Rating: 
Summary: Good techno-thriller with real people
Review: "Final Flight" really appealed to me as a techno-thriller where at least most of the people came across as real people, not shallow clichés.Most of the story takes place on the aircraft carrier USS United States, and I found the descriptions of how a modern aircraft carrier functions fascinating. A ship like this and the aircraft on board it are an incredibly complicated yet awesomely powerful fighting machine. Stephen Coonts describes in detail many of the procedures involved in launching and recovering the airplanes on an aircraft carrier. The level of complication is such that I found myself surprised that these things function at all, let alone function reliably. The assault on the aircraft carrier by a group of ruthless terrorists, and its defense by the seamen and marines made great reading. I also loved the description of the dog fight between the lone F-14 Tomcat and four MiG-23 Floggers. This was a real edge-of-the-seat climax to the story. As mentioned above, I found it appealing that most of the characters in the story actually come across as real people, with real people's problems and worries and motivations and good sides and bad sides. Also, the U.S. Navy is depicted as an organization with certain deficiencies, such as excessive bureaucracy, suppression of private initiative and lack of rewards for individual thought. This is in contrast with most techno-thrillers, where all the characters are stereotyped and shallow "good guys" or "bad guys", and the western military organizations are the epitome of efficiency and functionality. Despite what I've just said about the characters, I did find the top bad guy somewhat unrealistic, and this is the reason for the lack of the fifth star. Am I really supposed to believe in someone who,
- makes love to a female assistant in the locked trunk of a limousine?
- talks to a Russian General via a radio transmitter in a belt buckle?
- spends 1/2 hour burning a top secret manual for a nuclear bomb a few pages at a time in a furnace in the basement of a hotel? But despite my problem with the top bad guy I really liked this book, and am looking forward to reading more of Stephen Coonts' books.
Rating: 
Summary: This book great!
Review: "Final Flight" really appealed to me as a techno-thriller where at least most of the people came across as real people, not shallow clichés.
Most of the story takes place on the aircraft carrier USS United States, and I found the descriptions of how a modern aircraft carrier functions fascinating. A ship like this and the aircraft on board it are an incredibly complicated yet awesomely powerful fighting machine.
Stephen Coonts describes in detail many of the procedures involved in launching and recovering the airplanes on an aircraft carrier. The level of complication is such that I found myself surprised that these things function at all, let alone function reliably.
The assault on the aircraft carrier by a group of ruthless terrorists, and its defense by the seamen and marines made great reading. I also loved the description of the dog fight between the lone F-14 Tomcat and four MiG-23 Floggers. This was a real edge-of-the-seat climax to the story.
As mentioned above, I found it appealing that most of the characters in the story actually come across as real people, with real people's problems and worries and motivations and good sides and bad sides. Also, the U.S. Navy is depicted as an organization with certain deficiencies, such as excessive bureaucracy, suppression of private initiative and lack of rewards for individual thought.
This is in contrast with most techno-thrillers, where all the characters are stereotyped and shallow "good guys" or "bad guys", and the western military organizations are the epitome of efficiency and functionality.
Despite what I've just said about the characters, I did find the top bad guy somewhat unrealistic, and this is the reason for the lack of the fifth star. Am I really supposed to believe in someone who,
- makes love to a female assistant in the locked trunk of a limousine?
- talks to a Russian General via a radio transmitter in a belt buckle?
- spends 1/2 hour burning a top secret manual for a nuclear bomb a few pages at a time in a furnace in the basement of a hotel?
But despite my problem with the top bad guy I really liked this book, and am looking forward to reading more of Stephen Coonts' books.
Rennie Petersen
Rating:
Summary: Good techno-thriller with real people
Review: "Final Flight" really appealed to me as a techno-thriller where at least most of the people came across as real people, not shallow clichés. Most of the story takes place on the aircraft carrier USS United States, and I found the descriptions of how a modern aircraft carrier functions fascinating. A ship like this and the aircraft on board it are an incredibly complicated yet awesomely powerful fighting machine. Stephen Coonts describes in detail many of the procedures involved in launching and recovering the airplanes on an aircraft carrier. The level of complication is such that I found myself surprised that these things function at all, let alone function reliably. The assault on the aircraft carrier by a group of ruthless terrorists, and its defense by the seamen and marines made great reading. I also loved the description of the dog fight between the lone F-14 Tomcat and four MiG-23 Floggers. This was a real edge-of-the-seat climax to the story. As mentioned above, I found it appealing that most of the characters in the story actually come across as real people, with real people's problems and worries and motivations and good sides and bad sides. Also, the U.S. Navy is depicted as an organization with certain deficiencies, such as excessive bureaucracy, suppression of private initiative and lack of rewards for individual thought. This is in contrast with most techno-thrillers, where all the characters are stereotyped and shallow "good guys" or "bad guys", and the western military organizations are the epitome of efficiency and functionality. Despite what I've just said about the characters, I did find the top bad guy somewhat unrealistic, and this is the reason for the lack of the fifth star. Am I really supposed to believe in someone who,
- makes love to a female assistant in the locked trunk of a limousine?
