About the Author

Stephen Coonts is the author of seven "New York Times" bestselling novels, the first of which was the classic flying tale, " Flight of the Intruder," which spent more than six months at the top of "The New York Times" bestseller list. His novels have been published around the world and translated into more than a dozen languages. He was honored by the U.S. Naval Institute with its Author of the Year Award in 1986. His latest novel is America. He is also the editor of two anthologies, "War in the Air" and "The New York Times "bestselling "Combat." He resides with his wife, Deborah, in Nevada.

Reviews

This trio of novellas describe an interesting array of combat and military scenarios. Ranging from "black bag" operations to combat in space, these works, as is the norm in current military fiction, are heavy with details of equipment and technology. The first selection, Coonts's "al'Jihad," is by far the most interesting and entertaining. A wealthy young woman, whose Marine colonel father along with her mother were killed by Arab terrorists, hires one of his former snipers to help her "take out" those responsible. Told from the vantage point of the former sniper, this piece has a delightful plot twist. Dale Brown's "Leadership Material" portrays the workings of a military review board, composed of officers who decide which of their comrades deserve a promotion based only on a personnel file with recommendations, a photo, and their own instincts. R.J. Pineiro's "Flight of Endeavour" depicts combat at the International Space Station, with its powerful UN-controlled weaponry, taken over by a scientist assisting the Chechen freedom fighters. The characters in these tales are a bit flat, but the action is exciting. Bruno Oliver's performance in all three is up to the task. His resonant voice is quite expressive with the dialog, although his Iranian and Russian accents sound rather similar. Fans of military/action-adventure should be satisfied with this production. Suitable for popular collections as well as those serving a military clientele. Michael T. Fein, Central Virginia Community Coll., Lynchburg Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.