- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Signet (MM) (Oct 12 2001)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0451204867
- ISBN-13: 978-0451204868
- Product Dimensions: 16.8 x 10.9 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 204 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,181,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Several years after the Gulf War, Commander Sam "Killer" DeLancey, navy fighter pilot and self-centered hotshot, shoots down an Iraqi plane that has wandered into the no-fly zone bordering Saudi Arabia and Iraq and ignites an international incident that results in even more dangerous dogfights. DeLancey's hotheaded heroics are balanced by the cool calm of Commander "Brick" Maxwell, whose rivalry with DeLancey is based on his knowledge of DeLancey's cowardice during the Gulf War. With two tough-as-nails female fighter pilots, a possible Iraqi spy, various love triangles and aerial fight scenes that are more thrilling than a back-to-back showing of Top Gun and Iron Eagle, this red-hot piece of military fiction is certain to keep readers riveted. Like most books in this genre, the weakest parts are the love scenes, which are cliched ("Killer DeLancey made love... like he flew fighters. Fast, furious, without preliminaries.") but mercifully brief. What this book adds to the genre is an intelligent subplot addressing issues related to the presence of women in the formerly all-male fighter club. Gandt (Fly Low, Fly Fast) weaves in subtle but intelligent observations on harassment and chain-of-command issues while crafting some of the most suspenseful battle scenes in recent military fiction. (Oct. 9)Forecast: Ex-fighter pilot Gandt has written military nonfiction titles, and his fans will undoubtedly pick up this testosterone-drenched fiction debut.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great first novel in the "Top Gun" tradition,
By
This review is from: With Hostile Intent (Paperback)
Robert Gandt's first fictional book is very good, and I'm looking forward to reading the other books about "Brick" Maxwell, the U.S. Navy pilot who is the hero of "With Hostile Intent". I'm a sucker for techno-thrillers that focus on naval aviation, and Robert Gandt does a great job of writing about life on an aircraft carrier and what it's like to be a pilot of an F/A-18 Hornet.The story takes place in the Middle East, with the U.S. Navy (and U.S. and British Air Forces) enforcing the "no fly zone" over southern Iraq. The year is 2000, 10 years after Desert Storm but before the Iraq war in 2003, so Saddam Hussein is still in power and playing the role of super bad guy. The major conflicts in "With Hostile Intent" are, however, not the ones between the U.S. and Iraqi forces. Instead, we have several members of the U.S. forces who are so egotistical and ruthless that they provide the greatest threat to the "good guys". (I don't know how realistic this is - for the sake of the U.S. Navy I would hope that people like that would be weeded out very early in their naval career.) One of the things I liked best about this book were the descriptions of aerial dogfights between the F/A-18 Hornets and MiG-29 Fulcrums. Sidewinders are flying, high G turns being done to evade missiles, chaff and flares being ejected and there's lots of excited chatter between the pilots. "Fox two!" "Bandit on your six!" "Splash one!" Great stuff for us armchair warriors! So why the lack of a fifth star? Mostly because the plot is a bit too contrived and thus not very plausible. In order to maximize the conflict between "Brick" Maxwell and "Killer" DeLancey it's necessary for Brick to refuse to reveal something he knows about Killer, but without a reasonable ground for this refusal. Then at the end of the book there's an even more contrived situation, which I'll refrain from talking about here. Also, the characterizations of the people in the book are rather "wooden", especially in the first part of the book. Rennie Petersen
4.0 out of 5 stars
A quick, easy to understand story,
By "ggammell2" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
This review is from: With Hostile Intent (Paperback)
Gandt starts his fiction career wonderfully. He takes his first hand knowledge of life for F/A-18 pilots, tactics and naval life in general and composes a great story with several subplots that allow for the story of Brick Maxwell to continue in future volumes. Keeping it simple, the main character, Maxwell, returns to a carrier squadron after several years test piloting and as a NASA astronaut. He must deal with a hot-shot commanding officer with something bordering personal hatred for him, gender politics of the new Navy, and an Iraqi threat following the first Gulf War. Gandt neverloses focus despite having so much to contemplate. If you like this one, try Punk's War and Punk's Wing by Ward Carroll for similar life and battle stories in the Navy.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A spell-binding, " real-life" account of naval flying...,
By
This review is from: With Hostile Intent (Paperback)
Robert Gandt takes us into the bowels of the USS Ronald Reagan where some of the ugliest of battles are played out between the best and worst of fellow Naval Aviators. Killer Delancey typifies the hotshot, blowhard pilot who ruthlessly works the promotion system and dares anyone to stand in his way. Spam Parker is like the unwanted, unsolicited piece of e-mail crammed into your mailbox, only she is the Navy's Poster Girl for Political Correctness post -Tailhook and she is not going to let anyone forget it! Gandt sets the stage perfectly for the reader to hate these black hats. An absolutely riveting account of air combat in the Persian Gulf and a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of fighter pilots. The lead-in for #2 in the series is palpable! Can't wait!
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