Rating: 
Summary: In reference to all post-9/11 reviews...
Review: It is amazing to me to read all of these reviews of this book by people who read it after the 9/11 disaster. What a difference an actual event will have on the opinions of those who read the book because of that word-of-mouth rather than those who read it before that terrible day.
I read "Debt of Honor" not too long after it came out in paperback, well before the events of 9/11/2001. It had a much different impact on me than on the others I refer to above. I was blown away by the ending. It was one of those Clancy moments in which I think afterwards that I just can't believe he had the courage to go through with such a huge plot twist. That part alone forced me to go back and read all of Clancy's previous novels in the order he published them (with the exception of "Without Remorse," which is the first Clancy book I read), leading up to "Executive Orders," his best book, in my opinion.
My advice to those curious to read this book just because of the similarities to the events of 9/11....be prepared. This is a long book. The key moment does not happen until the last few pages, and it is less a part of this book than it is a bridge and a set-up for Clancy's next Jack Ryan adventure, "Executive Orders." I loved this book, but then again I was completely unprepared for the ending, so I wasn't just trudging through a long novel to get to a few pages of action.
Rating: 
Summary: Another big BIG book by Tom "kitchen sink" Clancy
Review: Tom must have the editors completely buffaloed at his publishing house. This book could have been shortened by half and not lose any of the impact. Debt of Honor presents countless characters, most of them two-dimensional and souless, half of whom were superflous. His glorification of the military and the intelligence community rings somewhat hollow. If Clancy had actually served in the military he might have produced a better book- "wanna be" is written all over it with every military figure idealized.
I enjoy detailed books, and here Clancy excels. Contrary to other opinions I have read, Clancy's analysis of the US/World financial underpinnings was coherant and helpful. His military "expertise" is somewhat strained- as if the detail is used to mask a basic lack of understanding. Here again, a strong editor would have helped. If I had a dime for every sonar or radar tech who yelled out the position of some signal return in this book, I'd be rich.
Also, most of the family-type interactions fall flat. The good parts are when the politians machinate. And it's always fun to read about White House infighting and behind the scenes stuff. Clancy handles it well.
The plot is mostly preposterous, of course, and Clancey doesn't quite make it believable. So this book was a chore to plow through, but I did want to get the entire set-up instead of just reading the 9-11 type ending, which is why I picked up the book in the first place.
Rating: 
Summary: Clancy ponders the Japanese threat
Review: "Debt of Honor" is classic Clancy fare. The plot moves rapidly, skipping from place to place as our old friend Jack Ryan frets over a bevy of global crises. This time the threat comes from Japan, where a jingoistic industrialist plots to bring America to its knees, both economically and militarily. "Debt of Honor" is enjoyable enough to read. The action moves fast and the chapters are sliced into convenient, bite-sized portions. The book's weakness, perhaps, is that the plot--and many of the sub-plots--seem a little far-fetched. E.g., Japan's invasion of Guam and Saipan goes undiscovered by the US press for several days, until an enterprising weatherman from Idaho unearths the shocking news. But Clancy's knack for explaining the technical aspects of airplanes, submarines, aircraft carriers, et al, is as good as ever. This marriage of fact with fiction is always a highlight of a Clancy novel. "Debt of Honor" may not be for everyone, but those who enjoy this genre will likely be satisfied
Rating:
Summary: Read a used copy
Review: This book was prescient about some weaknesses in American economic infrastructure, but I do not support Mr. Clancy's portrayal of Japanese in this book. The premise of this book plays upon American society's lingering suspicion of Japanese following WWII and during the recession of the 1980's. Books like this may seem patriotic, but instead they encourage a simplistic view of the world.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't miss this one
Review: War with Japan.. I'm not ruining anything... Chapter 1 stuff.Only its 1996, and Jack Ryan is running the CIA right after Clear and present danger. Greer is dead. Clark and domingo are his go to guys. The only problem with this book will be your sleepless nights! DO NOT READ THE LAST CHAPTER in advance. You will ruin everything. If you get through this book, I will wager that you will buy Executive orders (his next book in sequence) within 24 hours.
