The Daedalus Files

A strange thing happened to me while reading Robert G. Williscroft’s The Daedalus Files: I felt it hard to believe it was fiction. Earlier, I had read his novel Slingshot about the world’s first Space Launch Loop, and since The Daedalus Files follows it, I should have known it was fiction. Still, this hard science-fiction tale is told with such vivid, realistic, sometimes visceral detail and moment-by-moment suspense that I almost completely lost myself in it. Daedalus LEO is even more exciting than Daedalus, the first story in this book with more thrills, more near-escapes, more humor, and more spectacular sightseeing of the Earth far below. More romance too, for that matter. This time around the author has upped the ante. It’s the first manned LEO (Low Earth Orbit) drop, and instead of 80 klicks, the Gryphon 10 has to drop 160, or twice as far. Daedalus Squad brilliantly advances the Gryphon missions. This time, a six-man squad in improved wingsuits launches into Low Earth Orbit and travels around the globe before landing. Its purpose is to do it eventually under combat conditions. As you might expect, something is bound to go wrong with this training mission, and it does, leading to a tense conclusion. The near-future scientific and technological detail here is thoroughly convincing. As in the author’s previous stories, maps show the global paths of the men and make it easy to follow their progress in space. At times, you even feel you’re along for the ride. Daedalus Combat is a fitting conclusion to and culmination of the other three stories in this action-packed, hard science-fiction book. When Pirates snatch a U.S. Senator and probable next President from a ship and hold him for one hundred million dollars ransom, the Navy SEALS quickly move to rescue him. Once again Derek “Tiger” Baily’s six-man SWIC squad is featured, only this time, the operation is “dramatically different from anything any warrior had ever done before.” Why? Because it’s the first time anyone has ever “dropped from LEO into a combat scenario.” It’s the full nature of this combat scenario that is the real “Wow” factor here. All the different units of the military machine must work together if the mission is to succeed. The action and suspense are intense, and they kept me turning the pages until the very end. — Professor John B. Rosenman, Norfolk State University Former Chairman of the Board, Horror Writers Association Author of The Inspector of the Cross Series Afraid of Heights? Then you won’t make it as a member of SEALS Winged Insertion Command. For a once in a lifetime thrill, follow the thoughts and actions of Derek “Tiger” Baily, most adept member of Second Platoon, First Squad as he wrings out the details of making a wingsuit jump from a platform eighty kilometers (fifty miles) above Jarvis Island on the Equator in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Tiger Baily reached that platform using the “Slingshot” space portal system described in Robert G. Williscroft’s richly detailed series of hard science fiction novels, The Starchild Trilogy. But rather than launch into space from the Fred Noonan Skyport, Tiger Baily attempts a 236-mile traverse over the ever-threatening and oh-so-deep ocean waters. This is what SEALs do, test new means of surreptitiously inserting themselves into combat zones. While the beginning and middle of Williscroft’s short story are mesmerizing, the fifty-mile high drop and long-distance transit will have you holding your breath. Much to Williscroft’s credit, the physics and dynamics of Tiger’s record-breaking flight seem spot on. Daedalus LEO is about the unimaginable, yet somehow, Robert Williscroft not only imagined it but made it real—and breathtakingly thrilling. The idea of a human being deliberately placing himself in low earth orbit to carry out a proof of concept mission is an image as fresh, and yet disturbing, as they come. Mind you, Derek “Tiger” Baily is an extraordinary human, and this is no ordinary story. Those of us growing up in the space age know full well that reentry from orbit is terrifyingly dangerous. The fires of reentry consume foolish mortals who make the slightest mistake. And mistakes and problems arise aplenty in Tiger’s trial run. In Daedalus Squad, a SEALS Winged Insertion Command (SWIC) squad drops from Low Earth Orbit. The technology for getting there was well explained in Williscroft’s previous novel, Slingshot. The Daedalus Files concern the development of special combat operations with easy access to space. As with most experimental research, there are challenges—and mishaps galore. In this storyline, with humans hurtling around the Earth at orbital velocities, there is precious little room for error. Controlled re-entry of a human body is even riskier. All of that riskiness translates into an exciting read. Aside from the thrills inherent in such feats of heroism, this story is educational. If you’ve wondered how orbiting spacecraft maneuver to change orbits, or rendezvous with other orbiting bodies (in this story, literally human bodies), Daedalus Squad will reveal enough of the lingo to help you search online and find out how it’s done. That education alone adds an unexpected dimension to this treasure of a story. Clandestine military operations depend on the element of surprise: Navy SEALS fast-roping from a helicopter, or exiting a submarine in the middle of the night. But the ultimate surprise would be dropping