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    Drone
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    Drone
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    Drone
    Audiobook13 hours

    Drone

    Written by Mike Maden

    Narrated by Jason Culp

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    "A brilliant read with astounding plot twists...Maden's trail of intrigue will captivate you from page one." -CLIVE CUSSLER With a fascinating international cast of characters and nonstop action, Mike Maden's Drone kicks off an explosive new thriller series exploring the inescapable consequences of drone warfare.

    Troy Pearce is the CEO of Pearce Systems, a private security firm that is the best in the world at drone technologies. A former CIA SOG operative, Pearce used his intelligence and combat skills to hunt down America's sworn enemies in the War on Terror. But after a decade of clandestine special ops, Pearce opted out. Too many of his friends had been sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. Now Pearce and his team chose which battles he will take on by deploying his land, sea, and air drones with surgical precision.

    Pearce thinks he's done with the U.S. government for good, until a pair of drug cartel hit men assault a group of American students on American soil. New U.S. president Margaret Meyers then secretly authorizes Pearce Systems to locate and destroy the killers sheltered in Mexico. Pearce and his team go to work, and they are soon thrust into a showdown with the hidden powers behind the El Paso attack-unleashing a host of unexpected repercussions.

    A Ph.D., lecturer, and consultant on political science and international conflict, Mike Maden has crafted an intense, page-turning novel that is action-packed and frighteningly real-blurring the lines between fiction and the reality of a new stage in warfare.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateOct 22, 2013
    ISBN9780698143043
    Unavailable
    Drone

