Customer Reviews

Cuba

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I appreciated the reviews shared with readers regarding this title. I did not, however, find any comment which resonated with my reasons for appreciating the work. Therefore, I am prepared to believe that perhaps I was reading too much into it; that is, perhaps I was feasting on hidden meanings of the diaglogue which might have been far afield from anything the author had in mind. In any event, here is what I like about the book. First and foremost, given the events of recent weeks in this Nation's relationship with Cuba, I considered the book a felicitous example of "art imitating life." The entire episode of Ocho and his countrymen floundering around in the Florida straits is redolent of the young Cuban kid and his experiences that are now an international causa celebre. The hunt for the biological weapons, etc., is of course a replay of our recent experience with Iraq. The episode of the Cuban pilot casually cruising around in his Mig29 wreaking destruction on far superior American forces is a parody of a real life incident that occurred when the U.S. invaded Grenada; one simple, nonchalant Cuban worker found an old cannon of some sort that hardly functioned but used it to wreak havoc on the American forces that sought to land on the airstrip the workers had under construction. And of course there are countless other examples. What I enjoyed most about the book was how it lent itself to being taken almost wholly as satire. That is the hidden meaning I found. Politics aside (because who can ever agree on whether it was Castro or Uncle Sam that defeated the Revolution?), there is something palpably absurd about the entire battlefield scenario--a first world nation using the latest high tech gadgetry to subdue a third world nation that for all practical purposes has neither Army, AirForce or Navy! While the U.S. President, et.al., were ruminating over strategies ostensibly designed to save America from attack if not the world, what little cerebration that was being expended in Cuba had to do with nothing more lofty than the personal pursuit of a few ingots of gold! The only missle ever fired was fired by the hapless CIA interloper; non of the missles had been tested or kept in repair; no Cuban forces were identified who had the remosted idea of how to access the silos, let alone fire the rockets; the bio weapons lab was a joke; one lone dissolute, spent scientist in charge--whose assasination was surely in a world with real morality a more negative reflection on the good guys than on the Cubans..it was an act of depravity of the first water! So, if it was all good fun, a novel ala Grisham, Sheldon, King, etc.,, let's chalk it up to being fun. If there was a hidden meaning--that is if it was a sly indictment of a foreign policy that is morally and strategically senseless and bankrupt, then I'd rate it five stars, well earned....

I found this to be an exciting read, once I got past the inconsistency with Coonts's "Under Siege," in which Fidel is executed as a democratic movement takes over Cuba. In this one, we seem to be in an alternate reality, where, years later, Castro is about to die of natural causes. Whether he'll be succeeded by the brutal secret police chief or an anti-Castro dissident is one of the several plot lines of this book.

The main plot line, concerning use of left-over Scud missiles to potentially deliver deadly viruses to major cities in the Southeastern U.S., consumes most of the book.

What I liked best was the secondary plot concerning two CIA agents operating in Cuba. They were well fleshed-out characters who added enough variety to the typical Grafton-Tarkington-Moravia plot to make this more than a formulaic add-on to this series.

You can still depend on Jake Grafton to supply laconic common-sense reactions to military and political situations, as others run in circles, scream, and shout.

One final point -- the final mini-chapter climax was both surprising and satisfying.

"Cuba" seemed like it might be an entertaining read, given the current political dynamics and newsmakers. Plus, I thought it would be nice to have another "chapter" featuring Jake Grafton. However, this book didn't really live up to expectations.

As with another reviewer, I also had to put aside the inconsistency with Fidel Castro being knocked off in an earlier Coonts book. Also, as the same reviewer suggested, the notion that this is a "Jake Grafton" book is slightly misleading, given the small percentage of the story that features him.

One of Mr. Coonts' strongpoints is that when he writes action sequences, the read can move very fast. His descriptiveness of flight and combat are also very strong. However, he seems to take forever to get to these assets in "Cuba". I felt the first two-thirds of the book were just short of interminable as he set up the various storylines. Then the assault on Cuba turned out to be quick and enjoyable reading; unfortunately, since it was such a small chunk of the book, it wound up being too short.

The enjoyment I had reading the last 100 or so pages almost made me rate this more positively, until I actually thought about how long it seemed to take to get there. It seemed to me that he could have balanced the action and plot development out a little better. After having almost all action and little to no plot development in his previous book, "Fortunes Of War", it seemed like he swung back too far in the other direction with this one.

