In World War II era England, Ronnie is pilot for the Royal Air Force whose gender has meant restriction to mail runs and supply deliveries for the “real” pilots. When she is reassigned to a new base under the navy’s jurisdiction, she stumbles into a new program and chance for a far more exciting assignment. A navy scientist has discovered a new energy source which he has adapted for a new type of plane called the Dragonfly. Dragonfly’s unique abilities could give the British an important advantage in the war, but it’s still in development, and test pilots are, understandably, in short supply. Fearing the enemy will destroy the base before the work is complete, Ronnie’s commander agrees to allow her to begin the testing until a replacement arrives. While on a test run, however, the base is attacked. Ronnie is forced to join the battle, setting off a chain of events that leads to her assignment on a top secret mission that just might be the difference between winning and losing the war.
Dragonfly is a dieselpunk novel set in an alternate reality version of World War II. Although this area of history has certainly been the subject of more than its fair share of works of fiction, I was pleasantly surprised by how well the author took real world events and merged them into something that feels real but is something altogether different. Following along with Ronnie as she learns the ins and outs of Dragonfly’s capabilities is interesting, and her subsequent crash course in the enemy’s technologies serves as a chilling counterpoint to all of the team’s advances.
Find it on Amazon
No comments:
Post a Comment