Customer Reviews

Flight of the Intruder

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is the story of navy attack pilots during the war in Vietnam. It is also the story of one particular pilot, LT Jake "Cool Hand" Grafton, an A6B Intruder pilot flying off the coast of North Vietnam as part of the Tonkin Gulf "Yacht Club."

This is a first novel by a writer who lived the experiences of his fictional character. When I first read this book about the time the hardcover was first published, I felt as if I was in the ready room with Grafton, Boxman, Razor and the others being briefed before "going downtown" to bomb Hanoi.

The feel for time and place is all here. The descriptions of the life aboard a carrier on station, the shore leave in Subic Bay and Olongapo City all ring true according to my navy veteran friends. As I read, I felt as if I could have been one of the characters Stephen Coonts wrote about.

For a debut novel, this one was extrememly well done. It was the entrant to a series that I hoped Coonts would write, and subsequently did. I like Jake Grafton because he is a man all of us could only hope to be. Most of all, he is a man of honor and integrity and this is demonstrated when he decides to put his career (and freedom) on the line by going after a target "downtown" after President Johnson has called a bombing halt over Hanoi and Haiphong.

Another wonderfully drawn character is LCDR Virgil Cole, Jake's B/N (bombardier/navigator). Cole has seen combat before and has the Silver Star. He trusts no one but himself but, does his job magnificently. In the movie version, the casting for this character was brilliantly handled when Willem Dafoe played the part to perfection. Although the book and the movie differ at the end, the characterization was true to Mr. Coonts' intent, in my opinion. Jake and Cole became a team and stuck together in thick and thin. Their friendship and loyalty to each other was proven when they went after their downed squadron commander, CDR Camparelli, were shot down themselves and had to survive. The two, who are bound by a well-defined sense of honor, keep their commitments to each other and their squadron.

Although Coonts the writer was also Coonts the lawyer at the time he wrote the novel, he introduces a question of military ethics and obedience when the navy investigates Grafton's and Cole's unauthorized mission against the North Vietnamese capital. Senator Fred Dalton Thompson of Tennessee, in one of his supporting screen roles, does an effective job as the navy Staff Judge Advocate arguing that control of the military must remain in the hands of civilians and elected officials if the United States is to avoid the dangers of military control of the government. Again, this actor turned politician mirrors exactly Mr. Coonts' character in the novel when he and other senior officers attempt to determine the fate of the two aviators who flew side by side in that wonderful Grumman attack aircraft.

Stephen Coonts' wrote a novel that begged for a sequel or a series. I am sure that most readers clamored for more of Jake Grafton after reading this book. I know I did. This book proves that Mr. Coonts is a man of many talents. After all, he flew the Intruder, came home to become a successful lawyer and then launched a very successful career doing something he really likes namely, writing popular novels. Even though I first read this book almost 11 years ago, I finally got the chance to thank the author for all the hours of reading enjoyment he's given me. I'd also like to thank him for his service in Vietnam and in the reserves from which he retired not so many years ago.

BZ CDR Stephen Coonts USNR (ret) and thank you!

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.

"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).

Stephen Coonts manages to wrap up three years' of Vietnam experience into a very well-written novel. While the characters are fictitious, the mood is very real. Many pilots faced the same dangers as Coonts' Jake Grafton. Low-alt dangers from small arms fire, SAM's, explosive concussions, in-flight refueling (a very hazardous proposition in itself), carrier launches in pitch-black darkness, landing on a heaving deck on a storm-swept sea. All these are in this book. This was Coonts' break-out book, the first in a series. Hollywood turned it into a film, but as usual, the book is better (and has a different ending). A must-read for aviation fans.

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.

This excellent novel took place in Vietnam. As a controversial time for our country, Coonts captured this theme well. The protagonist, a humble, but typical flying ace, Jake Grafton became sick of the war. He was frustrated with losing friends for a cause he didn't understand. He eventually pairs up with a hotshot navigator/bomber, and they fly up to the "no-fly zone" of Vietnam, (Hanoi) to bomb something "important" for a change. Something worth "going for." The ensuing plot is accented by a casual romance with an American girl Jake met in Hong Kong, which eventually develops as a substitute family/friend during the war. Many flying sequences are included, and the majority of the novel is in a combat naval context.

Stephen Coonts' first novel, Flight of the Intruder, was superb. A Vietnam flyer himself, Coonts depicted historic naval aviation very accurately and compellingly. Not only did he include accurate and detailed facts about the technological aspect of carrier aviation, but a unique and flowing writing style that captures the reader. His beautiful and simple descriptions of the sky, the sea or flight were powerful and intriguing. Action-packed, well-paced, and worthwhile plotline and cast made this novel the best seller that it was. Anyone at all interested in the military or Vietnam would find this novel to be thought provoking and meaningful.

