The book that I chose for my book report was Flight, by C. F. Runyan.  It is a science fiction novel, set in both the late 20th century and in the middle of World War Two.  The locale is similarly split, with parts of the book taking place in Washington, D.C., and parts taking place in the Philippines.  For reference, the book itself was written in 1991.

	Flight seems to have several themes; for example, parts are focused on sacrifices for duty, parts are focused on love, and some parts are based on betrayal.  The central theme of the novel is difficult to determine, but it seems mainly focused on sacrifice in general.  For example, the central character gives up his normal life to save that of the president, and later to take care of his new wife.  As well, the vice-president is willing to sacrifice anything to gain power.  Part of the setting, the POW camp in the later parts of the novel, emphasizes the sacrifices that the prisoners made for their country.

	The central character of the novel, or the protagonist, is Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Kogan.  He is the leader of the team that is sent to find a glimmer of hope for the dying president: a cure for cancer.  He, along with the rest of his team, must go back in time to the 1940s to find the scientist who created this miracle cure before he is captured by the Japanese.  This is a major burden for Kogan, but he does his best to accomplish the mission.

	By contrast, the major antagonist of this novel is the power-hungry Vice President Spencer Pyle.  He uses every resource he has - spies,Congress, the media - to eliminate the President’s power and take on that role for himself.  He tries his best to cancel SUCCOR, the time travel project that seeks a cure for the President’s disease.

	The style of writing is quite formal; the book is clearly set with locations and times for each event.  In its formality, it is quite like the writings of Michael Crichton, and readers who enjoyed his work are likely to enjoy Flight.  The precision is quite appropriate to the novel, due to it being based around military officials and high-ranking politicians

	The plot of Flight is filled with intrigue; the conspiracies that have been put in motion slowly intertwine together.  The climax is an action-packed chase scene, with a modern-day 747 taking on the best Japanese WWII fighter planes.  If the Americans fail in this clash, history as it it known will be altered irrevocably.  The ending of the novel comes as quite a surprise, but it will not be revealed here.  As a whole, the plot is well-written, without any jarring holes.

	For me, the major appeal of the book was the time travel idea; in this case, it is a portal that goes a certain number of days into the past.  However, the adventurous plot would likely attract a number of readers, and those who enjoy novels about political intrigue may find it entertaining.  Flight also does an admirable job of improving knowledge of the Pacific side of World War Two; the author creates an excellent representation of the battles in the Philippines.  Over all, Flight is, in my opinion, an excellent novel.