Ssn

Rating:
Summary: "Technically Good, But Needs A Better Delivery"
Review: Mr. Clancy does a pretty good job showing you how a modern submarine operates in a combat situation. Unfortunetly, "SSN" is written without the usual Clancy flair. More should have been done to flesh out the characters. Plus the situations seemed to go off a little more perfectly than what you'd expect in a regular Clancy novel. Still, some good combat scenes, like "Cheyenne" against 7 Akula subs. Also the attack on the Chicom surface fleet was done well. Good interview at the end with Clancy and a Bristish sub captain. Still, the story could have been done better.

Rating:
Summary: arrogancy
Review: No nation can match the arrogancy of a country, which is not able to learn of its faults in the past! ( Vietnam )

Rating:
Summary: Technically Clancy but terribly weak plot
Review: As a cold war sub-mariner (MM1(SS/EWS), I couldn't wait to get my hands on SSN but finished it only out of pure dicipline. A far cry from Tom's other works.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Excellent or not? Most would say horrible. Dumb. Not Clancy-like. I, on the other hand, thought this book was phenomenal. The plot? Kinda' iffy...the technical aspects, however, were great. I must admit, it was fun reading this book while waiting for an enemy submarine to pop up on the computer screen and try to take me out... try...

Rating:
Summary: Reads like a linear video game
Review: Not a bad read, but the plot is simple and 1 dimensional. It does describe the technical aspects of submarine warfare, but the plot was repetitive. Enemy subs sighted, go to them, destroy. The video game would be more exciting, with more variations. And for $15, this book wasn't really worth it.

Rating:
Summary: wish I had the option of zero stars
Review: Very weak book, with bad writing, boring plot, little action. Clancy needs to hire better ghostwriters.

Rating:
Summary: Yet Again USA USA USA USA
Review: It never ceases to amaze me how Tom Clancy can continue to write with one aim in mind..... to promote the United States. The book is simply about a series of Chino-American submarine engagements. There are some political factors thrown into the mix for good fortune as well but the storyline is very thin. Once again the American submarine defeated all enemy vessels with ease. This is never the case in submarine warfare from which I can speak with active and professional experience. Don't expect anything enthralling once you open that cover.... you'd be better trying another from his range such as "The Hunt For Red October". This book was still too pro-USA but at least was well written and an entertaining read.

Rating:
Summary: Makes great kindling or a paper weight
Review: This book reads like someone playing the CD game with the cheats on. China loses 3/4 of their navy and the U.S. loses one helicopter and one outdated sub!? While I enjoyed the technical aspects, this book could put the dead to sleep. Search, fire, kill. Search, fire kill. Kill, kill, kill. At some points I began rooting for the Chinese in hopes of a plot twist, but no such luck. Unless you're looking for a manual on how to win a one-sided war, leave this snoozer in the bargain bin where you found it and move on.

Rating:
Summary: David vs Goliath - goes nuclear
Review: Clancy must have lived several lives to be able to write like he does. Once again he has been able to paint a very realistic picture of the warfare that he writes about. However, even though the U.S. is far superier to most, technically, tactically and training wise, I find it difficult that one SSN can go against so many of the adversary and find only one or two that can cause him any concern. The Cheyanne doesn't even scratch the paint on their conning tower. I'm not sure I can believe that one. It's good none the less.

Rating:
Summary: unbecomingly dissapointing
Review: Truly a letdown from an otherwise master of storytelling. To its credit, the book hits high marks with its accurate technojargon. However, there is really no story to be told, no characters to build, and as such, no impetus for the reader to turn the pages (other than to see if there actually will be some story/character development). I am not sure if the book is written to tout the videogame, or to ride its coattails. In any case, Mr Clancy has himself raised the standards high above such blandness, and cannot expect his readership to embrace such mediocre storylining, albeit amidst brilliant technical detail.