Chain of Command

Hey guys. This is a school assignment. I have to write a critique for a high school project. Here it goes...To the author: I very much enjoyed your book: Carrier: Chain of Command. There was a good sense of realism, where nothing was really exaggerated. All the technical details in the book are correct, such as the part where the EA-6B's launch the AGM-88 HARM's just as the SAM sites light up. Even the comments about the "fuel hungry" F/A-18 Hornets are accurate. I liked the main choice of aircraft in this story: the F-14 Tomcat. It is a very good aircraft and very capable. The dogfights are out of this world, where different radar modes are discussed. The plot is one of the very best that I have ever seen in a military novel. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and you don't want to put the book down. I would recommend this book for anybody who is interested in military aviation and military novels. The part where the snipers are chasing Admiral "Tombstone" Magruder is my favorite part of the book. You can almost feel the emotions going through his head. The setting is also another good point of the story. I mean, Vietnam: what a surprise! Who would think that the US would ever go to war with Vietnam again? The dialog that the Vietnamese characters use seems to be realistic as well. Broken English with a good accent. This book is just chalk full of surprises! Despite all of these good points in this novel, there are some parts that I, respectfully, didn't like. One thing was the format of the story. It jumped around a bit and was hard to keep track of where in the story you are. For instance, you could be telling about an event in one section of a chapter, then jump back four hours in the next section. It was hard to keep track of times, dates, etc. Another was the cover (and yes, I have heard the expression "don't judge a book by its cover!). On the cover you can see an F-14 shooting a pair of AIM-9 sidewinders (an air to air missile) at the ground. In real life, this would never be done. Also, the aircraft carrier is located too close to the shore. It would never be that close to the shore. I think this book is a great one. Any and everybody that is interested in military aviation should read it. There is a lot of technical information in there that most other military novels do not have. I would like to take this time to thank you for all the hard work that you have put into this book. I also understand that there are more books in the Carrier collection. I should read more!Sincerely, Gordon MacDonald

I really enjoyed this book. The format took a little getting used to and over all I did not care for it as much as his previous style. I definetly recomend reading it as it has a lot of action in the air and on the ground. If you are a "Carrier" fan, you will have a hard time setting this book down. I'm looking forward to the next one!

I started reading the Carrier series a few months ago and found them all to be splendid. Chain of Comand is a great book with lots of excitement, much like all of his other books. I have just started reading his Seal Team Seven series and find them to be just as satisfing. I am eagerly awaiting Carrier # 13, Brink of War. Keep up the great work. Don't stop writing. You've opened my eyes to reading again.

I have been a fan of the Carrier series since the beginning, and this book was Douglass's usual standard of excellance. Different in format than the others, this simply means a refreshing change.The book is written in the first person by several of the lead characters. Douglass uses the same characters as in his previous Carrier series books, but allows them to grow with the times, bringing in fresh faces, and making you care about them as well. The story is a completely believable scenario about a possible second conflict with Vietnam which could produce staggering results. The air combat battles, which seem to be Douglass's trademark, are as usual, riveting. This one glued me to my seat. Carrier fans will not be disappointed. If you're not a Carrier fan yet, become one with this book. The only complaint I have is that I wish Douglass would write a 600 page Carrier. Maybe then I could read for a whole week instead of the usual 2 or 3 days!