Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste time or money on this dud
Review: A 30 page novel, compressed into 453 pages of tedious, slow moving, irrelevant drivel. After 250 pages it began to move a little. After the first 200 or so pages, I began to skim the rest and really never missed a thing. The conclusion is really never in doubt. I only had to wade through randomly generated words for confirmation of what was expected all along. When I finished it, it was a relief. I could throw the book away and get to something interesting.If you liked SSN you may like this. Oh yes, the ending is a set up for a sequel. No thanks.
Rating:
Summary: Unimpressive use of a novel idea
Review: As a person involved in the biotech area, I was excited to pick up a thriller novel with a DNA helix on the cover at my local bookstore. Several days later, I felt unfulfilled and empty after having read the novel. The author took what could have been an exciting and suspense filled premise and turned it into an adolescent attempt at documenting the actions of living G.I. Joe figures.
Rating: 
Summary: It just gets better
Review: Bio-Strike was a great book. It tied in all the important material. I definitely reccommend it to anyone that is in for an adventure. But read them in order or you will be lost. Jerome used great suspense and action to making this a great story and plot.
Rating: 
Summary: Worst Clancy Book
Review: By no means did I enjoy this book and I have been reading Tom Clancy since I was 11 years old. (am i dating myself?? *grin*) I thought that I was buying a Tom Clancy novel but this book was not by him and I am rather upset. It was a waste of money, nothing like his other books and very very boring. I had to give up halfway through because I got so bored with it.
Rating: 
Summary: Not really a Clancy novel... maintains status quo.
Review: First of all, don't let the giant TOM CLANCY printing on the cover fool you... this book wasn't even written by Tom Clancy. Evidently, the series was a brainchild of his, but the author is another person in little print at the bottom of the cover. Poor guy, he writes the novel, and Clancy gets the credit (at least in consumer's eyes if they don't take the time to read the whole cover)... the upside of this is that Clancy will also take the hits if the book is generally considered to be a flop, which is nice for this guy too, I guess. :) I need to clarify that this is the only book in the Power Plays series that I have read. I don't believe that it is critical for you to read EVERY book in a series in order to be able to enjoy each individually. A great author will craft each book in a way that makes it possible to read any book in the series and still feel like you've absorbed a complete novel with no huge hanging plot holes or the like (i.e. Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles). This book was, in my opinion, too long-winded. Some people appreciate that style of writing, but I felt it wasn't entirely appropriate for this story... I have a limited amount of free time, and I spent about twice the time I should have reading this book. The story was a good idea, but the length of the book was taken up with inane details of the story and dialog, and too little time was spent on character development, and on the villain, especially. The villain remains an anonymous and vague character, which works sometimes, but in this book we are left wondering and wanting more details about his motives, his methods, and more real world information about his role in the story to accompany several pages of his demented psychoanalysis of a painting. Don't get me wrong... he was INTRIGUIING, but never given life. The Lathrop character was by far the most interesting... a classic double agent, but with extra ego, self-interest, and intelligence thrown in for good measure. As far as the science of the book goes, I'm not a biochemist. As a result, I don't know if the author actually knows his stuff (a la Crichton but less arrogant with his knowledge), or if he just read a few books and made it sound convincing. I don't much care, either... the story worked, even if the details clouded it. Bottom line is this: If you read the book just because you see Tom Clancy's name on the cover, you're in for a bit of a disappointment, because it's not the Tom Clancy we've all come to know and love who actually authored the book. That's not to say the author did a bad job, either... the book just seemed to drag on too long in my understanding of the story. It could've been trimmed by about 100 pages, and the ending could have been a little LESS OBVIOUS. Yes, unfortunately, the ending is not-even-a-challenge obvious long before the end of the book, but that doesn't detract from the end of the story as much as you might think. It's a good book if you enjoy Sci-Fi/Action hybrids, but if you're not a huge fan of the genre, then you won't feel it's time well spent. 3 stars because it did what was expected, nothing more, nothing less. Not outstanding in its field, but I don't think it totally sucked either, unlike other reviewers who wrote it off out of hand.
Rating:
Summary: Good genomic thriller, may be more detailed than understood!
Review: First off, with a book like this, who is the author? I assumed it was Clancy, but now I am not so sure. What does it mean when two other men are the "creators" of a thriller? Did they come up with the concept and the first listed person is the actual author? If so it is very difficult to know who to give praise or critism to, or maybe that is the idea? I have enjoyed Clancy's books for several years. They make a good intelligent change of pace from my usual readers diet of science, education, ethics, mysteries, and history. He is a good writer even though I think he churns out the books too fast. However, since I am not sure who wrote this book, I don't know to whom to give the credit. The near completion of the human genome and the emergence of diverse infectious diseases which are new to us make for plenty of possible and scary scenarios. Obviously this group of men has tapped into this large reservoir. The problem is when someone who does not have the science background reaches for a book like this, and it is a middle of a series...the authors make assumptions about what the reader knows about genetics and disease, and where they have come in in reading the series. For me it wasn't a problem because I worked on HIV and am working on the ethical implications of the Human Genome project for the disabled. However, most of the people who I know who read this type of book for pleasure, would have definite problems following the back-and-forth writing of the plot, and a lot of the genetic information is going to seem very improbably to those who do not read Science on a regular basis. This is a good book, with a good plot and decent characterization. The science is pretty good, and I hope the authors don't give the wackos out there any new ideas. Probably not...like I said, this is currently an area of immense concern and immense discussion. This is definitely more intelligent writing than say Robin Cook (who started this genre), but it is not easy reading for those who are looking for something that does not require a few active brain cells (which I sometimes want too!) Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh
Rating:
Summary: An Interesting Thriller with a Disturbing Premise
Review: Genetically engineered weapons (viruses) are not a comforting idea, but they create a good thriller that makes the reader stretch his or her thinking a foot or two into the future. The technology has frightening overtones for the 21st century. So, the author weaves an interesting tale that offers the reader not just physical action, the staple of most thrillers, but also exercises for the mind. We learn who could want to do this evil, and what possible countermeasures may be available. Jerome Preisler's skillful descriptions, obviously well-researched, make for a believable story. And, the cipher built into the story is a nice touch. Overall, the book is a good read that contains some morsels for thought.
Rating:
Summary: Dont read
Review: having been living in the ghetto with a chesse hat and meat helmet i discover that god is really not tom clancy in fact tom clancy is the devil, this book is evil and full of racism,even though it smells like shaun king it is bad.Dpont read.What are u soing at my age reading u should be playing checkers or shuffleboard and the number 1 sort xfl
Rating:
Summary: Horribly written!!!
Review: I have read lots of Clancy's early books and enjoyed them. This one is an absolute waste of a good plot. The author is NOT Clancy, but one of his "group of authors". He must still be in high school based on his writing and lack of ability to even structure sentences that make sense. The last Clancy book I will ever buy!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Horribly written!!!
Review: I have read lots of Clancy's early books and enjoyed them. This one is an absolute waste of a good plot. The author is NOT Clancy, but one of his "group of authors". He must still be in high school based on his writing and lack of ability to even structure sentences that make sense. The last Clancy book I will ever buy!!!!
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