Dale Brown
Encyclopedia
Dale Brown is an American
author and aviator, most famous for his aviation techno-thriller novels, with thirteen New York Times best sellers to his name.
Brown was born in Buffalo, New York
. He graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Western European History, and later received a commission in the United States Air Force
in 1978.
A navigator
-bombardier
in the G-model B-52 Stratofortress
and the FB-111, he is the recipient of several military decorations and awards, including the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Combat Crew Award
, and the Marksmanship ribbon. He rose to the rank of Captain, and has 2,500 hours of flight time in B-52s.He is also a Life Member of the Air Force Association
and the U.S. Naval Institute. After leaving the Air Force in 1986 he wrote his first book, Flight of the Old Dog. His novels are published in eleven languages and distributed to over seventy countries. He published 11 bestsellers in 11 years.
Brown is represented by Madison Avenue literary agent Robert Gottlieb of Trident Media Group. Gottlieb is best known as the agent that discovered Tom Clancy
, and who now represents Deepak Chopra
, Ralph Peters
, James Wesley Rawles
, Neale Donald Walsch
and the estate of Isaac Asimov
.
Brown, his wife Diane, and son Hunter, live near the shores of Lake Tahoe
, Nevada
. He enjoys flying his own private jet, a Grumman Gulfstream II
; on the ground, he enjoys tennis
, skiing
, scuba diving
, and ice hockey
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and aviator, most famous for his aviation techno-thriller novels, with thirteen New York Times best sellers to his name.
Brown was born in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. He graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Western European History, and later received a commission in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
in 1978.
A navigator
Flight officer
The title flight officer was a military rank used by the United States Armed Forces where it was an air force warrant officer rank. It was also an air force rank in several Commonwealth nations where it was used for female officers and was equivalent to the rank of flight lieutenant...
-bombardier
Bombardier (air force)
A bombardier , in the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force, or a bomb aimer, in the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth air forces, was the crewman of a bomber responsible for assisting the navigator in guiding the plane to a bombing target and releasing the aircraft's bomb...
in the G-model B-52 Stratofortress
B-52 Stratofortress
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
and the FB-111, he is the recipient of several military decorations and awards, including the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Combat Crew Award
Combat crew badge
The Combat Crew Badge was established by the United States Air Force on September 1, 1964. It was worn by those USAF personnel serving in positions where they were accruing creditable service towards the Combat Readiness Medal as outlined in U.S. Air Force regulation 900-48. It was a...
, and the Marksmanship ribbon. He rose to the rank of Captain, and has 2,500 hours of flight time in B-52s.He is also a Life Member of the Air Force Association
Air Force Association
The Air Force Association is an independent, 501 non-profit, civilian education organization, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia...
and the U.S. Naval Institute. After leaving the Air Force in 1986 he wrote his first book, Flight of the Old Dog. His novels are published in eleven languages and distributed to over seventy countries. He published 11 bestsellers in 11 years.
Brown is represented by Madison Avenue literary agent Robert Gottlieb of Trident Media Group. Gottlieb is best known as the agent that discovered Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
, and who now represents Deepak Chopra
Deepak Chopra
Deepak Chopra is an Indian medical doctor, public speaker, and writer on subjects such as spirituality, Ayurveda and mind-body medicine. Chopra began his career as an endocrinologist and later shifted his focus to alternative medicine. Chopra now runs his own medical center, with a focus on...
, Ralph Peters
Ralph Peters
Ralph Peters is a retired United States Army Lieutenant Colonel andauthor. As a novelist he has sometimes written under the pen name Owen Parry.-Personal:...
, James Wesley Rawles
James Wesley Rawles
James Wesley, Rawles is a New York Times best-selling survivalist-fiction author, blogger, and survival retreat consultant. Rawles is a Christian conservative. He is the editor of SurvivalBlog.com, a blog on survival and preparedness topics...
, Neale Donald Walsch
Neale Donald Walsch
Neale Donald Walsch , is an American author of the series Conversations with God. The nine books in the complete series are Conversations With God , Friendship with God, Communion with God, Conversations With God for Teens, The New Revelations, Tomorrow's God, and Home with God: In a Life That Never...
and the estate of Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
.
