Rating: 
Summary: Nice light read, but not captivating
Review: This was my first read of a Coonts book. It's not bad, but not of the caliber of Larry Bond or Tom Clancy. The character development is weak and many of the characters are unbelievable caricatures. Still, the plot is solid, if uninspired; this makes a good travel book (for reading on an airplane) for fans of the genre.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Outstanding Hit by A True Master!!!
Review: Well, I read 2 out of 3 of Stephen Coonts' most recent novels out of sequence, but immensely enjoyed them both! I rated HONG KONG at 5 stars and now can do the same for FORTUNES OF WAR. Both novels deserve the accolades and anyone who disagrees needs to go back and re-read them both to see what it is they missed. Once again, Coonts has created a believeable story line with well developed characters. These folks are not cardboard cut-outs. They are people with pasts, with reasons for living and strong survival instincts. This is also about war and the horrific possibilities it brings (not just to those of us who fight them, but to everyone else in the world as well). Coonts' scenario involves a build-up of Japanese military power and their air and land occupation of the sparsely populated and even more sparsely garrisoned Siberia. Although nominally ruled from Moscow, this area of Russia is at least 7 time zones away and Japan, much as she did in the 1930s is facing a shortfall in oil and other natural resources. To meet this need, she attacks a weaker (but larger neighbor) in hopes of establishing control over Russian oilfields in the Far East. Coonts' main character this time out is really a combination of several people. The indefatigable Jake Grafton is nowhere to be seen. The American hero is Colonel Bob Cassidy, a fighter pilot's fighter pilot. A career officer who was widowed and made childless through the death of his wife Sweet Sabrina and his son Robbie in a car accident, he has nothing but his career. Since Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union has given up much of its military power (and cannot pay for what little it still has), Japan has easy early pickings in Siberia. It is up to Bob Cassidy and a select few others to give Russia the chance it desperately needs to survive. Russia is led by an insane dictator. He is part businessman, part Stalin and part Hitler. It is he who refuses to consider realities and when he finds out that Russia still has a small stock of nuclear weapons, he threatens Japan with their use. But slow down there pardner!!! There's a little surprise in store for President Kalugin. Japan also has nukes. In contravention of their post-war constitution, the rightist government has developed their own and threatens the Russians back. Later in the book, as the spectre of nuclear war grows, the President of the USA realizes that limiting such a conflict to just Japan and Russia will be impossible. He and others see the possibility of the end of the world and begin to take action to prevent such a horror. With American mercenary pilots flying for Russia (like a modern day version of the "Flying Tigers), and heroic Russian figures like fighter pilot Major Yan Chernov and sub Captain Pavel Saratov, the story moves forward at a breakneck pace. Despite the potential for disbelief in a novel like this, Coonts makes all of it seem plausible an in fact, quite possible. There is never a dull moment in this book; Mr. Coonts does an especially effective job of keeping this storyline moving at a rapid fire pace. Whether he's dealing with senior Russian leaders in Moscow, Americans in Washington or the combined Russian/American fighters on the edge of the battle area, all of the characters seem like people you could meet in everyday life. However, one of the most truly interesting is neither American nor Russian. Japanese Air Force Captain Jiro Kimura has a foot in both worlds. Raised in Japan, he is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy and a close friend of Bob Cassidy. His loyalties and emotions are torn from day one of the war because he knows the war itself is wrong and that his closest friend and mentor is flying for the other side. It is a dilemma most of us hope we will never face. Despite the constant back and forth of this story and the episodic nature of the scenes, Mr. Coonts does an absolutely fantastic job of tying all the disparate pieces together. Throughout it all, he keeps the tension high and the pace right on schedule. Every once in a while, the reader will have to stop to catch his breath and that's how I like these novels to read. I like it when I finish and they make me say WOW! Well, "Fortunes of War" is no different and I really enjoyed it. This book, like all of the ones produced by Mr. Coonts always leave me wanting more. Luckliy for me and the rest of his legions of loyal fans, his latest Jake Grafton novel "AMERICA" will be in bookstores on August 12, 2001. So my wait won't be too long, but it'll still be one filled with anticipation. This was a great temporary departure from Jake Grafton and all the other characters like Virgil Cole and Toad Tarkington. After getting into this book, I actually didn't miss them and that just goes to show that Mr. Coonts is not a one character novelist. I think that's one of the truest tests of a novelist. In this genre Stephen Coonts has no peer. I recommend all of his books without reservation. Paul Connors
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