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Title: The Sum of All Fears by Tom Clancy ISBN: 0-425-18422-6 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: 07 May, 2002 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.16 (179 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: My least favorite Clancy book
Comment: I'm a huge Clancy fan, but this outing falls short. The first four-hundred pages are little more than character introductions masquerading as scenes; little if anything happens outside of the opening scene. Some of the conclusions drawn by Ryan, especially concerning the Israeli-Palestinian situation, don't make any sense to me. And then there are the endless looks into the innermost thoughts of backstabbing, power-hungry politicians, which I found very wearisome. And the technical explanations of the nuclear bomb - I actually took some physics in college, and yet still I felt like I was reading a textbook that was well beyond my comprehension.
The book does pick up nicely between pages 500 - 700 though, and becomes your typical fast-paced, seat of your pants Clancy work.
Then comes the ending. I suppose the problem was that I really didn't care for any of the characters (Ryan included) by that point, and my main thought was "It'll be surprising if these idiots don't end up destroying the world". The very end, where the terrorists get their due, suffered from what could best be described as a fairy-tail idealism; Clancy seems to forget that if a nuclear bomb were detonated in the US, a country would certainly need to be invaded in retaliation. It's confusing as to whether the terrorism was state-sponsored or not - Clancy wastes so much time giving us physics lessons that he's not got enough pages left to properly wrap up key plot points. He seems to lose sight of their importance by the end, focusing instead on, well...all the characters basking in the warmth of their own overwhelming personal morality.
Rating: 5
Summary: Great reading
Comment: One of the best Clancy books, though it is hard to compare them all. Suddenly Jack Ryan's career doesn't look so great anymore, not all his enemies are foreigners. The crisis Ryan had was good, particularly in the cryptic remarks he used towards the end about if it wasn't for him Elliot and Fowler wouldn't be there, referring back to Clear and Present Danger, it was great. It was also really good to see another submarine adventure, where the crew aren't quite happy with their captain, and a Soviet submarine captain looking to be the best captain ever. The book was really good in the way it involved so many people and different section of the armed forces towards the end, the battle in Berlin, the sub battle in the Pacific, the carrier skirmish, truly great. And the scene at the end when Fowler wanted to do something he shouldn't have, and good old Jack Ryan was there to stop him, that was done brilliantly. It was also very interesting reading about how the terrorists made the device, a great read. Now the plot is a little far fetched, how the device fell into enemy hands, how the one guy who survived at Denver knew about the TV van, how so many military advisors were unavailable, but the scenario present at the end is terrific. If you're looking for a good reads, this is it.
Rating: 4
Summary: A lot less far-fetched since Sept. 11
Comment: Peace has broken out in the Middle East, due in large part to the efforts of Jack Ryan, but not everyone is happy about it. A small group of Palestinian terrorists have stumbled upon enough plutonium to make a powerful nuclear bomb, and with the right help can threaten the United States. Also, the President's new Security Advisor hates Jack and does everything she can to get him kicked out. Her bad advice causes total confusion at the worst possible time.
While initially slow moving, the end was very exciting. What must have seemed far-fetched when the book was written in 1991, no longer seems impossible in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks. But overall, I enjoyed the book once it got going.
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Title: Clear and Present Danger by Tom Clancy ISBN: 0425122123 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: July, 1996 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Cardinal of the Kremlin by Tom Clancy ISBN: 0425116840 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: July, 1989 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Debt of Honor by Tom Clancy ISBN: 0425147584 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: July, 1997 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Patriot Games by Tom Clancy ISBN: 0425109720 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: May, 1992 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Without Remorse by Tom Clancy ISBN: 0425143325 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: May, 1996 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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