86 books like The Intruders

By Stephen Coonts,

Here are 86 books that The Intruders fans have personally recommended if you like The Intruders. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Flight of the Old Dog

Elizabeth L. Young Author Of Fugo: Terror from the Sky

From my list on stories of flight by aircraft and spaceships.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have worked in the aeronautical industry, including with the first international mobile satellite communications company, Inmarsat, and am married to a rocket scientist who flies our own plane. Together, we have learned and taught about many aspects of flight and cutting-edge technology. When I started writing my book, I went for inspiration from some of my favorite books about flight that I want to share with other readers. From the stories told by great pilots like Beryl Markham and Chuck Yeager to vivid fiction about flight and space, I like to share these tales with readers who may be as fascinated by this field as I am.

Elizabeth's book list on stories of flight by aircraft and spaceships

Elizabeth L. Young Why did Elizabeth love this book?

I love this book because the scenes of ariel combat are so realistic. I learned a lot about fighter aircraft and how the Russians could have gotten the better of us with newer technology until one of our own old aircraft was retrofitted to make her superior. Once I got into the fight scenes, I could not put the book down until I found out “who won!”

By Dale Brown,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Flight of the Old Dog as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Newly repackaged, here is the runaway bestseller that launched Dale Brown's phenomenal career.

"A superbly crafted adventure." (W.E.B. Griffin)

"Suspenseful and spellbinding." (Clive Cussler)


Book cover of Warriors

James Young Author Of Wonder No More: An Alternate Leyte Gulf

From my list on military historical fiction titles picked by a history nerd.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been a history nerd since I first learned to read. My father served in the United States Air Force, and we had an elderly neighbor who served in Korea. Their stories and a lot of time on my hands (I grew up on a small farm) led to an early love of reading. Most of the books on this list helped that love grow into ultimately writing fiction and getting a Ph.D. in U.S. History. I hope going back through them is also an enjoyable experience for everyone else.

James' book list on military historical fiction titles picked by a history nerd

James Young Why did James love this book?

I’m recommending this book because it is another “formative text” for my writing style, and I have kept a paperback copy of it for almost 40 years.

Unlike Coyle, Barrett Tillman is known primarily for his nonfiction books. This is a crying shame because this book displays some of the most deft aviation fighting I’ve ever seen. Almost as important, Tillman actually develops characters and their relationships (think if Maverick and Charlie had continued past Top Gun, but if Maveric was a mercenary)

Lastly, you can tell that Tillman really did his research as a historian in his fiction. The F-20 Tigershark (central to the plot) doesn’t have a lot of information available on it. Tillman clearly not only loved the airframe, but found everything he could. This makes it work both as a technothriller and (now) alternate history. 

By Barrett Tillman,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Warriors as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Military


Book cover of Trophy

Stefan Vučak Author Of F/X-26

From my list on military aviation and its effect on the modern political era.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve had an interest in military aviation and the impact this had on US and world geopolitics since my college days, and devoured these books at the university library. Once I started my professional career and could afford to buy my own, my library of techno thrillers grew. This reading enriched my knowledge, entertained, and provided ideas for writing my own books. As a book reviewer for Readers’ Favorite, I try to pick – among other genre – works that deal with this theme.

Stefan's book list on military aviation and its effect on the modern political era

Stefan Vučak Why did Stefan love this book?

I was inexorably drawn into this book, as it fulfilled all my expectations of what a good military aviation techno-thriller should be. It had excellent flying sequences, personal drama, some romance thrown in to add flavor, and rivalry with another skilled pilot.

When I come across such a book, I don’t let go, and I did not let go of this one. It opened an enthralling world into what it takes to teach fighter tactics to already experienced pilots, told from a totally entertaining viewpoint that never descended into dull narrative. I loved the flying sequences, making me believe I was there in the cockpit with the pilot.

By Julian Jay Savarin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Trophy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Book description to come.


