Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite

Point Option: A Time-Travel Military Thriller by Ian A. O’Connor is an exciting ride through the modern military aboard the aircraft carrier Lyndon Baines Johnson (or LBJ as she is affectionately known) with an excursion into time-travel and 15th-century Italy. Major Dave Fleming is an Air Force fighter jet pilot seconded to the Navy as an exchange pilot aboard the newly-commissioned, most advanced carrier in the United States fleet. He joins the Navy’s elite strike-force wing. Dave’s wife has been experiencing nightmares about his upcoming trip on the LBJ, and little does the pair realize just how prophetic these dreams will prove to be. On a regular patrol, Dave and his backseat pilot experience something strange and unusual when all their equipment goes haywire, and they are flying blind. Will they be able to find their way back to the carrier without all their usual electronics, or will they need to head to land and find their alternate landing point, the airport at Rome. What the pair finds as they fly over the Italian coast will confound and frighten them, setting the stage for a thrilling adventure somewhere they never believed they would find themselves.

Point Option is a stunningly realistic portrayal of life aboard a massive aircraft carrier on duty in the Mediterranean. Author Ian A. O’Connor reveals an intimate knowledge of the location and life aboard a U.S. Naval ship, its operations, and procedures. The action is non-stop and will grip the reader from the very beginning. Dave and his fellow members aboard the LBJ suddenly find themselves thrust into danger. With some very clever and surprising plot twists, these experienced and hard-bitten sailors must somehow come to grips with everything and hopefully find a way out of this horrific situation by using logic in the most illogical of situations. For an action thriller, the author has done an excellent job of building and fleshing out the main character. Too many thrillers tend to neglect this part of the narrative, but O’Connor has created a believable human lead in Major Dave Fleming. As a reader, you become invested in this character’s actions, motivations, and decision-making, which is always the hallmark of an excellent writer, in my opinion. This is an absolute blockbuster, with a scenario that fascinates and delights, and I can highly recommend it.