<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Great idea undermined by weak writing and charachters
Review: "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.
Rating: 
Summary: And the Hits just Keep on Coming
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: And the Hits just Keep on Coming
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Great plot, fair writing style
Review: 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
<< 1 >>
| 