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    Reviews for Drone

    3.5/5

    32 ratings16 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This was a fairly intresting thriller. Took a little while to get intresting but was a solid fair after half way through.
    • 4/5
      I thought this was a fast paced story filled with action and intrigue. I liked the main character, Troy, and hope for more books featuring him and his team.
    • 4/5
      A fast paced book that that is able to combine Mexican drug lords, Iranian terrorism and modern drone technology into a roller coaster plot. The author assures us that all the drone technology used is either in the hands of the United States government today or is in development. The book begins when two sons of a Mexican drug lord stage a raid over the American border and unknowingly kill the only son of the first woman president of the United States. She feels she has to retaliate irrespective of her son's death. From here the book is a series of attacks and counter attacks that eventually lead to an Iranian terrorist group. This book is a fantasy especially in the with regard to the off the wall thing that the president is allowed to get away with simply by executive order. It is a fun read and you don't have to be a technology buff to enjoy it.
    • 4/5
      This is a very interesting book and, in my opinion, something that could happen today. The characters were believable as were the scenarios. There are political undertones in this book but not enough to be irritating. Overall I recommend this book very much.
    • 5/5
      Drone by Mike Maden is a very good book. The action, story line, and pace of the story are excellent. If you have enjoyed Tom Clancy, Brad Thor, and Vince Flynn, I think you will enjoy this book. The novel is about a narco-terrorist plot out of Mexico with assistance from several foreign powers. They are attempting to start a war with the US to force the new president to back down from her stance on foreign wars.She is using a private contractor with drones and operatives to avoid using the military in an attack on the narco-terrorists. The president of the company is a former military/agency member.The story ties into a lot of the recent news over NSA's ability to spy within and outside the US borders. The President appears to have run on positions similar to the Tea Party. The plot is right on about the disfunction in Congress and how Congress is a bunch of worthless idiots more interested in reelection than solving the country's problems.
    • 5/5
      The title Drone doesn't do justice this novel; it is much more than a high tech weapons story. Vengeance, intrigue and international current affairs are a few of the other story lines aside from tech.
    • 4/5
      "Drone" is good. Maybe not Vince Flynn good, but still a pulse-pounding political thriller that has lots of twists and turns. Like many of author Mike Maden's counterparts in books, TV, and movies, however, he does rely way too much on amazing technology that' does the deductive work for the characters."Drone" is about the political back and forth with a new Republican administration, her allies, her enemies (both at home and abroad...and within her own party too). After the death of her son by Mexican drug lords, American President Margaret Myers wants revenge. But she ran on, and won, on a platform of non-interventionism. So she covertly hires Pearce Systems, run by Troy Pearce, a former special ops agent with the CIA.Maden seems to hit on all political topics, save for maybe abortion. This isn't strictly a conservative or liberal book (as there are nods to both sides) so it's pretty well rounded in that regard. One of the drawbacks, however, is how little we learn of Pearce. The cover of the book says "Introducing Troy Pearce," so the assumption is that we'll learn more about him in future books. This is OK, but the rich, high-tech security character is someone stereotypical so getting a little more background would've been nice.
    • 3/5
      Fair technothriller from a new author. Plot stretches a bit too far to pull in global actors spanning four countries. Seems to be a vehicle to feature all the latest gadgets for warfighting. Not sure I can buy this many toys residing in private hands. Overall it was an interesting read, and I would be willing to read a sequel. Only recommended for diehard Clancy fans.
    • 4/5
      Drone, by Mike Maden, is a paramilitary, political, fast paced thriller, occurring early in the term of the next US president. The novel builds quickly as the author introduces a cast of domestic and foreign players involved in a covert operation to keep the US out of an emerging war with Mexico. Using his extensive political science and international experience, Maden weaves the latest technology of drone warfare with the realism of Capital Hill narcissistic savagery. While at times glossing over some technical details and other times overusing technology when a simple bullet might have been easier, the novel is still a great read and difficult to put down until the unpredictable conclusions are unveiled. The Addenda credits Nikola Tesla as perhaps one of the most innovative visionaries and arguably the father of drone warfare. More of this history in the story might have created additional validity. I am looking forward to the sequel.
    • 3/5
      This is an intense political thriller where potential war is looming between the US and Mexico due to the machinations of outside forces.The story is told from multiple points of view which initially is difficult to follow mainly due to the variable/shifting times. However, the shifting points of view get smoother and easier as the novel progresses.The narrative is a verbose and dry at times; however, with politics being deeply involved throughout, that probably will happen. The technological writings read accurately which allows for suspension of disbelief/belief in the technology regardless of whether or not all currently exist.Characters are authentic and believable. Details are extensive. The plot has ample action.Overall, an intriguing read.
    • 5/5
      This is the first book of this author that I have read....I see that I will need to find others. Fast paced, timely novel that touches on war strategies that are being developed now.
    • 4/5
      Hard to put down, so don't start it right before bed! Very suspenseful, believable, current, and right on target for what is happening in the world today. I really enjoyed this one. The characters are very well done, with depth and emotion. The plot moves quickly and you are never bored. Hopefully the first in a long series.
    • 4/5
      Well written and exciting book. Story of using drones in place of feet on the ground in millitary actions. Very up to date dealing with the Mexican drug lords that send their wares accross the border to the U.S.
    • 2/5
      While I loved the subject matter, I found the short chapters with different characters and various locales made this difficult to read. The author knows his subject well and has a good story. But I felt that was loss with the lack of flow in the telling of the story.
    • 3/5
      I really wanted to like “Drone”, the first novel by Mike Maden, and introducing former CIA operative Troy Pearce. The action is fierce, and comes often. Maden knows what he is talking about, too. He has a master’s and a Ph.D. in political science, and his technological and political knowledge lent credibility and intrigue to the text. There were, however, serious problems that I couldn’t overcome. First, the cover of the book states, “INTRODUCING TROY PEARCE.” As I found out in my reading of “Drone,” that isn’t necessarily a good thing. First, he wasn’t in the book that often. For a new book, in a new series, with a new character, I want him in a good 60-70% of the book. If he’s in a third of this book, I’d be shocked. Second, he’s a prick. He has absolutely no redeeming value. Unless, of course, you believe that blindly following the directive of the U.S. President, ignoring the Constitution, and revenge-murder are redeeming values. I know very little about his background (I actually learned more about his background by reading the dust jacket than I did in the manuscript), and even less about his personal life. Frankly, I didn’t care if he lived or died. I didn’t finish “Drone” thinking, “I can’t wait to see what Troy Pearce does next.” Rather, I thought the opposite. My prevailing thought was, “This dude needs to be in jail.”Second, the book isn’t written that well. I get that it’s a thriller, and there are plenty of thrillers out there that don’t focus on the writing. For some people, that’s okay. For others, it’s not, so I thought I’d point it out. The most frustrating was Maden’s continual use of tired idioms. For example: “The security detail left, tails tucked between their legs.” Finally, the use of drones was fairly limited, in my opinion. Especially since it’s well, the title of the book. There was only one scene (early on) that I felt like I was reading a cool techno-thriller, with a creative use of drone technology. Every other scene was like, “the Predator drone flew over and launched the missile. People died.” Yippee.There were also some errors in accuracy. For example, a man in the office of the president in Iran was given Tylenol for a headache. My understanding is that the trade embargo would restrict American items like Tylenol to be sold in Iran. Now, I understand that heads of state could probably get anything they want, but considering the embargo, I would have mentioned it. As it read, it stood out so clearly that it may have well been in bold type.If you just want a mindless, fun (at times) read, you could do worse than “Drone.” There were some interesting political arguments made. It moved quickly. The body count was high. Just don’t blame me if you feel just a little less smart after finishing it.
    • 4/5
      Because the plot of this book seems to have been “ripped from the headlines,” as the saying goes, it is frightening. Similar things appear to be happening in the world today and those that are not are probably well on the way to becoming reality. There are political intrigue and betrayal, murder, searching for individuals and disappearing them using drones, drug cartels, terrorism, assassination, conspiracy, and any number of other current items contained herein.The plot moves along at a very fast pace. If it were a movie, it would be one of those “don’t blink, or you’ll miss something important” ones. You would be dizzy from trying to keep your eye on all the happenings.Although there were a couple of deaths of the “good guys,” things went too smoothly to be believable. In my opinion, the premise of the book would have been better served by slowing down the action enough to give one time to become involved with the lives of the main characters. As it was, I almost couldn’t feel sorry for the President’s loss of her son at the hands of, apparently, members of a Mexican drug cartel. She was, however, the most real character in the book.For those of you who love fast-paced action, this is the book for you. Others might not enjoy it quite as much, but it is still worth reading. It could almost serve as a text book in a current events class. I suppose we should leave that to the articles in the newspapers, though.