Customer Reviews (21)

A difficult book to read but still good
I don't know why the author did it, but he stuffed so much military jargon and slang into the book that I found myself lost on a number of occasions.The story was very interesting. A really good WWWIII book.I would have given it a 4 had I been able to comprehend what the author was talking about.

DEFCON One
Joe Weber's first novel is a techno-thriller classic. The story, involving war between the Soviet Union and the United States has been done numerous times but Weber manages to carry it out with orginality. The Russians decide to launch a preemptive strike against the West and the only one who can tell the Americans what's going on is a CIA operative inside the Kremlin. Throughout the book the story shifts from the American and Russian presidents, to scenes of military action, and to a CIA officer trying to get the operative out of Russia. After this book Weber has written some of the finest military thrillers and anyone who likes Clancy will immediately enjoy Weber.

defcon one
Defcon One is written by Joe Weber, the author of the book Shadow Flight. On a scale of 1-10 I give this book a 9.5, not a 10, due to the fact that the book skips between all the events happening at any given time. For instance the point of view goes from an American submarine to the Russian ship that is pinging it on the sonar to a US aircraft carrier and finally to American bombers that are going to assist the submarine, so it is somewhat easy to get lost if you dont pay close attention. The author, being a former Marine Corps pilot, uses vivid imagery and real pilot lingo to make you feel like this is real happening events. The detail and description of the events makes you feel like it's you in the seat of the roaring F-18 or manning the submarine not the author.

Disappointed
This was my first and last Joe Weber book. The story was predictable and the characterizations were not compelling. It's not that Weber is a bad writer, it's just there are others who are so much better. I would rather read a bad book by a good writer than a good book by a bad writer. I love Clancy type books but this fell way short. He gets 2 stars for effort.

Very Possible
I liked this book very much. I believe it is a very real scenario
for the world to be worried about, and that makes it all the more
interesting. I like the large amount of details that were put into the book, even if some of them were slightly innacurate.
The extra details give the book an air of authority that cannot be given to unknowlegeable books that have simple plots and no twists at the end of the story. This makes the other books very boring. Predictable books do not have this level of information regarding the U.S. and Soviets Unions weapon capabilities. It also shows their ability to destroy the entire world at the command of one man. This is the only book that is willing to actually show what one man can do in a high seat of power. There are many other war books like this one, such as "Fortunes of War", but those only show details that are easy to take and are not so likely to happen. Joe Weber rivals Tom Clancy, and I believe that although Clancy has the upper hand, the tables could turn very easily.
In summary, this was a very good book, augmented by the fine details, but was taken away from by innacuracy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Come "spy" with me
For non-military people, or non-machine people in general, this book may be a little confusing.On the other hand, if read with an open mind, there is much to learn.

Did I know what a Stealth bomber was?No, I didn't, but now I do, thanks to this book.I also learned a little, as much as I could digest with my limited experience, about the flight controls in such a plane, altitude differentials, the effect of weather conditions, and such.It was an educational experience, in that respect.

The plot was a little dated, in that the KGB was still trying to pull this thing off, hijacking the bomber and recruiting operatives from disgruntled (or puzzy whupped?) citizens of the U.S.

Cuba going to war with the U.S.?The U.S. bombing Cuba?These were more pieces of the plot that lacked a little in credibility, but then who knows?

Another thing that bothers me about all these military-oriented novels, or most of them anyway, is the jumping around among what seems like too many protagonists.It's really hard to keep track of all the people.Maybe these authors could write in the first person sometimes, so that we slow people without military experience could "get with the program" a little better.Diximus.

Shadow Flight
In Shadow Flight, a stealth bomber is hijacked by a defecting pilot and sent to Cuba and the action and suspense never slows down, coming to involve a CIA operative sent to Cuba to locate the bomber and lots of air and sea combat. The author's experience in the military allows him to vividly describe the technology and hardware without slowing down the story and turning it into a text book. Guided by Weber's smooth narrative, this was an absolutely great piece of military fiction and, I thought, superior to anything by even Clancy. This was my first book by Joe Weber and I look forward to his others.

No Sense!
I started the book because I really liked Defcon One.I only read about 50 pages and quit because the plot didn't make any sense.How could anyone hijack a B2 at gunpoint, threatening to kill the pilots and blow up the aircraft if they don't fly it to Cuba.I'm sure that the pilots (if they were any kind of Americans) would have rather died and lost the aircraft then to turn it over to the Russians.Especially since they mention that they were all going to die anyway when trying to talk the defector out of it.

