Red Storm Rising

Rating:
Summary: It was just what I was looking for
Review: Red Storm Rising is one of the best Clancy books that I've read. He does a magnificent job of showcasing a show down between the old Soviet Union and NATO. I thought that the reason to go to war (oil) was quite plausible, especially in retrospect from current events. I especially liked that he took the time to explain why the war was happening, not just because they needed more oil, but because the Soviets needed supplies from the West that they couldn't get for several years. I thought that it highlighted the distrust between the Soviets and NATO very well. It isn't just a great overall how WWIII would be fought, it also has a human side to it, switching between the war in Europe and a group of people stranded on Iceland. I loved the tactical detail of taking Iceland and using it to close shipping in the Atlantic, just shear brilliance! The attention to detail on the battlefield and the intricate plot make this book a must read. It is a bit long, but not as long as some of his other novels. I find that the length allows the plot to be fully developed and details to be used. A must buy!

Rating:
Summary: The Most Enthralling WAR Book of All Time
Review: Red Storm Rising begins with a rogue group of Muslim terrorists destroying Russia's most important oil refinery. Remember, this book was written while Russia was still a Communist country, and is still known as the Soviet Union. Russia's Party leaders eventually "agree" that they must seize oil from the Persian Gulf to keep their economy from falling. But, to draw the NATO forces from the area, they must launch a massive ground and air assault against Germany and other European nations. With this they also plan to put political pressure on these NATO countries. Air supiority is key for all fronts: land and sea. Iceland, as one would guess is an important air and naval base. From the SAMs and torpedos in the Atlantic, the dogfights and bombing runs in the air, and tanks and artillery fire on the once beautiful German landscape, the action never misses a beat in this engrossing page turner that will keep a reader with an intent focus on getting to the next suspenseful battle. Red Storm Rising perfectly mixes character development and explosive action which will make sense to anyone who has heard of the military and WWII. Unlike other Clancy books, this one doesn't focus on one character, instead it has many characters one will come to like and might even admire. None of this book feels stale or terse because no one author has ever attempted to write such a complex book to my knowledge.(This book was written by two people though: Tom Clancy and Larry Bond) If you are a fan of Tom Clancy, this is a must-read, and if you are not I would still whole-heartidly recommend this book as an excellent read. BAR-NONE.

Rating:
Summary: The Best World War III Scenario Book
Review: "Red Storm Rising" is the book that made Tom Clancy's name. It is the story of what this country spent the better part of 45 years avoiding: World War III.

As the book starts out, terrorists have destroyed a vital Soviet oil refinery as punishment for Soviet aggression in Afghanistan. As events continue, the USSR is in danger of running out of oil ahead of the nasty Russian winter. What follows is the Soviet attempt to resecure their oil supply.

"Red Storm Rising" is the ultimate scenario played out on paper. Clancy uses his expert grasp of technology and tactics to formulate both believable battle scenes and military strategies for both sides.

More importantly Clancy does much better in this book at character development than he did in his other big-war book, "The Bear and the Dragon". The main advantage the characters have in "Red Storm Rising" is that they don't go around complaining about how terrible war is. Either Clancy didn't see the need to incorporate that annoyance in this book or the characters just did not have enough time to moan and complain.

There likely isn't a better World War III scenario book out there so I'd advise getting "Red Storm Rising".

Rating:
Summary: The opening scene is prescience and telling
Review: Written long before 9/11/01, the opening scenes describes how Muslim extremists infiltrate and destroy a major Soviet oil refinery... the rest is history... World War III history, that is. Of course it never happend, but it was eerie to read that opening scene again. I am writing this review (more comment) after my second reading of the book (the first was years ago). The scene makes me wonder what would have happended if the events of 9/11 occurred at the height of the Cuban missle crisis, or other tense moments of the cold war.

As other reviews state, this is a fast pace action book that is not big on character development, but I think that is actually a plus... in real war, how many combatants really get to know each other? I am not big on action war stories that spend half the book developing characters that die as soon as the war breaks out. When I want character development, I'll read Tolkien and Jordan... different genre, but NOBODY does character development better, and if/when their character die, it is at the end of the book, leaving you teary eyed and wanting more. Red Storm Rising leaves you exhausted (as if participating in the War Room w/o sleep) and pondering "What if?"

Rating:
Summary: Red Storm Rising
Review: This book is full of technical information but is written in a manner that is easy to understand and holds your interest throughout the entire book. I enjoyed it very much and was hard to put down.

Rating:
Summary: I'm not a Clancy fan, but I'll be honest here.
Review: This book was fast paced and techno, but most of the action lay in dialogue between commanders so that the book could fit twenty battles where most would fit one, and despite the amount of dialogue between commanders I could never get to love the people enough to get emotional over the events. It was rather more like history to me. So and so won a battle, and so and so then got shot in the head because of another so and so's conspiracy, and then the other so and so lost a battle. But if you like books that are techno military without much emotion and with a bird's eye view of a hundred battle scenes buy this book; it's probably Tom Clancy's best. Else wise I would really recommend a book named: Cain by James Byron Huggins.

Rating:
Summary: Miss the Cold War?
Review: This is the book that made me a Tom Clancy fan. While his dialogue and character development leave MUCH to be desired, this is an exciting read and a great page turner. Not many writers have tackled WWIII is such a realistic and detailed way. From air strikes to tank warfare to battles at sea, Clancy gives us glimpses of every aspect of the war that never happened.

Rating:
Summary: The Best "What if" book ever written.
Review: I had originally picked this book up right at the beginning of Desert Shield. Being in the Army and working on a post where we were processing soldiers/units to go to the desert and working very long hours. It took a couple days to get through the first 150 pages or so. On the day that I reached the chapter where you're sitting in cockpit with the pilot of a stealth fighter and he's going in on an attack run, I couldn't put it down from there. This was and is the best World War III scenario ever written. If you've not purchased and read this book, do so immediately! Thank you to Tom Clancy and Larry Bond for one hell of a book!

Rating:
Summary: A top Drawer and a great story.
Review: I had to see why I read this one in a week and a half. It was because he collaborated with Larry Bond on this edge of your seast thriller. A masterpiece! Undownputable! I high;ly recommend this one highly. Clancy's best work.

Rating:
Summary: Great book on land warfare
Review: This book was very interesting. Througn an interesting plot and story line Clancy describes the details of modern land warfare. I found the book to be great.