Rating: 
Summary: Sure, It'll Fly to Mars - But Will It Make Missouri?
Review: Geological whiz-kid surveyor Rip Cantrell stumbles over a 140,000 year-old flying saucer lodged in Sudanese sandstone, and before he and his science team cronies can say "exploit E.T.," the secret is out and everyone's making a grab for it. The U.S. Air Force sends its UFO investigators, including hot-shot young test pilot Charlotte Pine, who takes a mutual liking to Rip. By the time a tipped-off Australian billionaire and the Libyan government make a move on it, Rip and Charlotte have figured out how to fly the still-functioning ancient technology - and do so, fast, to escape all the aforementioned parties and figure out what best to do with the saucer. Many zany hijinks ensue.This is easily one of the most fun books I've ever read. It's part action-adventure, part sci-fi speculation, part spoof, and all entertainment. The entire first half is often very, very funny, with Kip and Charlotte making intentional and unintentional headline news on their flight to escape all authorities. Things turn more serious when the power-players catch up to the hot-rodding young whippersnappers, intent on capitalizing on their particular hot-rod. It all comes to a roller-coaster conclusion in a mini-World War III in Australia, with every major power on Earth hell-bent to either own the twenty-first century's leading edge in technology, or destroy it to insure that no rival nation gets it. Ignore the nay-sayers. They missed the point. This book is just plain kick-in-the-pants fun, from start to finish. Enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun Book But...
Review: Saucer was my first Stephen Coonts book. I admit to being a sucker for science fiction and I was looking for a diversion. Saucer gave me my money's worth, barely. Mr. Coonts won't be on the top of my list when I buy my next science fiction book. The book is basically a chase story. The science fiction was short on science. The political intrigue was pretty lame. And the evil businessman was simply unbelievable. The chase was pretty good and sort of fun. This is a book I wish I'd read 40 years ago when I was a kid. I would have liked it a lot more.
Rating:
Summary: An intriguing departure fo Mr. Coonts
Review: Ok, so the science is a bit speculative, not to mention thin. This book was FUN! Sure, the plot was a bit cliche - young hero battling agiainst the Mega-Military-Industrial-Complex, winning the over the delectable, yet capable and intelligent lady pilot in the process. (Way to go, Stud!) Compared to some of Coonts' other recent works, this was a bit whimsical, but at least the incredibly lucky Jake Grafton didn't show his Admiral's nose in this one.(That guy should have been dead at the end of Coonts' second novel!) In a first attempt at science fiction, Coonts has done well. It captured my imagination, and that's all that I ask for from a $7.95 paperback. Of course the concept of a single-stage-to-orbit hypersonic saucer that runs on tap water, floats on its own force field, outruns everything, and makes a whole LOT of noise in the process is the best part of the book! I want one to go roaring around in for myself! A good first effort on Coonts' part in a new genre; I'll be looking for more.
Rating:
Summary: Connts tries sci-fi. Still sounds like Coonts.
Review: ...Stephen Coonts dips his toes into the waters of science fiction and comes up with what he does best-a techno-thriller. Rip, a college student summering as a geological survey worker, spots a gleam under the sand in the middle of the Sahara desert, and from such auspicious beginnings he unearths a seventy-foot, hundred forty thousand year old flying saucer. Everyone from a band of Australian mercenaries to the Libyan government knows about it, and wants it, within forty-eight hours. Rip's got himself a dilemma-how to get the saucer out of the hands of the various agencies who want it? The Saucer is exactly the kind of turn-your-brain-off entertainment one expects from Stephen Coonts, and he delivers in spades. All the plot pieces are there, all the trappings (including the gorgeous sidekick, of course), all the loose-end-tying at the end. This is perfect beach reading. It never breaks formula, and the pages don't stop turning until you hit the last one. A good, solid read. ***
Rating:
Summary: Juvenile, but a good fun read!