A true patriot would have gone down with the ship!

Another winner !!
After reading Defcon One (Joe Weber's first book), I was hoping that his excellent keep-the-pages-turning writing style would continue with Shadow Flight.I was not disappointed.This book grabs you from page one and immediately you are thrown into the non-stop action.I took the book with me on vacation and caught a little flak (no pun intended) from the kids who wanted me to put the book down to join them in the pool.The action just keeps coming and the ending is great.Can't wait to read the next one.

WHOOOOEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!
This is such a marvelous book, even though I read it over three years ago! A B-2 stealth bomber is hijacked and the U.S. strikes back! It has some excellant narrative and some of the most intense dogfight and action scenes I've read ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

And the Hits just Keep on Coming
I just finished Targets of Opportunity, my fourth Joe Weber novel.This author never ceases to amaze me.His writing style is terrific.The plot of this book was great, the action scenes are very descriptive and I really enjoy the characters.They are very real and the emotions and reactions they show are never "the usual".As with his other books - you are quickly placed right into the thick of things and never get a chance to leave.I never liked books where the first few chapters are written to introduce and develop the characters and settings - and neither does Joe Weber, obviously.Get the reader sucked into the action and the characters will develop as we go along.Another wonderful reading experience.

Great idea undermined by weak writing and charachters
"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.

Great plot, fair writing style
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 ... Read more

Book Description
As the once powerful former Soviet Union descends into social and economic collapse, a group of hard-line Communists has devised a strategy to return their country to it's former glory.In league with the most ruthless militant extremists of the Middle East, they will hatch a plot to eliminate the one person with the power to stop them -- the president of the United States.

It is a scene played out many times before in the annals of international conflict -- with the same opponents squaring off in different circles.But this time, America isn't declaring war against terrorism.The terrorists are declaring war on America. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Did Weber see 9/11 coming?
After about 5 years, Weber finally dishes out a fast paced, current events novel. Shockingly, this story sounds close to what is taking place in the world of terrorism today and not so long ago.

Basically, a billionare terrorist in Iran gets weapons help from the Russians, although the Russians do not play much of a role in the main scheme of things. The terrorist organizations in the Middle East have had enough with the U.S. prescence in the Persian Gulf.

With terrorist cells planted in the U.S., the plan of Bassam Shakhar, the head of the Iranian terrorist regime, is to down airlines, and target the president of the U.S., to force American forces from the Gulf.

Meanwhile, a retired CIA/Naval Aviator, and a current CIA operative, get together under orders from the DIA, to extract an operative from the Bekaa Valley, who has inside information on what Shakhar is up to.

A little too late, the cells in the U.S. lead by Khaliq Farkas and Ramazani begin their reign of terror. First, downing an airliner in Dallas, then later, taking control of the communications of the Atlanta ATCC, and sending planes over Hartsfield to the same altitude and position. Air Force One, being one of those planes.

Later, we find out a yacht armed with a nuclear warhead is heading toward D.C. to be detonated.

Scott and Jackie, the agents, mentioned above have to work together to stop these terrorists. Chapter after chapter, Weber's style keeps you reading til the end.

Primary Target
I read this book August 29-31, 2001.I thought at the time that that the book's plot to bring down Air Force One by Arab terroists was very ambitious.Then on Sept 11 when the four passenger jets were hijacked and the WTC Towers and Pentagon were hit I shivered at the similarities in the book's plot and the actual events of Sept. 11.

Better than average, but not by much
Based upon the recommendations of the previous reviews I picked up this book. While I obviously disagree with most of then - it was better than many "techno-thrillers", so I give it a solid average rating. Not a book you cannot put down, but I did mostly enjoy the ride.

The problems are mostly found in then "supermen" villians and heroes and very predictable plot. The "evil" Soviets teaming with those "evil" Arab terrorists to strike at the heart of a "pure" US President - using a close friend. I would say I don't want to give away the plot, but most people will have read the same thing in so many other books - that I cannot give away anything at all even if I printed the entire book in my review.

