Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Brilliance Corporation (2011), Edition: Abridged
Description
Fiction. Literature. Thriller. HTML:Don't Miss the Original Series Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan Starring John Krasinski! Tom Clancy delivers a #1 New York Times bestselling Jack Ryan novel that will remind readers why he is the acknowledged master of international intrigue and nonstop military action. It is The Campus. Secretly created under the administration of President Jack Ryan, its sole purpose is to eliminate terrorists and those who protect them. Officially, it has no connection to the American government�??a necessity in a time when those in power consider themselves above such arcane ideals as loyalty, justice, and right or wrong. Now covert intelligence expert Jack Ryan Jr. and his compatriots at The Campus�??joined by black ops warriors John Clark and �??Ding�?� Chavez�??have come up against their greatest foe: a sadistic killer known as the Emir. Mastermind of countless horrific attacks, the Emir has eluded capture by every law enforcement agency in the world. But his greatest devastation is yet to be unleashed as he plans a monumental strike at the heart of America. On the trail of the Emir, Jack Ryan Jr. will find himself following in his legendary father�??s footsteps on a manhunt that will take him and his allies across the globe, into the shadowy arenas of political gamesmanship, and back onto U.S. soil in a race to prevent the possible fa… (more)
Media reviews
this latest book, like the most interesting of Clancy's work, has a tendency to both pander to popular fantasy (in this case, revenge) and, simultaneously, to play against it with hard-headed insights into the real world of military and intelligence operations. It's a fruitful tension that lends
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his books a quirky, appealing unpredictability that sometimes can survive even the author's eye-rolling politics. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member Wings3496
Tom Clancy's newest addition to his Jack Ryan series falls far short of his past works. The plot slowly plods along, the beginning serving largely as a summary of his past novels and the middle attempting but failing to build tension. The conclusion is stale, and is followed by a lengthy and
Tom Clancy fans be warned, the author you know and loved in the past is not to be found in this novel.
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detailed description of the interrogation of a thinly-veiled Osama Bin Laden stand-in character which can only be described as "torture-porn". Tom Clancy fans be warned, the author you know and loved in the past is not to be found in this novel.
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LibraryThing member bespen
by Tom Clancy with Grant Blackwood
$28.95; 950 pages
Tom Clancy had reportedly given up novel writing with The Teeth of the Tiger, but clearly he has decided to return to the field with Dead or Alive. This novel picks up where The Teeth of the Tiger left off, with Jack Ryan Jr. taking the field to
Clancy made his name writing technologically descriptive espionage novels, and this work continues that body of work. What has changed is the emphasis has gradually shifted from technological geekery to politics. This process started at least with Executive Orders in 1996, when Clancy attempted to answer the question, "what do we need in a President?"
The change has happened quite naturally. As the Cold War drew to a close, the political questions that had been frozen by the Seventy Years War with the Soviet Union began to need answers. Since Clancy's books originally specialized in the end of the Cold War, that transition weighed heavily on the minds of his characters, and thus by proxy his own.
Dead or Alive feels like an attempt to answer the questions posed by 9-11 and the subsequent War on Terror: What measures are necessary to protect the American people? How should we structure the organizations at the pointy end of the spear? What constraints must they operate under? The novels since at least Rainbow Six have been Clancy's answer.
John Reilly said of Executive Orders:
The fact is that Executive Orders really is not a techno-shot-’em-up at all. It is a novel of ideas. Some of them are naive ideas. Some of them are bad ideas. Many of them are commonplaces. Nevertheless, Executive Orders does ask questions that ought to be part of the political landscape in the United States but are not. Someone as variously well-informed as Tom Clancy would no doubt be offended if he were told that his writings were examples of the popular mind at work. However, it might be just to say that this book is a fair sample of the educated but non-elite mind of America. It is neither ignorant nor unperceptive, and it is reaching conclusions quite different from those enunciated by people who claim to speak for it.
