Arctic Storm Rising audiobook

I did not previously have the honor of reading a Dale Brown thriller but after reading this, I plan to order a few of his earlier books with the hopes they are as good as this one. Nick Flynn, an intelligence officer is off in Africa and comes across something that seems a little off. He is told by those higher up the food chain to mind his business. He ends up saving the lives of many in the larger group and gets repaid for this heroism by being exiled to a military base in Alaska. This is where the story begins. A stolen new age stealth bomber is up for auction from Russia..and Russia is not happy their prized possession is lost. Now starts and all out chase to find the bomber and Flynn is the only hope of the US. A great book and I hope this is a book that starts a series. Thank you Netgalley, Dale Brown and William Morrow and Custom House for the ARC for my honest review.

I've enjoyed all of the Dale Brown military tech thrillers throughout the years and enjoyed the launch of his new Nick Flynn series...Flynn is an Air Force intelligence officer, exiled to guard a remote radar post along Alaska’s Arctic frontier following him being blamed for a failed CIA Op in the Libyan desert...It just so happens his exile puts him at the tip of the spear confronting a Russian based operation in the Alaska wilderness interior...Decent!!!

Back in the late 1980’s I got into several of Dale Brown’s early novels with Flight of the Old Dog being his first. It was about a highly modified B-52 bomber and its pilot on a secret mission inside the good old USSR. Being an aviation buff, I greatly enjoyed the author’s ability to present highly technical combat aviation concepts interwoven into an exciting story. For some reason I can’t recall I just drifted away into reading other things and never read another Dale Brown book, until now. I was returning one book to my local library and glancing at the section where new books were displayed came across Arctic Storm Rising. I’m glad I did.Nick Flynn is an Air Force intelligence Captain who, due to a foul-up on a previous mission that wasn’t his fault, finds himself relegated to commanding a small unit of soldiers guarding a remote radar station in northern Alaska. Meanwhile a Russian Air Force Colonel with a brain tumor decides to go rouge by stealing a new stealth bomber, the Russian version of the B-2, hides it up in the Arctic and plans to blackmail both the US and Russian governments simultaneously threatening a nuclear war in the process. A frantic search by both countries ensues with neither knowing what the other is up to and it falls on Captain Flynn and his men as the only unit in a thousand miles capable of saving the day. The chapters are short and taut switching quickly back and forth to and from different locations and perspectives, from Flynn and his men out on the Alaskan tundra, to the Russian President in Moscow, to the War Room under the Pentagon, and many other locations. There’s both air combat and ground combat with bullets, missiles and anti-aircraft rockets flying everywhere and lots and lots of aeronautical jargon that makes the story sizzle. There are good guys, bad guys, spies and double agents galore with a whole lot of political intrigue thrown in. Character development, other than Flynn and the nutty Russian, is sparse mostly due to the huge cast of characters but even so, I found myself closely identifying with Flynn and his men, rooting for the good guys to win. There's a lot of technical stuff and I only hope that America’s radar and radio surveillance capability in real life is half as good as what is presented in the book because I'll sleep better that way. Otherwise, I’m not certain how much of what the author describes is real and how much is made up.The real strength of the book is the way in which the plot builds slowly and inexorably chapter by chapter, page by page with the tension, excitement and the pace of the story building along with it. This book is an old fashion cold war, hard to put down techno-thriller of the first order - kind of like the Air Force version of Tom Clancy / Hunt for Red October. There's even a quote from Dr. Strangelove thrown in there for good measure.I recollect that the author wrote several books in a row with the same lead character. I believe Arctic Storm Rising is the first in what will most certainly be a series of books starring Nick Flynn. He's got a high degree of competence, brains and the instincts of a leading man. He's not exactly James Bond, at least not yet, but since the author leaves us with a couple of loose ends in this story that will need a follow-up in another, Nick seems like just the guy to do it.

Hunt for White October"Quantity has a quality all its own. - Stalin"- (from the book)While I can't buy in to the philosophy of this quote, it did catch my attention with its appearance of running in with a guns blazing mentality. But, the whole book portrayed a different story. In Arctic Storm Rising, you have your typical Cold War era elite force action adventure where quality/ precision wins over quantity/ manpower every single time. (Still, it is a good quote to remember.) And, it is obviously not set in the Cold War era. What is not so clear is the time period in which this Alaskan version of War Games (80's Movie) does take place. The author begins two of the earliest chapters with the time identifiers of 'Late July,' and 'August.' The last such date is 'Early October.' Most every other chapter is dated 'That Same Time,' or 'Some Time/ Weeks/ Hours/ Minutes Later.' There is no indication of year anywhere, except that the Stealth Bomber, the Pak-Da, that is stolen is currently being developed by Russia. So, there's that to go on, and it ends in October of some year current or future. "No plan survives contact with the enemy."Plot is where the story shines. It has a simple plot line that is easy enough to follow, with really only 2 opposing sides: the Americans and the Russians. So, it might seem to be your typical made-for-movie book. The characters are a bit one-sided. But, it makes for very entertaining cat-and-mouse nuclear scare reading. Throw in some glimpses of modern war-games technology and you have a thrilling romp in the snows and icy-winds of the Western Arctic. The ending is a bit abrupt with a short attempt at tying up loose ends, but what's really left to be said anyways at the end of a good read except, 'The End?!'While reading this book, I have also been reading A Column of Fire, (book three in the Pillars of the Earth series,) as well as The Dark Forest, (second in Cixin Liu's Three-Body Problem series.) A Column of Fire is set in the Medieval Period and is historical fiction. It is filled with numerous characters and plots running parallel to each other, so that it is work to keep up with the action; even though the people and events are everyday events and easily understood. The Dark Forest is a murky piece of Hard Sci-fi translated from the Chinese by a gifted modern writer very much versed in the complexities of internet and virtual reality technology. The Science keeps you working for your answers, so it is quite a complex work. Arctic Storm fits right in the middle of these two other reads time-wise. It makes a good buffer read for when you just want to relax between the brutal intrigue of the Dark Ages and the mystery of an impending hypothetical Interstellar Age of Space Travel.If you are looking for a fun read, this may be it. I recommend this for anyone enjoying a Tom Clancy-lite war games novel. Yes, Tom Clancy is gone, and I missed many of his books. He was a prolific writer, as well as having a level of sophistication and complexity many other writers hope to emulate. When I bought this hard back of Arctic Storm at Barnes & Noble, I did pick up a copy of Target Acquired: A Jack Ryan Jr. Novel by Don Bentley, which bears Tom Clancy's name. We shall see if his work is being carried forth in spirit as well as name, as that is my next read.