An Exciting Book!
This is a good book from start to finish. The book begins with the Russians joining forces with the radical mullahs in Iran.An extremely deadly terrorist is turned loose on the United States. He proceeds to spread havoc all over the country. The American President finally gets enough and bombs every terrorist training facility in the world. The villain in this book helps to make this a good read. You will find no one more deadly or coldblooded. He survives every attempt to capture him. He continues pulling one act of terror after the other.This is a hard book to put down. Action packed from start to finish. Read it.

Riveting From Beginning to End
Never having read Joe Weber before I was a little dubious about the chance of his stories living up to other techno-military authors. Joe's book was gripping from the beginning page, excellently written with a story line that given todays global issues could certainly become true. Get this book today and you will not be disappointed! ... Read more

Book Description
New threats require new weapons. New villains require new heroes.

The time is the near future. Osama Bin Laden has been succeeded by a generation of even deadlier terrorists who will stop at nothing in their fanatical quest to destroy the United States. Conventional security is no longer enough. Former military pilots Scott Dalton and Jackie Sullivan are the government’s newest weapons—operatives so secret that their very existence is denied by the officials who hired them. Armed with the most up-to-date technology and equipment, their mission is to prevent a plan of nuclear holocaust that will begin at the Canadian border and explode in the centers of American power.

They have their work cut out for them.

Foremost among their foes are Saeed Shayhidi, a billionaire Iranian “businessman” and mass murderer, far more sophisticated and sadistic than Bin Laden himself; Khaliq Farkas, a mysterious and ever-elusive terrorist, bearing a barbaric grudge; and Zheng-Yen Tsung, the powerful Chinese official who may be the mastermind behind it all.

From a shocking sarin attack on a legendary ocean liner to the stalking of chemical plants and oil refineries by aircraft filled with explosives, no attack is too insidious, no symbol of strength and freedom immune. For Dalton and Sullivan, their expertise has never been more necessary—their bravery never more needed—than in a world where unrepentant evil requires an assured response.


From the Hardcover edition.Download Description

New threats require new weapons. New villains require new heroes.

The time is the near future. Osama Bin Laden has been succeeded by a generation of even deadlier terrorists who will stop at nothing in their fanatical quest to destroy the United States. Conventional security is no longer enough. Former military pilots Scott Dalton and Jackie Sullivan are the government's newest weapons -- operatives so secret that their very existence is denied by the officials who hired them. Armed with the most up-to-date technology and equipment, their mission is to prevent a plan of nuclear holocaust that will begin at the Canadian border and explode in the centers of American power.

They have their work cut out for them.

Foremost among their foes are Saeed Shayhidi, a billionaire Iranian "businessman" and mass murderer, far more sophisticated and sadistic than Bin Laden himself; Khaliq Farkas, a mysterious and ever-elusive terrorist, bearing a barbaric grudge; and Zheng-Yen Tsung, the powerful Chinese official who may be the mastermind behind it all.

From a shocking sarin attack on a legendary ocean liner to the stalking of chemical plants and oil refineries by aircraft filled with explosives, no attack is too insidious, no symbol of strength and freedom immune. For Dalton and Sullivan, their expertise has never been more necessary -- their bravery never more needed -- than in a world where unrepentant evil requires an assured response.

Customer Reviews (16)

Ed's review of Assured Response
The author is very knowledgable about military aircraft. The story is riveting, but I found some of the sub plots a little "too unbelievable". I couldn't believe that skilled pilots like Jackie Sullivan and Scott Dalton would knowingly fly into the teeth of a severe thunderstorm. I'm a WWII pilot and didn't understand why he brought in the old B-25s to drop atomic bombs. The novel is gripping and is I assume is what he intended, i.e, a "Worst Case Scenario". It is realistic to paint the Muslim Fanatics as unconscionable and absolutely without morals, decency, or humanity.. My biggest problem with this novel was that Mr. Weber tried to crowd too much material, too many plots into the story.

