Rating: 
Summary: A Lesson in Fictional History
Review: I was 8 years old when the failed assasination attempt on the Pope took place in 1981. In 21 years I never took the time to find out what happened and why. Tom Clancy's new Jack Ryan thriller takes this major event, revises it a little and makes it a very entertaining book. I was hooked after about 10 pages. Some other reviews have complained about Jack Ryan being a supporting character. I disagree. The book had a very well-rounded group of characters and Ryan was just as important as any other. This one will keep you on the edge of your seat, which is amazing since everyone knows that, yes, the Pope did get shot and, yes, he did survive. It takes a good writer to keep an audience for 600+ pages when they already know the ending. This is worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Interestingly Unintersting
Review: Having read all of Tom Clancy's books to date, some many times over, I finished this book with the impression that there was a whole lot missing. The plot while inviting, did little to capture the imagination and while the book is 600 pages plus it was easy to book the book down and go for coffee. Jack Ryan is back to being a starter with the CIA which would indicate that this book should have been prior to The Bear and the Dragon?
Perhaps with the inclusion of those characters made popular in previous novels this book may have had more interest. As much as I like reading these novels I must say it was disappointing. This is just my opinion - perhaps others will find it better.
Rating: 
Summary: Please Create A New Main Character
Review: The problem is that Mr. Clancy has written himself into a corner with the "Jack Ryan" character. In my opinion, once "Ryan" became president Mr. Clancy had no choice but to go backwards in order to tell the next story. Let's face it, the president isn't going to be directly involved in the execution of missions for the CIA.The main reason I have purchased Mr. Clancy's books in the past is because of his incredible ability to construct seemingly unrelated storylines and weave them together to reach an exciting conclusion. The book Executive is an excellent example of this. At the beginning of that novel there were multiple plots taking place in Africa, the Middle East and the U.S. just to name a few. As I began reading the book I can remember thinking, "how is he going to pull all this together?" Sadly, Red Rabbit contains almost none of the drama and suspense that Clancy fans have come to exppect. I kept waiting for something to happen that would at least delay "Ryan" from achieving his goal, but it never did. The characters simply move from point A to point B without any conflict. In the future Mr. Clancy needs to either focus on the "John Clark" character or create a totally new protagonist. There have been rumors on the Internet that Clancy plans to take his writing in a somewhat new direction after Red Rabbit. As a huge fan, I hope those rumors are true.
Rating:
Summary: Jack's Back!
Review: It's good to see Tom Clancy has trimmed a lot of the fat from his novels, but there's still a way to go before we get back to the crisp, tense technothrillers that kicked off his career.Like Patriot Games and Without Remorse, Red Rabbit is a step back in the sequence. Set between the events of PG and HFRO, Jack is a CIA analyst posted to London. But we don't get a lot of analysis, unless you count the "inside the head" moralising of the characters. Instead there is steady and reasonably tense action as the good guys catch a fish and reel him in. When he arrives there's a new moral question posed, but Jack teams up with a few likely lads from the British side and has another brush with history. Not the edge of your seat tension nor the whip-crack surprises of his earliest books, but a pleasant, fairly predictable read. Tom Clancy ties his character into the real world with the benefit of superb hindsight. Jack comes across as a bit more credible in this book. He has the language of an ex-Marine of 1982, so if you don't like a bit of low level cussin', you might be a bit upset. He gets caught up in trying to explain what he's doing to his wife, and we've all been there in treading the fine line between the truth and a plausible fiction. I liked seeing more of the peripheral players in the Ryan saga, particularly the Foleys. Not a lot of hot technology, but let's face it, just about everything from that time - the early 80s - is old hat now. The emphasis is on espionage, and how far removed that is from the James Bond model. If you like realistic spy stories, you'll like this one. I just wish Tom Clancy could cut out a bit of the repetition and trim down the sermons. I also get the feeling that a lot of this book is "payback" to various friends for showing him a good time - all the people, especially the British, are jolly good sorts and spread the fine food thick on the table. Over all, it's a step in the right direction for Tom, an essential part of the Jack Ryan story, and a pleasant read to boot. But please, Tom, can we cut the next book in half and double the action?
