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Publisher's Weekly
Ryan's latest techno-thriller is based on a variant of the doomsday-machine scenario. The Saber, a Soviet spy plane carrying top-secret gadgets (including a computerized fusion weapon capable of automatically triggering nuclear devices) crashes in the South Pacific. The French are conducting super-collider experiments within the weapon's range, and the proximity could lead to nuclear winter without nuclear war. While Cas Bonner, hero of Ryan's The Pan jang Incident , and his lover, KGB undercover agent Kiri Valjean, seek to destroy Saber, the Russian government is torn by the conflict between progressives and hard-liners, and the U.S. administration reflexively suspects Soviet intentions. Fast pace, crisp dialogue and the exotic setting sustain the novel despite its contrived plot and one-dimensional characters far too reminiscent of Ian Fleming's.
Library Journal
When Saber, a Soviet stealth bomber equipped with a diabolically intelligent computer, crashes on a test flight, the countdown to nuclear catastrophe begins. From deep on the ocean floor, its malign influence causes natural disasters. Marine biologist Cas Bonner and his gorgeous girlfriend Kiri (who may not be what she appears to be) are drawn into the desperate search. Soon there are air and sea battles, political infighting, and a heady array of the latest technological superstars, from super-colliders to Star Wars. So quickly in fact does the plot spin that the reader doesn't discover until the end that the characters are paper dolls. This is hardly a defect, however, since the hardware is the star. The climactic showdown is cosmically preposterous. An enjoyable treat for James Bond/Ian Fleming fans.-- Elsa Pendleton, Computer Sciences Corp., Ridgecrest, Cal.
Genre: Thriller
Ryan's latest techno-thriller is based on a variant of the doomsday-machine scenario. The Saber, a Soviet spy plane carrying top-secret gadgets (including a computerized fusion weapon capable of automatically triggering nuclear devices) crashes in the South Pacific. The French are conducting super-collider experiments within the weapon's range, and the proximity could lead to nuclear winter without nuclear war. While Cas Bonner, hero of Ryan's The Pan jang Incident , and his lover, KGB undercover agent Kiri Valjean, seek to destroy Saber, the Russian government is torn by the conflict between progressives and hard-liners, and the U.S. administration reflexively suspects Soviet intentions. Fast pace, crisp dialogue and the exotic setting sustain the novel despite its contrived plot and one-dimensional characters far too reminiscent of Ian Fleming's.
Library Journal
When Saber, a Soviet stealth bomber equipped with a diabolically intelligent computer, crashes on a test flight, the countdown to nuclear catastrophe begins. From deep on the ocean floor, its malign influence causes natural disasters. Marine biologist Cas Bonner and his gorgeous girlfriend Kiri (who may not be what she appears to be) are drawn into the desperate search. Soon there are air and sea battles, political infighting, and a heady array of the latest technological superstars, from super-colliders to Star Wars. So quickly in fact does the plot spin that the reader doesn't discover until the end that the characters are paper dolls. This is hardly a defect, however, since the hardware is the star. The climactic showdown is cosmically preposterous. An enjoyable treat for James Bond/Ian Fleming fans.-- Elsa Pendleton, Computer Sciences Corp., Ridgecrest, Cal.
Genre: Thriller
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