This really holds true for Dead or Alive as well. I can easily imagine hearing John Clark's voice from my friends and acquaintances who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan, or from their fathers who served in Vietnam. These men [and yes, they are pretty much all men] regard waterboarding as torture, but wouldn't shed too many tears over its use on a sufficiently bad man. This part of the electorate correctly perceives that we have enemies, and is puzzled by a studied indifference to smite them as efficiently as possible.
If there is a great flaw in this book, it lies in giving our enemies too much credit. Maybe this is a holdover from the Soviets. The USSR really was a mortal enemy of the United States, and they were a worthy opponent. Al Qaeda and their ilk aspire that status, but they don't really seem capable of doing the kinds of things they do in Dead or Alive. At the very least they haven't yet.
From a dramatic point of view, the terrorists need to be competent to serve as a foil for Clark and Ryan Jr. This allows the technological superiority of the Americans to be brought to bear. In practice, our enemies are not so effective, yet we cannot make the world safe for democracy despite our military might. The reasons are too prosaic to make for good novels however. No one really wants to read a story about how the Northwest Provinces of Pakistan are doomed to be a tribal society riven by conflict until the end of time.
The pivotal character of John Clark makes for a fascinating comparison with John Christian Falkenberg. I have been reading a great deal of military fiction and non-fiction of late, and the question "what makes a good soldier" has been on my mind. Both characters are intended to serve as exemplars, but they reveal clearly different ideals. John Clark comes off rather poorly, but the contest is weighted towards Falkenberg. Clark is a grunt, while Falkenberg is a leader of men and an astute political operator. Yet I can't help but see them as challengers for the hearts of men.
Ultimately, Clark lacks the military virtues. This seems a strange thing to say, but it matters very much when we consider the question of just war. Clark is very good at what he does, and also very good at keeping secrets that are not newsworthy, and these are seen as the preeminent military virtues today. Yet Clark leaves me cold in a way that Falkenberg does not. In the past I was suitably impressed, but I am no longer. John Christian Falkenberg is the kind of man who leads other men to achieve the impossible, and when given great power, hands it back with alacrity. John Clark shoots straight and kills 10 bad men before dinner, and then goes home and has a beer.
Efficiency is not really the mark of a good soldier. It is vitally important, but there is something more that distinguishes a hero from a killer. Maybe Clark is just too far down the chain of command to effectively engage the why rather than the what, but he seems an unworthy holder of power. Clark would indubitably reply that such things are above his pay grade, and he is right. Maybe he just seems unsupervised. Falkenberg would find a good use for a man such as Clark, but he would damn well know what he was up to. Clark has a nominal obedience, but he observes more of the letter of his orders than the spirit. A real soldier is meek. Clark seems rather proud.
Another key comparison of note is the role of military romanticism. Clark has no time for such things, since he operates in the shadows. Falkenberg uses the uniform and the flag in order to control his men. Yet I think that for all that, that scrap of cloth helps to distinguish a soldier from an assassin. The skirl of pipes and cadence of a march make of soldiering something special, and help to humanize the hard men who are good at it. Clark is missing all that, and it shows.
Tom Clancy has accurately noted that at least a portion of America idolizes John Clark, but where is the John Christian Falkenberg to lead him?
$28.95; 950 pages
Tom Clancy had reportedly given up novel writing with The Teeth of the Tiger, but clearly he has decided to return to the field with Dead or Alive. This novel picks up where The Teeth of the Tiger left off, with Jack Ryan Jr. taking the field to
Show More
pursue an Osama bin Laden analog named the Emir.Clancy made his name writing technologically descriptive espionage novels, and this work continues that body of work. What has changed is the emphasis has gradually shifted from technological geekery to politics. This process started at least with Executive Orders in 1996, when Clancy attempted to answer the question, "what do we need in a President?"
