Miranda has a new team foisted upon her. Have you ever had a similar experience? How did you make it work? What would you do the same and what do you wish you'd done differently?
A common theme in Buchman's work are the circles of trust. How do you think of trust at the family, individual, team, friends, work, country, or societal level?
Miranda is a very one-focus gal. If you were an autistic with a single, overarching Special Interest, what would it be? What would it be if time and money weren't an object?
The pilots in Drone give their all for one great passion. What is there that you would give anything to have or do? Is there a way to start doing even a little of it now?
What about the reading experience most matched your expectations? What matched the least?
What about the characters most matched your expectations? When did they surprise you?
If you were to cast these characters in a movie, who would play what parts? Use the form below to send your cast to M. L. and he'll send you his.
Autistic IIC, Investigator-in-Charge, for the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board).
Sam and Olivia Chase
Miranda's parents
Tanya "Tante" Daniels
Miranda's therapist, turned governess after the death of her parents
Holly Harper
Former Australian SASR operator. Specialist in structures and explosives.
Mike Munroe
Former con-man and FBI stooge. Specialist in human factors.
Jeremy Trahn
All around investigator. A young Miranda without the autism
Vicki "Taz the Taser" Cortez
US Air Force colonel. Specialist in operations and military planning.
Andrea "Andi" Wu
Former US Army 160th "Night Stalkers" helicopter pilot. Specialist in rotorcraft.
General Drake Nason
Former US Army 75th Rangers. Now 4-star general Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
President Roy Cole
President of the USA.
General Elizabeth "Lizzy" Grey
Former US Air Force combat pilot. Director of the NRO, National Reconnaissance Office. Wife of General Drake Nason.
Clarissa Reese
Director of the CIA.
Major Charcters (by Last Name)
Lieutenant William 'Billy / Poet' Blake
Eglin AFB pilot (A-10)
Colonel Arturo Campos
Commander of the 355th Wing at Davis-Monthan AFB
Jenny 'Daemon' Curtiss
Rouge hacker for hire
Heidi 'Witchy Lady' Geller
Head of CIA Cyber Security department
Sergeant Oscar Lamont
Nason's driver
Senator Hunter Ramson
Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee
Rose Ramson
Wife of Senator Ramson
Harry 'Wizard Boy' Tallman
Head of CIA's Cyber Attack Division
Places
Aircraft
A-10 Warthog face on (Robert Sullivan)
MH-47 in flight
MQ-9 Reaper (USAF Staff Sgt Brian Ferguson)
RQ-170 Drone - captured and displayed in Iran (FARS News)
MiG-29 Fulcrum Bundeswehr-Fotos
Sukhoi Su-57 Felon (Anna Zvereva)
F-15E Strike Eagle (USAF Staff Sgt Sean Carnes)
SyberJet SJ-30 (Bernal Saborio)
Reader's Group Questions (may include spoilers)
Hacking has become a fixture in our society. Where would you rate it on the spectrum of crimes?
Are the final actions of "White Hat" hackers (Heidi and Harry) against a "Black Hat" hacker (Daemon) justified?
What is the role of justice vs. vigilantism in our society? Is the latter ever justified?
Jeremy feels terrible guilt (Buddhism's "Second Arrow") over something he almost did. Have you ever done anything that caused you to plunge in your own Second Arrow of guilt? If so, what have you found helps you remove that self-inflicted emotional pain?
Autistic IIC, Investigator-in-Charge, for the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board).
Sam and Olivia Chase
Miranda's parents
Tanya "Tante" Daniels
Miranda's therapist, turned governess after the death of her parents
Holly Harper
Former Australian SASR operator. Specialist in structures and explosives.
Mike Munroe
Former con-man and FBI stooge. Specialist in human factors.
Jeremy Trahn
All around investigator. A young Miranda without the autism
Vicki "Taz the Taser" Cortez
US Air Force colonel. Specialist in operations and military planning.
Andrea "Andi" Wu
Former US Army 160th "Night Stalkers" helicopter pilot. Specialist in rotorcraft.
General Drake Nason
Former US Army 75th Rangers. Now 4-star general Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
President Roy Cole
President of the USA.
General Elizabeth "Lizzy" Grey
Former US Air Force combat pilot. Director of the NRO, National Reconnaissance Office. Wife of General Drake Nason.
Clarissa Reese
Director of the CIA.
Major Charcters (by Last Name)
Gregor 'Monster' Federov
Senior designer at the Progress Rocket Space Center
Major Elayne Kasprak
Russian SVR / Zaslon agent-saboteur
Diayu
General Zhang Ru's receptionist
Tim & Tom
USAF 24 STS Air Combat Controllers
Vesna
Waitress at Tantsy Bobor Club, companion of Grego Federov
Places
Aircraft
AN-124 Condor (Greg Goebel)
AN-124 Condor loading DSRV (US Navy)
C-5 Galaxy (Roland Balik)
C-5 Galaxy loading helo (USAF)
Su-25UT (Su-28 trainer) (MSgt Dave Casey)
Reader's Group Questions (may include spoilers)
Our nations spend billions, hundred of billions, on weapons of war (ships, jets, spy satellites, etc). Is it justified? Discuss how this massive escalation cycle might be mitigated.
