Rating: 
Summary: More information that I want in a novel
Review: I have never read one of Tom Clancy's books. I have seen most of the movies that were made from them and have enjoyed most of them. I was moved to read this one after the flack over the much publicized "plot changes" that were prompted by sensitivity to the 9/11 tragedies. Curiosity led me to buy the book and read it to see what the changes were.
Yes, the movie did change the bad guys from Arab Muslims to some neo-nazi types, but I never understood how detailed these books were. I have decided to stick to the movie versions. I cannot fault Clancy for his writing, it's just more input than I want. I really don't care about the exact sequence of how a nuclear devise explodes. I really don't want to know the manufacturing process of that devise in detail.
I gave the book 3 stars because (at least for me) if I skip the pages and pages of technical detail the book is entertaining. I certainly don't want to try and chase folks away from this book if this type of detail is your cup of tea. But if you're like me, then just wait until they make it into a movie
My star ratings:
One star - couldn't finish the book
Two stars - read the book, but did a lot of skipping or scanning. Wouldn't add the book to my permanent collection or search out other books by the author
Three stars - enjoyable read. Wouldn't add the book to my permanent collection. Would judge other books by the author individually.
Four stars - Liked the book. Would keep the book or would look for others by the same author.
Five start - One of my all time favorites. Will get a copy in hardback to keep and will actively search out others by the same author.
Rating: 
Summary: If you've seen the movie, be prepared for a shock!
Review: I liked the film, and it led me to read the book. Boy, was I surprised! I have to wonder what Clancy thought of the screenplay because about the only thing they have in common is the name and a bomb that goes off...but not as or where it depicts in the film.
The book is really good, but I was continually faced with differences, so it was an interesting journey. The other reviewers have done a good job of explaining the story, so all I'll say is that you owe it to yourself, if you're a Clancy fan, to see what HE wrote instead of what the screenwriter did with it. I can assure you, you'll wonder if the screenwriter even read the book!
Rating: 
Summary: One of Clancy's best
Review: I wish the film had been this good. Clancy hasn't written a book this great for a long, long time. I wish he'd study his work here and duplicate it (not literally!) in his next novel, because evidently the money has gotten to his head and he's lost it. He once told a classroom of students at his old high school that his inspiration to write is the car he drives. He's turned into a hack!
Rating:
Summary: A decent read, but by far not Clancy's best
Review: I've enjoyed everything I've read by Clancy, and "The Sum of All Fears" was no exception. Despite its narrative sprawl and occasional lack of focus, it is good Clancy: a well-paced plot with a long dramatic peak that lasts about 100 pages and ushers in a fairly satisfying ending.We know the basic plot: missing weapons-grade nuclear material gets made into a huge, multi-stage bomb by German and Middle Eastern terrorists. It is taken stateside, and Jack Ryan and his government buddies must overcome bureaucracy and their own disagreements in order to keep this act of terrorism from throwing the world into total chaos. At its best moments, "The Sum of All Fears" exhibits Clancy's trademark rapid-fire shift of scene; I can think of few authors who can orchestrate, as well as Clancy does, the sort of globally organized tension that caps off this novel. From submarines in the Pacific to hotel rooms in Denver, from the Pentagon to the Middle East, Clancy pushes the plot forward surely, vignette by vignette, in a manner that usually manages to keep from feeling choppy or disjointed. This strategy helps to create HUGE tension, as the scene flits from back-room to front line and registers the immediate reaction and counter-reactions of all involved. "The Sum of All Fears" was also prescient in imagining the possibility of a major terrorist attack on American soil. 9/11 proves Clancy's imagination terrifyingly adept. And although his novel delivers the requisite demonized evil-doers, the Native American terrorist Marvin Russell is painted surprisingly sympathetically, giving fuller and more shockingly human shape to the horrible act in which he unwittingly participates toward the novel's end. My reservations about the novel are few but important. First, there are meanderings, especially the annoying football conversations, which are neither illustrative nor interesting. Their dialog is stilted, as if Clancy himself is forcing the subject, and this is only partially redeemed when the sport of football becomes, by novel's end, peripherally related to the plot. Like the detailed technical profiles of military hardware that one has come to expect from Clancy, the football arguments halt the movement of the story. But at least the technical details are interesting. Then there's the opening premise--the adoption of Civil Rights-era peaceful resistance by Palestinians--which is a real whale of a hypothesis (no less an authority than Jack Ryan claims "the Arabs have figured out how to destroy Israel" [62]). After this imaginative 100-page introduction, though, Clancy more or less drops the entire idea; it disappears completely, and I could almost hear him saying, "Wait, I can't do that--who wants to read a novel about peace?!?!" Left in at the beginning, it sticks out like a spare part and a crass simplification of the Israel/Palestine conflict. Despite my problems with "The Sum of All Fears," though, it was a fairly enjoyable read, and the pay-off at the end was good, since Clancy builds tension masterfully. But it's by far not his best work. "Patriot Games," for example, is tighter and better written; if you're looking to read your first Clancy, I'd start there.