Brown, his wife Diane, and son Hunter, live near the shores of Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. He enjoys flying his own private jet, a Grumman Gulfstream II
Grumman Gulfstream II
The Gulfstream II is an American twin engine business jet designed and built by Grumman and then in succession, Grumman American and finally Gulfstream American. Its Grumman model number is G-1159 and its US military designation is C-11 Gulfstream II. It has been succeeded by the Gulfstream III...
; on the ground, he enjoys tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
, scuba diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
, and ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
.
Note on Books
Brown tends to stay with the same characters over a long period of time. Many of the characters introduced in "Flight of the Old Dog", are still around for the latest, though a few have been killed in previous books. Most of his books occur in the same timeline, with a few exceptions.- Silver Tower, published after Flight of the Old Dog, a mostly independent novel with no character references, is first linked by mention of the SkyBolt module in Battle Born. However, the novel is merged into the Patrick McLanahan saga when some of its main characters and the fictional military space stationSpace stationA space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a crew which is designed to remain in space for an extended period of time, and to which other spacecraft can dock. A space station is distinguished from other spacecraft used for human spaceflight by its lack of major propulsion or landing...
Armstrong appear in Strike Force. - Chains of Command, which features Rebecca Furness and Darren Mace, was actually a separate series, but later, the characters re-appeared in Battle Born and were merged into the Dreamland and McLanahan series.
- Hammerheads, which features Admiral Ian Hardcastle, was also a separate series, with McLanahan and other Dreamland characters mainly doing cameos. Hardcastle later reappeared in Storming Heaven.
- The Dreamland series co-authored with Jim DeFelice covers the gaps between the Patrick McLanahan series novels. While most of the old characters are only mentioned in passing, some of the technology depicted in the series was later merged into the main series, starting with Air Battle Force.
- Henri Cazaux, the main villain of Storming Heaven, was referred to in The Tin Man. His own right-hand man, Gregory Townsend, would be the book's main antagonist.
Patrick McLanahan Series
- Flight of the Old DogFlight of the Old DogFlight of the Old Dog is a 1987 thriller novel written by Dale Brown. The novel's descriptions of B-52 controls and operations are based on Brown's knowledge of the systems as a USAF navigator...
(1987) - A Soviet anti-ballistic missile laser destroys US strategic assets while the Kremlin argues the system's legality before the UN. USAF General Bradley Elliott recruits a team of officers to work on a modified B-52 bomber, called the Old Dog. A raid on Dreamland itself coupled by the discovery of a B-1 strike team on the Soviet laser forces the Old Dog crew to take the mission themselves. In a heroic act, crewmember David Luger risks his life to save the bomber from destruction. - Sky Masters (1991) - The pullout of US forces from the Philippines in 1994 sparks Chinese plans to occupy the Spratly Islands and Mindanao with the connivance of a Filipino Communist vice-president who declares a coup. McLanahan and the heavy bombers of the U.S. Air Battle Force lead the American counterattack over Davao CityDavao CityThe City of Davao is the largest city in the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. Its international airport and seaports are among the busiest cargo hubs in the Philippines....
. The novel also has a small cameo appearance by Day of the Cheetah antagonist Kenneth Francis James. - Night of the HawkNight of the HawkNight of the Hawk is a 1992 Technothriller written by Dale Brown. It is also the sequel to the events of the Flight of the Old Dog in which a crew member - Dr. David Luger sacrifices himself to save the Old Dog crew- Plot :...
(1992) - A simple defector extraction raid in Lithuania in late 1992 uncovers evidence that a member of the Old Dog crew, David Luger, survived the events of Flight of the Old Dog and was brainwashed to work on a new stealth bomber at a secret facility in VilniusVilniusVilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
. Amidst the political upheaval in the country, General Elliott, McLanahan, and John Ormack join a US Marine contingent in assaulting the facility and rescuing Luger. - Day of the CheetahDay of the CheetahDay of the Cheetah is a 1989 technothriller novel written by former US Air Force officer Dale Brown. It is part of Brown's Patrick McLanahan series of novels. A number of key characters were killed in Day of the Cheetah, only to reappear in later books, as when DotC was first written, Brown did not...