The change has happened quite naturally. As the Cold War drew to a close, the political questions that had been frozen by the Seventy Years War with the Soviet Union began to need answers. Since Clancy's books originally specialized in the end of the Cold War, that transition weighed heavily on the minds of his characters, and thus by proxy his own.
Dead or Alive feels like an attempt to answer the questions posed by 9-11 and the subsequent War on Terror: What measures are necessary to protect the American people? How should we structure the organizations at the pointy end of the spear? What constraints must they operate under? The novels since at least Rainbow Six have been Clancy's answer.
John Reilly said of Executive Orders:
The fact is that Executive Orders really is not a techno-shot-’em-up at all. It is a novel of ideas. Some of them are naive ideas. Some of them are bad ideas. Many of them are commonplaces. Nevertheless, Executive Orders does ask questions that ought to be part of the political landscape in the United States but are not. Someone as variously well-informed as Tom Clancy would no doubt be offended if he were told that his writings were examples of the popular mind at work. However, it might be just to say that this book is a fair sample of the educated but non-elite mind of America. It is neither ignorant nor unperceptive, and it is reaching conclusions quite different from those enunciated by people who claim to speak for it.
This really holds true for Dead or Alive as well. I can easily imagine hearing John Clark's voice from my friends and acquaintances who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan, or from their fathers who served in Vietnam. These men [and yes, they are pretty much all men] regard waterboarding as torture, but wouldn't shed too many tears over its use on a sufficiently bad man. This part of the electorate correctly perceives that we have enemies, and is puzzled by a studied indifference to smite them as efficiently as possible.
If there is a great flaw in this book, it lies in giving our enemies too much credit. Maybe this is a holdover from the Soviets. The USSR really was a mortal enemy of the United States, and they were a worthy opponent. Al Qaeda and their ilk aspire that status, but they don't really seem capable of doing the kinds of things they do in Dead or Alive. At the very least they haven't yet.
From a dramatic point of view, the terrorists need to be competent to serve as a foil for Clark and Ryan Jr. This allows the technological superiority of the Americans to be brought to bear. In practice, our enemies are not so effective, yet we cannot make the world safe for democracy despite our military might. The reasons are too prosaic to make for good novels however. No one really wants to read a story about how the Northwest Provinces of Pakistan are doomed to be a tribal society riven by conflict until the end of time.
The pivotal character of John Clark makes for a fascinating comparison with John Christian Falkenberg. I have been reading a great deal of military fiction and non-fiction of late, and the question "what makes a good soldier" has been on my mind. Both characters are intended to serve as exemplars, but they reveal clearly different ideals. John Clark comes off rather poorly, but the contest is weighted towards Falkenberg. Clark is a grunt, while Falkenberg is a leader of men and an astute political operator. Yet I can't help but see them as challengers for the hearts of men.
Ultimately, Clark lacks the military virtues. This seems a strange thing to say, but it matters very much when we consider the question of just war. Clark is very good at what he does, and also very good at keeping secrets that are not newsworthy, and these are seen as the preeminent military virtues today. Yet Clark leaves me cold in a way that Falkenberg does not. In the past I was suitably impressed, but I am no longer. John Christian Falkenberg is the kind of man who leads other men to achieve the impossible, and when given great power, hands it back with alacrity. John Clark shoots straight and kills 10 bad men before dinner, and then goes home and has a beer.
Efficiency is not really the mark of a good soldier. It is vitally important, but there is something more that distinguishes a hero from a killer. Maybe Clark is just too far down the chain of command to effectively engage the why rather than the what, but he seems an unworthy holder of power. Clark would indubitably reply that such things are above his pay grade, and he is right. Maybe he just seems unsupervised. Falkenberg would find a good use for a man such as Clark, but he would damn well know what he was up to. Clark has a nominal obedience, but he observes more of the letter of his orders than the spirit. A real soldier is meek. Clark seems rather proud.
