Storming Intrepid

by Payne Harrison

United States space shuttle Intrepid, crippled and silent, orbits the Earth. On board, a military payload so secret that only the most senior Star Wars directorate knows of its existence.

But as Space Command begins to mount a rescue mission, a secret geosynchronous satellite eavesdrops on an astounding transmission between the shuttle and a ground station deep in the heart of the Soviet Union.

An SR-71 Blackbird spyplane, braving the full fury of the Soviet air defence systems, confirms an amazing suspicion. The crippled shuttle with its irreplaceable cargo is under Russian control...

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Military Fiction, Science Fiction, Adventure, Aviation, Novels

608 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

A native Texan, Payne Harrison admits to having a "jaded past" as a newspaper reporter. He holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from Texas A&M and an M.B.A. from SMU, and served as an officer with the U.S. Army in Europe.
His journey to being a New York Times bestselling author started with his sending an excerpt of his book STORMING INTREPID to a New York publishing house, unsolicited and without an agent. That led to a multi-book publishing deal, an appearance on the TODAY show, hitting the Times list, and a paperback auction.
He has had a dual career as a novelist and a forensic litigation consultant, which has required him to use "both hemispheres of the brain."
He and his wife live in Dallas, Texas.

Reviews

[Clay Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great space techno thriller.

[Graeme Waymark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the normal type of novel I am drawn to, but it engaged me from the opening page thru to the end. I think I learned more about the Politburo and the culture of Russian politics from this novel than I ever thought I could learn. At the same time, I was fed so much technical data on space stations, jetplanes, stealth bombers, astronauts etc. that I know now enough to not come back as a fighter pilot in my next life OR an astronaut. While I am on the subject of my next life, I think I will also come back as a non-Russian, non French and non American if they continue to be driven by the political machinery of the 20th Century and to date.

That in a nutshell is what the book meant to me. It was not really moralistic, philosophical or psychological even though it did attempt to describe a nut case who was designed as a character to be truly psychotic. For me, without invoking any spoilers, the character did not fit, nor did the reason for his life stand easy with me. The whole plot around him was weak if one did not believe it could truly happen. On the other hand, if the Russians truly have had post Stalin era the sort of programs and KGB activities alluded to, then this novel becomes a rude awakener to us living comfortably with our picket fences, private property and pet scooping routines.

Overall, a well written, well researched, very detailed but not overly so, novel that I do not regret reading. It probably deserves 3 1/2 stars if I could give the extra up above.

[Jag Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't even remember when I read this - but I do know I read it at least three times!

It's not deep, it's not philosophical, it's not earth-changing but as techno-action, airport fictions go this one was quite a ride! I do enjoy my Tom Clancy type novels and Storming Intrepid did not disappoint.

[Chuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing story about a highjacked space shuttle. Harrison took
some liberties with history but this is a good yarn.

[Shelfarijose · Rating 4 out of 5]

KGB hijack US space shuttle. Space plane, spies, ironical end.

[Sergey Batusov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent techno-thriller, real page-turner!

[John Vandike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel compelled to write a review of this novel just because I'm betting there haven't been a lot of reviews for this in a while. The hardcover edition I have of this was published back in 1989 (thanks Half Price Books for having it on your shelves...though I think I paid $8 for it and the '89 price was $19, so inflation-adjusted, probably not a great deal). That being said this was a fun novel to read 30 years down the road. And, actually as a counterfactual novel it could have some legs given the Fall of the Berlin Wall anniversary. But, I can't see a lot of folks just picking this one up, I'm going to write a review just because I liked it, but in the sense of it being a counterfactual novel.

The novel has a reasonably complex plot especially given when it was written. It posits a 'future' Soviet Union (i.e. one surviving into the early 1990s) where Gorbachev was killed in a plane crash. Perestroika was never a thing and the Cold War happily continues. A theoretically successful SDI system is lofted lacking only its heart (admittedly one of the weaker points of the novel: the energy source of the SDI system is some sort of 'thimbleful' of magical rubidium solution), and its brain (in the form of a vastly powerful computer system: it's always fun to read about computers of the day). Fortunately both of these shortcomings are addressed with the launch of a military space shuttle from Vandenburg Air Force Base.

Downside: the Soviets have a deep cover agent in the USAF who is crewing the shuttle.

From there it is actually a pretty decent thriller jumping back and forth between the USSR and the USA with some then cutting-edge technology and a bit of a fun political twist at the end.

All that being said: this was published back in 1989. One of the biggest jolts I got was the fact that this guy was giving a pretty decent description of the B-2 Spirit Bomber from back then...which seems to me that he was 'in the know' (according to Wikipedia the B-2's first flight was in July 1989). Maybe his forward-looking predictions with respect to the Soviet Union/SDI/American space fighters fell a bit short...but, then again, Amazon's latest Man in the High Castle seems fairly popular.

Long story short - don't pay a lot of money for a physical copy from 30 years ago. But, don't be afraid of a couple bucks for one of Payne Harrison's thrillers if you are a fan of books from that era (the world has changed a fair amount over the last few decades). Harrison has a nice writing style: I read the first 300 pages over five days and wrapped up the last 200 in an evening.

It's generally a fun read. Harrison has an annoying tendency of overly, or repeatedly, describing characters. But, significantly counterbalancing that is his general respect for the science and engineering underlying some of his narratives. And his general scientific accuracy is spot on with accurate descriptions of why eastbound rockets from Cape Canaveral are cheaper (from a fuel perspective) than polar launches from Baikanor (or anywhere). I didn't find myself deeply invested into any of the characters, but then again, given we all survived the 80's maybe that's okay.

