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War
Hawk by James Rollins and Grant Blackwood is a thrilling
novel. This series is different than Rollins' others in that
it is more in the realm of complete believability and realism,
with nothing far fetched. In creating a realistic relationship
the beloved characters of working dog Kane and his handler
Tucker Wayne are brought back to life.
The plot begins when a former flame and army colleague, Jane
Sabatello, asks Tucker for his help in finding those who want
to kill her and have murdered her former co-workers. Through
his investigation he finds that an evil corporate CEO, Pruitt,
is behind these killings and a global conspiracy. He is using
the knowledge of Alan Turing, the English code-breaker of
the Nazis, to change the way modern warfare is fought.
Rollins admires Turing, "This quote is a reflection of
how I feel, "She always felt a deep bond with Alan Turing,
an affinity that transcended worship. Maybe she felt a kinship
with the man-not only for their common love of math and codes..."
I do think of him as a hero, the father of modern computers.
He was brilliant but because he was gay was shunned and banned.
I compare this to those who were in the military that were
war heroes, received medals; yet when it came out they were
gay got kicked out of the service. They received a dishonorable
discharge despite the fact they had exemplary service and
risked their lives for our country."
Jane, a former Intelligence Analyst with the 75th Rangers,
is now working for the DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency).
She fits in perfectly with Tucker and Kane, where readers
can regard them as "The Three Musketeers," or as
Jane refers to them, "the old gang is back together."
She has a closeness to Kane and Tucker both personally and
professionally. They can be regarded as kindred spirits, all
are tough, no nonsense, with a moral code; yet are also secretive
and operate in the shadows. Through Jane and Tucker, Rollins
explored the issue of "moral injury," a new form
of PTSD. Both experienced serious inner conflicts because
of a betrayal, which put them at odds with their ethical and
moral beliefs.
Tucker's betrayal, according to Rollins, is related to "his
guilt about the war dog Abel. He could have jumped off the
helicopter and tried to rescue him, but did not. He felt like
he betrayed Able. He has been running away from these problems
and has chosen not to face it. Tucker has an old wound from
losing his partner with the feeling that he had an arm cut
off. Both Jane and Tucker have been traumatized and these
similar injuries help them find a way back to each other.
I put more of this backstory in the book but cut it out. I
will probably put it in the next Tucker book."
As with all Rollins' books he explores the relationship between
the partners, Kane, a Belgian Malinois, and Tucker. It is
evident that they are really best friends with a very special
bond. Both are willing to sacrifice their own life for each
other. Anyone who is a dog lover will relate to their relationship.
What makes it even more interesting is how Rollins writes
what any dog owner does, putting thoughts of the canine into
a humanistic form.
The themes of the book are all centered around warfare. Using
the springboard of Alan Turing's work, the book explains how
he laid the groundwork for the modern computer that led to
drone warfare. Different aspects of warfare are examined,
from insurrection to political coups, to the use of drones.
Will the new generation of battlefields be digital? This information
warfare, a digital house of cards, is three pronged: electronic
jamming, infrastructure disruption through cyber attacks,
and spreading misinformation by psychological operations.
Beyond this is the consideration of who will control future
drones, the military or corporations.
Rollins noted, "We are now seeing the lines blurring
between military forces and those armies being controlled
by corporations. To save money and balance budgets, governments,
are handing more and more military powers over to corporate
boardrooms. I think this year as we see with Presidential
candidates; we are seeing some pushback against that, which
will hopefully continue. If we shift our military responsibility
to corporations there could be no interest to protect human
life and their only concern is the bottom line of profitability."
War Hawk has a very intriguing story, including everything
someone wants to know about drones, but was afraid to ask.
The relationships between characters are very well developed.
This is one of those novels that not only has a riveting plot,
but is also informative and insightful with many different
subject matters explored.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
The
Kill Switch #1
War
Hawk #2
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