• The President's Pilot

  • By: Robert Gandt
  • Narrated by: Thomas Block
  • Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
  • 3.4 out of 5 stars (801 ratings)

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The President's Pilot  By  cover art

The President's Pilot

By: Robert Gandt
Narrated by: Thomas Block
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Publisher's summary

A year and a half into her first term as President of the United States, Libby Paulsen is in a world of trouble. Her controversial agenda has placed her in a doomsday clash with a right wing cabal led by an enigmatic Air Force general. The conspirators will stop at nothing - including assassination - to remove Libby Paulsen from office. When the cabal targets Air Force One, Libby's Presidency - and her life - rest in the hands of a maverick pilot named Pete Brand, a man with whom the President shares a long-smoldering secret. The President's Pilot is a high-stakes political and military thriller drawn from today's - and tomorrow's - explosive headlines.

©2014 Robert Gandt (P)2014 Robert Gandt

What listeners say about The President's Pilot

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    151
  • 4 Stars
    284
  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
    91
  • 1 Stars
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Performance
  • 3 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    194
  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
    64
  • 1 Stars
    47

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Gives a whole new meaning to Snakes on a Plane!

If you could sum up The President's Pilot in three words, what would they be?

Fast paced.
Creative.
Shallow.

Have you listened to any of Thomas Block’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not that I can see, but I will again. He captured the characters well, and was consistent. Some odd pronunciations and accents at times, but on balance a job well done.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Mrs. President, we have a problem.

Any additional comments?

This story moves very fast, and requires a great deal of suspension of disbelief. ( Truly the luckiest woman on earth! ) Technically it has good chops, a fine reader, and resolves reasonably well. I liked it somewhat more than my rating indicates, as I found some big plot holes. Technically well researched however, and a fun , if not light, listen.

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45 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Possibly the Worst Narrator I've Ecperienced

I just don't buy military conspiracy theories as plausible here in the USA. I hope I'm right. Nevertheless there seems to be no shortage of government conspiracy thrillers by some of the country's best authors in the thriller category.

Still, the idea of a rogue Air Force One pilot saving the President appeals to me. Here is where the remarkably horrible, unprofessional narration comes into play. Any chance of the book being saved by great characters is destroyed by Mr. Block. But I can't blame him. He's so bad that I have to point to the producer for allowing this performance to happen.

Before you buy, just listen to the 5 minute preview.

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29 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Story Could be Happening Right Now, Except...

If you could sum up The President's Pilot in three words, what would they be?

Realistic, suspenseful entertainment.

What other book might you compare The President's Pilot to and why?

Extreme Measures by Vince Flynn, because it is a thriller with charismatic heroes set against the backdrop of current world politics.

What about Thomas Block’s performance did you like?

The narration is fast paced. That is a good thing. Things are happening all the time. You want to know how what the the outcome will be. And you want to know it now.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

The story could be happening right now, except for one minor detail - but that could change in two years. I have read a couple of Robert Gandt's books before and I knew that he always has profound knowledge about the subject of his novels. I got the audio book because I had a lengthy road trip ahead of me. Four hours on I-95 South, another four hours back the following day. The audio book made the four hours South feel like an hour. The next morning I could not wait to get back in the car to listen to the second half of the story. And again, it felt like no more than an hour going North.

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26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • B.
  • 09-02-14

Excellent enough to make me write a review.

Would you listen to The President's Pilot again? Why?

It was such a complex and realistic world the author created and his obvious grasp of the technical nature of the story kept me riveted.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The last quarter of the book kept me driving around to hear the last few chapters. The story really takes off at a heart-pounding pace as the characters situation becomes more dire.

Have you listened to any of Thomas Block’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is great, I have never heard Mr. Block aside from non-fiction and his performance was fantastic in bringing characters (living and non-sentient) to believable life.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The ending had me jumping up and down. Wanted to cry, but felt too macho given the context of the story and restrained myself.

Any additional comments?

Will listen to again and have already recommended personally to several friends.

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Narrator's Abilities An Injustice to Story!

This story reminded me a little bit of Air Force One with Harrison Ford, except the threats were from inside the White House. I think the story was okay albeit on the light side, but entertaining. A different narrator probably could have given a much better performance. Block's performance/narration was too flat for most of the book. This story had lots of backstabbing between White House staff and the military. As I said, a better, more agile narrator would have elevated the story to a possible 4 or 5 star.

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

Tried this cause it was on sale. Glad I didn't pay very much, the storyline was pretty lame. It did carry me forward with a sort of incredulous "what could happen next" curiosity.
The reader is appalling. His voice characterizations are horrible and he has this weird inflection that reminds me of the fake voice we use when talking to young children. Blech! If I could, the story would get one star and the reader minus three stars.

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Is everyone drunk?

Very good story line. Unfortunately, the narrator frequently makes the characters sound intoxicated which detracts from the story.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

ZZZZZZ…

The speaker is so monotone and jowely that i couldn't follow the story for more than 5 mins at a time. I finished the last 3 hours in 1 drive and couldn't tell you what happens. I learned more from reading the book preview than I do from listening to the book. A good story can overcome a bad narrator but combine a lackluster story and a guy that sounds like he recently had a stroke and it become a danger to listen while driving.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Nonstop action

What made the experience of listening to The President's Pilot the most enjoyable?

The story, narration, character building are all excellent in this book. However the most enjoyable part of this work from my personal viewpoint as a pilot and air traffic controller was the obvious personal aviation experience of the author and meticulous attention to detail that most authors today gloss over.

What did you like best about this story?

The intricacies of the personal relationships between the characters and the back story.

Have you listened to any of Thomas Block’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

this is the third book that I have listened to that has been narrated by Mr. Block. I've come to expect a high level of technical and personal pride from the work this narrator does and I was not disappointed here.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This is a book that I actually DID listen to in one sitting.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good story, LOUSY narrator

I would try another book from Robert Gandt as long as Thomas Block was not the narrator. The story is interesting, and just plausible enough to keep me interested, but I almost stopped listening several times because of the poor narration. The narration is extremely inconsistent, the narrator slurs many words, mispronounces others and does a terrible job with characterization, escpecially with the female characters. It was painful at times to listen to.
We have several hundred books in our Audible library, and once again, I find that the narrator can make or break a book. I wouldn't recommend this book in audio form to anyone.

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13 people found this helpful