Book cover of Road to Gold: A Sweetwater Sullivan Naval Aviation Adventure

Stefan Vučak Author Of F/X-26

From my list on military aviation and its effect on the modern political era.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve had an interest in military aviation and the impact this had on US and world geopolitics since my college days, and devoured these books at the university library. Once I started my professional career and could afford to buy my own, my library of techno thrillers grew. This reading enriched my knowledge, entertained, and provided ideas for writing my own books. As a book reviewer for Readers’ Favorite, I try to pick – among other genre – works that deal with this theme.

Stefan's book list on military aviation and its effect on the modern political era

Stefan Vučak Why did Stefan love this book?

If I wanted to learn what it took to become a US Air Force aviator, I found the perfect book. I had several good chuckles at what raw recruits endured at Pensacola at the hands of no-nonsense instructors. A fail at boot camp meant getting washed out.

When the story’s main character graduated to flying single-engine propeller aircraft, I was in the sky with him and his close friend. Transitioning to jets made my day, as did an occasional amusing amour. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and gained valuable information for my own writing. However, I could not help but wonder whether real life would actually be that romantic.

By William H. Labarge,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Road to Gold as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"ROAD TO GOLD" : WHAT IT TAKES TO EARN THOSE COVETED "WINGS OF GOLD"Celebrating the 100TH Anniversary of Naval AVIATION BY: Bill "Sweetwater" LaBarge, Navy Carrier Pilot and New York Times Bestselling Author.From basic training to deadly battle in the skies, he followed a path of high risk and proud tradition.Matt "Sweetwater" Sullivan's dream of becoming a Navy pilot could not possibly have prepared him for the body-numbing pace of basic training with a class of bewildered beginners. With grit, verve, and determination, Matt would survive the "Pensacola Pressure-Cooker" and go on to Saufley Field to meet the grueling demands…


Book cover of Flight of the Intruder

Robert M. Brantner Author Of Skyheist: An Aviation Thriller

From my list on pilots in the greatest profession known to man.

Why am I passionate about this?

Since I was a child, I wanted to be a pilot. I started flying when I was in high school, and now I am a captain for one of the world’s largest airlines. My journey has been the greatest adventure I could ever imagine, but so many others are out there. Far too many adventures for one person to experience. Through great books, I have been able to visit so many facets of the profession I love so much. I treasure so many of the amazing books about flying that have been written and greatly anticipate the many more that are just beyond the horizon.

Robert's book list on pilots in the greatest profession known to man

Robert M. Brantner Why did Robert love this book?

I was never a fighter pilot. Through timing and happenstance, I was never able to make this journey. Yet, through the magic of the written word, I was taken on an adventure I could never make on my own.

It is great when you can find a book penned by an author who is an expert on a subject, but it is amazing when you find a writer who has lived the experience. For me, Jake Grafton's experiences outside the cockpit are secondary to the flights he makes in his A-6.

Thanks to Stephen Coonts, I feel I have sat on the deck of an aircraft carrier off the coast of Vietnam and launched into the sky to face my own mortality. 

By Stephen Coonts,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Flight of the Intruder as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In Flight of the Intruder Jake Grafton is an A-6 Intruder pilot during the Vietnam War who flies his bomber on sorties past enemy flak and SAM missiles, and then must maneuver his plane, often at night, onto the relatively small deck of an aircraft carrier. Former Navy flyer Stephen Coonts gives an excellent sense of the complexities of modern air raids and how nerve-wracking it is, even for the best airmen, to technically solve sudden problems over and over, knowing that even a twist of fate like a peasant wildly firing a rifle from a field could wipe out…


Book cover of Arisen, Book One: Fortress Britain

Devon C Ford Author Of Survival

From my list on current post-apocalyptic series.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve long had a passion (read: obsession) with the apocalypse in whatever form it takes. I’ve written viral pandemics, zombie outbreaks, post-nuclear survival, dystopian totalitarianism, extinction-level-event, alien invasion, WW3… all of them have the theme of the great reset. The ability to reinvent yourself in the new world. The erasure of your life and the clean slate to try again and become who you want to be. I read and listen to this genre as well as write it because I'm passionate about the worlds writers create and the way their characters adapt to overcome the challenges my own have faced. As a former police officer, I’ve probably spent too many night shifts pondering the end of the world.