Webers needs a fact checker & editor
This was my first Weber novel.It starts out okay, interesting premise, but Weber quickly forgets his premise (war against terrorist) and goes on unrelated tangents (solving corruption in Mexican politics) and worse.He obviously did no research on space shuttle ops. A shuttle cmdr is not going to unilaterally decide whether he can make it back to Canaveral during an RTLS abort; Houston has better data to make that call. And the crew certainly would bail out prior to their shuttle ditching in the Atlantic (the crew wouldn't survive a ditching).Then, Weber says the Atlantis can still be refurbished and flown again.Huh?After it was shot down with a missile, ditched in the salt-water of the Atlantic, and sank to the bottom... Unbelieveable!And how can all airborne traffic be grounded after the U.S. is attacked and yet Weber allows plenty aircraft to be flying around inside his novel, from Weber's own main characters to news helicopters?A grounding is a grounding, you don't make 1,001 exceptions.I didn't realize F-14s were still deployed on carriers, haven't they been replaced by the Super Hornets?And I'm not sure a 30ft long MOAB would fit inside a B-2's bay, I think it's only been dropped from the backend of a C-130 cargo plane.I find it hard to believe Weber was ever a military pilot, how could he get so many things wrong?I get the impression the last half of the novel was completed while Weber was on a Caribbean vacation and his editor was calling him telling him the printing press was about to start rolling with or without the last half of his novel. Perhaps Weber spent little time or thought on the last many chapters, just cranked them out from his beach chair, drunk on Mai-Tai's.

A FARCE!!!
As a 23-year Marine pilot myself, I thought Weber's work would be of special interest to me, but it was a big waste of time, forcing me to scan the last few chapters just to get it over with.His special anti-terrorist team spend more time worrying about themselves while they break up their equipment, all the while coming up with "cutsie" conversation--and they don't accomplish a thing--but Uncle Sam pays them handsomely.

Even his side stories (which rarely affect the story line)about how terrible and scary it is to fly military aircraft are filled with supercilious thoughts by the pilots who are about to die.In Chapter 27 (of 34), he brings in a totally new character who smashes up his plane on a carrier landing.He lives, but is never mentioned in the book again, nor is the incident connected to the story.

Weber does, however, emulate W.E.B. Griffin in one respect--all his characters are either independently wealthy or have super-wealthy donors, so they need not worry about any expense whatever.And they are all officers.No mention of the grunts who make everything possible

Weber is touted as a "Marine Pilot", but no mention of what he flew, or where---?????

Severely flawed
When Weber can describe a plane or a military action things are working pretty good. WHen it comes to geo-political concepts and political courage, I don't think he has a handle on the real world.

There were a lot of things that bugged me about this book. Let's start with the characters. Scott and Jackie might be nice people, but when they weren't flying around they were having dinner. Their motives were pretty stereotype.

There are the suitcase nukes. A suitcase nuke or backpack nuke is a weapon with anything from .5 to 10 kt yield. They are designed to be placed (gently) at a location and triggered with a timer or remote detonator. Dropping one into water out of a B-25 doesn't seem plausible. Considering the time line for this story and probable age of the weapon, I'm not convinced they would have gone off.

Then there are the multiple times US airspace was grounded as in 9-11. If the airspace was cleared then how come next page there are news helicopters flying all over the place? If we are basically at Defcon 2 or 1, then how come there were not air caps over vital military bases? You might make the case that it was needed for dramatic effect, but terrorists target soft targets. The nuclear submarine base in Washington State is not such a target.

There were timeline issues in this story. The Constellation battlegroup is turned around, but it arrives on station in the Arabian Sea from San Diego in about 3 days by my count. Carriers can't move from eastern Pacific that fast. Plus the Constellation is decommissioned, and at best it is a reserve carrier.

Finally, I really doubt any Mexican leader would be so cooperative.

A very big disappointment.

Terrorize The Terrorists
Action on most every page makes for an enjoyable quick read. Nuclear bombs used in the U.S., the Secretary of State poisoned with sarin while on a cruise,a boeing business jet crashes into the Indian Point Nuclear Plant,Nuclear plants also attacked near New Orleans and St. Petersburg,explosives dropped on a Citgo refinery near Lake Charles,trains are derailed,the Bremerton Naval base is attacked,a huge containership is sunk blocking the port of Long Beach,Glen Canyon and Hoover Dams are destroyed, Lake Mead is unleashed. An invasion of illegals begins from Mexico. What next? Will the strong willed President prevail? ... Read more

Book Description
In a page-turning techno-thriller from start to cliff-hanging finish, bestselling author Joe Weber delivers a gripping plot that could have been torn from tomorrow’s headlines.

During routine night operations off Southern California, an F/A-18 from the USS Abraham Lincoln is inexplicably blown from the sky. The Pentagon wants to throw a blanket over the incident, but then another navy fighter jet is mysteriously destroyed in midair. The president orders an investigation to find out who is responsible for the attacks–and why. Tagged for the job: ex-CIA operatives and former military pilots Scott Dalton and Jackie Sullivan.