Another key comparison of note is the role of military romanticism. Clark has no time for such things, since he operates in the shadows. Falkenberg uses the uniform and the flag in order to control his men. Yet I think that for all that, that scrap of cloth helps to distinguish a soldier from an assassin. The skirl of pipes and cadence of a march make of soldiering something special, and help to humanize the hard men who are good at it. Clark is missing all that, and it shows.
Tom Clancy has accurately noted that at least a portion of America idolizes John Clark, but where is the John Christian Falkenberg to lead him?
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LibraryThing member mainrun
This book brought back nice memories of previous Tom Clancy novels. Several times, one line in the book reminded me of a whole 700+ page book. It read a lot like an episode of "The Unit" with a little "24" thrown in. Actually "The Unit" and "24" should give Clancy royalty checks more than the other
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way around. I think I would have liked it even without reading Clancy's other novels, but maybe 4 not 5 stars. Show Less
LibraryThing member PatrickJIV
As good a writer as Tom Clancy is, had a hard time keeping focused on the storyline in this 40#, 950 page book. Kept saying, "This has got to get better", but alas, never did IMO. Far to much tech speak that can not be understood by Joe/Joan Average. Felt like my 3 rating was being very generous.
LibraryThing member command3r
Grant Blackwood's name should be the bigger one on the cover.
LibraryThing member LillyParks
I've read better from Mr.Clancy.
Mr Clancy is a superb writer with insight into conspiracies, military weapons and procedures. He gives us great plots and heroes that we can root for, but this book gave me very little to cheer about. It should have because the book is the size of a "door stopper".
Mr Clancy is a superb writer with insight into conspiracies, military weapons and procedures. He gives us great plots and heroes that we can root for, but this book gave me very little to cheer about. It should have because the book is the size of a "door stopper".
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One would think that with all the side stories being bounced around in the story there would be a great read. It never happened for me. Very disappointed in the book. Show Less
LibraryThing member Dene2
As always, worth the wait...just hope the next one doesn't take so long. The story line is very topical to todays state of the Union. The author really shows the necessity of a change in our outlook and approach to warfare as it is fought by other countries today. In showing how other countries
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throw out the old rules of wasfare, it acts as a reminder that one of the reasons we won the revolutionary war was in no large part due to our change of tactics. We took cover. "Dead or Alive" shows us a possible answer to thinking outside the box in the current wasfare situation. This book is an excelent read and I highly recommend it. Show Less
LibraryThing member TonyOlivero
Dead or Alive gets away from the repetative drudgery of stalk bad guy, stab with Death Pen, rinse and repeat that plagued Teeth of the Tiger. This novel harkens back to a much more Clancy-like feel. I enjoyed reading it. Despite having another author attached, Clancy's hand was evident in the plot
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construction and technical detail. Show Less
LibraryThing member lanes_3
Not exactly the quality I remember from Clancy, but it has been awhile since I've read him. Multi-faceted story like usual, but some of the story lines didn't seem necessary (Jack Ryan's in particular), perhaps they lead in to a future book. Also could have used a better edit and revision. There
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seemed to be character swaps and repeated info in multiple places. Show Less
LibraryThing member Tasker
For a 900-plus page book, its reading went fairly fast - easy reading and well-paced action. However, I still remember my fascination with the military strategy depicted by Mr. Clancy in "RED STORM RISING" and "The HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER" and this terrorist-chase stuff is getting sort of boring (just
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my opinion, sorry). Show Less
LibraryThing member golfncurl
The first few chapters jump around quite a bit, but it all comes together in the end.
I enjoyed this book.
I enjoyed this book.
