Stephen Coonts Books

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Stephen Coonts is a septuagenarian American penman. Coonts was born in July 1946 in Buckhannon, West Virginia state. He has been a taxi driver and policeman but this is overshadowed by his military life. Coonts joined the US Navy hard on the heels of graduating from West Virginia University in the late 1960s. He has been a navy pilot, especially during the historic Vietnam War, and served as an officer in a navy aircraft carrier.

He advanced his education after leaving the navy–he was a lieutenant by then– whereupon he pursued a doctor of law degree at the University of Colorado. Thereafter, he became an attorney, representing companies in the oil industry; he left the profession after the overnight success of his first book and became a full-time novelist.

Coonts, who has also co-authored books with Jim DeFelice and William H. Keith, debuted in 1986. His debut book is titled Flight of the Intruder. He has penned standalone books and various series but he is most renowned for the Jake Grafton series. The first book in the serialized Jake Grafton, titled Flight of the Intruder, was initially published in 1986, and the series is shelved under the techno-thriller, suspense, historical fiction, and military fiction genres.

The first book in the series, Flight of the Intruder, is set in the backdrop of the Vietnam War. The featured protagonist is Jake Grafton. This book has an autobiographical element. Just like the the real-life occupation of author Stephen Coonts during his military service, protagonist Grafton is a navy officer-cum-carrier pilot. As a navy flyer, Grafton is in charge of a Grumman A-6 Intruder aircraft. Grafton steers the aircraft under the cover of darkness, avoiding taking flak and surface-to-air missiles all the while.

His aviation skills are also tested wherein he lands the aircraft on a navy aircraft carrier whose deck is comparatively undersized. What’s more, an isolated incident of sporadic gunfire from an impoverished Vietnamese could spell doom for the airmen. Grafton’s combat missions blur the line between life and death. He does not only care about his survival and the lives of his subordinates in the line of duty, but also soberly reflects on what his targets are undergoing.

Subtext: the dark underbelly of foreign wars, the physical and mental impacts they have on the deployed soldiers, and the underlying morality issues are revisited from novelist Stephen Coonts’ first-hand experience.

Stephen Coonts Awards

In 1986, Stephen Coonts clinched the Author of the Year prize, proffered by the US Naval Institute Press, thanks to his debut novel Flight of the Intruder. In 1992, Coonts’ alma mater, Western Virginia University, inducted him into its Academy of Distinguished Alumni. Furthermore, the same institution proffered an honorary doctorate degree–Doctor Litterarum.

Stephen Coonts Books into Movies

Stephen Coonts’ debut book has since adapted for the screen. It was produced in January 1991 and is titled Flight of the Intruder. Directed by John Milius, the film starred Danny Glover, alongside co-stars Brad Johnson, and Willem Dafoe.

Best Stephen Coonts Books

The Flight of the Intruder, Under Siege, and Final Flight are the three most notable books penned by Stephen Coonts.

The Flight of the Intruder: This book that prompted Coonts to go full-time, has already been discussed.

Under Siege: This second book was initially published in 1990 and is the fifth book in the Jake Grafton series. This book describes a possible blow-back effect if American forces apprehended a powerful Colombian drug lord in an enemy country and tried him in America. How would the US act and react if the drug lord kitted out impoverished nationals for suicide bombing missions in, let’s say, Washington, D.C, in quick succession?

Final Flight: The third book was originally published in 1988 and is the third in the Jake Grafton series. This book shows a battle for battle supremacy in terms of nuclear power. Protagonist Grafton is mandated to stop a heartless Arab national from clinching nuclear power, against all odds.

Other Book Series You May Like

Readers who were awe-struck by Stephen Coonts’ literary work also like these. The first one is the “Admiral Arnold Morgan” series and is penned by Patrick Robinson. Hereby, an enemy submarine has sunk a US navy aircraft carrier hitherto viewed as invulnerable, and heads are rolling. The second one is called the “Patrick McLanahan” series and is authored by Dale Brown; hereby, the US is racing to reclaim its military supremacy after its nuclear power is rendered irrelevant.

The third one is called “Red Phoenix” and is penned by Larry Bond; hereby, the communist North Korea is angling to merge the country with South Korea, assisted by Soviet Union, in what may trigger yet another world war.

When Does The Next Stephen Coonts book come out?

Stephen Coonts doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Dragon\'s Jaw: An Epic Story of Courage and Tenacity in Vietnam and was released on May, 14th 2019.

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