The Sting of the Drone, Richard A Clarke, Thomas Dunne Books, 2014, 292 pp
Oh, those reading group members! They get me to read books I would otherwise never pick up. Sometimes I even learn new things.
The Sting of the Drone is one of those right up to the moment thrillers written by an author with years of experience in the United States federal government, giving him loads of credibility. Certainly I have been aware of drones as bits of the news trickle into my consciousness. I am notoriously bad at keeping up with the news, mostly because much of it is bad and also because I find news reporting as a writing genre boring.
But put a current event or two into a novel, as long as the writing is passable, and now I'm happy to learn. Drones, what they can and cannot do, what the military are allowed and not allowed to do with them, what it is like to be a drone pilot: it is all fascinating. I am glad I read this book.
Now when I read in the news that the US could possibly take out the current ISIS leader with a drone instead of raining shock and awe on more Iraqi peoples, I get it. As to whether it is a "better" way to wage war, I am still thinking it over.
(The Sting of the Drone is available in hardcover and compact disc by order from Once Upon A Time Bookstore.)
I agree with you Judy. I cannot read a history book if it's to save my life, but put it in historical fiction form and I devour it.
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Carmen, you are my most faithful commenter. Thank you!
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