I found a couple "loose ends" also in reading this that Mr. Coonts seemed to fail to address (unless he plans a return to this storyline). One was the issue of Castro's videotape. We read of one being interrupted and Castro dying before he can finish, with a small reference to two tapes being there. Then near the end of the story, we find that Castro completed one speech naming his successor, but the reader (unless I missed something) doesn't get any explanation for when/how it was made. Also, the resolution with the biological lab at the University of Havana seemed to have been left hanging; all we got was a mob and Vargas being arrested...that was it.

I wonder if perhaps Mr. Coonts pushed "Cuba" out too soon after finishing "Fortunes Of War". That would explain an effort that seems, well, subpar. I think he needs to spend a little more time working on a balanced story that is more along the lines of his earlier works (i.e. "Flight Of The Intruder", "The Red Horsemen", "Intruders") that were far more compelling and enjoyable. Those are works I would recommend strongly to those who are newcomers to Mr. Coonts' work; "Cuba" is not a good addition to his resume.

Castro is dying. Millions in gold bullion are missing, as are millions in bank accounts, missiles with biological weapons are pointed at the US, a ship with a star baseball player escaping to the US is foundering, and two brothers are vying to become the next ruler of Cuba.

All in all, plenty of plots and subplots to keep you turning the pages, plus a good look at life inside Cuba today. Definately entertaining.

I read it in just one weekend. It's a good story, packed with action and subplots to keep the reader's interest until the end. It was great to find Jake, Toad and Rita again, after all these years. I only wish they had appeared in more central roles. I think Toad has grown as a character in "Cuba", though.

The development of the characters in Cuba, as well as all the Steve Coonts' previous novels, is the best I've ever seen.

Reading about Jake, Toad and Rita again is like reading about old friends.

A great book for all the Jake Grafton serie lovers.

In "Under Siege" (1990) Stephen Coonts tells about a revolution in Cuba. The Cubans are fed up with Fidel Castro and rebel. "Viva Cuba! Cuba Libre!" they chant. "They shot Castro around ten o'clock the next morning", it says on page 210 of the paperback edition I read.

In "Cuba" (1999) it turns out that the revolution in 1990 was just a figment of Stephen Coonts' imagination! Fidel Castro is still alive, and still dictator of Cuba, but now he's dying of cancer! Fortunately, his mistress is at his bedside when he expires, and she manages to grab some videotapes that will later play an important role in the selection of Castro's successor.

One wonders what Fidel Castro thinks of all this.

I think it's unfortunate that Stephen Coonts bases a book to such a large extent on a real person. In "Under Siege" Castro wasn't really in the story, and his death was a minor event. But in "Cuba" the dying Castro is THE main character for the first 100 pages. And for the following 150 pages the main story is about how the various people in Castro's inner circle fight each other to become the new leader of Cuba.

It's all very exciting and interesting, but it's so hypothetical (the last I heard good ol' Fidel was still alive and kicking) that it makes it difficult to get seriously involved.

Fortunately, in the last half of the book Rear Admiral Jake Grafton of the U.S. Navy becomes the central figure in the story, together with his loyal sidekick Toad Tarkington. Toad's wife Rita is also present, flying a V-22 Osprey, a hybrid helicopter / fixed-wing aircraft - more about this later.

The focal point of the overall story are some chemical/biological warheads belonging to the USA, and some ditto chemical/biological warheads being developed by the Cubans for use against the USA. The Americans are shipping their CBWs from Guantánamo Bay back to the USA for destruction, but the Cubans manage to hijack the transport ship, so now the Cubans have both their own CBWs and the American CBWs. It's a new Cuban missile crisis, for those who can remember the first Cuban missile crisis back in the 1960's.

Stephen Coonts' solution to this crisis is a bit too Tom Clancy'ish for my taste. Lots of high-tech weaponry (cruise missiles and stealth bombers, for example) being used to put a third-world country in its proper place. Still, it is rather exciting, and recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq indicate that it's not all that unlikely.

This book marks the introduction of Tommy Carmellini, a CIA operative and former jewel thief. Tommy goes on to feature in the next three Jake Grafton books, and then finally graduates to star in his own book, "Liars & Thieves" (2004) (published as "Wages of Sin" in Europe).

Finally, a quick note about the V-22 Osprey, featured in this book as the U.S. Marine's new transport/attack aircraft. The Osprey was actually still being tested in 1999, and unfortunately two of them crashed in 2000, killing a total of 23 Marines. The latest information I can find about this aircraft is that the program is still on hold.

