Flight of the Intruder

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Summary: Greatest Vietnam airwar novel
Review: "Flight of the Intruder" tells the story of Jake Grafton, a young naval aviator respected by his peers but slowly coming apart under the pressures of flying extremely hazardous yet useless missions over hostile territory in Vietnam. (Though carrying more ordinance than any other carrier-based airplane, none of the A-6's weaponry is for defense, and no sidewinders or cannon-shells ever arm the plane). Though the communist north would be hurt by air strikes against its power stations, air fields and harbors, and despite America's capacity to simply erase the country from the map using nuclear weapons, Intruder pilots are sent to fly through heavily defended airspace to bomb probably non-existent targets like "suspected truck parks" and ammo dumps. It's on one of these meaningless missions that Grafton's navigator is killed, and the novel begins with Jake confronting the futility of the war, especially in light of the politically imposed restrictions which put more meaningful targets firmly off limits to Yankee fliers. Short a navigator, Grafton is paired with rotating fillers until being firmly hitched up to the mysterious "Tiger" Cole. While Grafton is one of the Navy's best aviators (shipmates call him "Cool Hand"), Cole has amassed years of experience above him. Between the two of them, their frustration mounts until they plan the inconceivable - an unauthorized bombing of the North's communist party HQ in Hanoi. Resolving to keep the mission a secret, they both know that their discovery is inevitable and that they will have to answer for their actions.

"Intruders" is easily the greatest novel written about the air war over Vietnam, or anywhere. Coonts creates highly fleshed characters like the laconic Cole, Camparelli, the dedicated CAG, "Razor", "Boxman" and of course, Grafton himself. As a "technothriller" "Intruder" also excels not only on Coonts' thorough knowledge of the A-6 airplane but also his unique ability to work his knowledge into an excellent plot (and not the other way around as you'll see on just about any similar book). What really sets this book apart from similar stories about the airwar is its brave treatment of the political realities of the war - though we've been prepped to despise the Byzantine regulation of the war, the ultimate court battle our heroes face isn'tr afraid to look at the issue from both sides. Grafton's superiors, who'd be clueless buffoons in other books, are allowed to be dedicated and highly experienced officers here. Grafton, on the other hand, is no hero, something Cool-Hand himself would be the first to admit to you. Priceless dialog and a climax that is none-too-pat round out this novel. Avoid the rip-offs (and the movie while you're at it).

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Summary: I started reading it one evening. I finished it at 4am!
Review: A pilot friend loaned me his copy; Respecting his judgement, I started it one evening after dinner. I finished it in due time -- at 4am the next day, a workday. I will recommend it to anyone. Don Karabelnikoff, Real Estate Counselor, Anchorage, Alaska [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: A Perspective of the Vietnam Conflict That Is Sure to Please
Review: An A-6 Intruder pilot fighting in the Vietnam conflict loses his dear friend as well as his bombardier bombing a "suspected truck park," he decides to attack a target that will make a difference: the Communist Party headquarters in Hanoi. Flight of the Intruder exposes the reader to action, compassion, romance, and humor.

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Summary: The idea of a Naval Novel from a Naval Aviation Inthusiast.
Review: Flight of the intruder combines the information of a documentary with the adventure of an action novel with the love of a Romance Novel. It is a rivetting and exiting book that tells the some-what fictionalized accounts of a navy pilot. I would not recomend this book to anyone who dislikes the military. This is a novel only us military freaks would enjoy. It is good reading and just another one of those books than can never seem to leave your hand.

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Summary: An excellant debut novel!!
Review: Flight of the Intruder is one of the best novels about the Vietnam War that I've ever read. Sets the stage nicely for Coonts' 6th novel, The Intruders

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Summary: IT'S LIKE YOU JUMP INTO THE COCKPIT WITH JAKE GRAFTON!!!
Review: Get ready to strap on an A-6 Intruder and fly into the dark skys of North Vietnam. Nobody could capture the excitment of flying intruders in vietnam than a man who has done it. The way Coonts describes the the people and situations is amazing, he puts alot of detail into evry charecter giving you the feel like you were standing right next to them. If you there was only one book you could choose to read it should "FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER"

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Summary: Great Aviation Story!
Review: Great technical accuracy, a gripping plot and characters that seem very real make this a very enjoyable book

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Summary: Don't miss this book.
Review: Having promised to never read a book again, after college. I received Flight as someting to read on the flight to Hawaii. I could not put it down. I even read it on the beach under a towel in the rain. It started me reading for pleasure again. And if I could talk to Coonts I thank him for giving me Clancy,Koontz etc.etc. Steven : Thanks for giving me back the pleasure of a good book.

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Summary: Amazing
Review: I am only 14 years old, and while my friends are only reading books about horror, or no books at all, I have been reading books like this classic. This book is the one that had me start to read serious books, and it is still the best book I have ever read because of it's realism and depth.

Rating:
Summary: A Perspective of the Vietnam Conflict That Is Sure to Please
Review: I believe I have read this book at least ten times. It simply never gets old to me. Granted, the aviation geek in me loves all the technical details and the way Coonts put me right in the cockpit beside Jake Grafton, but what really keeps me coming back to this book is the amazing job of characterization done here. There is not a single cardboard character in this book- Cowboy Parker, Sammy Lundeen, Jake Grafton, Tiger Cole... the list goes on and on. I can't say enough in favor of this book.

Too many other writers would have focused too much on the technical aspects of the writing and not spent enough time making the characters, and not just the machines, real. Coonts, on the other hand, has struck the perfect balance between technical accuracy and glorious storytelling. A must-read in my opinion.