Review: I'm sure I would have loved this book if I were 16 years old. I'd have given it 4 or 5 stars and thought that the 22-year-old hero, Rip Cantrell, was "too cool for school", as Rip himself puts it. Unfortunately (?), my age is such that I review books based on how I think most adults will see them, and I'm afraid that results in me labeling this book as being "juvenile" and giving it only 3 stars. Rip Cantrell finds a real genuine flying saucer buried in the sands of Northern Africa. Together with a couple of other guys he digs it up. The flying saucer is 140,000 years old! And it still works!! All it needs is some fuel, which happens to be plain water!!! A pretty woman turns up and Rip demonstrates his savoir-faire by insulting her. "Do you really like him or just need sex?" he asks her when she admits that she has had something going with the guy she's together with. We can rest assured that this love-at-first-sight relationship will blossom and become a major driving force in the story. Everyone wants the flying saucer, especially the American military and an Australian media mogul (very loosely based on Rupert Murdoch), and both are willing to use serious force to get what they want. Soon Rip and the pretty girl are on the run, flying the saucer on a fantastic journey across continents and oceans. And then things start to get really exciting. After the public becomes aware of the existence of the saucer there is widespread panic. The military and the politicians are all up in arms, and are depicted as being a bunch of idiots. So it's not just exciting but also rather humorous at times. Actually, the book presents a fairly good story, and I liked it. But the tone is definitely juvenile. And what is one to make of a statement like this: "This thing is so damn up-to-date that it hasn't been invented yet." Not a book that makes you think very hard, but a good fun read, especially if you haven't had your 20th birthday yet. Incidentally, on Stephen Coonts' web site he says that he's working on a sequel. Rennie Petersen
Rating:
Summary: A cute book, but not up to Coonts' usual level.
Review: In writing Saucer, Stephen Coonts got away from his usual "Jake Grafton and friends save the United States and the world" military suspense novels. The book is simple and reads like a plot for a made-for-TV movie:
1. Boy finds flying saucer.
2. Boy meets girl.
3. Bad guys arrive.
4. Boy and girl escape in flying saucer and find friends.
5. Boy and girl and friends fly around in flying saucer and have fun.
6. Bad guys steal flying saucer.
7. Boy and girl steal flying saucer back.
8. Boy gets rid of bad guys once and for all.
9. Boy becomes hero, and he and girl live happily ever after.
Reading Saucer was not a bad way to while away a few hours, but I prefer Coonts' other books.
Rating:
Summary: Fun
Review: Saucer isn't ground breaking, but in some ways it appeals to the kid inside me who always wanted to discover some hidden treasure that would launch me into adventure. In Saucer, that's just what happens. The "hero", Rip Cantrell, finds a flying saucer sticking out of a rock in the Sahara. He and his coworkers extract the Saucer from the rock, and surprise, it's in perfect working order. Rip and his new found friend Charley Pine set out on an adventure, chased by the Libyans, the US government, and the 2nd richest man in the world--an Australian businessman. The plot progresses through several crisis, but in the end, good triumphs over evil and Rip and Charley save the day. Don't read this book looking for a critically acclaimed masterpiece. Instead, read this book for the fun of it, and for the vicarious adventure you missed as a kid.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Writer's Not so Good Book
Review: I like Mr. Coonts works. Let me get that out first. However, this one has a great premise that falls flat. No, splat. Ancient Saucer. Advanced Tech. Flying. International action. Interesting character roster. Then it goes wrong. There is no suspense or wonder. You just don't care about the cast. And the names drive you nuts! Always a bad sign. When the major Yoda figure is called "Egg", please. This sounds to me like an outline for the publisher which then had to be written under contract. Slow down, Mr. Coonts.
Rating:
Summary: A cute book, but not up to Coonts' usual level.
Review: In writing Saucer, Stephen Coonts got away from his usual "Jake Grafton and friends save the United States and the world" military suspense novels. The book is simple and reads like a plot for a made-for-TV movie:
1. Boy finds flying saucer.
2. Boy meets girl.
3. Bad guys arrive.
4. Boy and girl escape in flying saucer and find friends.
5. Boy and girl and friends fly around in flying saucer and have fun.
6. Bad guys steal flying saucer.
7. Boy and girl steal flying saucer back.
8. Boy gets rid of bad guys once and for all.
9. Boy becomes hero, and he and girl live happily ever after.
Reading Saucer was not a bad way to while away a few hours, but I prefer Coonts' other books.
Rating: 
Summary: 6th Grade reading or less
Review: I gave up after 90 pages. I just couldn't believe that such a well known author would write in such a juvenile style. Dialog is wooden and contrived, not much scientific backup for the plot and it just got more and more insipid. I certainly expected more than this from Coonts. Fortunately, I found it in the cut-out bins anyway. Now I know why.
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