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Summary: This Should Be a Movie! Great Stuff!
Review: This should be a movie and William Defoe has just got to play Kelly/Clark!This is a definate departure for Clancy to focus closely on a single plot line, but he pulls it off expertly. If you haven't read the earlier books, read them first. This one is intended to fill in the dark background of the character you've already come to appreciate - and what a dark background it is! And who wouldn't want to step into his shoes vicariously, brutally deal with some of the scum in the world (without any remorse), and get away with it all? Sign me up!
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Summary: A different kind of Clancy novel
Review: I've heard a number of mixed reviews on this book. Most people I've talked to say this book is just so so. Most people on here have written that this book is "amazing", or "Clancy's best". I'll agree with the former; the latter will always be up to debate. This book is different than the typical Clany novel in two ways. 1) It doesn't feature Jack Ryan.
2) It's a personal story. The first point is self explanitory, but the second may need clarification. Those that have read Clancy's other works understand his strenghts: weaving interesting characters in a technical environment designing thick plotlines that span global environments (that may have sounded dumb but it's true). Without Remorse is none of that. It's the story of one man and his quest for vengence. It's also an exploration of whether or not can be justified. Clancy keeps pushing the envelope, baraging the character(s) with events that will test even the most forgiving person's morals. Is vigilanteism justified? I've never read a book that poses as many arguments for it. And yet, even after Clancy makes every excuse in the world to justify Clarks actions in the book, he plainly and tastefully keeps the book as a whole objective, never glorifying violence. In the setting of Clark's quest for vengeance we also get to witness Clancy writing in a more intimate and emotional fashion. The book rarely strays from Clarks point of view (a first for this writer who is known for bouncing all over the place). The story really moved me emotionally a few times as Clancy unfolded the lives of the characters (almost cried in one part). People expecting stereotypical Clancy may be disappointed by this departure, but don't be mistaken; this is a fine book in it's own right. Never have I been more impressed with Clancy's writing. Why only four stars then? Well because honestly the book is not as strong on the plot department as most Clancy books, and the ending is not as climactic as Clancy readers have come to expect. This isn't to say the book is weak in those departments; just not that strong. The other strengths of this book help make up this novel's 'very good' (4 star) rating.
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Summary: Clancy has Done it Again
Review: Without Remorse By Tom Clancy As one of Clancy's best books so far, I believe Without Remorse deserves all five stars. It is different than other Tom Clancy books. In his other books, the main conflict deals with another country, however, in Without Remorse, the main conflict occurs on the streets of America. The book is set throughout the later years of the Vietnam War and deals with the life of John Kelly. The book tells about his beginnings and how he eventually came to join the CIA. Several people who have read other Clancy novels will identify John Kelly as the CIA legend Mr. Clark. John Kelley was still emotionally depressed by the loss of his first wife and his soon to be born child when he meets up with a hitchhiker named Pam. He quickly falls in love with her and he soon discovers about her past life as a drug addict and prostitute. On the boat ride to his island off the coast of Baltimore they befriend a married pair of doctors. The doctors tell him that he needs to bring Pam into Baltimore so they can check on her. But once he enters Baltimore, his life unravels right before him. Some gangsters spot and recognize Pam. They follow John's car and riddle it with bullets. They kidnap Pam and eventually kill her. They leave John for dead but he is just hanging on to life. When John realizes what has happened he cannot deal with the stress of losing another loved one in so short a period of time. He decides to do something. He will take revenge for Pam on the gangsters that killed her. This is when Kelly's history comes into play. John is an ex-Marine. He is also part of an elite group of Marines called the SEALs. He uses the knowledge that he has and trains himself for his task. He disguises himself as a homeless person and starts to stalk drug dealers around the city. His ultimate goal is to find the people responsible for Pam's death and murder them. At the same time the Pentagon has found a secret prisoner of war camp in Vietnam. It looks like a normal camp but all of the prisoners are supposedly dead. The North Vietnamese were sending pictures to the Army of "dead" soldiers. The Vietnamese were letting the Russians interrogate the prisoners in exchange for arms. Admiral Greer and Admiral Maxwell decided that they should liberate the camp and they start looking for people who know the area. The only Marine that was ever there is John Kelly. He had saved Admiral Greer's son from the place before it was a prison camp. The rest of the book describes how the attempted liberation of the camp goes. It also tells how Kelly's quest for revenge leads him into trouble and into the CIA. The only problem with the book is that it is very realistic in the violence that is portrayed. There are many scenes that someone with a weak stomach should not read. This book also helps explain much about the John Clark character as well as many other characters that are in The Sum of All Fears, Clear and Present Danger, and The Bear and the Dragon. Another part that helps the book go along smoothly is that most of the military jargon is left out. This book is a must read and once you pick it up, you won't be able to put it back down.
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Summary: Best Clancy yet!
Review: I've all of Tom Clancy's book statring with "Red Storm Rising" through "The Bear and The Dragon" and "Without Remorse" is without a doubt the best of all.Not just because it is different in that it doesn't so much deal with clandetine ops. or combat but rather its in-depth look at John Kelly (Clark).Clancy sucks you in right from the begining and doesn't let you go until you put it on the shelf.You can feel John's pain and anger that leads to his revenge and you're right there with him, rooting him on wanting your turn at the villans.It was a refreshing change of pace from Clancy's other novels.This should definately be the next movie. If you want to read a book that you'll always remember as the epitomy of a page-turner,THIS IS IT.
