Airplanes, adventures, life and death in the skies: The Sea Witch brings together three dramatic tales - from three periods of history - of men and women at war: The Sea Witch: A rookie WW2 seaplane pilot is thrown in at the deep end on a mission to locate a missing colleague during the Battle of Guadalcanal. The 17th Day: Seventeen days is the average life expectancy of a British aviator during WW1. Today is Paul Hyde's seventeenth day. Will he live to see the next? Al-Jihad: 2001 - an ex-US Marine becomes caught up in a rogue plot to avenge the terrorists who killed his former commander. This collection, born of Coonts's lifelong love for military aviation, shows his trademark storytelling at its most scintillating, passionate and powerful.