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Overview
Dogging the flight of a Soviet Bear bomber in Libyan airspace, a U.S. navy fighter's crew are witnesses to a shocking display of military might: the unearthly power of an unheard-of weapon — capable of untold devastation.Poised for action on the eve of Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, America's forces have reason to believe the new superweapon is the key to a Soviet-Iraqi conspiracy. And dire consequences await unless the United States strikes first — and fast.
Scientist/pilot Wyn Gallagher and his East-bloc counterpart, Elena Pasvalys, are the key players in their governments' deadly game of strategy. Now — as the desert war erupts — they alone may be the only hope of stopping the unleashed fury of Stingray . . . .
"White starts things off with a terrific bang . . . . Fast-paced and intelligent." — San Francisco Chronicle
Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
White's second techno-thriller (following The Flight from Winter's Shadow ) is set in the summer of 1990, as the superpowers continue strategic defense research in a waning Cold War. The U.S. has a ``sight''--a targeting computer developed by maverick designer Wyn Gallagher. The Soviets have a ``gun''--a beam weapon, brainchild of physical chemist Elena Pasvalys. An American plot to bring the inventors and their work together becomes urgent as Iraq readies nuclear-armed missiles at a Libyan base. This tale of double cross and derring-do turns on light-plane aerobatics, a hobby Gallagher and Pasvalys share. White's descriptions of aerobatics technique and technology soar; elsewhere the book is more predictable than convincing. Alternating tones of gung-ho fighter-pilot enthusiasm and cynical world-weariness in the style of John le Carre give a curiously schizophrenic quality to a novel further handicapped by a slow pace and implausible plot. (Mar.)Book Details
Published
November 23, 1992
Publisher
Random House Publishing Group
Format
Paperbound
ISBN
9780449148709