Devon's book list on current post-apocalyptic series

Devon C Ford Why did Devon love this book?

I’m referring to his Arisen series here. There hasn’t been a zombie epic of this calibre ever. It’s a fast-paced, high-octane kinetic blast through the apocalypse, told from (mainly) the point of view of tier-one operators. The way the characters evolve alongside the virus is so engaging that if anyone asked me to give them a run-down of the series I’d prepare a PowerPoint presentation and organise catering. This series does not quit, and the individuality of the characters will make you cry, laugh, and definitely spit your coffee out.

By Glynn James, Michael Stephen Fuchs,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Arisen, Book One as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

With nearly a million copies sold and a 4.7/5.0-★ average on over 50,000 reviews, the ARISEN series is said by readers to be: "a non stop thrill ride" ... "unputdownable" ... "the most original and well-written zombie novels I have ever read" ... "riveting as hell - I cannot recommend this series enough" ... "Knock Down Drag Out FANTASTIC!!!!!!" ... "Wow. Just wow." ... "the action starts hot and heavy and does NOT let up" ... "astonishingly well-researched and highly plausible" ... "non-stop speed rush! All action, all the time" ... "left me with my mouth hanging open" ... "May…


Book cover of Incredible Victory: The Battle of Midway

Constantine Pleshakov Author Of The Tsar's Last Armada: The Epic Journey to the Battle of Tsushima

From my list on epic naval battles of the 20th century.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up in the town of Yalta on the Black Sea. The sea had gotten its name because of its bad temper–storms, squalls, fogs. Warships never docked in Yalta, but passenger ships did. If the ship was a regular (and many were because people still used them to get from point A to point B), we recognized it by the sound of its horn. When passing by, the warships gave us a wide berth–dim silhouettes on the horizon on an unknown mission. I left Crimea for good many years ago, but I am still a sucker for bad-tempered seas and secretive navies.

Constantine's book list on epic naval battles of the 20th century

Constantine Pleshakov Why did Constantine love this book?

This book demystified the aircraft carrier for me. I still love it when, in a thriller movie, POTUS frowns and asks the national security advisor, “Where are our aircraft carriers at the moment?” But Walter Lord persuaded me that our biggest warships are simply moveable airfields. 

By Walter Lord,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Incredible Victory as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A remarkable account of what has been called 'the most decisive naval battle since Trafalgar.'―Los Angeles Times


Book cover of The Last Tallyho

Tom Burkhalter Author Of Everything We Had: a Novel of the Pacific Air War November-December 1941

From my list on air war stories that put you in the cockpit.

Why am I passionate about this?

I read the books in my list decades before I started writing air war stories. My first novel was a sci-fi space opera about hot starpilots flying from what I called “spacecraft carriers” in an interstellar war. Over the years I’ve flown sailplanes, power planes, and logged time in the SNJ and the DC-3. Since I was never there, flying high-performance airplanes in combat, I try to read all the histories and memoirs and pilot’s manuals I can get my hands on, and study pictures of the people, time, place, and airplanes I’m writing about. 

Tom's book list on air war stories that put you in the cockpit

Tom Burkhalter Why did Tom love this book?

This book was the first adult air-war novel I read, and it pulled me right into the world of naval aviation in World War II.

The protagonist was young, fresh out of flight school and barely qualified to land on aircraft carriers. The author was a navy fighter pilot during World War II, and he put this youngster’s hands on the controls during some tough flying and fighting. After that, I was hooked!

