In this rousing action thriller from Stewart (The Fourth War
), the United States Air Force has built the most advanced fighter jet in the world, the F-38, known as the Ares. Armed with a brand-new weapon, a solid state laser, “the Ares can identify and track up to fifty-eight airborne targets and shoot them out of the air instantly. One hundred percent accuracy.” The United States, for geopolitical reasons, decides to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding Ares by showing off two of them at the Paris Air Show in front of a huge crowd. The super-plane taxis out of its hanger, blasts off, roars over the awed spectators and then things begin to go very, very wrong. Human characters include U.S. Air Force Maj. David “Jesse” James, the pilot who must save the world; a beautiful, mysterious love interest; and skulking villains aplenty. The plane’s the real star, of course, and the book soars when it’s in its natural habitat, the sky. (Apr.)