As Dalton and Sullivan proceed, they are surprised to learn that the loss of the navy jets is just the latest in a series of seemingly unrelated and previously unexplained losses of American combat aircraft. Yet their investigation soon uncovers a deadly conspiracy that seems to lead directly to the heart of Beijing.


From the Paperback edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Absurd techno-babble
My first book by Joe Weber and it will be my last. The plot is as thin as a sheet of aluminum cooking foil. The characters are hopeless and uninteresting. Weber seems more interested in showing off his knowledge of US military aircraft designations than writing a decent thriller. To be fair, it's not badly written, but the whole thing smacks of the worst kind of jingoism and the battle scenes are completely ridiculous. Don't waste your time on this one.

Use caution
The first few reviews are too harsh,I was given this as a gift so I am not as pissed off at the money. I give it two stars could have been three but for the fact that the hero's are way too perfect and they are dull- but it was not a book I expected much from anyway.The plot also gets way to over the top.I mean is there any plane or helicopter they cannot learn to fly in a weekend? Hero's invited to the summit by the President! They escape four attempts to kill them before they even get to China! Also hero knew the guy was Chinese just by looking at him for a less than a minute, how many white folks can tell difference among non whites? Why are all the Chinese Americans bad guys as well?
The novel is way to heavy with anit Chinese comments, has lot of what are just rants. See the other points in the publisher weekly review, but after considering them you may want to read the book, if you want to consider what we do if we and china butt heads, but have low expectation and know that in this world the good guys always win. Do not expect much and look for used copy, I paln to look to see if any of his other books get any better reviews before I cut him off.

Plenty of Action
The author graduated from the U.S Naval Academy. Was a highly decorated marine during the Vietnam era. A recipient of the Navy Cross and served as Secretary of the Navy. He has been there. This novel takes us thru true cold war brinksmanship with a totally amok Chinese leader who pushes the world very close to WWIII. He is met by a strong willed U.S. President who will not be intimidated. Some of the scenarios may seem barely plausible.But, because of James Webb's background, who is to say what may happen in the world of special operations? Good stuff.

A must read.
Weber takes his two consultants, Dalton and Sullivan, on a rip roaring adventure that traverses country and the Pacific rim. Fast paced, lots of action and military jargon. Interesting weapon systems. The story centers around a Chinese high technology weapon system developed with technology stolen from the US. Foolish US decisions, such as giving up the Panama Canal and selling high technology to China provides, the backdrop for the story. China wants Taiwan back, and China does now control the Panama Canal, facts, not fiction. Underlining the fast paced plot are serious issues that effect our future. I am looking forward to reading his next book, Assured Response.

Insulting
I love a good pulp-action book, but this book is just insulting. I will give him credit for his aviation knowledge, it seems pretty complete.However he clearly knows little about real life in the military.I'm guessing he was in a few years at best.His mistakes are about the only thing fun about this book.What this really comes down to though is the guy can't write, and the book is boring.Don't waste your money. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Adverb Central!
Yes, the plot is interesting.Yes, the characters are (somewhat) believable.But it is very apparent that Mr. Weber has a bonus clause on his contract for the number of adverbs he can use.How many different ways can you depict mannerisms and emotions while speaking?Just ask Mr. Weber.I tried (in vain) to find a portion of dialogue that did not have the characters words embellished with so many trite expressions to the point of total distraction from the storyline.Too bad, it could have been a great book. Also, what's with the ending?Did he come to a point where he had a limit on his page count and had to condense 10 chapters of conclusion into one Epilogue?

Action Packed!
"Honerable Enemies" is a page turner.Weber weaves a strong plot with non-stop action.A great what-if scenario about our fragile relationship with Japan. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Great action sequences, technical details, but...
While the obvious knowledge and attention to detail given to the writing of "Rules of Engagement" is admirable, there were several patterns that lessened the enjoyment for the reader.

It's clear the author has ample experience with flying, Navy jargon, and the military life. His careful descriptions allow the reader an interesting glimpse at the day to day life on an aircraft carrier. At the same time, this precision and careful wordcraft enters into the dialog, with not nearly so positive a result. With declaratives like "The colonel is a nice guy, and we had a cordial chat.", the reader finds great difficulty empathizing with and believing in the characters in the book.

