Reviewers praised Flight of the Intruder for its vivid descriptions of life in the cockpit. "When Grafton is at the controls of his Intruder, the novel comes alive with a jolt," remarked Reid Beddow inWashington Post Book World. Some critics, however, felt the novel had its weak moments. For example, David Holahan in Chicago Tribune Books faulted the "obligatory `love interest' chapters, which are unconvincing and distracting." Holahan nonetheless applauded the author's "compelling tale of aerial warfare" and affirmed that "Coonts' accounts of the riveting drama of combat flights are first rate, as are the scenes of wisecracking camaraderie aboard ship and on leave ashore." Beddow, moreover, concluded that "Coonts . . . has written a first novel of impressive power and authority."
Hailed as the finest combat aviation novel to emerge from the Vietnam War, Flight of the Intruder spent twenty-eight weeks on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list and became one of the top twenty bestselling first novels of all time. An instant classic, the book was translated into more than twenty languages and made into a major motion picture. Its hero, Jake Grafton, became a household name and the star of many more Coonts' bestsellers.
Without question, the strength of the book lies in its flying scenes when Jake Grafton straps himself into the cockpit of his A-6 Intruder. Jake's love of flying is contagious whether you are hearing the book for the first time or listening to it for the third. No one better captures the world of Navy carrier pilots than Stephen Coonts. An Intruder pilot who flew combat missions off the deck of the USS Enterprise in the Vietnam War, Coonts lived the life he writes about, and he puts readers inside the hearts and minds of the pilots to reveal a world unknown to those outside the naval aviators' fraternity. Few will forget the book's final gut-wrenching scene when Jake's once-innocent love of flying gives way to guilt and frustration and the need to give meaning to the deaths of his comrades.
Hailed as the finest combat aviation novel to emerge from the Vietnam War, Flight of the Intruder spent twenty-eight weeks on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list and became one of the top twenty bestselling first novels of all time. An instant classic, the book was translated into more than twenty languages and made into a major motion picture. Its hero, Jake Grafton, became a household name and the star of many more Coonts' bestsellers.
Without question, the strength of the book lies in its flying scenes when Jake Grafton straps himself into the cockpit of his A-6 Intruder. Jake's love of flying is contagious whether you are hearing the book for the first time or listening to it for the third. No one better captures the world of Navy carrier pilots than Stephen Coonts. An Intruder pilot who flew combat missions off the deck of the USS Enterprise in the Vietnam War, Coonts lived the life he writes about, and he puts readers inside the hearts and minds of the pilots to reveal a world unknown to those outside the naval aviators' fraternity. Few will forget the book's final gut-wrenching scene when Jake's once-innocent love of flying gives way to guilt and frustration and the need to give meaning to the deaths of his comrades.
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
BN ID: | 2940172436758 |
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Publisher: | Brilliance Audio |
Publication date: | 06/04/2013 |
Series: | Jake Grafton Series , #1 |
Edition description: | Unabridged |
Sales rank: | 515,824 |