Rating: 
Summary: Sloooooooowwwww
Review: An easy book to put down. After his last novel I thought that was it. Then I thought that maybe someone else wrote it and I would give him one more try. Lord, what happened to the Clancy that wrote "Red October"? I made it half way through "Red Rabbit" hoping for something exciting to happen and finally gave up. Didn't finish.There was too much political analysis here for me. I don't really care about the character of Lenin or Stalin. I know they were bad guys. I don't need Clancy laying it out for me in excruciating detail. It may be time for the author to see a "pshrink". (What's up with that anyway?) Try some Bill Buckley's Blackford Oakes or Ken Follett's WWII spy thrillers. This was the last Clancy I will try.
Rating: 
Summary: Good writing, but the story is slow with little action
Review: I have at least liked nearly all of Tom Clancy's books. Most of them I thought were very good; several were excellent. I've enjoyed his books so much that I believe I own all his solo efforts, and most of those I have in hardback, including this book. Given that I find Tom Clancy to be a very enjoyable and readable author, I find this review difficult to write. I would not recommend this book to a casual reader of Tom Clancy. Furthermore, for those fans that find the action in his books to be the most enjoyable part, I would say absolutely avoid this book. However, if you enjoy the sometimes-excruciating detail that Clancy can put into his writing, with minimal amounts of action, then this story may well appeal to you. It took me quite a while to read this book. The beginning is filled with very fine detail that helps you to understand the characters involved and their various motivations. Much of the first half of the book almost reads like a pseudo-documentary of the various individuals and jobs involved in intelligence. Since my experience with Clancy is that he opens the book with a significant action sequence, then has at least one intervening action sequence, and then the final sequence, I kept looking for an action sequence. There really is very little action in this book. In spite of the lack of action, the last 200 pages finally caught my interest and I was able to zip to the end of the book from that point forward. I will try to avoid any plot spoilers, just in case you find yourself interested in buying this book, so please read on. The ending of the book I thought was relatively predictable. Unfortunately I can say little more without revealing things, so I'll just say that I was disappointed that the potential for disaster was there, and yet for the most part the flow was much smoother than what often happens in real life. One particular characteristic of this book I found to be annoying. Ryan keeps telling various individuals that the source of his information was a defector. In real life, you never tell source sensitive information to anyone unless that person has a definable need to know. Ryan could have explained that his information was from a sensitive source that he couldn't reveal, but he believed the information was reliable. In the real intelligence world, such information is highly compartmentalized, and everyone knows and understands why. I believe this aspect of the story was a slip-up by Clancy; unusual for him. The book is well written. The flow is logical and easy to follow. The only real flaw is the lack of action from an author known as much for his action as to his attention for detail. Had the author been any of a number of spy story authors, perhaps someone like Len Deighton, I might have had different expectations and read the book accordingly. However, this is a Clancy book, and I didn't get what I was expecting. The book is an okay read, but expect it to be very detail heavy and slow reading in the beginning, and the plot twists, such as they are, are minimal.
Rating:
Summary: Plodding and Predictable
Review: It's difficult to create tension when you backdate your story and focus on an assassination everyone already knows failed. But it is possible. Clancy did not do so here. Everything surrounding the plot is predictable, and there is virtually no tension in the storyline. This could have been made a much better book. Clancy focussed on the efforts to get a defector and his family out, which leaves ample room for tension, but then he made the operation utterly without danger, and we were told this frequently while the operation was going on. There was no suspicious KGB type hot on their heels, so to speak, no shootouts at midnight, no running through darekened streets, no action, in fact, of any kind. And then, at the end, what is our reward? The Pope gets shot anyway, of course, so where is the victory? If you were disappointed, as I was, with Rainbow Six, well, this one is much worse than that, and would probably never have been published if Clancy's name hadn't been attached.
Rating: 
Summary: Mental Intrigue Replaces Physical Action
Review: It seems many of the reviewers who wanted more action failed to see that this tended to be more of a phsycological thriller with classic Clancy sprinkled throughout. What goes on in the mind of a defector? What goes on in the mind of the agent? My favorite part of this book is the contact between Rabbit and Foley. The mental anguish, intrigue and excitement replaces the gun-toting chase scenes. I also liked Clancy's use of real events from the past to interwine with his story. It doesn't replace "Without Remorse" as my favorite Clancy novel but it did keep me involved to the end.
