In A Flag for Sunrise, Stone creates a realistic and suspenseful novel seemingly possessed by a menacing sense of impending doom. Drawing heavily on plot development and enhancing the action with a continuous stream of complex, engaging characters to attract attention, Stone is attempting to both entertain and instruct his readers.

Criticized for being episodic and disjointed in structure, the novel represents an artistic challenge for Stone.

Consequently, the novel's most successful quality is Stone's ability to re-create real experience into the fictional lives of his characters. In the process, Stone provides vivid and often transcendent descriptions to supplement his thematic concerns. Likewise, his dialogue is at once capable of vibrant intensity and lyrical brilliance.

Although flawed as a serious work of art, the novel represents a significant step in Stone's progression as an artist.