Tom Clancy's Net Force #8: Changing of the Guard

Rating:
Summary: Net Force: The Next Generation?
Review: As a somewhat core fan of the 2 Net Force series (the regular novels and the younger Net Force Explorer series) I was more waiting to see what the latest installment would bring for the future's Net/world defense team. After reading the latest I was a little disappointed by the story but still hopeful that with all the new additions to the team future volumes will definitely keep up the good work.

The title refers to the fact that several prominent characters from past Net Force books make their last appearances as members of the Net Force, including Alex Michaels, the Commander in the first seven books. He hands down the title (hence "Changing of the Guard") to Thomas Thorn, while the field unit is handed from General Howard to Abe Kent, a former Marine.

Not too soon after the changeovers does Net Force find itself involved in a case where a disc containing the names of former Russian spies falls into its hands. The disc leads to an attempted kidnapping of one of Net Force's top computer agents, Jay Gridley. We learn that the attempt was perpetrated by a hitman assigned by a multibillionaire who is afraid the disc's information will reveal him to be a former spy himself and will stop at nothing to make sure that the info never sees the light of day. But when the kidnapping gets bungled and Gridley ends up in a coma, Net Force has to stop the attacker and find out what is hidden on the disc.

The story is a seeming partial re-treading of a previous Net Force story that also sent Gridley into a coma, but this time it isn't as engrossing as before. As for the new Net Forcers (Thorn and Kent), they get a rough first start in the mission field but hopefully their next adventure will definitely give them time to flesh themselves out to the reader.

Overall, this was an alright chapter in the Net Force legacy, but not all that satisfying to those who have been with it since book 1.

Rating:
Summary: Hope for the future?
Review: As someone has already stated, this book brings a dark shadow to the series. Having been an avid fan of the NetForce titles from the very begining, I was disapointed in some ways with this latest offering. The action feels mechanical, and you keep getting that feeling of "...havent I read this one before?" even though many of the details and characters have been changed. On that note, if you are an avid fan Im afraid you'll be a little disapointed in the send off of Alex, Toni, and General Howard. It is a hollow farewell to say the least. The series has always been great in character development but I would have to agree that this book spends too much time on trivial details that dont need to be expressed. IF THERE IS AN UPSIDE.....and there always is, it is in the way things are dealt with toward the end of the book. As a director Alex Michaels was willing to bend the law at times - As the new director Thomas Thorn is willing to bend it around until it starts making snapping noises. All in all, a good read, but not the best. I do hope the series continues though, there is potential here.

Rating:
Summary: Hope for the future?
Review: During the trip home from Orlando, I was able to finish up Tom Clancy's Net Force: Changing Of The Guard. This is part of his paperback series that bear his name but is written by others. The setting is about 10 years in the future, and the action revolves around a government office called Net Force. This group uses computer technology and the Internet to track down criminal activity. In this installment, the NF group has obtained an encrypted disk with the names of all the Russian spies throughout the world. The breakdown of the code is going slow, but a certain sleeper spy in the US is willing to do anything to keep the government from learning of his involvement. When the top NF codebreaker is nearly killed in a kidnapping attempt, there is an all-out attempt to find the killer and the person who might have hired him.

Generally speaking, it's a good read. It will make more sense if you've followed the series, as there are references to past people and events that you won't know about otherwise. It doesn't kill the book if you haven't done the reading, but it helps. I personally like near-future techno-thriller novels, so this one works for me. It's not as action-packed as others in the series, but it is still a pleasant diversion.

Rating:
Summary: Not the best in the series, but still good...
Review: During the trip home from Orlando, I was able to finish up Tom Clancy's Net Force: Changing Of The Guard. This is part of his paperback series that bear his name but is written by others. The setting is about 10 years in the future, and the action revolves around a government office called Net Force. This group uses computer technology and the Internet to track down criminal activity. In this installment, the NF group has obtained an encrypted disk with the names of all the Russian spies throughout the world. The breakdown of the code is going slow, but a certain sleeper spy in the US is willing to do anything to keep the government from learning of his involvement. When the top NF codebreaker is nearly killed in a kidnapping attempt, there is an all-out attempt to find the killer and the person who might have hired him.

Generally speaking, it's a good read. It will make more sense if you've followed the series, as there are references to past people and events that you won't know about otherwise. It doesn't kill the book if you haven't done the reading, but it helps. I personally like near-future techno-thriller novels, so this one works for me. It's not as action-packed as others in the series, but it is still a pleasant diversion.

Rating:
Summary: SAD CHANGE GOOD BOOK
Review: I HATE TO SEE THE OLD CHARACTERS GO BUT THE NEW ONES COULD BE FUN. THE BOOK WAS MISSING A LITTLE SOMETHING BUT ALL IN ALL I THINK IT WAS A GOOD BOOK. THE WRITER WAS LONG IN THE TOOTH ABOUT USELESS DETAILS ABOUT THE NEW DIRECTORS HOBBY.

Rating:
Summary: Plots get more rediculous
Review: It is an interesting story but there are some errors that will distract the reader from the fiction that the author is creating. I can't believe that Clancy does not know the difference between the Baltics and the Balkans (see page 121). I hope it is a big oversight or a super-sized typo. Or could it be that Clancy is going to have the Serbs and the Croats who live in the Balkans go looking for oil in the Baltics where the Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians live? Is he creating a new fictional ethnic conflict for a future book? Or is it lack of geographic knowledge? Also, when Eduard is escaping from the mansion, at times I visualize him on a bicycle, and at other times on a motorbike. Do I have a reading problem, or is there a writing problem here? Note, this is not to criticize the book as a whole, but just to criticize specific instances of lack of quality control that caused me to deduct one star.

Rating:
Summary: Quality control needs improvement
Review: It is an interesting story but there are some errors that will distract the reader from the fiction that the author is creating. I can't believe that Clancy does not know the difference between the Baltics and the Balkans (see page 121). I hope it is a big oversight or a super-sized typo. Or could it be that Clancy is going to have the Serbs and the Croats who live in the Balkans go looking for oil in the Baltics where the Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians live? Is he creating a new fictional ethnic conflict for a future book? Or is it lack of geographic knowledge? Also, when Eduard is escaping from the mansion, at times I visualize him on a bicycle, and at other times on a motorbike. Do I have a reading problem, or is there a writing problem here? Note, this is not to criticize the book as a whole, but just to criticize specific instances of lack of quality control that caused me to deduct one star.

Rating:
Summary: Plots get more rediculous
Review: Like a bad car wreck, I needed to keep reading this garbage, holding out hope that it will get better. I was wrong. The plotlines are silly, the characters are unbelievable, and the dialogue is rediculous. This is a really bad book.

Rating:
Summary: SAD CHANGE GOOD BOOK
Review: The Net Force series was a good concept when it began, but has steadily gone down hill. This most recent effort appeared to continue the trend toward cranking these out by a predetermined recipe, rather than using this the opportunity of changing main characters to break new ground. Even the high tech angle was getting decidedly RW. And the story abruptly ended like someone reached a predetemined page length and said, well we have to end this thing. Can't we spice up the recipe?

Rating:
Summary: Bad Recipe for a Good Series
Review: The Net Force series was a good concept when it began, but has steadily gone down hill. This most recent effort appeared to continue the trend toward cranking these out by a predetermined recipe, rather than using this the opportunity of changing main characters to break new ground. Even the high tech angle was getting decidedly RW. And the story abruptly ended like someone reached a predetemined page length and said, well we have to end this thing. Can't we spice up the recipe?