Targets of Opportunity (Paperback)

by Joe Weber (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This Vietnam-era techno-thriller, a sequel to Rules of Engagement , takes hotshot Marine pilot Brad Austin and his Navy buddy Nick Palmer into the shadowy world of clandestine operations. After obtaining a MiG-17, the standard fighter plane of the North Vietnamese air force, the CIA recruits Austin and Palmer to fly the aircraft against its counterparts from a secret base in the heart of Laos. Weber takes a plot premise reminiscent of the aviation pulp novels of the 1920s and does it full justice in a story whose fast pace and exciting action outweigh implausibilities in the plot. He highlights the practical difficulties facing a rogue aircraft in a high-intensity combat environment as both sides target the MiG for destruction. Genre fans will also appreciate Weber's knowledgeable re-creation of the pilot's perspective on the MiG-17's capacities as a warplane. A first-rate air-combat adventure by a master of the genre.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
Some writers get better with age: Weber is among them. His earlier technothrillers such as Defcon One ( LJ 9/15/89) demonstrated his excellent mastery of the intricate subject matter, but in his latest work Weber has brought his writing up to par with his plots and authenticity. Set in the Vietnam War, the novel concerns a U. S. Marine Corps aviator who is recruited for a bold plan by the CIA: to use a captured North Vietnamese Mig-17 to infiltrate the North Vietnam Air Force. Once in Vietnam, the American pilot, Austin, is thrust into a more complicated and dangerous assignment than he bargained for. Threats come from all angles, including his own side. This novel will have great appeal for technothriller and military-fiction buffs, especially for those who love aviation. It is highly recommended for public libraries.
- Jim Cunningham, Illinois Mathe matics & Science Acad., Aurora
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 335 pages
• Publisher: Jove (January 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0515112461
• ISBN-13: 978-0515112467
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #903,878 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great plot, fair writing style, February 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Targets of Opportunity (Hardcover)

What an excellent idea for a Vietnam fiction novel. I finished this book in less than two days. Incredible plot, yet for the hard core Vietnam fiction reader, I would have more about the Country than the characters. All in all, a great read. Keep up the incredible ideas! Scott Heine

5.0 out of 5 stars Tom Clancy at his best, January 30, 2009

By	Byron M. Cowley "Byron" (NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Joe Weber is Tom Clancy,writing under an assumed name.Joe Weber books are very detailed and a much faster story line.I got hooked on "Joe Weber"books and devour them.
If you enjoy Tom Clancy you will love these novels

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great idea undermined by weak writing and charachters, June 29, 2001

By	Rottenberg's rotten book review (nyc) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

"Targets of Opportunity is either a sequel to "Rules of Engagement" or the next installment in a series that began with that book and charts the adventures of fictional marine Corps aviator Brad Austin in the hostile skies of Vietnam. In "Rules", Austin disobeyed official policy to shoot down a Vietnamese ace responsible for claiming numerous American airmen. In "Targets", having escaped punishment for his actions in the previous book, Austin is now assigned a plum - if completely secret - assignment: fly a captured Russian jet into Vietnamese airspace, and shoot down every North Vietnamese aircraft he can find. While some higher-ups would like to keep the purloined plane (a MiG-17) stateside for testing, a maverick flier insists on using the plane to sidle up to communist pilots and waste them. Taught some Russian, given false papers, and some training in flying the none-too cooperative little jet, Austin sets out from a hidden jungle airbase near the DMZ, and proceeds to dig into the North's air force. Expertise and the element of surprise do little against the superior numbers of the enemy, and, though free of his country's restrictive rules of engagement, he can't rely on help from them either. Overwhelmed in the air, Austin finds his hidden airport under siege.

Because "Targets" is a more original story than "Rules" it's sadder that it's written just about as well. Characters are pretty much cardboard, undeveloped and static. Dialog is similarly one sided and flat. The plot doesn't go far from the basic premise - just flying a highly secret mission and shooting down as many enemy jets as the hero can find. There is no sense that author Joe Weber is working towards a bigger payoff, like a duel between Austin and an imported Soviet pilot who's no fool, or with an American pilot who simply doesn't realize who he's flying against. The author also misses some golden moments of irony - like whether the danger of the mission is more preferable to the support he'd get flying as a regular pilot, with restrictive ROE and all, or simply the possibility that the mission may be some hidden form of punishment for Austin's misconduct in "Rules". Weber misses the most obvious twist of all - that a mission which assigns a pilot, at extreme risk, merely to go and kill as many of the enemy as possible - mirrors the futility of war. (Novels like "Rules" routinely criticize our leaders for their short-sighted decision-making in Vietnam, yet take a remarkably similar approach to the war in which most of the authors fought).

The biggest dissappointment is the ersatz MiG itself, which would have been obsolete by the time it appeared in the era in which "Targets" is set. The MiG-17 was no more than a highly modified version of the Korean-war era MiG-15, and it provides little excitement in terms of flight performance and sophistication. It was probably the most advanced piece of Russian hardware the yankees could ahve gotten at the time, but, since the author has already suspended my belief with his poor writing, I would have been ready to accept a US-owned MiG-21 in a minute.

Unless you've read other novels about the Vietnam air war, you can start with this one. Otherwise, you'll be severely underwhelmed.