Rating:
Summary: Clancy's "Fear-ful" novel is chilling, taut...
Review: In his sixth novel (and fifth entry in the Jack Ryan series), The Sum of All Fears, Tom Clancy once again turned his attention on the specter of global terrorism and meshed it to the themes of the limits of Presidential power, the sometimes nasty backbiting that goes on in the world of politics, and the ever-present danger from weapons of mass destruction. The book opens with a prologue set during the Yom Kippur War of 1973, when Egypt, Syria, and even a few Iraqi units attacked Israel in a stunning surprise attack. Faced with possible defeat for the first time in 25 years, Israel alerts its small nuclear deterrent to be placed on standby. In the confusion of increased mission tempo, a single small nuclear bomb is loaded onto an A-4 Skyhawk attack bomber whose pilot has no clue what he is carrying. In an attack on a Syrian SAM battery, this A-4 is shot down and its deadly cargo falls into a Druze farmer's rocky field, where it will lie undisturbed for almost two decades. Fast forward to Clancy's fictional mid 1990s-era world. The Cold War is ending, and the easing tensions between East and West offer the weary world both hope and fear. With America and the Soviet Union now working together to solve some of the thorniest problems on the planet, expectations are high for a new, peaceful world order. First and foremost of these problems, of course, is the Middle East, where Israeli-Palestinian relations have once again heated up in a chain of religiously-motivated incidents. This time, though, the Palestinians have taken a cue from the American civil rights movement and started a Martin Luther King, Jr.-style "peaceful confrontation" campaign, which places Israel on the moral defensive. Yet, a chance remark by Jack Ryan to a senior White House official begins a promising process that might lead to a fair solution to the long conflict between Muslims and Jews The down side to all this is that not everyone is overjoyed with the wave of good news washing over the world. In Eastern Europe, die-hard Marxists refuse to accept the end of communism and rail against the "betrayal" by their former "socialist comrades" in the Soviet government. Among these deluded die-hards is German terrorist Gunther Bock, a vengeful radical whose wife is now behind bars in Germany and his twin children put up for adoption. On the run and lusting for the ultimate payback on the world, Bock will journey to the Middle East, where he will make contact with Palestinians sponsored by a shadowy Islamic leader who is equally unhappy about the coming peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors. And when by sheer luck this group (which will be joined by the unstable Native American Marvin Russell) comes across Israel's missing nuke, the ultimate revenge plot will begin to take form. In this huge and complex novel, Jack Ryan is pushed to his limits both professionally and personally. For although the stalwart CIA analyst has now stepped up in rank to the post of acting Deputy Director of Central Intelligence, he is not held in the highest regard by the new Fowler Administration, which ironically won its place at the White House in part due to Ryan's actions at the end of Clear and Present Danger. The new Director of Central Intelligence, Sebastian Cabot, is merely a pawn cleverly manipulated by the "power behind the throne" in the West Wing, and the President himself, Robert Fowler, is more interested in securing his ultra-liberal domestic agenda at the expense of a strong and consistent foreign/defense policy. To make matters worse, Ryan has earned the personal enmity of Dr. Elizabeth Elliott, President Fowler's new National Security Adviser, who not only wants the acting DDCI to be fired from his CIA job, but wants to wreak havoc on his personal life. When all these plot threads converge and a deadly crisis arises, it is Ryan who must act quickly to avert an even worse conflict that could be the product of the sum of everyone's fears.
Rating:
Summary: A Transitional Ryan Tale
Review: Jack Ryan is on the other side - political forces from the National Security Advisor to the President want him out. Information about his past - such as his connections to the Zimmer family - are hinted at in the press. His wife thinks he's unfaithful, the president thinks he's James Bond, and certain forces are building a hydrogen bomb to provoke a war between the US and the Russians. From the ashes of his dismay, Jack eventually finds redemption, not in alcohol, but in the form of Mr. Clark, and Domingo Chavez, who give his wife the truth about her husband's gallantry and fidelity. Those forces nudge him back to his job - and his interception in not only preventing a nuclear war, but in his ultimate choice to defy the President in his choices - and willing to sacrifice his job for it.
Rating:
Summary: Important cautionary tale
Review: Long ago, I read a novel called "The Hunt for Red October" and loved it. Then, somehow, I never picked up another Clancy novel until after seeing the movie "The Sum of All Fears". Having read the movie reviews, I knew the book and movie were only vaguely related. I really enjoyed the movie, and looked forward to reading the original rendition of the story. I wasn't disappointed. I actually enjoyed the book a bit more than the movie version. It was important to read all of the intimate details of the first few nanoseconds of nuclear detonation; it was critical to the plot. And, it was fascinating from a raw nuclear physics point of view, too. The characters were well developed with all of the human attributes one might expect in real life. The plot, with all of its many threads, was woven together masterfully. Perhaps the story was a bit too ambitious; probably a hundred or more pages could have been cut. But a novel can suffer from too much polishing, too. I have to give Clancy the benefit of the doubt here. When I turned the last page and had a chance to contemplate this story, I realized how important it is as a modern cautionary tale. I hope anyone who is in a position of military power understands the importance of simulations and drills; and keeps in mind that the knee-jerk reaction they are about to take just might be exactly the reaction hoped for by the terrorists. The other thing that I will take away from this novel is a deeper respect for the lower-level, behind-the-scenes government employees. They are the ones doing the work for which our esteemed leaders take all of the credit. And of course, they are reviled as "beaurocrats", and generally disdained by elected officials and the media. It must really {Bite} sometimes. Well hang in there, maybe you too can save the world from nuclear annihilation.
