Saucer The Conquest [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Stephen Coonts (Author), Eric Conger (Reader)

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: BBC Audiobooks (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792733088
• ISBN-13: 978-0792733089
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 6.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (100 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,125,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen Coonts is the author of 14 New York Times bestsellers, the first of which was the classic flying tale, FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER.
Born in 1946, Stephen Paul Coonts grew up in Buckhannon, West Virginia, a coal-mining town of 6,000 population on the western slope of the Appalachian mountains. He majored in political science at West Virginia University, graduating in 1968 with an A.B. degree. Upon graduation he was commissioned an Ensign in the U.S. Navy and began flight training in Pensacola, Florida.
He received his Navy wings in August, 1969. After completion of fleet replacement training in the A-6 Intruder aircraft, Mr. Coonts reported to Attack Squadron 196 at NAS Whidbey Island, Washington. He made two combat cruises aboard USS Enterprise during the final years of the Vietnam War as a member of this squadron. After the war he served as a flight instructor on A-6 aircraft for two years, then did a tour as an assistant catapult and arresting gear officer aboard USS Nimitz. He left active duty in 1977 and moved to Colorado. After short stints as a taxi driver and police officer, he entered the University of Colorado School of Law in the fall of 1977.
Mr. Coonts received his law degree in December, 1979, and moved to West Virginia to practice. He returned to Colorado in 1981 as a staff attorney specializing in oil and gas law for a large independent oil company.
His first novel, FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER, published in September 1986 by the Naval Institute Press, spent 28 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists in hardcover. A motion picture based on this novel, with the same title, was released nationwide in January 1991.
The success of his first novel allowed Mr. Coonts to devote himself full time to writing; he has been at it ever since. He and his wife, Deborah, enjoy flying and try to do as much of it as possible.
Mr. Coonts' books have been widely translated and republished in the British Commonwealth, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Russia, China, Japan, Czechoslovakia, Serbia, Latvia, and Israel.
Mr. Coonts was a trustee of West Virginia Wesleyan College from 1990-1998. He was inducted into the West Virginia University Academy of Distinguished Alumni in 1992. The U.S. Naval Institute honored him with its Author of the Year Award for the year 1986 for his novel, FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER. Mr. Coonts and his wife, Deborah, reside in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A thought provoking diversion, March 28, 2002

By 

E. J. Biddinger "ejb190" (Rochester, IN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Saucer (Paperback)

I have been a fan of Stephen Coonts's writing since I picked up "Flight of the Intruder". His excellent character development, thought provoking plots, and fast pacing is exactly what I like in a novel.

"Saucer" opens with a mystery and it ends in a mystery. In between it takes the reader and characters through a whirlwind of greed, deception, discovery, murder, government conspircy, politics, love, loyality, and ethics. Mr. Coonts does an excelent job placing his characters in very difficult situations, then giving readers enough time to ask themselves what they would do before moving foward with the story. While slowing down the pace, the anticipation and reflection on the characters' situation added tremendously to the story.

While this story of fantastic technology and flying sacuers pushes into science fiction, Mr. Coonts firm grasp on the ethics and challanges of possessing this technology brings the novel back into the realm realistic fiction.

I really liked this book, but I did have trouble connecting with the characters. To me, the characterizations seemed a bit more shallow, more static than the dynamic shades of grey found in Mr. Coonts other works.

Overall, this is a very thought provoking diversion that takes the reader on a wild ride of a story.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Juvenile, but a good fun read!, April 15, 2004

By 

Rennie Petersen (Copenhagen, Denmark) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Saucer (Mass Market Paperback)

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

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Cringeworthy sci-fi, September 16, 2006

By 

Serene (Marina, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Saucer (Paperback)

I admit it. I didn't read the reviews of this book before picking up Saucer. If I had, I would've been clued in to the obvious flaws in this book. Namely, the most irritating mary-sue character I've read this year: Rip Cantrell. Rip Cantrell is a young man with a genius IQ, the ability to outhink experts, fly saucers and, punch out Australian terrorists. Not only that but he's a complete smug jerk. My eyeballs began to roll when he pulled the Airforce officer off his feet, breaking his hip. When asked later, Rip replies smugly: "He got mouthy."

I could only get to the part where Rip kisses the lady air force officer before my ability to suspend my own disbelief disappated entirely. The only reason I might read another Coonts book is if it featured Rip Cantrell getting mauled by a pack of wild pigs.

This is a classic case of an author making one character so perfect, so superior, so annoying that he actually alienates readers. That and the science fiction elements were really really the most cliche I've ever read.

1 star. Lame in every way that counts.