Book Review: "Prowl" by Gordan Runyan

Title: Prowl
Author: Gordan Runyan
Type: Christian military fiction
Publisher: Deo Volente

There is a problem with military fiction that is an “either/or” conundrum. You get either too many details or not enough and characterization and plot lines suffer.
Dale Brown, Tom Clancy, W.E. Griffin and the like seem to balance it well, although Brown is all Air Force, Clancy mostly Navy and Griffin is stuck in W.W.II and Vietnam.
“Prowl” doesn’t really suffer from trying to bridge a Christian fiction novel and a Tom Clancy-like Navy-submarine thriller — it does focus on the great characters — but it sometimes bogs down in the details.
Central to the story is Machinist’s Mate First Class Mark Reed and his wife, J.L. Their relationship, a not-so-strong-because-of-long-Navy-voyages-relationship, is rocked even more as Mark heads off on another 90-day cruise on a submarine. It’s a career-building cruise for Mark, but viewed as a marriage-breaker for newly-saved J.L. Apparently her Christian conversion set them apart even more, making the drama of his emergency cruise even more heavy.
You see, someone murdered a sailor on Mark’s new sub. Only everyone doesn’t know it was murder — they think it was a stress-induced suicide.
And to make things even more complicated, North Koreans have a secret sub that Mark’s sub, the U.S.S. Omaha, is sent out to find — and a traitorous, American hacker-turned-spy has given the North Koreans a way to sink the Omaha.
And to pile more on to the plot, J.L. and her friend, Rita, get involved in a shoot-out in Hawaii with some North Koreans and are chased by a fake FBI agent that is looking for Rita — who really is an undercover-spy.
Oh, and by the way, J.L. is pregnant and Mark is in danger of finding the murderer still on board the sub.
Sound complicated? Yowza!
This book works more than it doesn’t work. It falls into the technothriller trap of giving WAY too many useless details about submarine life that don’t quite make sense, except to sailors that have lived on one. It also assumes the reader has some idea of Navy terminology and life — something that is a bit irritating.
What works is how the Christian element doesn’t overpower the storyline and actually feels right. And even if you aren’t Christian, it is an interesting sub-plot to the story.
The action builds well and doesn’t get lost. The book really times its punches just right and the main characters don’t come across as know-it-all superheroes. They’re real people living in a crazy story, yes, but the action doesn’t feel too outlandish.
This is a good read. The only hurt is the plethora of sub details, but it is a great romp and worth the time to read it.
Dale's Book Grade B+

Airplane Nutz

I just finished a trip. By air.

Flew on a couple of different planes. I've traveled by air quite a bit, and have some definite gripes and ideas.

1. I hate small planes. I'm a big guy - and it isn't the width of the seats that bother me. It's the leg room and height. It really doesn't matter for most people under six feet, but if you are six feet tall or over, you are guaranteed banged knees. You'll have them pressing against the seat in front of you - and if the jerk in front of you reclines their seat back, you're in misery. Also, having to stand up and walk down the aisle sucks. You have to hunch over and duck under low hanging equipment.

2. I hate airplane food. Why do flight attendants give you a half-can of a drink? Why not just give us the can of soda/water/juice? It would save on space. I mean, how many people are OK just drinking a Sprite out of the can? As long as it is cold, I don't need a little plastic cup with some ice. And since airlines are cutting back on food, all we get now (if we're lucky) is either Chex mix or peanuts. Unless you fly first class....

3. I don't like escalators, but I love the moving walkways. Big airports have great moving walkways that give you that extra 6 mph in walking if you are late to a flight. Escalators, on the other hand, are moving stairs. Why do some jerks need to walk up these???

4. Security. I know, since 9/11 we have more dangers. But you'd think they could afford a couple of more security stations, especially in the bigger airports.

5. The carry-on luggage rule should be enforced. I saw people with large, bulky cases cramming them into the overhead bins. Briefcases/Laptop cases and small bags are one thing, but don't just carry on your suitcase because you hate baggage claim.

6. Finally, I loved the "Self-Checkin" that Delta and other airlines use. A touch-screen computer will help you check in faster. Nothing against airline ticket people, but they seem to type and type away for minutes just to enter in your name. Automation was great.

Lastly, in this huge rant, I don't get the 'you need a boarding pass to go to the gate" idea. This kills families seeing off their loved ones and hurting the homecoming fun. Just a thought.