(1989) - In 1996, Kenneth Francis James - a Soviet deep-cover agent posing as a USAF officer - steals the new Dreamstar thought-controlled fighter. McLanahan and the High-Technology Aerospace Weapons Center scramble to recover it from James, or destroy it if necessary. - Shadows of Steel (1996) - In May 1997, the US initiates a covert action to stop Iran's plans to use its new carrier task force in controlling the Persian Gulf sea lanes. Humiliated by the fiasco depicted in Day of the Cheetah, now-restaurateur Patrick McLanahan is recalled to active duty to fly a B-2B-2 SpiritThe Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is an American heavy bomber with low observable stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses and deploy both conventional and nuclear weapons. The bomber has a crew of two and can drop up to eighty -class JDAM GPS-guided bombs, or sixteen ...
mission over Iran. - Fatal TerrainFatal TerrainFatal Terrain is a 1997 novel written by Dale Brown. Patrick McLanahan, the airforce ace returns after his secret bombing missions over Iran in Shadows of Steel.- Plot :...
(1997) - Set a month after the ending of Shadows of Steel, TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
's declaration of independence forces China to go to war. The Old Dog crew is brought back to save the world from Chinese domination, but not everyone can come home alive. - The Tin Man (1998) - A few months after the events of Fatal Terrain, Patrick McLanahan faces a new enemy, right in his home turf in SacramentoSacramentoSacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
, California. The novel also introduces his brother, Sacramento police officer Paul McLanahan. - Battle Born (1999) - In 2000, McLanahan is assigned to turn a group of Air GuardAir National GuardThe Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
B-1 pilots into America's premier tactical air strike force. A new threat created by a sudden reunification of the Korean peninsulaKorean PeninsulaThe Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...
hastens the training. - Warrior Class (2001) - Set in 2001, Russian billionaire Pavel Kazakov builds a huge pipelinePipeline transportPipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquids and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air are also used....
through the BalkansBalkansThe Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
with the support of the Russian ArmyRussian Ground ForcesThe Russian Ground Forces are the land forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formed from parts of the collapsing Soviet Army in 1992. The formation of these forces posed economic challenges after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and required reforms to professionalize the force...
and everybody gets rich. And as for those who will not yield, he will order his secret stealthStealth aircraftStealth aircraft are aircraft that use stealth technology to avoid detection by employing a combination of features to interfere with radar as well as reduce visibility in the infrared, visual, audio, and radio frequency spectrum. Development of stealth technology likely began in Germany during...
fighter-bomberFighter-bomberA fighter-bomber is a fixed-wing aircraft with an intended primary role of light tactical bombing and also incorporating certain performance characteristics of a fighter aircraft. This term, although still used, has less significance since the introduction of rockets and guided missiles into aerial...
to destroy them. However, a new US president and his brand of leadership tie McLanahan's hands from doing anything about Kazakov. - Wings of Fire (2002) - When Libya plots to invade and control Egypt, McLanahan and his advanced force, the Night Stalkers, are sent in to stop the chaos. However, the consequences are personal for his family.
- Air Battle ForceAir Battle ForceAir Battle Force is a 2003 thriller novel written by Dale Brown.-Critical reception:Jeremy Magadevan of the New Straits Times described the novel as "sleep-inducing" and said that readers should "mail it to a terrorist and wait for him to die of boredom".-External links:*...
(2003) - Patrick McLanahan takes modern aerial warfare into Turkmenistan to fight a ragtag Taliban army and later a Russian invasion. The humiliation forces Russian General Anatoly Gryzlov to launch a coup, especially after McLanahan's forces level the Russian Air Force's strategic bomber base in Engels. - Plan of Attack (2004) - Out of revenge for what happened in Air Battle Force, General Gryzlov orders a nuclear bomber strike into the United States, eliminating nearly all of its land-based strategic forces. Demoted to brigadier general and reassigned off the Air Battle Force after defying one order too many in Turkmenistan, McLanahan tries to convince the Air Force leadership about the threat. When the Russians attack, he and the rest of the Dreamland crew take matters into their own hands to save what is left of America.
- Strike Force (2007) - Three years after the events of Plan of Attack, now-Lieutenant General McLanahan uses new XR-A9 Black Stallion spaceplanes to intervene during a new crisis in Iran, where Shadows of Steel antagonist General Hesarak al-Buzhazi has launched a rebellion against the fundamentalist regime.
- Shadow Command (2008) - Set in 2009, the novel pits McLanahan and his team against a new US president, Joseph Gardner, who connives with Russia to take him down.