LibraryThing member MSWallack
In the span of years since Clancy's last novel, I'd almost forgotten how much I enjoyed his book. Dead or Alive was certainly not the best novel Clancy has ever written, but it did remind me of why I enjoy his books. For one thing, his characters are interesting. Some of them are a bit
One more point worth making: In recent years, I've criticized authors like Vince Flynn and Brad Thor for preaching their political views in their books. Clancy (or at least many of his characters) clearly resides on the right of the political spectrum. And Clancy occassionally criticizes those with a different political view. But he doesn't demonize them in the way that Flynn and Thor do; in fact, at one point in Dead or Alive Jack Ryan notes that he respects a political opponent for having a principled view of an issue, even if Ryan disagrees with that view. Clancy may make some characters bad, but they're not bad simply because of their different stance on political issues. So, in the end, where I may disagree with some of what Clancy and his characters believe, I don't feel like I've been attacked or insulted or that Clancy would view me as any less a patriot because of my political views.
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one-dimensional (they serve their purpose), but others have a bit more going on than we might expect. The plot is also quite detailed, but without adding complexity for the sake of doing so. I also like Clancy's penchant for giving me a bit of detail and background on characters who aren't really central to the story. He could drop a lot of that and shorten the story, but by giving the reader more information about peripheral characters, Clancy humanizes them and keeps the reader guessing as to which characters are or are not central to the plot. Also, perhaps borrowing a bit from classic Russian literature, numerous side plots come and go during the book, some with no resolution at all, some clearly designed to be picked up in a later story. While this may detract from the core story Clancy is telling, once again it keeps the reader guessing and helps to ground the actions of the main characters into a broader world. Finally, and this is the part that I really forgot: Clancy is a master at pacing. The early segments of the book are slow, almost plodding (though with some action thrown in). But as the story develops and moves toward its climax, the pacing and the events become ever faster. The details laid out over the preceding pages become meaningful and Clancy need not be distracted with details because he's already provided them. I will admit, though, that the ending seemed a bit contrived; too much out of the end of a thriller movie. But I still enjoyed the book.One more point worth making: In recent years, I've criticized authors like Vince Flynn and Brad Thor for preaching their political views in their books. Clancy (or at least many of his characters) clearly resides on the right of the political spectrum. And Clancy occassionally criticizes those with a different political view. But he doesn't demonize them in the way that Flynn and Thor do; in fact, at one point in Dead or Alive Jack Ryan notes that he respects a political opponent for having a principled view of an issue, even if Ryan disagrees with that view. Clancy may make some characters bad, but they're not bad simply because of their different stance on political issues. So, in the end, where I may disagree with some of what Clancy and his characters believe, I don't feel like I've been attacked or insulted or that Clancy would view me as any less a patriot because of my political views.
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LibraryThing member csayban
It has been seven long years since Tom Clancy's last Jack Ryan techno-thriller, "The Teeth of the Tiger." Much speculation has surrounded the long writing layoff of one of the bestselling authors of all time. No matter the reason, 2010 has seen the return of Jack Ryan and Co in "Dead or Alive."
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Picking up where Tiger left off, "Dead or Alive" is quintessential Tom Clancy. Highly developed, relatable characters and a complex, multi-layered plot that doesn't tip its hand until the very end. One of the biggest complaints many readers have with Clancy novels is the technical nature of much of his writing. However, the layoff must have given him time to refine his writing, because "Dead or Alive" contains very little of the notorious Clancy "techno-drag." The book moved along at a brisk pace and kept me engaged from start to finish. Tom Clancy shows that he has lost none of his storytelling chops with "Dead or Alive." A great book that I encourage you to pick up. Show Less
LibraryThing member stanrobinson
Clancy's gang is back fighting for what is right and doing it in fine fashion against all fronts in country and abroad. It is a fast read even with a total of 950 pages. What is difficult at times is the multiple plot lines and multiple character actions . You are constantly battling to keep the
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images in your own mind from losing track. A couple of times I had to review a character or action to make sure I was on the right boat or in the right country. It is Clancy through and with assistance from co-author Grant Blackwood. Show Less
LibraryThing member davevanl
Proofreading and factchecking must be a lost art. At one point, a flight from the east coast to las vegas is listed as 4 hour and 20 minutes, which is reasonable. However, it is stade in the book that due to the 4 time zones, they arrived just 20 minutes later by local time. They need to rethink
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that. Show Less
LibraryThing member jsoos
This very long novel (950 pages) is almost classic Clancy. Since he hasn't written in so long, it takes the first 100-150 pages to refamiliarize yourself with all of the characters and their histories (all continued from previous novels). There are 5-6 concurrent efforts being tracked around the
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world, all involving some sort of massive terrorist effort (and of course, with the "good guys" attempting to stop them) - all in classic Clancy style. I have 2 issues with the book; instead of looking to the future (as Clancy has traditionally done) this volume seems to deal mostly with thinly veiled current events (including a lot of ranting about current politics), and secondly, I am not sure that 950 pages were needed. The good news? - Clancy has left several candidate follow-on books available with his ending!! Show Less
LibraryThing member maureen61
A convoluted rehash of several past characters bringsthis story forward but requires the patience of a saint to figure out. A very long book, it is not Clancy's best but is creative non the less.
