Rating: 
Summary: Connts tries sci-fi. Still sounds like Coonts.
Review: ...Stephen Coonts dips his toes into the waters of science fiction and comes up with what he does best-a techno-thriller. Rip, a college student summering as a geological survey worker, spots a gleam under the sand in the middle of the Sahara desert, and from such auspicious beginnings he unearths a seventy-foot, hundred forty thousand year old flying saucer. Everyone from a band of Australian mercenaries to the Libyan government knows about it, and wants it, within forty-eight hours. Rip's got himself a dilemma-how to get the saucer out of the hands of the various agencies who want it?The Saucer is exactly the kind of turn-your-brain-off entertainment one expects from Stephen Coonts, and he delivers in spades. All the plot pieces are there, all the trappings (including the gorgeous sidekick, of course), all the loose-end-tying at the end. This is perfect beach reading. It never breaks formula, and the pages don't stop turning until you hit the last one. A good, solid read. ***
Rating:
Summary: Juvenile, but a good fun read!
Review: I'm sure I would have loved this book if I were 16 years old. I'd have given it 4 or 5 stars and thought that the 22-year-old hero, Rip Cantrell, was "too cool for school", as Rip himself puts it. Unfortunately (?), my age is such that I review books based on how I think most adults will see them, and I'm afraid that results in me labeling this book as being "juvenile" and giving it only 3 stars. Rip Cantrell finds a real genuine flying saucer buried in the sands of Northern Africa. Together with a couple of other guys he digs it up. The flying saucer is 140,000 years old! And it still works!! All it needs is some fuel, which happens to be plain water!!! A pretty woman turns up and Rip demonstrates his savoir-faire by insulting her. "Do you really like him or just need sex?" he asks her when she admits that she has had something going with the guy she's together with. We can rest assured that this love-at-first-sight relationship will blossom and become a major driving force in the story. Everyone wants the flying saucer, especially the American military and an Australian media mogul (very loosely based on Rupert Murdoch), and both are willing to use serious force to get what they want. Soon Rip and the pretty girl are on the run, flying the saucer on a fantastic journey across continents and oceans. And then things start to get really exciting. After the public becomes aware of the existence of the saucer there is widespread panic. The military and the politicians are all up in arms, and are depicted as being a bunch of idiots. So it's not just exciting but also rather humorous at times. Actually, the book presents a fairly good story, and I liked it. But the tone is definitely juvenile. And what is one to make of a statement like this: "This thing is so damn up-to-date that it hasn't been invented yet." Not a book that makes you think very hard, but a good fun read, especially if you haven't had your 20th birthday yet. Incidentally, on Stephen Coonts' web site he says that he's working on a sequel. Rennie Petersen
Rating:
Summary: A cute book, but not up to Coonts' usual level.
Review: In writing Saucer, Stephen Coonts got away from his usual "Jake Grafton and friends save the United States and the world" military suspense novels. The book is simple and reads like a plot for a made-for-TV movie:
1. Boy finds flying saucer.
2. Boy meets girl.
3. Bad guys arrive.
4. Boy and girl escape in flying saucer and find friends.
5. Boy and girl and friends fly around in flying saucer and have fun.
6. Bad guys steal flying saucer.
7. Boy and girl steal flying saucer back.
8. Boy gets rid of bad guys once and for all.
9. Boy becomes hero, and he and girl live happily ever after.
Reading Saucer was not a bad way to while away a few hours, but I prefer Coonts' other books.
Rating:
Summary: Fun
Review: Saucer isn't ground breaking, but in some ways it appeals to the kid inside me who always wanted to discover some hidden treasure that would launch me into adventure. In Saucer, that's just what happens. The "hero", Rip Cantrell, finds a flying saucer sticking out of a rock in the Sahara. He and his coworkers extract the Saucer from the rock, and surprise, it's in perfect working order. Rip and his new found friend Charley Pine set out on an adventure, chased by the Libyans, the US government, and the 2nd richest man in the world--an Australian businessman. The plot progresses through several crisis, but in the end, good triumphs over evil and Rip and Charley save the day. Don't read this book looking for a critically acclaimed masterpiece. Instead, read this book for the fun of it, and for the vicarious adventure you missed as a kid.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Writer's Not so Good Book
Review: I like Mr. Coonts works. Let me get that out first. However, this one has a great premise that falls flat. No, splat. Ancient Saucer. Advanced Tech. Flying. International action. Interesting character roster. Then it goes wrong. There is no suspense or wonder. You just don't care about the cast. And the names drive you nuts! Always a bad sign. When the major Yoda figure is called "Egg", please. This sounds to me like an outline for the publisher which then had to be written under contract. Slow down, Mr. Coonts.
Rating:
Summary: A cute book, but not up to Coonts' usual level.
Review: In writing Saucer, Stephen Coonts got away from his usual "Jake Grafton and friends save the United States and the world" military suspense novels. The book is simple and reads like a plot for a made-for-TV movie:
1. Boy finds flying saucer.
2. Boy meets girl.
3. Bad guys arrive.
4. Boy and girl escape in flying saucer and find friends.
5. Boy and girl and friends fly around in flying saucer and have fun.
6. Bad guys steal flying saucer.
7. Boy and girl steal flying saucer back.
8. Boy gets rid of bad guys once and for all.
9. Boy becomes hero, and he and girl live happily ever after.
Reading Saucer was not a bad way to while away a few hours, but I prefer Coonts' other books.
Rating:
Summary: An intriguing departure fo Mr. Coonts
Review: Ok, so the science is a bit speculative, not to mention thin. This book was FUN! Sure, the plot was a bit cliche - young hero battling agiainst the Mega-Military-Industrial-Complex, winning the over the delectable, yet capable and intelligent lady pilot in the process. (Way to go, Stud!) Compared to some of Coonts' other recent works, this was a bit whimsical, but at least the incredibly lucky Jake Grafton didn't show his Admiral's nose in this one.(That guy should have been dead at the end of Coonts' second novel!) In a first attempt at science fiction, Coonts has done well. It captured my imagination, and that's all that I ask for from a $7.95 paperback. Of course the concept of a single-stage-to-orbit hypersonic saucer that runs on tap water, floats on its own force field, outruns everything, and makes a whole LOT of noise in the process is the best part of the book! I want one to go roaring around in for myself! A good first effort on Coonts' part in a new genre; I'll be looking for more.
Rating: 
Summary: 6th Grade reading or less
Review: I gave up after 90 pages. I just couldn't believe that such a well known author would write in such a juvenile style. Dialog is wooden and contrived, not much scientific backup for the plot and it just got more and more insipid. I certainly expected more than this from Coonts. Fortunately, I found it in the cut-out bins anyway. Now I know why.
Rating:
Summary: Piece of GARBAGE
Review: Did Stephen Coonts, or Stephen Coonts' 10 year old grandson write this junk? I couldn't tell. Maybe Stephen Duntz wrote it!
Rating:
Summary: Pure fluff
Review: While any book project is a serious undertaking, SAUCER is not a serious book. There are no little green men to wrry about, just an increible stale bunch of venal politician, greedy corporate types, hard charging generals and a guy named Rip who could eat you out of house and home. Oh yeah, there is a saucer (maybe it is alien in origin or maybe it was from the lost ciy of Atlantis) who knows and who cares. This isn't much a book, but if you have 2 or 3 hours to kill and don't want to think about anything serious, this is an okay read.
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