Customer Reviews

Tom Clancy's HAWX

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

 

 

Decent novel. The characters aren't particularly likable (has "Michaels" ever even met a woman from Arkansas?) and there are a few technical mistakes involving which missiles are which, but the story is intriguing enough to make up for that. It has no ties to the game of the same name aside from a vaguely similar plot, but, unlike the game, the novel actually involves the program the franchise is named for. Plenty of action, suspense, surprises, some wonderful dogfights, and a clear setup for a sequel make this a must-read for anyone who's been keeping up with the other Ubisoft/Clancy franchises the mysterious pseudonym "Michaels" has been novelizing.

Overall this was a decent book. Not the best, but good enough to keep my interest engaged. However, all of the characters in this story are very shallow. Relationships are seemingly focused only on lust and sex. And the time in between many of the scenes in this book jump ahead suddenly and unexpectedly. The best thing about the story were the detailed dogfights that take place up in the air between advanced aviation aircraft. I envisioned the flight scenes from the movie, "Top Gun" throughout this storyline as good pilot takes on bad pilot.

If you like a book with a fast read, shallow characters, and lots of adventure, then this book is good for you. Otherwise, save your money and stick with a real Tom Clancy novel instead.

HAWX is awful.

I'd read David Michaels' (A.K.A. Grant Blackwood) Ghost Recon and liked it enough to try more. It wasn't great, but for a book based on a game franchise, it did what I wanted. It was fast moving and the combat was very well done. When I heard Blackwood wrote novelizations of HAWX and EndWar, I picked them up. I decided to try HAWX first because, well, because I liked the cover better.

HAWX sounds promising: Former hot shot Air Force fighter pilot Troy Leonsch (I know, I couldn't pronounce it either. I called him 'Troy Lunch') signs up with private military contractor Firehawk and gets the action he misses and a hefty paycheck. But are PMCs a good idea? Troy isn't so sure. When the CIA asks Troy to help investigate Firehawk, he does.

Sounds great! But the book is full of problems. HAWX is very slow moving and even though it has a promising set-up, the book that was written feels padded and dull. For one thing, Firehawk doesn't appear until around page 150. The CIA? They don't show up until half way through the book. The action that carried Ghost Recon is here as well, but there is very little of it and it isn't really tied in to the story.

The rest of the book is made up of cheesy soap opera elements in Troy's romantic life. I mentioned that I enjoyed Ghost Recon. One thing that I had problems with was the characterizations, which were poor. I accepted them in that book because they came in small doses. In HAWX, about half of the book is made up of Troy's personal life.

Also, even though Blackwood writes in a very easy to read style which works for the books he is writing, here he tended to over-explain even simple things. I felt like he was talking down to me. At one point, he quotes Buzz Aldrin, and then explains who Buzz Aldrin is. Buzz Aldrin!

Finally, the third act is hare-brained and absurd. The idea of a PMC pulling off a coup against the U.S. is interesting, but here it is handled in such a half-baked manner I wondered if the author understood the way the government works. The plot point used to remove the President never takes into account that there is a Vice President or the Speaker of the House. I'm willing to accept some ridiculous stuff in my fiction, but please make it plausible.

As I read through the book I realized I didn't care about any of the characters or where the story was going. I finished the book only due to stupid, grim determination. Towards the end, I was angry at myself for sticking with the book, but I did.

Please understand that I'm not expecting Tolstoy when I read a book based on a Tom Clancy video game. I do expect a book that is fast paced, pulpy fun. The author of this book has proved he's up to the task in previous books. I will give EndWar a chance. Ghost Recon was enjoyable enough for me to give him a third try. But HAWX is a failure of a book in every way.

As other reviewers stated, characters are very shallow. The author made a few mistakes in the dog-fight scenes, one being... If you are flying head on to the enemy and at the last instant bank to the left...and the enemy luckily banks to his right as the author stated in the story...this is not a lucky thing, but more of a deadly thing...his right is your left. Anyhow, that's my take on the book.

This story doesn't follow the game at all, nothing in it is similar to the game. Has no references to Ghost Recon like the game has. Has a lot of language.

I am a Tom Clancy fan going back years and this book by David Michaels is just a good as Tom has written. I have had a problem laying it down. I would say if you have the time or not read this great book it will really keep you on the edge of your seat, I would like to see this one on the big screen.

This book is a great read for all Tom Clancy readers. David Michaels did a wonderful job writing this book.

Based on a Tom Clancy video game, the premise of HAWX revolves around Troy Leonsch, an elite pilot who links up with several of his old military peers and superiors after getting out of the Air Force. Together they work for Firehawk, a Private Military Contractor (PMC) that specializes in outsourced warfare governments and countries cannot or will not perform. With great power, however, comes great responsibility, and Firehawk's ambitious mission statement blurs the lines of patriotism and power enough to draw the attention of the CIA.

The first quarter of this book is superb. It's nothing but hardcore military scenarios, SERE school, fighter pilots, and dog fights. It's a legitimate Air Force environment with enough lingo (e.g. sortie, call signs) to make someone familiar with the military very comfortable. The middle of the novel builds upon the setup, following Loensch and Firehawk as they gain power and notoriety, using F16s to blast their way through the enemy and competition. This easy read makes good use of the unfortunately ubiquitous acronyms and jargon in the military. Esoteric acronyms and designations like C130, JDAMs, HARM, AIM9, JTF, and SAM flow easily throughout the descriptions and dialogues. Unfortunately, another acronym rears its head in the novel's finale: FUBAR.

The book's political resolution, with world anarchy and PMCs blurring is as tenable as a peaceful Palestinian picnic in the West Bank. Author David Michaels has a very free-flowing, approachable style, and there is sufficient action to maintain attention, but it doesn't help the rushed ending. I'm in the target audience for this novel, and it is interesting enough to be a page-turner, but the flaws, however, keep it from being enjoyable throughout. Michaels' characterization of an Arkansan's speech is horribly unrealistic, and distracted me on every single page. It also doesn't help that a romantic triangle is shoved into a novel written almost exclusively for men. In Top Gun it's understood, but in a book that very few women are going to pick up, it's an intrusion. A few more dogfights or strafing runs would have been better.

Overall I enjoyed the high altitude ride; but towards the end, I wanted to eject

Jason Elin

Action sequences ok. Takes many liberties. Political scenario questionable. Can't see our nation or military going down that path.

I found it boring. The book follows a fairly uninteresting main character and offers very little to keep you turning the page. I would recommend End War instead.