Rating:
Summary: Tech-Non-Thriller
Review: Tom Clancy's decline has found a new bottom in this book. Hopefully his craft turns around. The essence of a thriller is uncertainty and surprise. Alas, there is none in Red Rabbit. Nothing goes wrong; nothing comes as a surprise. Hence, there is no drama. There is just 618 pages of description - and we all know how wooden Tom Clancy's description can be. Here's hoping Clancy finds something more interesting to write about.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, but not up to the Clancy bar
Review: I am also a big fan of Clancy's work. Particularly his later books (Executive Order, Debt of Honor, Without Remorse). The only similarity of this novel with those is the names of a few characters. This book is not what any Clancy fan would expect. If the names were changed and the book was 200 pages shorter and written under another pen name or something, it might be a good read. But for Clancy fans that enjoy the normal time investment that his technical and long novels take, this one doesn't have the "Return on Investment"
Rating:
Summary: Fairly good over all.
Review: I would say that I would give it 3.5 stars but that's not an option. I agree with those that say this is rather short on action and suspense. I was particularly suprised that Clancy went to such lengths to describe the defection in detail and then have it go smoothly. I remember thinking to myself that surely these hundreds of pages are going to lead up to something. That small quibble aside I found myself really liking the book and after the first 200 or so pages really wanting to get back to it. This is really a book that has a lot of back story in it and if you care about the charachters at all you will find it interesting to read about them. I found the information about Soviet life in the 80's very interesting, and after talking with a brother in-law who spent 2 years there found it was very accurate. If you only ready Clancy only for suspense and action this may not be for you. If you enjoy his historical fact and commentary you should enjoy this one.
Rating:
Summary: Read it yourself!
Review: Okay, not Clancy's finest, but far from being the terrible work most reviewers claim it is. I found this book very interesting, far from being the boring repetitive work a lot of people say it is. Quiet, yes, with no gun shots until the end, but does a book really need combat and killing and nuclear bombs every other chapter to be good? (Answer that for yourself.) I thought the book was a very insightful look at the intelligence service and the mechanics of a defection. I was captivated after I read the first few chapters, and I felt compelled to continue reading whenever I had the opportunity. Quite a satisfying read. I am annoyed that many readers seem to think that Clancy books should all read like Rambo. I am also irritated by those pointing out that some of the information in the book is incorrect, or anachronistic. I didn't pick this book up in the history section of the bookstore. Maybe these folks should read the disclaimer on the title page - the one that says "This is a work of fiction." To each his own.
Rating:
Summary: OK, Who REALLY wrote this book?
Review: Slow is an understatement for this novel.
If it didn't have Clancy's name on the cover I would never have believed it was his work.
Because I already knew the outcome of the book from history, I expected the story to have more intrigue.
Well, the intrigue was there, but it was spread thin through a lot of filler. Normally, I have difficulty putting a Clancy novel down. Not with this book. Don't try to read this one when you're tired or you will be asleep in short order. It does not require a lot analysis to follow the story.
This Clancy novel has far more profanity than his previous works. Many will not find it objectionable, but it was more than I prefer and detracted from the story. This is the second Clancy book that I wish I had waited for the paperbook to purchase. I think I won't buy his next in hardback until I have reviewed a library copy.
Rating:
Summary: Read the Book Before You Write a Review
Review: I am shocked at the number of people who wrote a review of this fine prequel without actually reading the book! This book was quieter than Clancy's other Jack Ryan novels, but you learn so much more about what made that particular era tick. And the background on the Foleys was spectacular. Really explains why they ended up running the CIA in Executive Orders and The Bear and the Dragon--they really did give the Soviet Union an ulcer.
Actually the financial stuff was known (Why do you guys think Communism failed so miserably?) Could this be Clancy's clandestine way of giving kudos to the real Field Intelligence Officers who helped win the Cold war? Can we now have a book set in the seventies about John Clark's early CIA adventures?
(Particularly the ones alluded to in Executive Orders, Debt of Honor, and Rainbow Six. Also some of his training of Mary Pat and Ed would be nice!) Why four stars? Coz I couldn't give it 4 1/2!
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