Similarly, the expected intimate discussions between the protagonist and his love interest come across as stilted, formal, and difficult to comprehend. While seeing things from a female perspective is technically beyond this reviewer's experience, it seems that the attitude and reactions of said amorous companion occasionally depart farther from reality than could be easily accepted. For example, it seems she (and perhaps the author) is more concerned about our hero's perception of her father than his attitude and intentions toward her.

The least disturbing of these oddities is the slight tendency the author has to telegraph impending disaster. While not tragic, and probably not universally noticable, this reviewer occasionally felt mild disappointment that the surprise had been blunted by some sort of narrative drift that foreshadowed the events.

All that being said, "Rules of Engagement" has many things that can captivate the reader. The combat descriptions are excellent and exciting, and the plot developments keep the story flowing. Also, while the writing tends to be politically heavy-handed, it is not hard to sympathize with the pilots who put their lives at risk for trivial or non-existent strategic gain.

If you find enjoyment in cleverly written dialog and deep character development, you might steer clear of this one. On the other hand, if you like detailed aerial combat descriptions and realistic narrative of Vietnam era tactical operations, you'll find much to enjoy in "Rules of Engagement".

Lousy rip-off of "Flight of the Intruder"
"Rules of Engagement" tells the story of an heroic fighter-driver flying Phantom jets during the Vuetnam air war.Brad Austin, an Annapolis grad and the latest in a long line of loyal US servicemen broke with tradition when he joined the Marines instead of following his fathers into the Navy.Over Vietnam, he chafes at the politically-initiated, and overly restrictive rules of engagement ("ROE"), watching enemy pilots pick off US fliers while shielding themselves behind the ROE.One of the best aviators in the Marines, he flies his way and barely stays within the ROE as he targets an enemy ace responsible for the deaths of many US fliers.Soon fed up, he plots one illegal flight which will clearly go over the line.

WHY THIS IS THE WORST BOOK ON THE VN AIR WAR: I gave this novel the benefit of the doubt, even though it quickly proved itself to be no better than an over-glorified and under-inspired rip-off of the far superior "Flight of the Intruder".The more enjoyable characters and irony of that other book made it the best novel of its genre."Rules" drops the ball where "Intruder" got it right, taking a heavy-handed stand on the ROE (they deserve their bad rap, but Steve Coonts wasn't afraid to see the issue from both sides), while not going into great depth about the mechanics of his hero's machine of choice - the F-4.Next to Jake Grafton, Brad Austin is as lively as an action figure - Weber unwilling to give him any of the flaws or introspectionthat made Jake Grafton so believable; Austin's back-seater remains a captive passenger and nowhere near the equal of "Tiger" Cole.Even the promising idea of having Austin romance the daughter of an anti-war fixture goes nowhere. (I kept waiting for the unhappy dad to tell Austin how he disapproves of his daughter's dating a guy who may get shot down, leaving the poor girl to wonder for years whether he was dead or rotting in a tiger-cage.)Instead, Weber loads us down with details that don't do anything to substantiate the plot. Austin is a maverick of his family because he chose to fly for the Marines instead of the Navy, a plot twist that's supposed to establish him as a rebel, even though it has him flying the same planes from Navy ships like a Naval Aviator, and facing much of the same challenges.Even the climactic flight, the one that will break the rules, is a cheat.While books like these don't mind chiding wartime planners for choosing a strategy that has nothing to do with winning the war, "Rules" easily settles on an epic dogfight against the shadowy Communist ace, one whose result won't have the least effect down on the ground where the war was grinding its way through an entire generation of 19 year olders.Coonts at least chose a target his characters felt was attached to the war's larger purpose (the Communist party HQ), didn't mind using a plane a whole lot less sexy than the F-4's in "Rules", and granted his characters sufficient self-doubt to question the wisdom of their actions.Also, there's something a tad dishonest about a book that fights against the insane restrictions of ROE, yet never has its main character get anywhere near having to answer for breaking them.If you must read a Weber novel, read the sequel: "Target of Opportunity", also an uninspired novel, but one with amore original plot.

Another winner !
I have now read all the Joe Weber novels but one (Honorable Enemies) which I start next.Rules of Engagement was just was well written as all his other books.Growing up in that era, for me, it was interesting to understand what was happening "behind the scenes" of the VietNam war.Great characters, great plots, and some interesting twists are all typical Joe Weber.Keep up the good work.