LibraryThing member barbgarcia1987
This was a BIG improvement over "The Teeth of the Tiger". It grabbed me in the first couple of pages & never let go. I am hoping that "The Teeth of the Tiger" was just an aberration and that "Dead or Alive" says that he is back on track. Yes, it is a VERY long book, but I enjoyed it a lot. I liked
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the fact that many characters from previous books were included. Show Less
LibraryThing member DanStratton
I haven’t enjoyed a Tom Clancy book since Executive Orders. It seems over the later few years, Clancy has paid more attention to form than substance. Wordy descriptions, throw-away characters and slow-moving plots have become the new standard. It is almost as if there is a word length
A few years ago, Clancy tried to move on from Jack Ryan, leaving him in the Oval Office and putting the next generation of characters in the limelight. For me, it never worked. The new characters lacked depth and realism. And they swear all the time, a downer for me. I never came to like any of them, much less love, like I did Jack Ryan. The descriptions I once enjoyed became tedious. The plots moved so slowly, I had no trouble putting the book down and going to sleep. No more all night sessions. I will still pull all nighters with the old books.
In Dead or Alive, Clancy tries to draw the old readers back in by having the old standbys, Jack Ryan, John Clark and Ding Chavez, come back for cameo appearances. He gives them things to do, but most of the time they are standing back, watching the young kids run the show. It all seems contrived, right down to Clark and Chavez being pulled off their flight home just to retirement to watch another Rainbow Six raid. They left their wives on the plane in London to go watch a bunch of guys take down a bunch of bad guys in Libya. Just watch, mind you. They weren’t needed for the planning or set up. It was as if the raid couldn’t be included in the storyline unless they were there to watch it, like the new commanders needed permission or a good luck charm. Their wives should have left them in disgust.
Not much else is better in this book. I enjoyed the little bits of Jack Ryan trying to decide whether to run for the presidency again. I think one of the hardest jobs to retire from must be President of the United States. One day you are the inner circle and the next you only get to read about it in the papers. It must be very hard to quietly leave the stage to someone you feel is incompetent. The writing of the Jack Ryan subplot displays this clearly. The rest? Cheesy as Wisconsin in the fall.
I hadn’t planned on even reading this Clancy book. I only did because my son bought it and it was sitting on my Kindle. Turns out he didn’t even finish it. I should have followed his lead. Seems he knows something Clancy and I don’t – when to stop.
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requirement, but a miserly hoarding of story telling, as if he is always saving something for the next book. He doesn’t lay it all on the line like he used to.A few years ago, Clancy tried to move on from Jack Ryan, leaving him in the Oval Office and putting the next generation of characters in the limelight. For me, it never worked. The new characters lacked depth and realism. And they swear all the time, a downer for me. I never came to like any of them, much less love, like I did Jack Ryan. The descriptions I once enjoyed became tedious. The plots moved so slowly, I had no trouble putting the book down and going to sleep. No more all night sessions. I will still pull all nighters with the old books.