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Summary: Tom thinks that it rules.
Review: Without Remorse is the classic story of revenge written by Tom Clancy, one of the most popular authors in the world. It is a very enteraining book that pulls the reader in and does not let go. The story centers around the typical 70's viet-nam era east coast city; complete with prostitutes, organized crime, and drug pushers. In this novel, Clancy introduces a new character who is rougher around the edges than his other popular character Jack Ryan. The new character is the ultamate action hero. He is John Kelly, "a salor"(Clancy p. 16), an ex-navy SEAL. A man with a conscience and a thirst for revenge. After completing his time in Viet-nam, John befriends a former prostitute who is on the run from the cities leader in organized crime. Later, the mafia tracks her down and kills her. This triggers John Kelly's vengefull attitude. He thinks to himself: "I have to do something!" (Clancy p.169). He takes it upon himself to seek justice by tracking down and killing every member of the offending organization. Without Remorse is different than Clancy's earlier works, but that doesn't mean that it is inferior. In reality, it's quite the opposite. It still holds the traditional formula which makes him the popular author that he is, but rather than focusing on military technology, it is about a characters struggle with society. As Tom Clancy himself puts it, "[it's about] how a rational man tries to bring order to an irrational world"(Tom Clancy, 4-5-97). Without Remorse will be enjoyes by the fan of the traditional Clancy techno-thriller, as well as anyone who would normally not consider reading a Clancy book.
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Summary: Not What I Expected
Review: Normally, I expect stories by Tom Clancy to be about combat, but this book didn't center on that, surprisingly. This book centered on John Kelly, an ex-Navy SEAL grieving the accidental death of his wife. He finds a new love, but she is killed by druggies. So, he takes it upon himself to avenge her death by becoming a vigilante and taking out the street scum and trying to find the killers. There is a respite when Kelly goes on an operation in Vietnam, which fails, but all of the subplots are tied together nicely and the action never ends. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. It has parallels to such great works as Heart of Darkness, and is not bad.
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Summary: Without Merit
Review: There are two specific reasons I rate this novel so low on the scale. First it is very long, tedious and at times laughable as far as plot and story line go. The characters are often cliche and difficult to take seriously and the scenes tend to be forced and come off as phony at best. Not present is the pins and needels descriptive narrative Clancy is so well known for. There are dozens of mistakes and errors and at times the plot gets away only to come back with an anti-climatic closure or worse, a very predictable one. Secondly without going as far as accusing Mr. Clancy of plagiarism, I will go as far as saying this story virtually mirrors that of Mack Bolan, the Executioner, written by Don Pendleton nearly 30 years ago. This is the story of the mysterious Mr. Clark who has so often come to the aid of Clancy's favorite protagonist, Jack Ryan. This novel is a prequel of several others in the Ryan series and attempts to explain who and what Clark is. Not only does it fail to do so, it takes a bit too much from the original Executioner novel. Worse, it doesn't have the gritty edge of Don pendleton's work and it is obvious it was written many years after the Vietnam war and the etire era it is supposed to depict. There are errors of detail and just plain poor development of the times and characters and their interactions. Read this one at your own risk or read it first to be more impressed with previous and latter offerings. Don'tlet it sour you on Tom Clancy's work. He is a great author, but this particular book is a disservice to his loyal readers.
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Summary: The story of John Clark- "Beware the fury of a patient man."
Review:
In 'Without Remorse,' Tom Clancy tells us the background story of CIA legend Mr. Clark. Six months after the accidental death of his pregnant wife, John Kelly pulls over and picks up a young girl standing by the side of the road. Kelly falls in love with Pam as he helps nurse her back to help. Pam reveals that she was a teenage runaway that was made into a drug addict so that she would become a prostitute to make money for a group of drug dealers. Kelly wants to see who these people are and where they operate at, since he has friends on the police force in the city where Pam was a prostitute. As they are patrolling the neighborhood, they are spotted by the drug dealers. Kelly is shot and left for dead and Pam's body is found a few days later in a public park. Kelly decides to rid the city of the drug dealers his way - killing each of them with a different weapon so the police won't have a M.O. to go off of.
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Summary: BEST OF CLANCY
Review: "Without Remorse" is definetly Clancys best work to date. I agree with one of the other reviewers that this would make a great movie. I would definitly recomend reading this book.
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Summary: One of Clancy's Best!
Review: This book was written during Clancy's prime. He exquisitely tells the tale of John Kelly, whom we know best as John Clark. It's gripping, suspenseful, and action-packed, focusing more on personal vendetta and the anger that fuels Kelly rather than on military technology and international diplomacy (don't get me wrong, technology and diplomacy can be thrilling). Through "Without Remorse," we're able to see mystery man Clark in a whole new light. Not just as some CIA spook that appears in ,"The Cardinal of the Kremlin", "Clear and Present Danger"," and "The Sum of All Fears". This story gives Clark background, something that Jack Ryan achieved in "Patriot Games". And Clark deserves it, too. He is my favorite Clancy character, and he makes a great partner with Ding Chavez, his protoge. If you read one Clancy novel, read "Rainbow Six." If you read another, read "WITHOUT REMORSE."
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