From Publishers Weekly With its evil-empire depiction of the Soviet Union and obsessive emphasis on the latest and best American military equipment， this first novel owes a heavy debt to Tom Clancy， but manages to carve out its own niche in the technothriller genre. In the author's version of the near-future， the lame duck American president (all but identified as Lee Iacocca) is using the revived space shuttle program to deploy the "Star Wars" defense system. Meanwhile， certain powers in Moscow， beset by Kremlin infighting and conspiracy， see their government's chance for military parity eroding and resort to a desperate measureplanting a psychotic Soviet-trained agent on the U.S. shuttle crew delivering the Star Wars payload. When the spy murders his fellow astronauts and radios Russia， NASA begins a race into space to destroy the shuttle before it reaches enemy hands. Harrison's prose is only serviceable and often much worse; he runs on for pages about a telescope or a bomber， but doesn't describe a major character beyond calling him "very big， very black and very， very smart." But his plotting is better， gathering speed as it goes and saving some effective surprises for the end. 100，000 first printing; $100，000 ad/promo. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information， Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Library Journal A saga of a post-Reagan Star Wars. In his first novel， Harrison has already mastered the art of effortlessly intricate plotting. There is the thrill of crackling confrontation between the superpowers with KGB shenanigans of unprecedented boldness. There is a wealth of characters that are not only likable but also recognizable as contemporary American heroes. And best of all， there is daredevilry that evokes the feisty dogfights of classic war stories. After building a wonder of technical wizardry high above the earth， Harrison lets his heroes duke it out in a fierce showdown near ground level. This novel hums with vigor and resonates with the hottest daily news. Fans will hope that Harrison， like his models in Cold War intrigue， will produce more.- Barbara Conaty， Library of CongressCopyright 1989 Reed Business Information， Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. See all Editorial Reviews