Hypersonic Thunder: A Novel of the Jet Age

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The jet age began in 1939 with the brief hop of a secret German airplane. Seventy years later, the entire world depends upon the jet engine in every sphere - political, military, economic, and social. In Hypersonic Thunder, Walter Boyne weaves an intricate story of how the jet engine changed aeronautics and astronautics, pushing the frontiers of flight forward and permitting humankind to enter the space age. Drawing on his knowledge of the period, Boyne paints a gripping picture of jet aviation from the brilliant supersonic Concorde to the coming challenges of hypersonic flight. Using the fictional Shannons as a vehicle, the author ranges the world of aviation, combining the triumphs and tragedies of great aviation companies with the familiar conflicts of family life. All of the great names of aeronautics and astronautics appear here as they did on the historic scene, including such luminaries as Howard Hughes, Kelly Johnson, Burt Rutan, and Steve Fossett. The book thunders with the clash of combat, ranging from the courageous fights of the Israeli Air Force down through the raid on Libya, Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom, and, most important the ongoing war on terror. And space is not neglected, as Boyne covers everything from Skylab and the Space Shuttle, with its great achievements and terrible tragedies, to the International Space Station. From Publishers WeeklyBoyne, former director of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, delivers the final installment in his historical aerospace trilogy, after Roaring Thunder and Supersonic Thunder. Spanning from 1973 to 2007, the novel follows three generations of the fictional Shannon family, powerful players in the aerospace industry. Patriarch Vance, a WWI fighter pilot, established Aerospace Consultants, later run by his twin sons, Tom and Harry. Bob Rodriguez, ace pilot from the Korean War and "electronics genius," runs the research and development arm. Conflicts quickly arise in the Shannons' personal and professional lives: Tom's wife, Nancy, takes the company's reins during his six years as a Hanoi POW; Harry is distracted from the business in caring for his alcoholic wife, Anna; and Bob faces divorce when his wife, Mae, grows tired of his workaholic habits. An even more colorful drama plays out in the background, with astonishing technological advances like GPS and space shuttles, and the machinations of real-life titans like Howard Hughes and Steve Fossett. Boyne's well-paced saga, with its technical slant, will surely appeal to aviation buffs. (Apr.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistBoyne wraps up his three-part history of the jet age and of the fictional Shannon family with a novel that spans three decades and chronicles the development of the F-16, Skylab, the space shuttle, and the International Space Station. Like James Michener’s somewhat similar Space, the Thunder novels (the first two were Roaring Thunder and Supersonic Thunder, both 2006) are a mixture of technology and character, blending real and fictional people into a fact-based landscape. Boyne explores not just the aircraft and spacecraft themselves but also their impacts on the world, military and civilian. The writing is workmanlike—Boyne will never be accused of being a stylist—but the characters are meaty, and the events of the story are fascinating and often spectacular. Boyne also nicely captures the excitement and frequent tragedy of cutting-edge aeronautical innovation. The novel should appeal to a wide spectrum of readers, from technophiles to aviation-industry insiders to those who like to wander out to the airport just so they can watch planes take off and land. --David Pitt