Catchers in the Sky: Mission: Korea

by Jonathan Damien

Book Overview

In the first novel to depict realistically both Directed Energy warfare and life in the USAF R&D corps, the reader enters the special worlds of North Korea, the Pentagon, and USAF advanced system development. When headstrong USAF Major Sean Phillips is kicked out of North Korea for botching a Treaty Operation, he is banished to the boonies to get a problem-plagued missile defense aircraft, the Airborne Laser (X), and its rag-tag crew, led by the militantly...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1419669958
• ISBN13: 9781419669958
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing
• Length: 548 Pages
• Weight: 1.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.2" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Catchers in the Sky

I highly recommend Catchers in the Sky. It's an interesting and easily accessible look at North Korea and the surrounding politics. It's also a good look at the personalities involved in the development of the Airborne Laser, and the potential of directed energy weapons. Besides being a well written, globe-spinning adventure, I also learned some geography, history, technology, politics, and cultural lessons. It's entertaining and educational - Bravo!

Read it - you will enjoy it and learn a lot

The author asked me to review the book, and I put a short summary here: "This is an exciting adventure story, illustrating the changes which Directed Energy may bring to modern warfare. The book painlessly educates the reader on the basics of Directed Energy warfare and slips in some geo-political concerns about the complex Korean environment. Read it - you will enjoy it and learn a lot." George B. Harrison, Maj. Gen., USAF (Ret), Director, Strategic Initiatives, Georgia Tech Research Institute

quaker approved

As a Quaker and a pacifst I thought this book was extremely timely. I was moved by the difficult questions posed by Damien even as I was transported to a different world. Never preachy, always entertaining, he managed to balance serious speculation about world destruction and the moral repercussions of preventing it via war, with fascinating characters on mad-cap adventures. My favorite character was Abbey the crazed Japanese journalist, but I felt drawn to the heroine as well. Great portraits of two (entirely different) strong women. I also marveled at the author's spectacular knowledge of Korea and I understood the politics of that region like never before. I enjoyed myself thoroughly and highly recommend this novel. It would be a great beach read!

Hold on to your light saber!

Great action/adventure story with a good dose of reality! Think of a strong dose of Tom Clancy, mixed with Cussler and maybe some James Rollins thrown in. Lots of twists, turns, heros, heroines, betrayal, friendship, love and stunning techology. Damien has infused the story with a host of political, geographical and social details that makes North Korea come alive. He has clearly done his research in this area. The story also details the development of an advance weapon and the people that make it happen. The interaction of the various groups and personalities within the US military is right on. For those that would like a peek into this crazy complicated aspect of the modern warfare, this is great way to get it - while being entertained all the way!. Damien has woven a great subject into a page turner that will keep you up reading all night - this is a good one.

Great read! What a trip!

I really enjoyed reading this novel! It's a most remarkable experience, besides being a fun read, it's like watching a good movie enfold, very interesting being able to always visualize everything so well, it's incredibly cinematic. Judging by the reviews from experts in the field, Catchers In The Sky is very well researched. But the things that really make the story great for me are that it has heart, the characters have depth, are real, and engage our empathy, the story is tight, interesting, fast-paced, and sprinkled with humor throughout; and passions that move some of the characters in the book should move us all. Although this isn't my genre and seems like a man's book, I'm really glad I picked it up. I recommend the book highly, it's quite a trip! I think it'd make a great blockbuster movie for Hollywood!