Rating: 
Summary: Excellent - Clancy at his best!
Review: This book builds on Clancy's previous Jack Ryan novels. It may not be as action-packed as his previous novels, but it builds more on the characters. As loyal readers who have followed Ryan's journey from the periphery to the center of
US government policy, we have seen him develop and
strengthen his views and politics. He seems to be
a man for the nineties as he has leanings both liberal and conservative. This presents a view of what Americans may need in government - someone who isn't bound to just one ideology. The undeveloped plotlines show a work in progress.
I am eagerly anticipating the next installment to see what intrigue and villians develop next. As well, having followed Jack Ryan's career from a lowly history professor to the most powerfull man in the world, I can't wait to see how he handles his next challenges.
Clancy has another winner!
Rating: 
Summary: Walter Mitty, Soldier of Fortune (with H. Ross Perot)
Review: In the face of stiff competition from Pixar and Nintendo, escapist fiction must paint itself in ever-gaudier colors and offer all manner of perverse pleasures to attract the reality-impaired. Thus we have Executive Orders, which thrusts YOU (vicariously) into the role of Jack Ryan, intelligence operative and all-around great guy, selflessly shouldering his (unsought!) responsibilities as leader of the Free World
Rating:
Summary: The King of plots beats himself at his own game!
Review: If you are a lover of intrique with plots within plots this is the book for you! I find that when I pick up a Clancy book, I cannot put it down until I have come to a part in the plots that will let me get my breath. <B>
<B>
Executive Orders did not let me take even one breath before I was into another plot; and my hands shook, and my eyes became blurred trying to read fast enough until I could resolve the ending. <B>
Finally I have been able to get into the soul of our most beloved, patriotic hero. I man after everyones heart. The ideal of all men. A man of loyalty and integrity that reaches into a persons own soul hoping that the comparison doesn't come up too short
Rating: 
Summary: Who are the mountain men???????
Review: As usual Mr. Clancy fashions several themes into a gripping and suspenseful story. His attention to detail is still unparallelled. Just like in the Sum of All Fears, his description of the Ebola Virus and its effects on the human body boggles the readers' mind. I was not able to eat for two days!!! The only downside of the book is the mountain men. I think this should have been edited out. This plot did not serve any purpose in the book besides adding about 20 pages in the book. For Tom Clancy followers like me, you'll love this book. Perhaps it's not on the same level as Sum of All Fears, which I think is the best, but still shows that Tom Clancy is still King of the techno-triller!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Nice first contact with the genre
Review: Normally, I don't read American political fiction, but the situation was just too tempting for me. It was an interesting book, allowing insight in the top-decision making of this world. What disturbed me, were Jack Ryan's wacky political ideas
Rating:
Summary: Ryan's last novel
Review: Exciting since the first pages, new action and new problems that Ryan's mind is, as always, ready to solve. he becomes President, so from here nowhere elese to go (God ?). Worth reading to know how the Ryan character ends. From now onwards Clancy has to invent something really knew !
Rating:
Summary: Best ever
Review: It is interesting to see that most people who didn't love EO are either flaming liberals who have to press their agenda in their review or people who fear big things. I loved this book!
How can you not enjoy a novel that gives you an education at the same time.
Tom Clancy is the only author that can actually get an emotional response from me. In the last 200 pages I do not remember blinking once.
Oh yeah, the other complaint from the detractors is that it is unrealistic. Who would imagine a redneck philanderer in the Whitehouse a few years ago
Rating:
Summary: Tom Clancy is gradually getting weaker
Review: Tom Clancy's earlier work is some of the best fiction around. He is an incredible storyteller, particularly in the realms of warfare and international politics. This book continues to demonstrate his skills, and is a relatively interesting read.
However, Executive Orders is one of his less gripping stories. Jack Ryan's growing into the presidency could have been interesting, but is treated as an aside and goes much too easily for Jack. As usual, everyone who's competent at anything worships at his feet -- a modern John Galt? Married to Dagney? The war with Iran could have been a book, but we win with no losses or casualties, despite the minimal air war. The Ebola threat was all buildup and no carry-through; Stephen King's "The Stand" displayed a much more gripping viral epidemic. The homegrown terrorist threat went nowhere. The radical reconstruction of our government would have been a very interesting story, but apparently will wait until the next book, which only leaves the reader frustrated in this one. The politics here are merely long-winded speeches describing Clancy's personal opinions at unnecessarily great length.