We Want More Brad Austin Stories!!
Wow what a book!! Exciting!! Puts you right in the cockpit of a Navy F-4. I love these books that tell the story of Naval Aviators. A great adventure and an epic of Naval Aviation. Mr Weber should keep with this Brad Austin character and the flying in his next book. I have Targets of Opportunityalready but we want more!!

OUTSTANDING ADRENALINE PUMPING ACTION
THIS BOOK HAS EVERYTHING IN IT NESSCESSARY TO GET YOUR HEART POUNDING AND YOUR ADRENALINE FLOWING. THE HERO BRAD AUSTIN IS ENRAGED AT NOT BEING ABLE TO SAVE HIS FREINDS FROM ENEMY CAPTURE AFTER BEING SHOT DOWN IN VIETNAM. HE THEN BREAKSTHE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT AND GOES AFTER THE PILOT WHODID IT.THE ENSUING POLITICAL REPERCUSIONS AREAS INTRIGUING AND EXCITINGAS THE ARIEL COMBAT ACTION.THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ FOR ANYONE WHO EVENMILDLY ENJOYS THIS TYPE OF STORY. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

genial
It is very thorough. Almost everything important about java is in thereincludingJDBC, JNI, Java Beans, Servlets,security management, even thespecification of thevirtual machine and most is explainedwellunderstandble. It is the best java book I ever saw!

Worst Java Book I've ever read.
This is the worst java book I've ever read.The book is unorganized and the content is notsuitable for the beginner at all.

The companion CD-ROM is useless.

If the authors would like to publish the new versionfor JDK 1.2, there will be a lot ofworks they need to get accomplished.

Simple words from me.... Don't buy this book.

Not the best Java book on the market
Covers alot of fancy staff but has a great lack of contents. It seems like the author has rushed through the book just to fill it out with the Java 1.1 features and forgot to describe the import basics behind the language.There's now way you're gonna be a Java guru by reading this book!

There are better books
This book is poor in contents, i have the second edition and is the same that third, i bought this book thinking that it would be as good as the second version, but it is almost the same...
If you want to buy some book about jdk 1.1 buy the java class libraries.

Comprehensive coverage of 1.1 tools and 1.0 programming.

Java 1.1 introduces several major features to Sun's Java products, such as Java Beans, JAR files, and more.This book provides good coverage of these new tools and techniques.

Java 1.1 also brings on several changes in the language itself.There are new methods that improve on, and replace, older methods.Sun's Java compiler generates warnings when a method has been deprecated.The examples in this book have NOT been updated, so you will need another book to teach you to develop proper Java 1.1 source code.

This book is a learning book more than a reference.It covers programming techniques that other books frequently skim over.I was impressed with the wide range of topics such as database, network, graphics, CORBA, and JavaScript.I only wish that it presented these topics with Java 1.1 features and techniques.

If you already are familiar with Java 1.1 programming and would like to familiarize yourself with the new Java 1.1 tools, you may find this reference to be helpful.

If you are planning to learn the Java language from this book, then you will be disappointed to learn that some of these programs use old techniques specific to Java 1.0.Java 1.1 introduces several new classes and programming techniques which you will want to know, so consider another book.

Personally, it amazes me to see how many books I have purchased over the years that were thrown together to meet a tight publishers deadline.While this book has many pages of useful information, it is not entirely up to date.Even the CD-ROM comes with the 1.0 version of Java, not the 1.1 version.

I was pleased to see that the entire text of the book is on the CD-ROM, along with the text of other QUE books, Using JavaScript and Using J++.I gave the book an extra point for this feature alone. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Journal of Cultural Geography, published by Thomson Gale on March 22, 2007. The length of the article is 606 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Black Rock.(Book review)
Author: Joe Weber
Publication: Journal of Cultural Geography (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 24Issue: 2Page: 109(3)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Geographical Analysis, published by Thomson Gale on October 1, 2003. The length of the article is 8183 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Individual accessibility revisited: implications for geographical analysis in the twenty-first century.
Author: Mei-Po Kwan
Publication: Geographical Analysis (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 2003
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 35Issue: 4Page: 341(13)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good
Its quiet good book for novices. Using this book we can learn how tocreate plug-ins and other things like how to install plug-ins, uses etc.,. ... Read more