By Richard Newhafer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Last Tallyho as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of The Big E: The Story of the USS Enterprise

Barrett Tillman Author Of When the Shooting Stopped: August 1945

From my list on WWII aircraft carrier operations in the Pacific.

Why am I passionate about this?

Like all Boomers, I grew up in the shadow of “The War.” My parents, relatives, and others participated in World War II to various extents; all were affected by it. Therefore, I absorbed the Pacific Theater early on. My father trained as a naval aviator, and among my early TV memories is the 1950s series Victory at Sea. My mother coaxed me early on, and an aunt was an English teacher, so I began learning to read before kindergarten. In retrospect, that gave me extra time to start absorbing the emerging literature. Much later I helped restore and flew WW II aircraft, leading to my first book.

Barrett's book list on WWII aircraft carrier operations in the Pacific

Barrett Tillman Why did Barrett love this book?

Edward P. Stafford’s superb “biography” of the aircraft carrier Enterprise (CV-6) captured my attention two years after publication in 1962 because the ship was at war from Pearl Harbor onward. 

I read and re-re-read my paperback copy from high school onward, including a cross-country train trip. It is so well written that Stafford’s style imprinted itself in my subconscious. Thereafter I came to know dozens of “Big E” aircrews and sailors leading up to my own history of “The Fightingest Ship” in 2012.  

Ed Stafford and I agreed that the world needs a new Enterprise book every 50 years!

By Edward P. Stafford,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Big E as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A lasting memorial to the USS Enterprise, this classic tale of the carrier that contributed more than any other single warship to the naval victory in the Pacific has remained a favorite World War II story for more than twenty-five years. The Big E participated in nearly every major engagement of the war against Japan and earned a total of twenty battle stars. The Halsey-Doolittle Raid; the Battles of Midway, Santa Cruz, Guadalcanal, the Philippine Sea, and Leyte Gulf; and the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa are all faithfully recorded from the viewpoint of the men who served her…


Book cover of Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle

Barrett Tillman Author Of When the Shooting Stopped: August 1945

From my list on WWII aircraft carrier operations in the Pacific.

Why am I passionate about this?

Like all Boomers, I grew up in the shadow of “The War.” My parents, relatives, and others participated in World War II to various extents; all were affected by it. Therefore, I absorbed the Pacific Theater early on. My father trained as a naval aviator, and among my early TV memories is the 1950s series Victory at Sea. My mother coaxed me early on, and an aunt was an English teacher, so I began learning to read before kindergarten. In retrospect, that gave me extra time to start absorbing the emerging literature. Much later I helped restore and flew WW II aircraft, leading to my first book.

Barrett's book list on WWII aircraft carrier operations in the Pacific

Barrett Tillman Why did Barrett love this book?

Today relatively few Americans have heard of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. 

Eighty years ago the odd name was front-page daily news, a six-month drama played out on land, sea, and air. From the Battle of Midway in June 1942, Guadalcanal was the only major campaign that America might have lost, ending in early 1943. In 750 literate, detailed, immaculately documented pages, Rich Frank created a history for the ages.

Serious Pacific students already know about Downfall, Frank’s 1945 study, and his current Asia-Pacific trilogy leading with the chilling title Tower of Skulls.

By Richard B. Frank,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Guadalcanal as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Brilliant...an enormous work based on the most meticulous research."-LA Times Book Review

The battle at Guadalcanal-which began eight months to the day after Pearl Harbor-marked the first American offensive of World War II. It was a brutal six-month campaign that cost the lives of some 7,000 Americans and over 30,000 Japanese.

This volume, ten years in the writing, recounts the full story of the critical campaign for Guadalcanal and is based on first-time translations of official Japanese Defense Agency accounts and recently declassified U.S. radio intelligence, Guadalcanal recreates the battle-on land, at sea, and in the air-as never before: it…


Book cover of Flight of the Old Dog
Book cover of Warriors
Book cover of Trophy

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