Rating: 
Summary: An excellent read, just one or two flaws
Review: Let's face it. Shakespeares' pants, a load of plays copied straight from older storylines. But anyway, Tom Clancy is probably the best author in the world for this sort of book. However, he has fallen once again on his two main flaws to receive a perfect 5/5. These flaws are simple ones: 1. Americans are the best, superheros who are better than everyone, even the SAS, which I doubt. 2. Storylines leading to nowhere - very frustrating However, he still accumulates all the key elements for a brilliant read. In some of his books, particularly Executive Orders, I found myself sat reading for days before I read that a tiny US task force obliterated a steamroller style Iran/Iraq army defending its own ground. However, in Rainbow Six, the action comes at appropriate times so that my interest did not attenuate as I went along. Also, the action is simply fantastic, with suspense, careful planning and perfect takedowns that you would expect from such men in real life. The weapons used are awesome in power, particularly the sniper's rifles, and I was fascinated to read how such men trained. It's been made into an excellent computer game. Might we be getting a film just as good? I think we should.
Rating: 
Summary: What is Right... Far Left or Far Right?
Review: This is Clancy at his best. There are costs to everything. On the far right, there is the side-effects and pitfalls of a military war on drugs (Clear and Present Danger). On the far left, there is radical environmentalists (who consider humans a parasite on planet Earth who should be destroyed). What Clancy really writes about is the costs involved in any kind of political change, and the dangers of extremists. Clancy always takes very real political situations one step further. Is it right for radical Muslims to promote nuclear war (The Sum or All Fears). Is it right for radical enviormentalists to commit genocide (Rainbow Six). Plus, what would happen if an honest, non-political man found himself in the position of George Washington - faced with rebuilding the government from the ground up - but with a press who was so used to lies and political posturing they didn't know how to deal with an honest man who was doing his best (Executive Orders). What I would believe is somebody who admits there are no easy answers. The far left would undermine national security; the far right would eliminate privacy rights. Clancy solutions are often poetic justice (the wacko enviromentalists being forced to live in the jungle without ANY technology from a knife to clothing - all that was part of technology, not nature, plus a drug lord, which the US decided they had no legal right to keep, being delivered to his opposition in Columbia).
Rating:
Summary: A book that will keep you on the edge of your seat
Review: Rainbow Six is one of the most action-packed books I have ever read. A new international counter-terror strike team is assembled, and is headed by an experienced CIA field officer named John Clark. This team, Rainbow, is the best in the world, with team members from all around the globe. For some mysterious reason, terrorism in the world increases, which keeps Rainbow busy defending its allies when a new threat surfaces, like none the world has ever seen. Rainbow has to react and the all of humanity is depending on its actions. If you are into guns and Special Forces, I would definitely recommend this book. Once you start you won't be able to put it down. The main reasons that I like this book are that the characters are very believable and the suspense keeps you on the edge of your seat. Clancy captivates his readers by evading to something intriguing or dangerous, but then he stops and talks about something else. This leaves you curious to see what is going to happen next. Clancy's knowledge of politics is extensive, and he uses this knowledge to create a whole new world of intricate politics to enshroud his readers. Tom Clancy is an awesome writer and Rainbow Six is an awesome book. I think that the theme of the book is that human life is the first priority.
Rating: 
Summary: Cliche Plot and not enough imagination.
Review: In reading many of Clancy's other books, he makes several references to things being too "movie-like" and very naive. Well, that is exactly what this story is. All the events that occur meaning the takedowns by the operative groups are all flawless, where none of the major characters get injured. Very boring. Also, Clancy seems to lack a sense of imagination when it comes to naming his characters. There are four people in this story alone that have the first name of John. Also, his other famous character, Jack Ryan, is named John, Jack being a nickname. In his other book, Patriot Games, John Clark (Kelly) is not present, but a man with the last name Clark is there also. Also in Patriot Games and Rainbow Six, both of the leading Irish terrorists are named Sean. A little repetitive, isn't it? One other is the name Ryan. In Without Remorse, there is a policeman with the last name Ryan (maybe Clancy missed his Jack Ryan and had to put in another one to remind himself of it, i don't know). Though it may not be that important, it still shows Clancy's lack of creativity.
Rating: 
Summary: Great story, terrible ending.
