Saucer
-
-
4.0 • 132 Ratings
-
-
- $11.99
Publisher Description
Stephen Coonts has earned an extraordinary worldwide reputation with his military thrillers featuring Jake Grafton, one of the most popular and recognizable characters in contemporary suspense fiction. In this exhilarating departure, Coonts takes readers on an imaginative journey into space that is as suspenseful as any of his other stories . . .
When Rip Cantrell, a seismic survey worker in the Sahara, spots a glint of reflected light in the distance, he investigates-and finds a piece of metal apparently entombed in the sandstone. Before long, Rip and his colleagues uncover a flying saucer that has been resting there for 140,000 years.
Their discovery doesn't remain a secret for long. The U.S. Air Force sends a UFO investigation team, which arrives just minutes before a team sent by an Australian billionaire to steal the saucer's secrets. Before either side can outwit the other, the Libyan military arrives.
Meanwhile, Rip has been checking out the saucer. With the help of a beautiful ex-Air Force test pilot Charley Pine, Rip flies the saucer away, embarking on a fantastic journey into space and around the world, keeping just ahead of those who want the saucer for themselves.
Saucer is a dazzling flying story and an action-filled look at what might have been...and what might be.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A flight of fancy and a departure from Coonts's bestselling techno-thrillers (Flight of the Intruder, etc.) pits an eager young grad student against seasoned military, government and corporate raider types for control of an ancient flying saucer dug out of a sandstone outcrop in the Sahara. Rip Cantrell is acting as gofer for a seismic survey when a glint of metal in the sand catches his eye. Aided by archeologists from a nearby dig, he unearths the ship, but the U.S. Air Force UFO team shows up followed shortly by armed thugs sent by Australian mogul Roger Hedrick. When the Libyan army appears on the scene as well, Rip and test pilot Capt. Charlotte (Charley) Pine manage to hijack the controls of the saucer, evading all their pursuers and flying to the Missouri farm of Rip's Uncle Egg, "inventor, wizard, mechanic extraordinaire." Egg cues Charley and Rip to the saucer's advanced flight capabilities, and they make decoy runs to mask their real location. But Hedrick tracks them down, and Charley is forced by a Hedrick operative to fly the saucer to the mogul's Australian ranch. Rip heads Down Under with rescue in mind when the UFO team (previously in Libyan captivity) are set free and tell all on TV, forcing Hedrick to change plans. He puts the saucer up for sale to one lucky nation, but has a sinister plan that Charley vows to disrupt. The moves get more deadly as the bidding begins, and Rip comes on the scene for a predictably spectacular ending. More Cussler than Clancy, this cartoonish slice of escapism is also more hokey than suspenseful ("But saucers doexist. There one is!"); still, it's tough to put down. Major ad/promo.
Customer Reviews
A fun read!
I really enjoyed this book. The story was light hearted and didn't seem to take itself too seriously. Not with a protagonist named Rip, and a senator named Blowhard.
The story is about a student who discovers a real flying saucer buried in the Sahara, and finds himself zipping around the globe with U.S. Air Force pilot Charley Pine, in order to keep the saucer's secrets from falling into the hands of an unscrupulous Australian business man. To be honest, I got the feeling the author almost intended this to be a children's book. The story reminded me a lot of a Disney movie called "Flight of the Navigator". Almost the same basic premise.
It's a fun adventure story that I wouldn't mind reading to my kids, due to it's lack of language or sexual content.
Unexpected & Fantastic
I've read every book Stephen Coonts has written, and this one was great. I was a bit skeptical when I read the description, but decided to take a chance. I'm glad I did. After so many novels with Jake Grafton and Tommy Carmellini, Coonts ventures into new territory with a new, unlikely hero.
The subject was risky- flying saucers evoke immediate skepticism- but Coonts handles it masterfully and expertly weaves the conspiracy theories into the story line. The result is a fun, fast-paced story with enough scientific foundation that it's plausible, but doesn't get bogged down with technical details. Saucer is a lighter tone than his previous novels- more like James Patterson than previous Coonts novels- and it's well written and entertaining. I was very pleasantly surprised, and I really enjoyed this book.
What fun!!
Great summer read. Terrific trilogy! Only bad part was getting to the end.