In Dead or Alive, Clancy tries to draw the old readers back in by having the old standbys, Jack Ryan, John Clark and Ding Chavez, come back for cameo appearances. He gives them things to do, but most of the time they are standing back, watching the young kids run the show. It all seems contrived, right down to Clark and Chavez being pulled off their flight home just to retirement to watch another Rainbow Six raid. They left their wives on the plane in London to go watch a bunch of guys take down a bunch of bad guys in Libya. Just watch, mind you. They weren’t needed for the planning or set up. It was as if the raid couldn’t be included in the storyline unless they were there to watch it, like the new commanders needed permission or a good luck charm. Their wives should have left them in disgust.
Not much else is better in this book. I enjoyed the little bits of Jack Ryan trying to decide whether to run for the presidency again. I think one of the hardest jobs to retire from must be President of the United States. One day you are the inner circle and the next you only get to read about it in the papers. It must be very hard to quietly leave the stage to someone you feel is incompetent. The writing of the Jack Ryan subplot displays this clearly. The rest? Cheesy as Wisconsin in the fall.
I hadn’t planned on even reading this Clancy book. I only did because my son bought it and it was sitting on my Kindle. Turns out he didn’t even finish it. I should have followed his lead. Seems he knows something Clancy and I don’t – when to stop.
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LibraryThing member DrewsFlash
The only reason for reviewing this book is to warn others not to waste their time. Tom Clancy was one of my favorite writers before I wasted my time on the first 624 pages. Yes I am writing a review on a book that was unreadable. Poor character development, slaggard story line, soap opera dialogue
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and many other negative conditions led me to stop reading and to proceed to other more important reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member leslie.98
This 13th book of the Jack Ryan series is the first one Clancy co-wrote with another author and I felt that I could detect a slight difference in the prose. While Clancy never had Jack (or other characters) hide their political and/or ethical beliefs, in this book they came across a bit more
Most of the action in this book centers around Jack Jr. & his work at the Campus. While I had read the previous book that started this plot line, it was years ago so I was struck by the appearance of the 2 Caruso brothers twins who are Jack Jr.'s first cousins - I hadn't remembered there being extended family.
Lou Diamond Phillips does an excellent job narrating.
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pontifical. The action was still gripping though!Most of the action in this book centers around Jack Jr. & his work at the Campus. While I had read the previous book that started this plot line, it was years ago so I was struck by the appearance of the 2 Caruso brothers twins who are Jack Jr.'s first cousins - I hadn't remembered there being extended family.
Lou Diamond Phillips does an excellent job narrating.
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LibraryThing member dekan
For years, Jack Ryan, Jr. and his colleagues at the Campus have waged an unofficial and highly effective campaign against the terrorists who threaten western civilization. The most dangerous of these is the Emir. This sadistic killer has masterminded the most vicious attacks on the west and has
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eluded capture by the world’s law enforcement agencies. Now the Campus is on his trail. Joined by their latest recruits, John Clark and Ding Chavez, Jack Ryan, Jr. and his cousins, Dominick and Brian Caruso, are determined to catch the Emir and they will bring him in dead or alive. Show Less
LibraryThing member hemlokgang
This was very good. The quick pace was engaging, the plot was just the right blend of technical and character driven story, and I have a real soft spot for Ding Chavez and John Clark. I am becoming fonder of Jack Ryan, Jr. as well.
LibraryThing member rastaphrog
It's a Clancy novel. If you're already a fan, that's all that needs to be said. It's typical Clancy with lots of action and intrigue. For me, it was a fairly quick read, but then I got my copy on my day off from work, so I was able to jump right into reading it straight thru. The book doesn't end
That being said, I only gave it three stars because of some glaring inconsistencies from the previous book. Either Clancy or Blackwood (who the book is written "with"), or even both, must not have taken too much time to do much to get down the facts we were given about things in "Teeth Of The Tiger". While they didn't completely "ruin" the book for me, it wasn't as good as it could have been if things had stayed consistent in their progress.
