Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9780425212196
ISBN number: 042521219X
Label: Berkley
Manufacturer: Berkley
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 272
Printing Date: September 05, 2006
Publishing house: Berkley
Sale Popularity Level: 413019
Studio: Berkley
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Product Description:
Sea Base is the latest development in naval technology. More than 80-acres long, the artificial island is a self-contained citadel carried atop eight Fast Sealift Ships and is able to launch aircraft and submarines at a moment's notice.
American Kiang Zheng learns where his true loyalities lie when he accompanies his parent to their ancestral land of China. Employed as an engineer with Sea Base, he is strategically positioned to serve the People's Republic.
Richard Zeichner is an agent of the NCIS assiged to Sea Base on this beta-test voyage. But, instead of observing the proceedings, his true mission is to uncover the identiy of a saboteur who will stop at nothing to send the floating fortress to the bottom of the sea...
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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A real pageturner--page after boring page of whining and moaning about how bad the navy brass is. This book sucks big-time.
Rated by buyers -
This is easily the worst book I've read in years. Here's why:
- Inane dialogue. Sailors spend pages trash talking with no purpose. This is evidently the author's way to establish his "creds" with some sea talk. But the only time people actually talk like this is when they're bored and have nothing to do, not in the middle of a crisis. If things are really that boring, there's no point writing a book about it.
- Deus ex machina. The plot involves hooking 7 fast sealift ships together into a huge floating airfield. Several pages cover the actual linking up of the ships. But then, without a word of explanation, "a miracle happens" and a solid deck appears overhead, then the aircraft start landing. How could the ships have carried all that material, much less had a way to hook it all together well enough for aircraft operations? And have this happen virtually overnight?
- Physics thrown out the window. For example, after the airfield is operational, one of the characters notes how low the ships now are in the water. Huh? Wasn't all the mass on those ships when they sailed, or did the airfield just fall out of the sky during the miracle stage, suddenly making the ships heavier?
- Repetition, repetition, repetition. I lost track of the number of times characters complain about the Navy doing things the business school way. OK, mention it once or twice to make a point, but this is obviously one of the author's pet peeves that he pounds on ad nauseum. Other peeves get similar treatment.
- No adult leadership. I spent my career in the Air Force, but from my dealings with USN acquaintances, I'm pretty sure they like to keep officers in the loop, especially when out of the ordinary events happen, like submarines showing up, torpedoes launching, etc. Granted, this is set in a future where things are downscaled and manning is thin, but the chain of command problems here are ludicrous.
- Boring. Pages and pages go by with nothing useful or interesting happening. This book is a "page turner" in the worst possible way - you keep turning pages just to see how much worse it's going to get.
I haven't read the author's other books - they may be better. But if you want an authentic slice of military life, or even a mildly interesting read, this isn't it.
Rated by buyers 
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I've read all of David Meadows previous books and enjoyed them. They are good light reading with characters and plots that were sufficiently compelling to keep me looking forward to the subsequent installment. I was really disappointed in this book, though. The characters, for the most part, weren't particularly likeable and the major plot points seemed to alternate between predictable and irrational. I didn't bother to read the rest of the books in this series.
Rated by buyers -
Before I rant, let me make sure I state that I have read everything this author has put out. I loved the last two book series and I couldn't wait to start this one.
That being said, this book is bloated. There is far too much time spent with unimportant conversations taking place between the main characters and a massive amount of plot development that ultimately went almost no where.
There are two main plots. One involving the NCIS and one involving the main characters. The NCIS storyline introduced new characters and spent significant time developing the plot. Unfortunately, at the end of the book, this entire plot is left unaddressed. The author took you right the point of them solving their mystery, and then the book ends. No closure at all.
After pages and pages (and more pages) of the main characters chatting amonst themselves (with decent attempts at comedy), this plot comes to an decent end.
I finished the book thinking that David Meadows "phoned this one in". It's no where close to the quality of his other books. That all being said, I purchased all three of the books of this new series and am now starting on the 2nd. I hate hammering Mr. Meadows on a book, but I feel a bit cheated on this one.
Rated by buyers 
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I have been a fan of DAVID MEADOWS since reading his Sixth Fleet series. I enjoy this genre very much. The characters Mr. Meadows creates are larger than life and his plots are very exciting. Be warned however...once you begin this fabulous story you will not want to put the book down!!! That's a fact! I highly recommend this book and ALL books by David Meadows!
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