Elayne Kasprak takes drastic actions to protect Russian assets (the helicopter transport plane she destroys). Holly Harper takes equally drastic action to steal the Russian Persona satellite. Are both of them justified? Are either of them justified?
Imagine that you are the Wright Brothers, who have just achieved the first airplane flight. Now imagine you are standing in this story's C-5 Galaxy transport jet, whose cargo bay is as long as your entire first flight. How do you think they would react? Awe, horror...
What is something in your life that has affected you that way?
Holly fights a physical battle. Have you ever been in one? What was most surprising about it?
General Martinez and Taz declare a direct and personal war on drug lords. Is this the answer? If it was completely up to you, how would you run the "War on Drugs"? Militarize everything? Legalize everything? Unleash Special Operations in foreign countries?
For Taz, all life is a battle to be fought. To Jeremy, it is all about cooperation and collaboration. What is your own place on that spectrum and how does it help/hurt you?
Following orders of a superior officer can mean life or death in the military. General Elizabeth Gray chooses to forgive Rosa for actions Rosa knew were illegal but performed at the order of her commanding officer. Was this right?
Jeremy draws a very specific moral line at what he will and will not do, even at the risk of his and Mike's life. What choice would you have made? What was a moral-based choice you made in your life and how did that change you?
Autistic IIC, Investigator-in-Charge, for the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board).
Sam and Olivia Chase
Miranda's parents
Tanya "Tante" Daniels
Miranda's therapist, turned governess after the death of her parents
Holly Harper
Former Australian SASR operator. Specialist in structures and explosives.
Mike Munroe
Former con-man and FBI stooge. Specialist in human factors.
Jeremy Trahn
All around investigator. A young Miranda without the autism
Vicki "Taz the Taser" Cortez
US Air Force colonel. Specialist in operations and military planning.
Andrea "Andi" Wu
Former US Army 160th "Night Stalkers" helicopter pilot. Specialist in rotorcraft.
General Drake Nason
Former US Army 75th Rangers. Now 4-star general Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
President Roy Cole
President of the USA.
General Elizabeth "Lizzy" Grey
Former US Air Force combat pilot. Director of the NRO, National Reconnaissance Office. Wife of General Drake Nason.
Clarissa Reese
Director of the CIA.
Major Charcters (by Last Name)
Colonel Josh Abrams
Air Force Two commander
General Ersin Firat
Turkish commander of hacker team
General Arkin Kavanaugh
USAF weapons systems acquisition
General Barry Sizemore
USAF weapons systems acquisition
Colonel Stimson
Commander of the Night Stalkers 160th SOAR
Major Jon Swift
USAF Accident Investigation Board investigator
General Helen Thomas
Commander of NTTR
Asli
Onur's sister, Metin's love interest
Metin
Turkish Hacker
Onur
Turkish Hacker, Metin's best friend
Places
Aircraft
USAF Janet Airlines C-12A Huron (Tomas Del Coro)
S-97 Raider (Robert Sullivan)
SB-1 Defiant (Sgt Dana Clarke)
C-32A Air Force Two (Sam Meyer)
F-16 Fighting Falcon (USAF)
F-18E Strike Eagle (USN)
Reader's Group Questions (may include spoilers)
Have you ever met someone with PTSD? Discuss what they were like, how they reacted? Were they changed if you knew them before and after?
Do you have something that you react to, that you simply can't help? (Ex. When I was a kid, some "friends" sicced the Doberman on my. I love dogs, but I've been afraid of Dobbies ever since.) What are you doing to change that reaction? (I force myself to pet each Dobbie I meet, because it wasn't the dogs fault.)
Holly completely mistakes Mike and Andi's relationship in the beginning, with amusing results. Have you ever been in a similar situation and were you able to laugh afterward?
Asli gives Metin a simple guide that changes his life, "Would you be willing to tell me what you did if you were allowed to?" Another version of this is: "If was in the newspaper, would you be okay with that?" What guideposts do you use when weighing a questionable action in your mind?
China and the US are in a battle of wills (and hopefully that's all they're still in when you're reading this). How do you think Taiwan specifically and US-China relations will play out? How do you think they should play out?
Have you ever served or even been to a military airshow? If so, tell others about it. What you saw, your impressions, how it altered your view of the military.
General Zhang Ru is a heinously entitled and abusive man. If you were creating a justice system from scratch, how would you punish him and those like him?
Spoiler: Taz returns from the dead. She is the ultimate survivor but is forced by her resurrection to consider her past deeds. She remains convinced that she only deserved the worst future. What assumptions do you make about your own future? How might you change them?
Autistic IIC, Investigator-in-Charge, for the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board).