Rating: 
Summary: Weak
Review: This is a tough book to review. The book has some good points, but is fatally flawed in my opinion. I have read every Clancy book to date. This is one of his weakest volumes, only better than the horrendous The Bear and the Dragon. It is good to see a younger Jack Ryan, as it brings back memories of when Clancy's books were fresh and new. I hoped that a young Ryan would bring out Clancy's seemingly lost talent, but it has not. The story has two general attributes. The first, and the most important for Clancy fans, is the nostalgia. Many of the characters bring back fond memories, such as Dan Murray from the FBI and the Foleys from the CIA. Even Ryans' future foil inside the agency, Bob Ritter, makes a few appearances. Red Rabbit is nostalgic for the old Soviet Union and its KGB, which graced classic Clancy works such as The Cardinal of the Kremlin. The other attribute is Clancy's constant attention to detail and description. You won't read better, and probably more accurate illustrations of buildings such as the KGB's comm room, or the basics of code breaking. Clancy knows the world of espionage, and it is very interesting to learn from him. The detractions are many. The character of Ryan himself appears inconsistent with earlier Clancy works, a complaint that began with The Bear and the Dragon. The old Ryan never cursed, or was so damn rude. Come on, this is Professor Jack Ryan here. The worst part of the book itself is that the story seems devoid of tension. The problem is that almost everything goes right. The Russians never seem to put up any opposition. To put it simply, it's almost like there is no opposition. The constant Clancy political views are way to prevalent here. Many quotes and conversations are repetitive. We all know what happens concerning the Pope. Also, the absense of John Clark is a major problem. There were several parts of the book that Mr. Clark would have been perfect for, but Ryans shadowy alter ego is relegated to just a passing mention. For die hard Clancy fans, Red Rabbit is readable and somewhat interesting. Outside that exclusive umbrella, few new fans will be brought into the fold, nor will any casual readers of Clancy be impressed.
Rating:
Summary: A Gentleman's "C"
Review: My rule of thumb is to buy the audio version of any of the recent genre of Clancy novel, abridged if it's more than 500 pages. The typos and most of the technobabble get edited out, and there's usually a good story underneath. This one gets a passing grade, barely. We all remember the Pope was shot in the early 80s, recovered, and knew that Bulgarians were involved, maybe with the support of the Russians. Clancy takes those facts and elaborates freely on them with most of his old storytelling grace. Who knows, maybe most of it is true! In the end there are a few things to beware of: -the audiobook editor cuts out a lot of noise, but seems in love with the phrase "get out of Dodge" which appears at least four times, once by train; -the narrator does a lousy job with accents and has virtually no tonal changes, so it's kind of bland following the dialogue and almost painful listening to the Russian characters; -Tom's political and religious views come through loud and clear with Soviet life all bad and the American way all good, but you've gotta love Jack Ryan anyway; -the ending is like walking out a door, trying to go back because you forgot something the finding it was locked and bolted as soon as you shut it. It was no "Hunt for Red October" but one of many lesser ships that seems to have thrived in its wake.
Rating:
Summary: BORING!
Review: Clancy must have had a book due under contract and this was the best he could throw together. I'm a huge fan of the Jack Ryan series and was eagerly looking forward to the "next installment". Well, instead Clancy hands us a historical look at Ryan that is far from thrilling and never captivating. If you really must read this novel, check it out from the library - then you'll be getting your moneys worth.
Rating:
Summary: Technical Problems
Review: If you like Clancy as I do, you will like this book. But, it is not Clancy at his best. It is essentially a "Jack Ryan and friends" novel overlaid onto actual historical events. At times it seemed rather contrived. There are some technical glitches that were distracting, e.g., Page 1 describes the PX as selling groceries when in fact it is the Commissary that does that. Clancy I believe should have known better. Elsewhere, Clancy stretches credulity when he has Ryan picking up Starbucks coffee stock in 1981 when in fact Starbucks wasn't a publicly traded company until a few years later. I am familiar with the history of the period and the whole book seemed to me like it was constantly trying to fit Jack Ryan into the events of 1980-1981 but that may be one of the hazards of overlaying fiction onto historical fact.
Rating:
Summary: Not up to his standards
Review: Wow, I was looking forward to this book, and it was quite a disappointment. Poor editing results in deja vu - you'll swear you have already read sections of the book, and you will be right, just turn back a few chapters. I don't know what the ditty about mad dogs and englishmen is, but I certainly don't need the reference at the beginning _and_ end of the book. The technical details that drive ( or bog down depending on your point of view) his other books are not present in this one. He needs to stop writing for the sake of movie plots (ie young Jack ala Affleck) and return to President Jack.
Rating:
Summary: Red Rabbit - audio version
Review: I love to listen to audio recordings of thrillers while I exercise - but this production was a terrible disappointment. The performance is monotonous and the character portrayal lacks distinct colors, tones and nuances. I look forward to reading the book - but would dissuade anyone from purchasing the audio version.
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