I just finished reading an ARC of Dale Brown's latest novel, "Arctic Storm," provided to me by William Morrow and Custom House. I have been a fan of Dale Brown's since "The Flight of the Old Dog," and this novel, kicking off a new series in the richly imagined world Brown fans are already familiar with, was a delight. It focuses on a new character, Nick Flynn, and his adventures and misadventures as a skilled warrior pursuing his career but caught in the tug of war between self-serving intelligence agencies in the United States and Russians intent on developing a new Stealth Bomber. The plot is mature and well developed with a number of twists and turns designed to keep the reader on his or her toes. As always, Brown's mastery of technology, particularly that associated with aeronautics. as well as his insights into the military industrial complex and its intelligence adjuncts define the work. I found it hard to put down. I was particularly delighted to see that most of the text advances without being as deeply self-referential as most of Browns' canon. It is an excellent stand alone read, but by the time it comes to its spectacular conclusion, its position in the canon is clarified. I recommend it without reservation!

A new character who looks to be becoming one of Dale Brown's regular heroes. Exciting with some interesting twists in the plotDale has never failed me in his writing. I have read almost every book he has written and loved them all. It will be hard to beat General Patrick M. But I am sure that Nick Flynn will manage. Recommend this book as the first chapter of a new hero.

Exciting Great read. Imaginative ending. Dale Brown continues to write interesting novels. I would recommend anyone interested in this type of book to go back and read his other books.

An electrifying action-packed beginning to a new series of Military Thrillers featuring Nick Flynn by Dale Brown. After a failed US operation in Libya, US Airforce Intelligence Officer, Nick Flynn is assigned as a leader of rag-tag men from various military services of the US forces to safeguard a remote radar facility in the cold wilderness of Alaska's Arctic frontier. At the other end of the world, Russia is about to carry out a test flight of one of the most advanced and high-tech avionics fitted stealth bombers ever created. In its final test flight commandeered by Col. Alexi Petrov, the aircraft is fitted with twelve live cruise missiles tipped with nuclear warheads. During the test flight, he deviates from his route and with a nefarious plan masterminded by a Russian Oligarch sneaks into the vast frontiers of the Arctic Tundra amidst a storm, from where he demands a ransom of $2.6 Billion from the Russian government in return for the aircraft. This stirs a heavy military air-traffic movement between US and Russian borders across the Arctic. Nick's team is entrusted a massive search operation for the aircraft whose advanced technology and avionics are sought after by many global powers. Over the next few hours, a high-octane drama unfolds between Nick's men and Russian Spetsnaz commandos to take control of the aircraft while Col. Petrov has yet another vicious plan up his sleeve. There are too many characters in the story and although the cast was detailed at the beginning of the book, only a very few stood out throughout the machination. A Must-read book for military thriller lovers and hope to read more in the newest of the series.

Arctic storm risingAnother edge of your seat military adventure from Dale Brown. With a rag tag assembly of recruits from all the US armed forces, except the coast guard and marines, who are shipped off to the very top of Alaska above the arctic circle, where they freeze their butts off unsure of their purpose. Great plot and characters . So much action and suspense I had to read it all in one sitting. Don't want to give away any more information as it would give away all that suspense. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys action/adventure stories. You won't be disappointed.

Well crafted military thrillerA tightly written plausible tale of a Russian traitor bent on causing a nuclear war between the US and Russia and the efforts of a ragtag band of soldiers to stop him. Filled with twists and turns that are unexpected and that will keep the reader engaged right up until the end. Looking forward to reading the next novel in the series.

7.5/10

Great book to read. Gripping military action thriller. I found it to be on par with his first two books, and being the first of a new series , I look forward to reading the next one. It did Remind me of the Original Craig Tomas book Fire Fox.

Fast-paced military thriller introducing Nick Flynn. Seat of your chair reading ... I couldn't read fast enough to get to the incredible ending! I especially loved the Weapons and Acronyms section.

Nice to readVery intense and nice to read. The author wrote the story in a nice fluently way, it does not have the deep and complexity of Brad thor, but was entertaining.

The first of the Nick Flynn books. Nick is in the Air Force working with the CIA. He is out with a group and things go all wrong. The Air Force needs a scapegoat and Nick is the victim. He is sent to Alaska with 10 misfit men and he must make them into a unit.