The Saucer

Stephen Coonts

Stephen Coonts dips his toes into the waters of science fiction and comes up with what he does best—a techno-thriller. Rip, a college student summering as a geological survey worker, spots a gleam under the sand in the middle of the Sahara desert, and from such auspicious beginnings he unearths a seventy-foot, hundred forty thousand year old flying saucer. Everyone from a band of Australian mercenaries to the Libyan government knows about it, and wants it, within forty-eight hours. Rip's got himself a dilemma—how to get the saucer out of the hands of the various agencies who want it?

The Saucer is exactly the kind of turn-your-brain-off entertainment one expects from Stephen Coonts, and he delivers in spades. All the plot pieces are there, all the trappings (including the gorgeous sidekick, of course), all the loose-end-tying at the end. This is perfect beach reading. It never breaks formula, and the pages don't stop turning until you hit the last one. A good, solid read.