Dragon Sim-13

Mayer follow up Eyes of the Hammer with a pulsing techno-thriller set in June 1989. As Chinese students are dying in Tiananmen Square, the U.S. stages Dragon SIM-13--a routine computer exercise involving a simulated Special Forces raid on a Chinese oil pipeline. But the program has been written by Doctor Meng, a refugee determined to strike a blow against his onetime tormentors in Beijing, and Sgt. Dave Riley and his Green Beret A-team find themselves actually in China, confronting disaster when a helicopter crash leaves half the men stranded in hostile territory. Mayer, an expert on special warfare operations, convincingly presents a situation in which no one in authority can quite believe the sudden connection between computer screens and real life. He equally successfully demonstrates how lower-echelon uncritical obedience to orders can make sense individually but add up to absurdity. The book's greatest strength, however, is its story line. In particular, the final rescue mission--featuring a hotshot female helicopter pilot--is a nail-biter in the best tradition of adventure fiction. (Aug.)