- Rogue Forces (2009) - Reverting to the private sector, Patrick McLanahan and former President Kevin Martindale operate their own PMCPrivate military companyA private military company or provides military and security services. These combatants are commonly known as mercenaries, though modern-day PMCs refer to their staff as security contractors, private military contractors or private security contractors, and refer to themselves as private military...
, Scion Aviation International. Their latest contract: stabilizing Iraq as US forces withdraw from the country. However, Kurdish raids into Turkey force Ankara to unleash its arsenal of former US aircraft against the rebels and McLanahan's team is caught in the crossfire. - Executive Intent (2010) - A new crisis emerges as America unveils its new orbital weapon, the Thor's Hammer, with China and Russia responding by gaining control of the seas. McLanahan must join forces with Brigadier General Kai Raydon to prevent WWIII. Meanwhile, a jaded Vice President Phoenix begins to challenge and question President Gardner's decisions and policies.
- A Time For Patriots (2011) - When the nation's economy collapses and thousands of Americans turn against their own government, Patrick McLanahan must enlist the aid of his son and fellow citizens to hunt down terrorists any way they can.
Act of War Series
- Act of War - Kingman Group is the largest energy producer in the world, and when the terrorist group GAMMA managed to nuke the Kingman Texas facility, US is forced to create a brand-new force to combat terrorism: Task Force Talon. Using the latest technology such as wearable exoskeleton/armor, the force made up of cutting-edge technology and law-enforcement / military hybrid command thought its tasks were clear: find the terrorists, and eliminate them, no matter where. However, they did not realize one of their closest allies may not turn out to be as friendly as they thought...
- Edge of Battle (2006) - Violence and tensions along the U.S.-Mexican border have never been higher, sparked by battles between rival drug lords and an increased flow of illegal migrants. To combat the threat, the U.S. has executed Operation Rampart: a controversial test base in southern California run by Major Jason Richter and members of Task Force TALON.
Independent Series
- Silver TowerSilver Tower (novel)Silver Tower is a technothriller written by Dale Brown. The paperback publication of the novel was a New York Times bestseller. After its initial publication by Donald I...
(1988) - In the then-future of 1992, the US militaryMilitaryA military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
space stationSpace stationA space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a crew which is designed to remain in space for an extended period of time, and to which other spacecraft can dock. A space station is distinguished from other spacecraft used for human spaceflight by its lack of major propulsion or landing...
Armstrong, is activated. When the USSR invades IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and threatens the Persian Gulf, the station crew fight to keep American supremacy in space. - Hammerheads (1990) - The US activates the new Border Security Force as part of efforts to stop drug smuggling operations handled by the Cuban military.
- Chains of Command (1993) - A fledgling Air Force Reserves unit led by the Air Force's first female combat pilot spearheads the US response to a Russian invasion of the UkraineUkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. - Storming HeavenStorming HeavenStorming Heaven is a thriller novel by Dale Brown about terrorist attacks on the United States. It was first published in 1994.PlotAfter Admiral Hardcastle warns the world about America's lack of guards against terrorism, the horrors begin. Henri Cazaux, a psychopathic terrorist, attacks the...
(1994) - Admiral Ian Hardcastle must set up an air defense network inside the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to stop an aerial terrorist from attacking the largest US airports and Washington, DC itself.
Short Stories
- Leadership Material (2001) - Set in the post-Desert Storm Arabian Peninsula in March 1991, then-Major McLanahan flies with the Old Dog crew in combating an Iranian Blackjack-E, an advanced version of the TU-160 Blackjack bomber that was reportedly based on the Megafortress. Meanwhile, back in the US, Norman Weir, a USAF colonel on the promotions board, reviews McLanahan's service record as a candidate for lieutenant colonel and recommends his discharge. However, the US president orders Weir to destroy the discharge form, saying that McLanahan has proven himself as an officer (without elaborating further). The story was Brown's contribution to Stephen Coonts' Combat war stories anthology. It has peripheral references to Hammerheads and Sky Masters (although a canonical error).
Collaborations
Dale Brown's Dreamland (with Jim DeFelice)- Dreamland (2001)
- Nerve Center (2002)
- Razor's Edge (2002)
- Piranha (2003)
- Strike Zone (2004)
- Armageddon (2004)
- Satan's Tail (2005)
- End Game (2006)
- Retribution (2007)
- Revolution (October 28, 2008)
- Whiplash (2009)
- Black Wolf (2010)
- Raven Strike (November 29, 2011)