Customer Reviews

Shattered Bone

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I read the reviews and almost didn't get the book, there were so many outright negatives, but there were enough USAF insiders who praised it that I took a chance. I'm glad I did! It held my interest, but had a few flaws. Labeling the Typhoon Class as US subs is a major flub--a decent editor would have caught that one. One reviewer griped about numerous spelling and grammatical errors. Forewarned, I was on the lookout and saw none.
As far as believability: I don't know the B1, but I find the scenario once over Russia a bit implausible.
(***** Spoiler coming!!!! *****)
#1 -- if I'd been prepping the aircraft with the special missile, I'd have removed the nukes as a precaution. With a longer prep window, I would have locked out the navigator's ability to launch same.
#2 -- For you B-1 jocks, doesn't the aircraft commander/pilot have the ability to override actions of the navigator/weapons officer?
#3 -- First we're told that the ground troops wouldn't hear the B-1 until it was immediately upon them--to late to do anything. Then a lone misfit ground soldier has time to not only notice the B-1 coming, but to load, shoulder and launch his missile and down the aircraft--huh?
(**** Done spoiling ******)
Is Chris Stewart the next Tom Clancy? Not yet. He needs a better publisher and editor, and doesn't equal Clancy's research, but the potential is there. I'm encouraged that Stewart has taken the high road and avoided the "commercial" pitfall of coarse language and sex that Clancy fell into after his first couple of books. I'm eager to read his follow-on books and see how this author develops.

I found the book rife with unnecessarily complicated plot devices that detracted from the overall read. If they needed to "bring in" Capt Ammon, why didn't he just disappear one day? Or have a car crash? Why this unbelievably complex ejection situation? Were his handlers worried that someone would say, "Hey, an F-16 pilot disappeared. Maybe he's going to steal a B-1!!" And why did they run away at low altitude/high speed after stealing the B-1, which presents a huge, unique signature to anyone with a radar, instead of simply climbing, slowing down, and "looking" on radar like every other bizjet enroute to New Orleans? So much of the plot reads as nonsensical, as if it was only put there to make the story more exciting, not plausible. As an Air Force fighter pilot, I found the technical side filled with inaccuracies that didn't need to be there, even if you get past the "B-1 is the most awesome warplane in the known universe" tripe. "Stew III?" F-16's at Bitburg?

Overall, I found the whole book contrived and unbelievable. I almost quit halfway through, but kept thinking, "Surely this gets better." Nope.

As with a number of authors lately, I seem to have read their most recent effort first and having found them worthy have gone back to read others of theirs. Chris Stewart is a case in point. I read his The Fourth War recently and decided that he was worth looking into and therefore ordered this book inspite of the checkered reviews it got.

I do not have any B1 bomber knowledge other than a basic understanding of the aircraft and it's mission, however the author would, having flown one and been decorated for doing so. Therefore, I will defer to him on the questions some raised about the actions Richard Ammon took while over Russia. Another reviewer here who is a B1 instructor pilot says Stewart got it right and not only presented factual info on most all of the flying, but related the thought processes that go through a pilot's mind

What I do know, is that the author kept my attention and my interest right to the end of the book, although I have some reservations about the motivation of the US government to allow him to pursue the mission that he did and the manner in which the attacks, both by the B1 and the Russians were concluded.

This genre of novel is always in need of an accomplished author and it appears it has added one in the personna of Chris Stewart. I continue to read him going backwards in time while he is hopefully busy on his next one.

Is this guy really in the Air Force, or is he just dressed up and standing by a stage prop on the back cover. I'm a Security Police with 5 years in and I've never read such a poor and unrealistic discription of what we do. 'Major' Stewart must really live in a fantasy world. Next time he should really do his homework. Also, when did the US start using Typhoon Submarine's. A Typhoon is a Russian submarine. The US doesn't have them in the inventory. Better luck next time.

Although interviews with the author are steeped in his back-patting flying a "fighter bomber" (huh?), he obviously flies better than he writes.

There are currently 28 other reviews of this book. If you study them, the high ratings talking about how this author is the next Dale Brown, are heavily outweighed by the nearly negative-star ratings from people who have experience with the B-1 and they are quick to mention the inaccuracies, rediculous and\or extraneous plot twists, and overall crumbly storytelling.

The B-1 has four massive afterburning engines -- the imagined thunder of which is drowned out by the loud sound produced because this book sucks so much.

I agree with the latter raters. I wouldn't be interested in seeing this guy's other writing even if the books were edible and I was starving to death.

Techno thrillers are definitely not my cup of tea, however, this one is written so well and so clearly, that I was hooked after the first chapter. Most techno thriller authors get so caught up in technical details that they lose the average reader quickly. Not so with Chris Stewart. He captures the reader's attention from page one, and explains all the normally boring technical details in such a way that I never got tired of reading about them. This book was given to me by a friend, and now I am ready to buy more of this author's work.

I loved the book and couldn't put it down! Great job by Stewart. As a current Air Force Instructor Pilot with over 2,500 hours I can see the vivid realism and exciting details in the storyline (except for the F-16 intercept - but hey, there has to be a little bit of fantasy in everything). The other two books were awesome too (Kill Box and Third Consequence). I hope there are more to come. To the other reviewers of this book, you obviously haven't spent any time in a military jet and don't know what you are talking about. As for his writing style, it was perfectly in harmony with how pilots work, think and FLY! I also found it refreshing that there were some morals displayed by the hero and not the usual [physcial contact] on demand and bad language.

As a former military aviator, I found the book to be fast paced, accurate and heart pounding in places. Mr. Stewart obviously loves the old "Bone" and has high opinions of it's capabilities. I echo other readers' sentiment that this is a tremendous effort out of the gate for this first time author.

This book is Sierra Hotel!

Being a serious reader of Tom Clancy, Dale Brown, and Clive Cussler, and Larry Bond, I was sure I would enjoy "Shattered Bone." I wasn't disappointed. This is the first novel starring the B-1B (easily one of the deadliest yet misunderstood warplanes ever built). For an aircraft that has been ridiculed by the media and other "experts", the B-1B does quite well for itself. The attention to detail is quite impressive and the flight scenes are spectacular. The characters are interesting and put you in the cockpit. There are a couple of weaknesses, however. The novel spends a lot of time building up to the flight and therefore the B-1B's mission seems hurried at times - I would liked to have seen a more action in the air. I also would have liked to have seen a better fate for the plane as well. Had these two factors been absent, this one would get a ten instead of a nine. This doesn't stop "Shattered Bone" from being a thrilling read and I recommend it to anyone interested in military aviation.

This book had an interesting plot....but it was plagued by many grammatical and spelling errors. There were also other types of errors, such as saying that the U.S. has Typhoon-class subs, which are actually Russian SSBNs. Or the mispelling of 'Kadena' Air Base as 'Kadina' Air Base (I lived on Kadena). Another big thing....what happened to the war between Russia and Ukraine? Did it end after 'certain events at the end of the book' (don't want to give it away to those who haven't read it) or is it still going on? The B-1B is certainly a very capable weapons platform, but I believe you slightly over exaggerated it's capabilities, by stressing again and again how great the Bone is. But I guess that's because you're a Bone jock, ha ha.