Rating: 
Summary: Will the real Tom Clancy please stand up?
Review: Most disappointing, but only because it's Clancy. Any other author would probalby get 4 stars for this read. Having been an avid Clancy fan since The Hunt for Red October, I found Red Rabbit his least appealing book yet. Hard to believe that Clancy actually wrote this book. It is very "Op-Centerish"- as in our favorite author needs either to rehire his first editor, or hire a new ghostwriter. (I read two each of the Op-Center and NetForce and haven't bought another.) One more like this from Clancy and I'll quit pre-ordering his novels as soon as they are announced. Key issues I had with the book: ·I have not taken time to count the uses of profanity, but I would bet my last paycheck that this book is at least 3 times a profane as any other Clancy novel. Here at least is a good example of not having a good editor (or of being so famous that you can override your editor). There were just too many gratuitous uses by characters that have not spoken that way in previous novels and do not speak that way in "future" novels. ·This is not the same Jack Ryan as in Patriot Games. Hard to imagine this guy as a former Marine who has killed people. Gone is the original unassuming Jack Ryan character, and in his place is a self-analytic wuss. ·Stilted dialogue, between Jack and Cathy. On the plus side, it was nice to have story that didn't involve James Bond like super human feats and actually tells the story of a defection that went right. The development of Oleg was very well done, as was key parts on Ed and Mary Foley. I hope that the next novel gets more attention from both Tom and his editor. He is too good of a writer to present books of this quality.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor Tom
Review: What a waste. Tom you can do better
Rating:
Summary: RED RABBIT DOESN'T HOP
Review: I quite enjoyed Clancy's previous books and I will no doubt purchase the next one, but I would not recommend Red Rabbit to anyone. First off, Clancy has Jack Ryan talking like a foul mouthed hippie and it is very much out of character for Ryan. Most disappointing, though, is that there is NO suspense. Everything the Americans and Brits plan comes through without a hitch and the Russians are depicted as, if not stupid, then certainly quite naive. Rabbit's wife hardly questions his defection! A very poor effort from Clancy. Seems almost as though this book was written to meet a publisher's deadline rather than to entertain readers.
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre for Clancy
Review: I've enjoyed many of Tom Clancy's spy novels, and was looking forward to this one. Although interesting, it's a pretty slow-moving tale, and not as exciting as previous books. I enjoyed the characters, especially the Foleys, who have been featured in other books, but the writing was repetitious in places. How many times do we need to be told that the Rabbit needs to get the hell out of Dodge City? Repeating information is good if you're trying to make a point, but try to find different ways of saying it! All in all, a minor chapter in the saga of Jack Ryan, and a mildly enjoyable summer read, but not on par with Clancy's best.
Rating: 
Summary: Pulling One out of the Hat
Review: Clancy is filling gaps in the Ryan saga, and Red Rabbit is a great addition. Yes, there's a deal of repetition, and you do need to have a grasp of the Ryan world, but using Mary Pat and Ed as the main protagonists is a neat turn. Typos there are---but blame the copy-editor, not Clancy. And it is set around an historical incident we all know about, so it isn't a novel of surprise revelations. But all in all worth the full hard-back price I paid. Keep at it Tom---we all have average days.
Rating:
Summary: Historical event vs. Fiction: Nice work
Review: The aim of this book is, as it seems, to immerse Jack Ryan into the real world, to define him as a character that really exists, and, consequently, give him credibility for Clancy's previous books and his future ones. I think Clancy succeeded in that matter. Of course, there is not as much action as in his other books but the point was to imagine a strong scenario that would fit into this historical event (The assassination attempt against the Pope John Paul II). There can be some little mistakes (I have family in Hungary) but they don't match with the credibility and feasibility of the plot.
And this book might lead to some more interesting ones, the fall of the soviet empire, with our heroes, Jack Ryan, in the middle of the events. A bet for the title of the next book? 'The masque of Red Death'? I am eager to see...
Rating:
Summary: worst Clancy = almost worst book
Review: This book is an embarassment. It shows what happens when an author decides to just capitalize on past reputation. This book is so bad it actually makes you mad to be reading it. You almost wish for a government agency to protect the public from this kind of exploitation. Shame on the author, the publisher,and the booksellers.
Rating:
Summary: The Bear & The Dragon Was Better....
Review: I may be the only person who thinks so.... But ... I thought that The Bear & The Dragon was a much better book. I found my attention wandering quite a bit, althought I did finish it in a couple of days. The telling thing? I haven't re-read it, yet, and I've had it since the day it was released.
Rating:
Summary: Will the real Tom Clancy please come back?
Review: As an avid Clancy fan, I can't believe he published this book. Its bad and was a chore to read. I found my self struggling to finish it. It is too bad really. The concept of the book is neat - take historical events and spin some fiction around them - yes we all know the pope got shot. But that was a subplot. But for hard core Clancy fans, this fills in some blanks for Jack Ryan. I enjoyed reading about the Foley's start in Russia, etc. But I didn't need 700 pages of repetition and conservative grandstanding to get it. Clancy excels when he writes thrillers with in depth behind the scenes info that enlightens you one how things are done (militarily or otherwise) His books have always been long, but he draws you in as you follow the adventures of various characters. A prime example is Red Storm Rising - one of my favorites because you get action (the battles, etc) with a personal touch with closeup narratives about characters courage, etc. Red Rabbit had NONE of this. It was just awful. I don't mind authors throwing in subtle political rants and Clancy tried hard in other books to restrain himself - but Red Rabbit was out of control. The diatribes on European medicine and using the term 'niggardly' everywhere he coudl just to prove he could was stupid - and VERY distracting. Jack Ryan is one of my favorite characters, even if he has done it all and then some (back water CIA analyst to field hero to president in X years!) But this book just didn't seem like a Ryan story. The sad part is this book had HUGE potential - enough to keep me page turning for 1200 pages. I'd have loved to read more about exactly what the DCO was going to do with the Russian economy angle, instead it kept being mentioned and then was dropped. Why couldn't the Russian assasin run - at least we'd have had a chase of some kind. Maybe a little info on the 'interrogation' of the assassin before Britian offed him. Couldn't the Rabbit family have encountered just a little excitement as they bolted? Yes, I know real spycraft is supposed to be 1% excitement anf 99% boredom, but I can get that from documentaries. Maybe focus on more of the back stabbing and intrigue at the Politburo. Why go into all teh detail of the party zealot dying and being replaced by a protege? It had no bearing. By far this was my least favorite Clancy book. By far. So I add it to my complete collection and move on - hoping CLancy finds a way to get back into the game, with or without Ryan.
Rating:
Summary: MAybe as good as any of Clancy's efforts
Review: I've read all of Tom Clancy's novels and a few of his non fiction books, this one is pretty good. The setting is a few months after Patriot Games and I guess a few months before The Hunt for Red October and I think is one of two (Patriot Games is the other)to have any significant blending of real historical characters with fictional characters.
You do have some swearing but not really any more or any worse than previous efforts, Catholicism does have a big place (but no more than other Clancy books),and some will be offended by Clancy's obvious great admiration for Ronald Reagan and his policies. Ignore just those not really intrusive parts and enjoy the book, it's shorter than The Bear and The Dragon and doesn't have the unlikely future history or possibly too good to be true weapons.
| 
