Blue
Warrior r by Mike Maden is another novel involving drone
technology. Besides being a techno-thriller, his book includes
politics, power corruption, and a back-story about his former
romantic interest. He is able to weave into the storyline
the legal/political implications of drone warfare, privacy
issues related to surveillance technologies, and China’s
desire to monopolize Africa’s rare earth element deposits.
The book is set in the remote Sahara Desert, where a recently
discovered deposit of strategically indispensable “Rare
Earth Elements” (REEs) ignites an international rush
to secure them. Standing in the way are the Tuaregs, the fierce
tribe of warrior nomads of the desert wasteland, who are fighting
for their independence. They not only are fighting their own
government but the Chinese who are working behind the scenes.
Maden remarked about this region of the world, “I am
fascinated with the amazing ancient African warrior. The men
wear the veils, not the women, to hide their identity. When
they sweat the blue dye washes up on their faces, thus the
name. The theme of this book includes what it means to be
a warrior. Mossa, the leader of the Tuaregs, reminds Troy
Pearce that he has a responsibility to serve his people.”
Troy Pearce is a Wyoming mountain boy that used to work for
a CIA Special Operations Group in Iraq and Afghanistan. He
now runs a private contracting company that specializes in
the deployment of “remotely piloted vehicles,”
which allows him the discretion to choose jobs that are consistent
with his moral compass. Pearce still loves his country but
hates politics. As a consequence, his loyalty to former U.S.
President Margaret Meyers, along with a desire to help friends
in need, draws him into a complicated web of international
business, political intrigue and nontraditional conflict.
With the second book in the series it becomes evident that
Maden distrusts large government. His characters, former President
Margaret Myers and Troy Pearce, battle the moral hypocrisy
in government and partisan politics. Myers is a popular character
for her toughness, fairness, and her desire to put her country
ahead of any political interests. To counter Myers’
point of view is the character Cella who does what is in her
own best interest, thinks borders are silly, and that everyone
should go along to get along.
Maden commented to blackfive.net, “I see fiction as
a way to tell the truth, Americans are crying out for the
anti-Hillary Clinton and the anti-politician. In this book
I introduced a character, David Lane, who will be front and
center in my next book, Drone Command. He is a Kennedy type
politician who quotes and believes in the phrase “Ask
not what your country can do for you, but what you can do
for your country?” I specifically link Lane to Kennedy
to bring back these ideas. Myers, Lane, and Pearce all believe
in more personal responsibility and less government except
for national security. They believe in securing our borders,
balancing the budget, standing up to countries like China,
and having fair trade.
Blue Warrior has characters whose views would impress
the Libertarians of the world. Through the plot, in very subtle
ways, Maden shows how power corrupts. There are many action-intense
scenes which keep the plot moving at an accelerated pace.
|