In conclusion, not one of Stephen Coonts' best books. The first half is intriguing but too hypothetical, the second half very exciting but a bit too weapons-oriented. Still, it is Stephen Coonts, and he is very good at writing exciting stories with inventive plots and populated with interesting characters.

Rennie Petersen

Great book! As riveting as 'The Devil's Teardrop',with a powerful ending to rival "The Triumph and the Glory" and a style perfect for the genre, this one is a must-read for fans of military thrillers.

Good little story about a sudden threat from Cuba. Enjoyed the narrative on life in Cuba and the people living there. Character development was a little light - especially if you are not familiar with Grafton/Tarkington from previous novels. Addition of the CIA agents was very good. As Grafton's rank increases it's becoming harder to keep him in the action. Some of the instances where the battle group command team inserts itself in the action are like those old Star Trek episodes where the least expendable people expose themselves to the most danger.

Admiral Jake Grafton commands a battle group anchored in Guantanamo Bay. Mission? To transfer stored classified chemical weapons back to America. No big deal, until the cargo ship carrying the weapons disappears. Meanwhile, Fidel Castro lies dying from cancer. A maverick, General Vargas, hustles to assume control of Cuba's government. In downtown Havana, laboratories are making biological weapons, polio viruses deadly enough to kill in seconds. Two CIA agents, Chance and Carmellini, steal classified information from Vargas' office stating that he will use six Russian ICBMs to attack the U.S. Tipped with biological weapons, each missile has a name: Miami, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Charleston, New Orleans, and Tampa. Castro dies. Vargas seizes control. Prepares missiles for final countdowns. Grafton's battle group scrambles to red alert. In an emergency National Security Council meeting, the President argues that diplomacy through the United Nations will stop Cuba. General Tater Totten, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, disagrees and offers his resignation. He debates that only military intervention will save millions of Americans from a certain death. The President relents. Totten orders Grafton to use any necessary force--except nuclear--to invade Cuba. Targets; biological lab in Havana, air fields, ICBM silos. Fighter planes, helicopters, and Marine assault troops prepare for invasion. Coonts spends half the novel setting up a blazing ending. Does it well. About the time I tired of setup, boom. He slammed the throttles to the wall and lit the afterburners. Gut wrenching tension reminiscent of the Cuban Missile Crisis followed. Major characters include; a Jesuit priest Hector Sedano, possible beneficiary of Castro's seat; his sister Mercedes Sedano, Castro's longtime mistress and Ocho, famous Cuban baseball player who attempts to defect to the United States in a small fishing boat with eighty other Cubans. And, of course, Admiral Jake Grafton and Commander Toad Tarkington, Jake's longtime companion. Outstanding characters are CIA agents Chance and Carmellini. Grafton takes a backseat to the action. Instead, he plays the cool, seasoned commander who accepts the President's impossible order to invade Cuba and stop the crisis without antagonizing her population. In Cuba, you will discover how vulnerable America is to attack from any foreign country who doesn't like us very much. Coonts, a former naval aviator and attorney, flew combat missions over Vietnam. Six of his eight novels made the New York Times Bestseller list including Flight of the Intruder (28 weeks on the New York Times and a 1991 movie), Final Flight (ranked #12 on the annual 1988 U.S. bestseller list), andUnder Siege (cited by The New York Times as a 1990 notable book). He lives in Maryland with his wife and son. His Web site is http://www.coonts.com. Publishers Weekly says, "This gripping and intelligent thriller is a standout for Coonts, taking political turmoil and military brinkmanship."

Harry Odum is a published author and president of The Literary Review Service.

In reading some of the other reviews, I can't help but believe that this is the first "Jake Grafton" book for some of the readers. They are looking for a development of a love story whereas, if they had read earlier books by Mr. Coonts they would have seen the development of most of these stories. This is often a problem in books that follow a certain protagonist through his life, but are not really a "series". Each book is capable of standing on its own, but is not as complete as it would be if previous books in the (again, I hesitate to use the word series) had been read. Having read the entire set of books, I found Cuba to be a good read, but not the best that I have read from Stephen Coonts. I very much enjoyed the "look" behind the scenes in Cuba developed in the first part of the book. At places the story seemed soemwhat hurried and there were some places that seemed incomplete. I would rate it 3.5 but since that is not available and this is not 4, in my opinion, I settled for 3.