Force of Eagles

Set in the immediate future, this sequel to The Warbirds tells of a mission to rescue 300 Air Force prisoners left in Iranian hands at the end of the first novel. Starting slowly, with many flashbacks to its predecessor and confusing shifts of scene, the story finds its pace once the operation itself gets under way. Ample and convincing air and ground action animates the 30-day enterprise, which involves a small force of Rangers, supported by fighters and gunships. Herman, a retired Air Force pilot, handles technical details and interservice politics with convincing finesse. His characters are two-dimensional, but sustain their plot roles adequately without getting in the way of the action that is the book's focus. Refreshingly, the rescue plan depends for success on neither an unlikely perfection of execution nor an implausibly incompetent enemy. In taking great pains to show the dangers in high-level micro-management of fast-moving special operations, however, Herman diminishes his argument by overkill. Nevertheless, fans of techno-thrillers and military procedurals will find this a good read. (Mar.)