• Wings of Steele: Destination Unknown, Book 1

  • By: Jeffrey J. Burger
  • Narrated by: Kevin Clay
  • Length: 16 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (442 ratings)

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Wings of Steele: Destination Unknown, Book 1  By  cover art

Wings of Steele: Destination Unknown, Book 1

By: Jeffrey J. Burger
Narrated by: Kevin Clay
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Publisher's summary

"Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying." (Arthur C. Clarke)

Book one in the Wings of Steele series, Destination Unknown is an epic science-fiction adventure that reaches from the surface of our familiar planet and the safety of terra firma to the dark, vast expanse of deep space and distant star systems.

Jack Steele is an ex-big-city cop that left the department after losing a friend in the line of duty. Recovering from a tough divorce, he reinvents himself with a love of flying and restructures his life as a pilot for hire. Accompanied by his ever-present German Shepherd, Fritz, Jack will fly almost anything anywhere, shuttling new and used planes for clients all over the world.

He had never been a Boy Scout, but he is a man who likes to stay prepared and in control of whatever life throws at him. But nothing could have prepared Jack and his copilot for how life suddenly goes drastically and violently sideways, in a direction and magnitude that no one could have ever anticipated. Wanted men, it seems, like everyone on the planet, are hunting them, and their only option is to run...but to where?

©2012, 2014 Jeffrey J. Burger (P)2015 Jeffrey J. Burger

What listeners say about Wings of Steele: Destination Unknown, Book 1

Average customer ratings
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  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Lots of Action, But a Little 'Comic Book-ish"

I'm torn in two directions with this book...
One one hand, it was very entertaining and kept my attention the entire time.
On the other hand, there were too many loose strings, unexplained holes, and unrealistic characters and events then I would generally prefer in any story.

The story follows a former police officer turned pilot. In the wake of a recent messy divorce, he makes a new life and successful career for himself as an independent pilot. While on a trip to deliver a WWII plane to a movie set, he is... well, abducted by aliens. With him is his dog, his co-pilot partner, two naval pilots, and a covert US intelligence operative. The latter three characters are a long story, but the short version is that there were some snags in the plan to deliver the plane, and the two navy pilots were chasing them...
Post-Abduction, the five find out that they are on a luxury alien cruise ship, and that it will be some time (possibly years) before they can return to earth. They decide to make a life for themselves as pilots. After defending the cruise ship from a pilot attack, they take the ship and fighters as their own and decide to continue as something like galactic navy pirate hunters.

As I said I really did enjoy listening to it, but the story just has too many problems to be considered a good book. Lets lay some of them out...
The characters are very one dimensional. The main female character (supposedly a covert US intelligence officer, and assumed to be a rather smart person) has the attitude, mentality, and emotions of a two-year old child.
Some of the technology is believable, but some things seem closer to magic than something you'd find in a Science Fiction book.
There are waaaay to many holes in the story, or things that are just never explained properly, such as how the planes actually got on the ship and why several days passed before they realized it. There is also an entire sub-story back on earth with everyone looking for the missing planes that is very unbelievable. We even find out that the whole trip that he was on to deliver the plane was planned by US intelligence, but that it is never explained or elaborated on (like a lot of other things).
Also, there is this ancient alien guy that pops up to tell the main character that everything happening to him is all part of his "fate" or "destiny" or something like that... Kinda weird.

As I said, I enjoyed the listen, but this was more like a long science fiction comic book than anything else. It was worth the credit, but only barely. I may or may not download the next in the series (if there is a next audiobook) depending on what mood I'm in.

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26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Empty characters, but interesting story.

I had a difficult time finishing this book. The story was interesting, but not well executed and they first few chapters were so outrageous that I almost put it down before they ended up on the spaceship. The dialogue is feels unnatural and the descriptions feel more like extended stage directions in a screenplay. The characters are hollow and stereotypical; I could not stand Jack and his uber-masculinity, or the frustrating portrayal of the women in this book. The dog had more personality than all of the main characters.

Now, I read a lot of reviews that claimed the grammar/spelling errors were enough to put it down before finishing. I can't say if these were corrected with the edition I received as I listened to the audio book. If they were as bad as I've read then I would have definitely put it down. However, I didn't read the physical copy and I found Kevin Clay to be an excellent narrator. This is the second book I've listened to him read and he has the perfect type of voice and inflection for sci fi/action stories. His pacing was great and I look forward to listening to more books read by him.

Empty characters, but interesting story.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Series has great potential

This is a good story with all kinds of potential. The main character is very likable. He does make some stupid decisions, but overall he seems like a good fit as the main character.

The narrator isn't the best I've heard but he does a pretty good job, has a variety of voices and isn't irritating.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Popcorn

Decent story hampered by a few things. First...the narrator uses his "urgent" voice the entire time which gets old quick. Second...the progression is just too easy for the main character.

The ladies probably won't like the way the women main characters in the book are portrayed as they are not exactly strong or stable...but I'm a guy so it was more funny than annoying.

I would probably pick up the next one as the potential is there

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Space fiction for adolescent males

This has the feel of a Buck Rogers movie. Simplistic and stereotypical characters, predictable plot, bad science.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Wings of Steele

Would you listen to Wings of Steele: Destination Unknown, Book 1 again? Why?

Yes I will listen again.

What about Kevin Clay’s performance did you like?

The narrator did a good job

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It is slow in the beginning but once it's gets going you can't put it down! I like the mix, would be most people's dream to end up in Captian Steele's spot. Very good detail! We all learn as we go! You will not be disappointed! I can't wait for the next one! I agree with other reviews he is on his way and is similar to well read authors in quality.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

A book that makes absolutely no sense (for me)

I have listened to over a hundred books and this is the first book that I just could not make my self finish listening. The plot is incredibly shallow and uninteresting. There is simply nothing in this book that makes you want to hear the next sentence written.
If the intention was to write a science fiction parody, then good job, otherwise… Jesus, I cannot find the right words to describe the nothingness of this book.
I will not go into details because everything is just bad.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding read

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I enjoyed this book so much I had to purchase the kindle version of book 2 and 3. Outstanding book. I highly recommend it.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Loved the book and the narrator!

I very much enjoyed this book. If you have ever wondered what happened to all those people on ships and planes that disappeared inside the Bermuda Triangle, this story gives you one possibility.

When Jack Steele disappears inside the Bermuda Triangle with a vintage bomber that he supposed to be delivering for the CIA many Federal agencies become involved in looking for him.

Meanwhile, Steele and others who disappeared with him find themselves on a ship in space that is of alien origin. In the beginning, all he can think about is where is he and how is he going to get back home. However, as things play out he finds himself commanding a spaceship of his own.

There were not a lot of Star Wars'esque space battles in this book, but there was indeed plenty of action.

Love the characters. By the end of the book I found myself caring about them and wanting to know more. Thank goodness there are more books to be had.

The narrator of Destination Unknown, Kevin Clay, had a voice that kind of reminded me a newscaster. He would seem to have had some voice training as all of his characters were separate and distinct. One or two might have been a little cheesy, but the overall effect was very entertaining.

I highly recommend this book.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Story must be written by 12 year old school boy

What did you love best about Wings of Steele: Destination Unknown, Book 1?

The narrator is excellent and paces things well.

Would you be willing to try another book from Jeffrey J. Burger? Why or why not?

I might read another Jeffrey J Burger if I was 12 and had never met a real woman in my life.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book made me cringe whenever there is any interaction between Mr Steele and any woman in the story. You do get the feeling that the author has never met a real woman or is such a male chauvinist that he wishes that he lived in a world where women just fell at his feet no matter how badly they are treated.

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3 people found this helpful