Take a look at this book if you like Cold War thrillers, it's got a lot of technological fun; and bit of thinness on characters, so; on the whole: enjoyable.

[BJ Haun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well this one took me a while to work through. While the writing was pretty good through out, there was a lot of set up going in this book.

Like, a lot a lot.

I get it. The pieces have to be put in place for the whiz-bang ending. And in all fairness there are a few set pieces that bring some excitment in there...but I can think of maybe 3-4 of these in a pretty chunky book (page counts here on GR have it anywhere from 385 to over 600 pages), that leaves a lot of book where the pieces are moving, but nothing terribly interesting is happening. On top of that, I felt like the ending that all these pieces were being set up for still felt a bit rushed, but maybe that's just a side effect of everything happening at once.

Not a bad book by any means, but it just didn't quite work for me.

[Mars G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a gift from my high school best friend when she and I were young republicans and I was vehemently opposed to communism.

Needless to say, I'm not really in that category or audience anymore.

It's a cheesy, campy, anti-communist scifi novel. It's fun for how cold war it is. I was surprised to hear that it was written in the 1980s - I would have thought that it was more 1970s, but - yep - my edition says 1989 in the front flap. Who'd've guessed?

If you're in it for the fun scifi (or, potentially, the mccarthyist political commentary) then hey, go for it. It's almost 500 pages.

[JD · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remember enjoying this book a lot more when I first read it in high school.

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This got me hooked on books!

[Steven G. Folmar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent story, along the vein of Tom Clancy. Lots of twists and turns with firm technical information thrown in. Good read.

[Peter Ellison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read but very niche, so it has to be what you are looking for.

[Max Viskov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!

Couldn’t put down until finished! I read a lot of techno thrillers, and this one is definitely at the top!

[Joe Noir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Astonishingly entertaining. Very cinematic. A huge page turner. Enough twists and turns for twenty novels.

I love a thriller that just takes off and flies, and the two that do that best for me are Firefox and Firefox Down both by Craig Thomas. I can add Storming Intrepid to the list.

A huge cast of characters you will have no trouble keeping straight. All delineated in a few brush strokes, but set very firmly in my mind as I read (and no cast list in the front of the book, either).

A Soviet sleeper agent becomes an astronaut and hijacks the US space shuttle during a mission. He kills the other members of the crew, but one of them is able to damage controls before he dies. The shuttle is essentially dead in space. Russia tries to collect its prize. America tries to rescue its shuttle.

Set in the real world of the Cold War, but with a slightly different history leading up to this event. For example, Gorbachev was assassinated.

A very good read. Loads of fun; and one of those books where the reader gasps at stunning reversals of fortune.

[Bryan]

So far, so good. It's a Cold War thriller, and is recommended by Stephen Coonts and Tom Clancy. Basically, the US is continuing with its SDI initiative (remember that?) and a new fleet of shuttles is key to keeping it going. The Soviet Union, newly reorganized after the assassination of Gorbachev, is starting its own SDI, but its shuttles (and yeah, they had one in reality. looks like ours) burn up after two or three launches. In desperation, those darn Russkies manage to turn a shuttle pilot and he kills his fellow crewman aboard shuttle Intrepid and intends to defect to the USSR with America's latest shuttle, and its newest, most powerful SDI satellite. Damage from the struggle disables Intrepid however, and now America and Ivan are in a race against time to either retake Intrepid or destroy it.

okay, final notes: I never finished this book. Not that it was bad, but it was never able to grab me by the short and curlies and keep me there.

[Eddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Clancy-esque political/military thriller, a good fun read. The material is a little out dated as it was written and is based in the cold war era of the late 80's, however it was enjoyable as a great action book. The author delves a little much into some of the minutia that feels pointless here and there, the minutia may be interesting, but it often is a short side trip rather than a good integration into the story.

Overall, I'd rank it right up there with Clancy and recommend it as an entertaining read.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book years ago and picked up a discount copy to re-read because I remembered liking it. It is certainly dated now, considering the plot involving SDI technology. While the action is mostly slow until the last third or so of the book and the machinations of the KGB director are a bit hard to believe, it is still a decent spy/technothriller novel to read while killing time on a plane or trip.

[Marvin Mathiak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've seen lots of books described as page-turners, but this is the first one I've read that actually made me want to find out what would happen next. The extensive technical information was hopefully reviewed by knowledgeable people and created a sense of realism. It is dated, so an informed reader will see deviations from history, but that's not a fault with the book.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this techno-thriller even though it followed a time-tested formula. It is a political gaming novel rich with plots and betrayal. Still, it is exciting read and has many edge-of-your-seat sections. This will satisfy your hunger for thrills.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not very memorable - I remember reading the book on a deployment, but nothing very specific about the plot. I liked reading about the various aircraft more than anything else.

[Tom Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice techno-thriller and well worth the time.

[Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast paced, had some twists and turns that surprised me.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Dave]

My copy was purchased at Half Price Books but appears to be signed by the author.

[Roy Weiler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really great book. I have read it several times...Roy Carl Weiler

[Oliver Rabacal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool space techno thriller.

[Tim Martin]

re read of an excellent thriller

[Peter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too slow. DNF

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this ages ago and couldn't remember the title. My co-worker/friend in the USAF recommended it & let me borrow his copy. Thank goodness for the Internet!