- talks to a Russian General via a radio transmitter in a belt buckle?
- spends 1/2 hour burning a top secret manual for a nuclear bomb a few pages at a time in a furnace in the basement of a hotel? But despite my problem with the top bad guy I really liked this book, and am looking forward to reading more of Stephen Coonts' books.
Rating: 
Summary: The best thriller i think stephen coonts has written yet
Review:
From the beginning I started to read this book I couldn't put it down i spent the weekend reading it, because it was so exciting, my eyes couldn't leave the book.and when they did they would have to return because I just had to know what was going to happen. I think this is the best book he has written yet, he did a fantastic job on the plot and he did excellent in describing the scene, making you feel as if you were really there. At the end my heart was racing when they were trying to deactivate the nuke,and when Jake had to stop them. This was the first book I have read by Stephen Coonts, and because of it I purchase Stephen coonts books all the time now. He has got me hooked! Overall I think Stephen Coonts is an excellent writer and the book was chilling, which means fantastic.
Rating:
Summary: VERY TRUTHFULL, a good thriller from the 80's
Review: Coonts wrote a non stoping story. I was all the time amazed by planes, carriers, terrorism or romance. This books excels as a technical thriller. The end contains a last minute mortal decision dog-fight.
Rating:
Summary: YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: Final Flight is one of the best thrillers I've come across in a long time. The story (especially the last hundred or so pages) contains megatons of action. The one portion of the story which was never made entirely clear(probably due to a mistake on my part) was: which country were the terrorists from? But thankfully that fact does NOT hinder the storyline, which accelerates at supersonic speed to a smashing (read and you'll know what I mean)and powerful conclusion that kept me wanting to read more Coonts. Well done, Stephen!! I wish there were more thrillers like this one
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST COONTS NOVEL EVER!!!
Review: IT doesn't get better than this, Jake Grafton takes to the skys agiain in the novel "FINAL FLIGHT". Coonts is a genius when it comes to navel aviation, and with the description of the terrorists during the seige and how Jake is thrusted into command, and Jakes final hair raising Flight against the MiG's and the transport, this is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: one hell of a thrill ride into to danger and bravery!
Review: OHhh my, if you havn't read it yet, PICK IT UP AND READ IT! I first read this book three years ago and have since read it and every other book in the series TWICE. A little slow going at first, it introduces the characters such as Qazi, Grafton, Toad, Farrell, and El Hakim. The plot picks up shortly thereafter and EXPLODES into a whirlwind of action, terrorism, brains, and the occassional gimmick. One hell of a thrill ride through the matters of nuclear weapons' security, assassins, and the heart. An unbelievable action thrillier that only the Coonts/Grafton combination could deliver
Rating:
Summary: Far and away Stephen Coonts' best
Review: Say it isn't so! Jake Grafton, Stephen Coonts' hero of at least two other novels, has reached the pinnacle of naval aviation by becoming the CAG on the "United States" . . . and now age is catching up with him? He's a career navy officer, has a terrific wife, but he may have to quit flying because of a silly little problem with night vision? With all of the problems that Stephen Coonts weaves in the Middle-East, it doesn't take much imagination on the part of the reader to guess that we haven't yet seen Jake's final flight. Stephen Coonts has outdone himself in "Final Flight." The character and plot development are superb. Jake and his wife Callie are again at the center of the story, but there are plenty of other interesting people. I'd like to read more about Toad, one of the F-14 weapons officers who flies with Jake - and that Judith! -- wow! If you only read one Stephen Coonts book, this is the one to read. The book easily stands on its own for readers of all interests. (If you're into aviation, you'll want to read "Flight of the Intruder" and "Intruders" before reading "Final Flight." These two books will give you some very good lead-in information about Jake.
Rating:
Summary: Far and away Stephen Coonts' best
Review: Say it isn't so! Jake Grafton, Stephen Coonts' hero of at least two other novels, has reached the pinnacle of naval aviation by becoming the CAG on the "United States" . . . and now age is catching up with him? He's a career navy officer, has a terrific wife, but he may have to quit flying because of a silly little problem with night vision? With all of the problems that Stephen Coonts weaves in the Middle-East, it doesn't take much imagination on the part of the reader to guess that we haven't yet seen Jake's final flight.
Stephen Coonts has outdone himself in "Final Flight." The character and plot development are superb. Jake and his wife Callie are again at the center of the story, but there are plenty of other interesting people. I'd like to read more about Toad, one of the F-14 weapons officers who flies with Jake - and that Judith! -- wow!
If you only read one Stephen Coonts book, this is the one to read. The book easily stands on its own for readers of all interests. (If you're into aviation, you'll want to read "Flight of the Intruder" and "Intruders" before reading "Final Flight." These two books will give you some very good lead-in information about Jake.
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