Sam and Olivia Chase
Miranda's parents
Tanya "Tante" Daniels
Miranda's therapist, turned governess after the death of her parents
Holly Harper
Former Australian SASR operator. Specialist in structures and explosives.
Mike Munroe
Former con-man and FBI stooge. Specialist in human factors.
Jeremy Trahn
All around investigator. A young Miranda without the autism
Vicki "Taz the Taser" Cortez
US Air Force colonel. Specialist in operations and military planning.
Andrea "Andi" Wu
Former US Army 160th "Night Stalkers" helicopter pilot. Specialist in rotorcraft.
General Drake Nason
Former US Army 75th Rangers. Now 4-star general Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
President Roy Cole
President of the USA.
General Elizabeth "Lizzy" Grey
Former US Air Force combat pilot. Director of the NRO, National Reconnaissance Office. Wife of General Drake Nason.
Clarissa Reese
Director of the CIA.
Major Charcters (by Last Name)
Director Gavin Chalmers
CIA Middle East desk
Captain Quint Dermott
Airbus copilot
Captain Dani Evers
Airbus pilot
Kurt Grice
Head of CIA Special Operations Group
Eli Jackson
President of Australian airline
Ernie Maxwell
CIA agent in charge of Diego Garcia black site
Paola Ortiz
South American coup leader, escape from Diego Garcia black site
Places
Aircraft
Airbus A330-300 in Quantas livery (Masakatsu Ukon, Quantas)
KC-135 Stratotanker refueling F-16 (USAF)
C-21A Learjet (USAF)
C-37B Gulfstream USCG (Maarten Visser)
MC07-C-17 USAF (Namret)
C-40B (Jeff Gilbert)
HC-130J Hercules (Silva-USCG)
Dassault Falcon 7X (Steven Byles)
Reader's Group Questions (may include spoilers)
Holly acts before she thinks. Mike thinks before he acts. Jermy feels before he thinks. Taz acts and struggles not to think. Andi feels before she acts. And Miranda...is Miranda. Which one are you? And why? How does it affect your life?
What's the most exotic place you've ever been? How did it affect the way you look at where you live?
Have you ever stood at the grave of someone you knew, loved, or were related to? How did it change your view of your own life?
Everyone Miranda comes in contact with rises to their best self through no conscious effort of her own (well, except Elayne Kasprak). How do you think meeting Miranda would influence you?
M20V Acclaim Ultra © Mike Burdett (Miranda's father's plane)
F86 Sabrejet © USAF (gift to Miranda in short story "Honor Flight")
Cessna Citation M2 © YSSY Guy (Long-term loan from Cessna for testing)
MD-902 Explorer © Fae (purchased for use by Andi Wu)
TWA 747 N993119 during better times © Fae
Reconstructed TWA 800 fuselage © NTSB
Model of canceled Sukhoi Gulfstream S-21 supersonic bizjet © Pjedavj (inspiration for the Casper drone)
Shenyang J-31© wc
C-130 Hercules © USAF
F-35 Lightning II © USAF
TH-1H Huey © USAF
Kiowa OH-58 © Robert Frola (the "small helo")
A-10 Warthog face on (Robert Sullivan)
MH-47 in flight
MQ-9 Reaper (USAF Staff Sgt Brian Ferguson)
RQ-170 Drone - captured and displayed in Iran (FARS News)
MiG-29 Fulcrum Bundeswehr-Fotos
Sukhoi Su-57 Felon (Anna Zvereva)
F-15E Strike Eagle (USAF Staff Sgt Sean Carnes)
SyberJet SJ-30 (Bernal Saborio)
AN-124 Condor (Greg Goebel)
AN-124 Condor loading DSRV (US Navy)
C-5 Galaxy (Roland Balik)
C-5 Galaxy loading helo (USAF)
Su-25UT (Su-28 trainer) (MSgt Dave Casey)
AC-130J Ghostrider, note side-pointing weapon barrels (USAF)
AC-130U Spooky interior guns (USAF)
USAF Janet Airlines C-12A Huron (Tomas Del Coro)
S-97 Raider (Robert Sullivan)
SB-1 Defiant (Sgt Dana Clarke)
C-32A Air Force Two (Sam Meyer)
F-16 Fighting Falcon (USAF)
F-18E Strike Eagle (USN)
AC-130J Ghostrider, note side-pointing weapon barrels (USAF)
MH-47G Chinook (DoD)
UH-60L Blackhawk over Iraq (USAF)
Osh Kosh Striker (John Murphy)
J-20 Mighty Dragon (N509FZ)
Airbus A330-300 in Quantas livery (Masakatsu Ukon, Quantas)
KC-135 Stratotanker refueling F-16 (USAF)
C-21A Learjet (USAF)
C-37B Gulfstream USCG (Maarten Visser)
MC07-C-17 USAF (Namret)
C-40B (Jeff Gilbert)
HC-130J Hercules (Silva-USCG)
Dassault Falcon 7X (Steven Byles)