Rating:
Summary: A lot less far-fetched since Sept. 11
Review: Peace has broken out in the Middle East, due in large part to the efforts of Jack Ryan, but not everyone is happy about it. A small group of Palestinian terrorists have stumbled upon enough plutonium to make a powerful nuclear bomb, and with the right help can threaten the United States. Also, the President's new Security Advisor hates Jack and does everything she can to get him kicked out. Her bad advice causes total confusion at the worst possible time. While initially slow moving, the end was very exciting. What must have seemed far-fetched when the book was written in 1991, no longer seems impossible in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks. But overall, I enjoyed the book once it got going.
Rating:
Summary: A SUSPENSE LACED READING
Review: Probably best remembered for his performances on the hit TV series M*A*S*H*, voice actor David Ogden Stiers gives a vivid and suspense laced reading to this techno-thriller by the master of that genre, Tom Clancy. In the spine tingling plot terrorists have possession of nuclear weapons and it seems the world is set on a path of total destruction. You'll find lots of technical jargon here as the tale unfolds; a ripe listen for those who favor such detail. However, as one might expect, this does not detract one iota from Clancy's it's-going-to-happen-any-minute scenario. Super hero Jack Ryan faces Arab terrorists, and a few other nemeses as well: the President's sleep-in gal, the National Security Director who detests Ryan; and a penchant for consuming way too much booze. Terrorists plan to detonate their bomb outside the Super Bowl game in Denver. Washington has apparently gone bonkers, and the Soviets aren't in much better shape. Jack doesn't seem to be in any condition to save the world. Leave it to Clancy and David Ogden Stiers to keep us gasping until the last minute. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: A Scary Ride
Review: The Sum Of All Fears is by far THE BEST CLANCY NOVEL EVER! First it starts off that a Israeli nuclear missle is missing, and it falls in the hands of a Palestinian man who's father owns some land with the missle in his land, so begins the process of a nuclear missle. So with some help from ex-felon Marvin Russell, and the help of a German man who's wife is held in prison for murder, they decide to get a hold of some German nuclear scientist and begin the making of the bomb.
While in the good U.S. of A, things are taking a toll on Jack Ryan, the Fowler Administration dislikes Jack, especially Elizabeth Elliot, Presidential Advisor, and lover on the side of the President Fowler.
Jack is now caught in the fire by the Fowler Administration in which they did a background check without his ok with it, and they find that he is helping Buck Zimmer's wife Carol and her kids with money for all her kids in college. So they take pictures of him talking to Carol by giving her presents for her kids, and along side with him is John Clark.
Now the Fowler Administration see's a advantage to taking care of Jack. At home, tensions with Jack's wife Cathy who wants another child, cannot seem to do it because the job is taking a toll on him real bad.
Now Cathy is depressed because she feels that Jack is cheating on her, then comes John Clark and his partner in crime Domingo Chavez. They tell her the truth, and they set up with the CIA for Jack to take a couple of days off to be with his wife and a romantic dinner and a hotel suite.
Now we turn back to the terrorist, once they get to Denver, they kill Marvin Russell in the hotel room they were staying in, and all the scientist and the German guy too. They then decide to release the bomb in Denver where the Super Bowl was being held that year.
So they bring the bomb to Denver, they rent a Budget truck, and hide the bomb in the back by disguisting the truck as a news truck, so they go through security in a breeze.
Then disaster strikes! The bomb goes off killing everyone in a three mile radius. Then Russain subs attack an American vessel, but the vessel is being controlled by a man who got a Russain colonel suit and told the vessel to attack the sub.
So with his failed intelligence, Fowler then decides that it could be no one other than the Russians, so he sets up a nuclear warhead toward Moscow and vice versa.
Then comes Jack Ryan, he finds out that the Russians didnt do it, and it was the work of terrorist, but Fowler sticks to his plan on killing innocent people in Moscow because of something they didnt do.
So then comes John Clark and Domingo Chavez, they find out who did it, and now they are on the hunt for the nuclear terrorist, eventually they got lucky, and they caught them in Mexico.
Then Jack Ryan gets through the President of Russia and Fowler and tell them that the Russians didnt do it, Fowler pays Jack no attention, but by the brinks of God, not a single nuclear missle was fired.
This is a great novel, and I am just sad to see that Tom Clancy cant write like this anymore.
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