a combat team on an unsuspecting enemy from low earth orbit (LEO). Not LEO of a spaceship, or spaceplane, but of actual combatants, living, breathing human beings, armed to the teeth, crossing oceans in minutes, and pouncing as a team of flying, fire-breathing dragons. Who would have thought? Well, that’s exactly the point. No one would…except Navy SEAL “Tiger” Bailey, Commanding Officer of SEALS Winged Insertion Command Three (SWIC-3). Robert Williscroft places you inside the action, inside the incredible space launches, the orbital rendezvous, the almost flaming reentry, the on-the-fly change of plans, attack under hellacious conditions, and egress from the combat scene. Like any combat operation, there are risks at every step of the way, and Williscroft brings you, the reader, along for the ride of a lifetime. At the end of these three short reads, you’ll breathe a sigh of relief, let out a little cheer for our unsung heroes, and then wonder—could this really happen? Don’t ask this reviewer. I’m sworn to secrecy. — Dr. John R. Clarke Author of The Jason Parker Series Williscroft’s usual attention to technical detail and firsthand experience with military ops pays off in these wild tales set in the world of his Slingshot, about the first wingsuit jump from a launch loop, then from LEO, followed by a squad of jumpers, and finally, their jump into live combat. The idea of jumping from orbit using little more than a spacesuit and a re-entry pack goes back at least to Heinlein’s Starship Troopers, and I’ve used it myself, but Williscroft puts a new twist on it as Navy SEAL “Tiger” Baily makes the jump first from 80 km and then LEO. A great tale, with his usual attention to detail. “Tiger” Baily, the wingsuited, space-jumping hero of Williscroft’s Daedalus Files, has the stakes upped once again as his whole team makes a jump from orbit. This time they’re leaving nothing to chance and have already simulated every possible bad-news scenario they can think of. Too bad nature can come up with something they didn’t think of. Another fun ride, if your idea of fun includes death-defying action. The test and training runs are over; now it’s time for the SWIC to see real action. Williscroft’s final tale in this book, Daedalus Combat, literally starts with a bang and keeps on going... — Alastair Mayer Author of The T-Space Series The Daedalus Files are four science fiction short stories that blend the boundaries of fact and fiction as seamlessly as the late master, Michael Crichton. They’re the type of story that leaves you asking questions and discussing with your coworkers in the break room. The stories are told by Derek “Tiger” Baily, a member of an elite SEALS team. In Daedalus, he completes the first jump in an experimental wingsuit from a skyport 80 km above the Earth. Now, if you’ve read Slingshot, a full-length sci-fi thriller published by Williscroft a few years ago (see my review—5 stars for this well-crafted and thought-provoking story) you’ll know all about the skyport, a marvel of engineering that could be close to being realized (really!). And if you haven’t read Slingshot, no worries because an excerpt is thoughtfully included at the end of The Daedalus Files. Tiger is a self-professed adrenalin junky who doesn’t shy away from a challenge. I won’t share any spoilers here, because it is best to allow yourself to become one with Tiger as he flies his wingsuit to his target landing zone—a tiny atoll in the Pacific Ocean. What begins as a normal drop soon turns into a terrifying descent into Nature’s fury that will leave you in a cold sweat. Daedalus LEO chronicles Lt. Commander Derek “Tiger” Baily’s flight from low-Earth orbit in a wingsuit. To call the Gryphon-10 a wingsuit is a stretch, but I think it conveys the idea without introducing spoilers. As with all of Williscroft’s work, the writing is tight and realistic. The characters are three-dimensional against a backdrop of excitement, thrills, and cliff-hangers. And the science in this sci-fi is damn accurate. In fact, much of the plot and details are science fact, and part of the fun, as with the work of the late great Michael Crichton, is trying to discern the thin line between truth and fiction. Daedalus Squad continues the adventures of Lt.Cdr. Derek “Tiger” Baily. Sporting the newest version of the wingsuit (the Gryphon 10 Mk 4), Tiger plans to link up with the other members of his squad in Low Earth Orbit and then descend in formation to a landing at the Amargosa Valley. When the plan goes awry, Tiger must think quickly and use his considerable flying skills to avoid certain death. Daedalus Combat brings “Tiger” Baily into a rescue mission with no margin for error. Sporting the newest version of the fully-armed wingsuit (the Gryphon 10 Mk 4), Tiger and his squad must rescue a U.S. Senator—and presumed future President—who is being held for ransom by pirates. Williscroft demonstrates his knowledge of military tactics and equipment to paint an all-too-realistic picture of what could be tomorrow’s headlines. Each of The Daedalus Files adventures, told through the voice of Tiger, is a short story, and I’d encourage fans of sci-fi and military thrillers to read them in order since they stitch together smoothly into a comprehensive tale of adventure and suspense. Together, they are an exciting, hard-charging read that is sure to satisfy thriller and sci-fi readers. — Dr. Dave Edlund USA Today Bestselling Author – The Peter Savage Thrillers