This is Stephen Coonts' first book, published in 1986. The setting is the Vietnam War in 1972, at a time when the war was still raging but negotiations were under way and it was clear that the USA was going to pull out sooner or later.

The "hero" of the story is Jake Grafton, in some ways Stephen Coonts' alter ego. Jake is a U.S. Navy pilot flying missions over Vietnam in an A6 Intruder, a carrier-based attack bomber. This is exactly what Stephen Coonts himself was doing at that time, making the book somewhat autobiographical. It also makes the story and the descriptions sound totally authentic.

The strength of the book is this authenticity and the fact that Stephen Coonts has strong feelings and opinions about how the Vietnam War was being fought. These feeling and opinions are presented via the characters, especially Jake Grafton.

Jake Grafton is portrayed as a very real person with very real conflicts and problems in his life.

On one hand Jake is proud to be a warrior fighting to defend his country. On the other hand he is disgusted by the mass killings that his bombings cause, and hates what he is doing.

On one hand Jake believes in the warrior code of "keeping the faith" with his fellow warriors and his superiors in the military. On the other hand he feels that the U.S. military has been betrayed by the political leaders who are the highest command in a democratic country's military hierarchy.

The missions that Jake flies are extremely dangerous. First he has to dodge flak and missiles over Vietnam while flying so low he risks hitting the ground, and then he has to return "home" to a dangerous carrier landing at night in bad weather.

The ultimate paradox in Jake's life is that he is so brave and self-controlled that he has been given the call sign "Cool Hand". But at the same time he is suffering from so much stress that he has developed palsy, a tremor in his hands.

The descriptions of the combat operations are fantastic. Stephen Coonts really brings to life the hell of flying through flak and dodging missiles and the terror of night-time carrier landings in miserable weather. At the same time the book also contains great descriptions of the joys of flying when the weather is beautiful and no dangers are being faced. Stephen Coonts' love of flying and his real-life experiences during the Vietnam War are what makes the book really appealing.

The only real criticism I have is that there is a major plot element that is a mistake. Jake decides to bomb a target in Hanoi in violation of orders. This is unnecessary from the literary point of view - the book would have been better without this escapade. It is also a mistake from the point of view of the characters - Jake doesn't really seem like someone who would do such a dumb thing.

A few final notes:

The book is currently out of print, but is well worth looking for in used book shops or on the Internet.

This book was the first in what became a series of ten "Jake Grafton" books written by Stephen Coonts, many of which I recommend. I especially like "The Minotaur" (1989) and "Liberty" (2003).

A movie was made based on this book. It's fairly good, although the editing is a bit uneven.

In summary, a very good first book, and a good start to an interesting series of books, many of which I recommend.

Rennie Petersen

I loved this. Typical of many such "war books", the author writes from his own experience. Sometimes written from the experience of a submarine commander, or an F-86 Sabre fighter jock,--- in this book, the hero flies a carrier based A-6 attack bomber (as did the author during the Viet Nam years). I differ with the reviewer that disliked the technical details. I found them fascinating. The complications of carrier based flight, the "routine" of bombing runs over North Viet Nam, and the unrelenting quiet enemy . . . fuel consumption. A study of a complicated war seen narrowly from the seat of a combat aircraft. The author also puts you in his seat, experiencing the sudden unexpected loss of co-workers - a reality of war. Not a perfect novel, but I found it to be an informative and well-executed adventure novel, from a credible author, that easily achieved "hard-to-put-down" status. If you start it, you'll finish it.

Flight of the Intruder centers on Jake Grafton who is a navy pilot flying the A-6 Intruder during the Vietnam War. The book also goes into the life of living aboard an aircraft-carrier during the war. I have read an earlier copy of the book before at least once. The book was falling apart slowly so I decided to get another copy of the book. The book mentions a few other naval planes (and sometimes their role) for instance the A-7 Corsair II, A-1 Skyraider (Sandy), F-4 Phantom II and the A-6B the SAM (Surface-to-Air Missile) counter plane. Jake Grafton disobeys his orders and goes rouge for a little time, gets in trouble and is put back on duty, somewhat participates in Operation Linebacker I & II and is shot down and eventually is rescued. If you like reading about the Vietnam War this is the book for you. This is a fiction story. I intend to eventually get a few more books by the same author. P. Corti.

I just discovered Stephen Coonts' books recently. "Flight of the Intruder", which was his fist novel was excellent.

I found the main character Jake Grafton to be really interesting and intriguing.

The flight scenes in this book were awesome, and had me sitting on the edge of my seat in suspense.

This was a great start to the series, and I plan to read them all!

Happy Reading!