Review: True to form, Tom Clancy has cooked up yet another super-tense technothriller. This time the threat is bioterrorism on a global scale, all part of a nefarious plot hatched by a gaggle of environmentalist wacko intelligentsia types that frequently find themselves on the receiving end of some unflattering commentary by Rush Limbaugh and his contemporaries. These "characters" are portrayed more like caricatures, with their off-the-wall ideas and somewhat corny dialogue. Throw in the ultra-sexy element of high-end, world class special ops, and you have all the makings of an awesome read -- until the end. The basic premise is that a group of self-styled defenders of Mother Earth are conspiring to restore her to her pristine, unsullied state by eliminating the chief cause of her defilement -- humanity. They will do this by developing and deploying an ultravirulent bioagent designed to render mankind extinct -- except for themselves and a few "chosen". These will be immunized with an appropriate vaccine, and will whether the storm in a "biodome" type of facility. After the cycle of bio-death has run its course, they will emerge to rebuild humanity and civilization "as it was meant to be", in an environmentally sound and sensitive way. These goings-on just happen to coincide with the assembly of a multinational force of special ops experts built around John Clark, with Domingo "Ding" Chavez (of "Clear and Present Danger" fame) as the XO and senior field operative. This organization, known as "Rainbow", will fill the gaps in counterterrorism efforts of other individual nations by providing an integrated rapid-response team with all the necessary jurisdictional and diplomatic details hammered out in advance. As luck would have it, little hints begin to drop and little pieces of the puzzle begin to fit together over time, allowing the goods guys ultimately to stymie the evildoers. This one is chock full of suspense and gritty action sequences, with some slick operations involving all manner of high tech weapons and gadgetry -- you would expect nothing less from Clancy. There are also some pulse pounding hostage rescue situations where the Rainbow team shows just how good it is -- but not perfect. Generally speaking it's a great read and a good time, but I was incredibly disappointed by the anticlimactic ending -- Clancy definitely dropped the ball on this one. I'm not sure what happened, but he had an opportunity to make this a top-notch thriller and he just plain blew it. I've read only about a third to a half of what Clancy has in print, so I'll just get over it and hope the next one of his books I pick up doesn't have the same flaw.
Rating:
Summary: Rainbow Six = Excellent
Review: This book was basically about an anti-terrorist group in England that were all recruited because they are the best of the best. This group works hard to get to the best they can be and there skill are put to the test when a terrorist hires other terrorist gropus to take hostages at various parts of the world. In the meantime the same terrorist is creating a deadly disease and testing this disease on random homeless people they find on the street.
The good points of this book is the action and close inspection to detail. The details in this story are really accurate and you can tell that the writer researched his information well. Another point that is good is his style of writing. You aren't just reading from the perspective of the anti-terrorist group or from the terrorists, you get a view from both sides.
Some points that I didn't really like is how it gets confusing at some points. I read this book before and I didn't understand some of the things because its very military. But after enlisting into the military and learned a lot I read this again and I understood it a lot better.
I would recommend this book to anyone that is into action books or military books. It is a good read and it will keep you entertained the whole time you read it. Although some points of the story are confusing the book is generally an easy read.
Kevin Adams
Rating: 
Summary: damn... sucks!!!
Review: first of all, i bought this book expecting for the thrills. and theres no lack of thrill obviously. but, this is the story for too machoic and selfish people for other PEOPLEs.
main characters lead the story as if they are such a super-man or justice of the peace. they think describing this way is so rightful and powerful(not cool at all ever!!!!). im veryvery disapointed now for buying this, not in rental.
Rating:
Summary: Somewhere Over The Rainbow Six . . .
Review: This is one of my favorite books of all time. Mostly because I don't read that much, but still it's a great book. Tom Clancy does a great job showing how counter-terrorists try and stop terrorists around globe. Even showing their emotions is a great touch for this military thriller. ...Zach
Rating:
Summary: Could do with some critical editing
Review: Mr Clancy appears to be getting sloppy:
a) He has obviously never been to Hereford
b) He has no clue how the UK health system and training works (Mrs Chvez appears to be doing American medical training in UK)
c) He is apparently not aware that you do not need to cross the International Date Line flying from UK to Sydney (I assume he is looking at it from US, where you do have to cross the dateline)
d) He has forgotten that when it is summer in UK, it is winter in Sydney (rather silly)
e) He has no idea what actually happens when you inject 40cc of heroin quickly into a vein (his description is laughable really)
f) He thinks veganism and vegetarianism are synonymous
If this is any indication of Mr Clancy's much vaunted attention to detail, I am leery of his accuracy regarding military matters. Perhaps this is why he continues to publish without any real government inteference - I'm sure they like a good laugh every so often like the rest of us.
I wouldn't mind it so much if he would just tone down the rampant self righteousness in his books
Rating:
Summary: Awful!
Review: My main question is where the heck is this guy's editor? Besides the unrealistic plot, mindless one-dimensional characters, and tired cliches, the most irritating aspects of this book are the errors and constant repetition that a little proofreading (or even a spellchecker) might have caught. Thank goodness I got this from a library instead of a store; when I pay for a book I like it to be completed, not a rough draft. A competant editor could have cut almost half the material out and possibly brought the story up from painfully bad to merely mediocre...but a competent author wouldn't have spent 900 pages writing this drivel in the first place. I also found a lot of the stereotypes to be ridiculous. Vegans and enviromentalists (oh my bad, "tree-huggers") are all either idiots or fanatics who want to wipe out the human race. Riiiight. And my rating isn't politically motivated; I consider myself to be pretty conservative, but Clancy just looks foaming-at-the-mouth insane with his constant tirades. (and using your characters as a mouthpiece for your views is bad form in any case.) Also, as many reviewers have already pointed out, summer in the U.S. is WINTER in Australia. You'd think if he was using it for a major plot point (insofar as Rainbow Six can be said to have a plot) he'd do a little basic research first.
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