At this rate, Clancy has about two more decent books left before I stop reading them. Next will be "America: Conservative and Perfect," where Ryan remakes the country to be the epitome of perfection, with supply-side economics trickling great wealth down to even the poorest Americans. The last one I'll read will be "God Emperor of Earth" where all other countries recognize that America is inherently superior to them, and beg our reluctant hero to rule them as the 51-200th states in the USA.
Rating: 
Summary: Tom Clancy Shoots Blanks in His Latest Novel Executive Order
Review: Just purchasing Tom Clancy's Executive Orders had my imagination working overtime. Clancy will never be compared to Shakespeare, but his novels have an intoxicating element which usually provide entertainment as well as enlightenment into the world of intelligence operations. However, as I started reading, I found myself disappointed with the rhythm and contextual undertones of the novel. Clancy, usually has an uncanny ability to absorb the reader and practically make us a part of the story. Unfortunately, I found Executive Orders an excercise in simple-minded ideology neatly tucked into a familiar package. Although Clancy has never shied away from sharing political philosophy, it was always done in a palatable manner. In Executive Orders, we are fed copious amounts of ideational blather. As a writer of detail, Clancy becomes very circumspect and unrealistic creating distance where there should be intimacy. Rather than making a few detailed points in his book, Clancy has Ryan solving our socio-political and economic ills in such a naive manner you would think Ryan just fell off the turnip truck. Clancy picks up the story where Debt of Honor left off. Jack Ryan has become the President of the United States after the Capitol has been destroyed by a terrorist act. All major heads of the government have been killed except for Ryan and a few others. Clancy chooses this scenario to fashion what our government should really look like. Unfortunately, while condeming our present model of representation as having power hungry individuals, Clancy imposes a Jack Ryan who talks like Joe six pack but acts like a king. Ryan's self righteousness is apparently overlooked by Clancy and the "good guys" because he is Right! Anybody expressing themselves in contradiction to our hero is treated as the scum of the earth. Sadly, this is not how I always saw Jack Ryan. The book provides us with Clancy's incredible technical insight as usual but without the usual passion. I had the feeling Clancy needed money for the mortgage and got out copy as quickly as he could. The story itself was interesting and towards the end of the book it is hard to put it down. Unfortunately, I felt disappointed in the end. I can not find fault in the theme which Clancy chooses to explore,but, I do find fault in the manner of his exploration. Additionally, Clancy's rhetoric has merits but this book simplemindedly addresses these issues without the true focus and thoughtfulness that Clancy puts into the other aspects of his writing. If you are a neo-conservative with a populist bent and love spy novels, this is the book for you. However, if you were looking for another Tom Clancy novel guaranteed to deprive you of sleep, you'll have to wait and hope with his next novel
Rating:
Summary: How to save America in 900 (small-print) pages.
Review: Though this book was interesting, I found myself resenting the amount of time it took to read it. Clancy needs a good editor -- he obviously didn't have one for this book (or if he did, he didn't listen!)
The yarns were interesting -- but there are so many subplots one almost needs to take notes to keep track of what's going on. The subplot about the Mountain Men was a complete a waste of time, ink, trees, and my patience since it went nowhere. It's as if Clancy can't bear to cut any words he's written (hence the need for a GOOD, TOUGH editor!) The bit about India's role in the whole thing was unnecessary in the end -- the story would not be hurt at all by eliminating it.
The book is basically Tom Clancy's primer on how to "fix" the federal government. There are some good ideas and some bad ideas. Jack Ryan is somehow supposed to represent average, hardworking, and productive Americans with a strong streak of common sense. It almost works -- and would've worked better if Ryan weren't so rich.
Clancy is an author I've been reading, and enjoying, for years (except for the brain-dead Op Center stuff, which he didn't write but which bore his imprimatur). Though I've generally enjoyed his stories, I will always remember him as the one author who can make a nuclear explosion boring. In Executive Orders, he managed to make an intense, short battle long and boring. Hey, Tom, use some maps next time! We don't need all the technical details.
Would I recommend this book? To Clancy fans, yes. But not as a first book to a new Clancy reader. The Hunt for Red October is still his best book.
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