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on a "cliff hanger", but there is a lot that happened that leaves things open to more books in the future, and I hope we do see more books dealing with "The Campus".That being said, I only gave it three stars because of some glaring inconsistencies from the previous book. Either Clancy or Blackwood (who the book is written "with"), or even both, must not have taken too much time to do much to get down the facts we were given about things in "Teeth Of The Tiger". While they didn't completely "ruin" the book for me, it wasn't as good as it could have been if things had stayed consistent in their progress.
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LibraryThing member DWWilkin
I have long been a fan of the Jack Ryan adventures since we first met Sir Jack when he hunted the Red October. Clancy though has lost his way. And ghost writers are probably the reason why. A technique of Dumas after becoming famous was to dictate plots to others to write the stories.
Clancy used
Something bad is happening, our heroes will uncover through plot devices what they need to know in order to stop the worst just in the last moments before it all goes badly. Every time, though? Why not stop it days, months, before it goes bad. Why not lose and only be able to show up too late? That would not sell the American dream that we are somehow superior which is the subplot throughout the entire work. That we are superior. That because we are superior, we have these enemies who will defeat us because we take all that for granted. That there are hundreds of ways to infiltrate our borders and do damage, but always our Ryan heroes come through and save the day.
Clancy's team writes decent suspense, but these books could be reduced in size (less air between lines) and word count. (We were told that Jack's son is following his father's professional career choices about 1000 times. Every time the plot moves a few hours ahead we have to have characters ask how they each are by each of them for the event that happened 100 pages ago, but only a few hours before...)
These are big faults of writing. To Clancy he want's to make sure all he close family inside his head are fed, have lives, remember to flush the toilet. We actually don't care about the mundane unless it adds to the story, and far too much doesn't. If it adds to the characterization we are following great, but he has given so many of his secondary characters their own novels, that each has to be treated like the primary when they are on stage, and that is not the case. Once Clancy can oversee his writers and make them understand how to really write a good, tight suspense book, we will be able to rate these outstanding, but until then, they are only slightly better than average and that is because of the earlier work that has been established.
Clancy used
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to make me believe that our heroes were diligent intelligence officers and operatives plugging away at the evidence they gathered and then deciphering the picture and solving the problem. Now, we need 300 pages to get warmed up. Then it becomes formula. Something bad is happening, our heroes will uncover through plot devices what they need to know in order to stop the worst just in the last moments before it all goes badly. Every time, though? Why not stop it days, months, before it goes bad. Why not lose and only be able to show up too late? That would not sell the American dream that we are somehow superior which is the subplot throughout the entire work. That we are superior. That because we are superior, we have these enemies who will defeat us because we take all that for granted. That there are hundreds of ways to infiltrate our borders and do damage, but always our Ryan heroes come through and save the day.
Clancy's team writes decent suspense, but these books could be reduced in size (less air between lines) and word count. (We were told that Jack's son is following his father's professional career choices about 1000 times. Every time the plot moves a few hours ahead we have to have characters ask how they each are by each of them for the event that happened 100 pages ago, but only a few hours before...)
These are big faults of writing. To Clancy he want's to make sure all he close family inside his head are fed, have lives, remember to flush the toilet. We actually don't care about the mundane unless it adds to the story, and far too much doesn't. If it adds to the characterization we are following great, but he has given so many of his secondary characters their own novels, that each has to be treated like the primary when they are on stage, and that is not the case. Once Clancy can oversee his writers and make them understand how to really write a good, tight suspense book, we will be able to rate these outstanding, but until then, they are only slightly better than average and that is because of the earlier work that has been established.
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Original language
English
Original publication date
2010-12-07
ISBN
1455815217 / 9781455815210