interactive and the Megafortress PC flight simulator by Three-Sixty Pacific. Dale's novels are published in 11 languages and distributed to over 70 countries. Worldwide sales of his novels, audiobooks and computer games exceed 12 million copies.

Dale was born in Buffalo, New York on November 2, 1956. He graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Western European History and received an Air Force commission in 1978. He was a navigator-bombardier in the B-52G Stratofortress heavy bomber and the FB-111A supersonic medium bomber, and is the recipient of several military decorations and awards including the Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Combat Crew Award, and the Marksmanship ribbon. Dale was also one of the nation's first Air Force ROTC cadets to qualify for and complete the grueling three-week U.S. Army Airborne Infantry paratrooper training course. He was also an Air Force instructor on aircrew life support and combat survival, evasion, resistance, and escape.

Dale supports a number of organizations to promote law enforcement, education, and literacy. He is a Life Member of the Air Force Association, U.S. Naval Institute, and National Rifle Association. He is a command pilot for Angel Flight West (www.angelflightwest.org), a group that donate their time, skills, and aircraft to fly medical patients free of charge. He is also a mission pilot with the Civil Air Patrol, flying a variety of missions in support of the U.S. Air Force and other federal agencies. He is a multi-engine and instrument-rated private pilot and can often be found in the skies all across the United States, piloting his Piper Aztec-E airplane. On the ground, Dale enjoys tennis, scuba diving, and soccer. Dale, his wife Diane, and son Hunter live near Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Topical, plausible, scary...yet still a [bad] book, September 11, 2001

By 

Rottenberg's rotten book review (nyc) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Storming Heaven (Mass Market Paperback)

A demented arms dealer with a foreign name (Henri Cazaux) and a grudge against the US government accidentally hits upon a plan to unleash hell against it. Once brutalized by American soldiers, Cazaux now deals in weapons that will be used against all Americans. On the brink of capture, flying a cargo plan full of ammo, Cazaux accidentally bombs an airport. Realizing how defenseless airports and American cities are in general, and how much havoc he can raise when he wants to, Cazuax sets off on a terror campaign using airliners stocked with explosives to bomb airports. The government responds by stationing Patriot batteries around airports, but Cazaux finds a way past those as well. The only man who can end the reign of terror is Ian Hardcastle  the sort of strident, no-nonsense genius that drives all of author Dale Browns books. (Usually, the starring role is given to Brad Elliot of Flight of the Old Dog and its sequels). Hardcastles biggest obstacles arent left by the wily Frenchman, but by the government bureaucracy, the liberals and the week-kneed administration that reflects all that is evil of the Clinton administration. (Though I think Chains of Command was more overt...against the Clintons). Unfortunately, this has got to be one of Browns weakest books  though most of them fall into a pattern (geo-political crisis erupts just as some innovative USAF officers perfect a new secret weapon), this one just has random destruction. The only hint that the plot is proceeding anywhere is the ferocity of the attacks and the cover-art on my copy showing what looks like Air Force One on a direct course for Washington. Double-unfortunate is how this book will likely be resurrected over the next few weeks to cynically cash in on todays coordinated terror attacks. Nothing else in this book really deserves the attention  Cazaux is as typical a demented villain as Brown can create while his followers are suitably mercenary in their motives. When it looks like the plot after a massive climax near the end  will dust itself off and begin anew, the supporting cast of villains take matters into their own hands, as if theyve had enough of this book. Benefit from their experience, and read something else. For massive slam-bang Dale Brown, read Fatal Terrain (sorry, havent read Warrior Class yet).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Let's Be Honest Here, July 10, 2001

By 

"booshkindoggin" (Santa Clara, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Storming Heaven (Mass Market Paperback)

I like thrillers but this novel lacks a key element, namely a hero. The ruthless international terrorist villian has no strong adversary representing the forces of goodness and light. Maybe that's why the baddie gets away with so much mayhem. And there's way too much "tower talk" here - this will no doubt please the fighter pilot wannabes who find endless air-to-ground-to-air lingo an acceptable substitute for real suspense writing. I agree that the action is exciting but let's be honest, great literature this isn't.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Dumb fun, August 24, 2000

By 

Mr. A. Pomeroy (Wiltshire, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Storming Heaven (Mass Market Paperback)

With Tom Clancy and Larry Bond as the 'a-list' of military thriller writers, Dale Brown is firmly at the top of the 'b-list', producing a book a year of solid, entertaining action. His ability to tell a rattling good tale balance out his deficiencies as a writer, and although elements of his books seem to be closer to 'JAG' than 'Red Storm Rising', they are at the very least extremely entertaining. 'Storming Heaven' is a good example. It has a hissable villain, a cast of fighter-jet pilots who appear to have stepped from 'Top Gun', and a series of explosive, airliner-related disasters which have the sick fascination of a car crash. Loosely-connected to some of his other books (particularly 'Chains of Command'), this falls apart on any intellectual level, and the continual calls for tighter airport security seem to be Oprah Winfrey-style 'talking points' for television interviews, but provided that you don't expect high art, it's exciting reading.