Rating:
Summary: One of Clancy's best
Review: War with Japan again...you won't believe the way Clancy makes this story realistic. I believe war with anyone can happen with any country because of Clancy does that make me paranoid??? ...The way Clancy strings together a story makes any situation sound like it could happen. I look forward to many more Clancy books and hopefully more Clancy movies as well. You are now free to buy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Lack of Honor
Review: Zoinks! This is by far the worst book by Mr. Clancy. It's even more boring than Red Storm Rising. It actually made me SKIP PAGES. Clancy showed his unique talent for writing a lot and saying little. This book shouldn't have been longer than 400 pages. Or maybe even less - there's not much happening here! Oh well...
Rating:
Summary: Dragged But Still A Very Good Book!!!!
Review: This book took me about a month to read, and it was worth it. The book is very informative and very entertaining. The military moves are wonderful, and the plot is very good. Though Japan may not have been the best choice for an enemy; The book helped me learn more about Japan than I ever thought I would know. Tom makes the world a little smaller. For the small price of this book, you get a whole lot of book. It is long, but you will like most of what you read, even though the numerous characters are hard to follow. America wins again, and Jack Ryan becomes President. I would not want to read Debt Of Honor without reading this book, so go out and buy it. If you get tired of it go to the last chapter, it is worth the price of the whole book.
Rating:
Summary: Why doesn't Clancy just start writing VCR manuals?
Review: This book is long. And unbelievable. And worst of all, Clancy is allowed to get away with it all because of his pre-9/11 prediction at the end of the book. I'm sorry, but they don't make a Pulitzer for psychics. Written in '94, this is a story of the world in the (unbelievably stupid) situation of America/Russia as dissarmed allies, and Japan as our enemy. Techno attacks and other events are timely (even today) but the ending ... horribly. Not because of September 11. But because of the event as a whole. I'm sorry, the nation's capital is under attack by an airplane that has just killed all of the Senate, Congress (except for 2), Supreme Court, the President, his ENTIRE cabinet, and half of the media's "Washington Correspondents", and by chance the newly sworn in Vice-President and his family escape death (and even injury). So what shall we do? I've got an idea! Instead of getting him on Air Force One (because how in God's NAME DID HE KNOW THAT MORE PLANES WOULDN'T BE COMING?) let's drive him a few blocks to CNN! Sorry, Tom, but even George Bush had the clout to avoid the media Sept. 11. Why President Ryan can't duck 'em is beyond me.
Rating:
Summary: Shallow, long and ridiculous.
Review: The famous rule about a good story is that it should "suspend your disbelief". Mr. Clancy has in the past used this as his launch pad for some good stories. The settings were real, the characters seemed plausable and the plot used modern world politics to set up a seemingly possible drama. This makes his books an interesting and sometimes exciting ride of "what ifs?" in today's world. This is not one of them. I honestly can not reccomend this book to anyone but a Clancy die-hard. Even then they should save their time.
It goes back to the above stated rule. There is no way I could believe that anything in the book (expect for the ending) could really happen. It's so ridiculous!
Japan starting a war with the US? Really, does anyone buy this? There is a ton of logic and many reasons why this simply could not happen. Much of which is made clear in the book. Yet Mr. Clancy, so wrapped in his fantasy he is blind to the reality, pushes on as if it were fact.
This would not be so bad if the rest of the book had value. Other than a doorstop. It doesn't. The characters are flat and the same ones we've come to expect. Sadly Ryan is tired and seems to be going through the motions. Gone are the days where he was a fish out of water tasked with the seemingly impossible, but now he is the go-to guy to make anything work. Its no wonder he becomes president, there is nothing else for him to do. This is also full of stereotypes and lame ideas. Japan is made out to be a cold place ruled by a hand full of old rich men. That there entire government is just a false face to protect the interests of a few wealthy guys. Granted money talks, but this is a bit much.
The idea of crashing the stock market was, to be blunt, dumb. A computer virus! Of course! Why didn't anyone think of this before! And it can erase every single record of every kind in every company in any place! Why that makes total sense!
The idea that the US armed forces would be depleted to a record low is a bit silly. For one thing it is not easy much as the Russians have found out. It is expensive to disarm as well. There is a lot of hardware that has to be disassembled before there is nothing left of value or threat. In short, you just can't have a bunch of nuclear submarines floating at dock for years with out a lot of effort to disarm them. Yet this is the case in Mr. Clancy's daydream.
On top of this is to far far too long. I started skipping paragraphs then pages, finding out that much of the text did little but to bore me. The technical detail that is welcome in other books is page-filler here and it gets old. In short, go read Red October or Sum of All Fears. Again if you have to.
|
