Executive Orders

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Summary: If time is precious, this is not the book for you...
Review: I have read all of Tom Clancy's books ( quickly, I might add! ) except for the OpCenter series, and have been disappointed with his latest effort. "Debt of Honor" left me waiting eagerly for his next book, which I was given for my birthday last August. As a new mother, it was unfortunately Thanksgiving when I started reading it... Christmas came and went, and still I read on. January went, and February finished it. I saw glimpses of the former glory of Mr. Clancy's books come through occasionally, but through most of the book, as soon as the read would get interesting he moved on to another scene and I was left flat. This is not the book to read if you have "stolen moments" of reading time at 11 at night. When his other books would have kept me going no matter how tired I was, I cannot count how many times I almost fell asleep within 15 minutes of picking the book up. In "Hunt for Red October", Mr Clancy made a nuclear meltdown on a submarine fascinating to someone with little interest in that subject. It's sad to see a great storyteller become plodding. I'd like to see more like Red October, Cardinal and Without Remorse. Mr. Clark would be a fascinating subject to expand on

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Summary: He has given us better.
Review: His attempt at doing a tome on the Ryan presidency makes it an incredibly sluggish read. Only the last 200 pages give some decent action

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Summary: Clancy made it to Antarctica for Christmas & beat the views
Review: Despite the scenery down here I could not put it down some days until it was finished...it is rare that pulp fiction drags me away from work and education (the priorities in life unfortunately), however the Clancy genre is mesmerising. Clancy's descriptive abilities allow a picture to be painted in your head in all of his literature. "Orders" is no exception. The storyline is slow to start and explosive at the end, it pulls on the heartstrings and makes your heart beat at the possibilities that COULD COME TRUE!. It is one theory on what could happen if the defences are down. As a criticism, the novel has sections where there is "more-corn-than-Texas", or is it that "warm wet fuzzy feeling"? you get when doing something for your country. Yes it's time to retire Jack Ryan's character MR Clancy, he's done his dash. I can't wait to see what comes out next....please no more Op centre novels they just don't cut it compared to your blockbusters...make the next one another "damn good read". Cheers 'n beers from the great white south. Davis Station Antarctica Summer 1996/7

Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: Super, best, greatest, superb, amazing, magnificent, exellent!!!!!!!

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Summary: Finally, an accurate portrayal of this country
Review: Tom Clancy made a bold move when he decided to tell the public how insanely weakly the President is guarded from air attack. One man with a Stinger on the roof if the Capitol won't do diddly to a 747. Tom scores another direct hit and breaks the mold of conventional wisdom with this book. The Sum of All Fears and this book truly were a great climax to one of the best, if not the best fictional series ever written or conceived. Sure, it was long, but anyone who has read many of his genre of novels will understand and be interested in everything. Hail to the Cheif

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Summary: This book scared the hell out of me.
Review: Clancy has the ability to present an eminently believable, potential alterative reality. He drills our psychic and taps into the fears, doubts and anger we have over politicians and the media. The vision of a fresh start, while highly unlikely, is incredibly appealing. Naively I want to assume real, ordinary people would rise to the occasion and govern them selves wisely if only we can start anew. The scenarios leading to the fresh start and the manipulative foreign influence are both plausible and believable. Selective retribution is far more acceptable than Armageddon and still allows the John Waynish satisfaction of putting the black hat where it belongs. An incredibly consuming book, cancel all appointments and devour it at your earliest opportunity.

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Summary: Great For Busy Working Mothers Who Want A Change!
Review: Tom's book evoked many emotions, from being bored to hardly being able to wait to read the next page. This story is so far removed from my real life, which is full of internet and electronic commerce during the day, traveling and then going home to little boys who need their mom, that I truly enjoyed myself. There is so much disappointment daily with our political leaders, (are these people really the representatives we chose to lead our country) Bill Clinton who is being sued for sexual harassment, Newt Gingrich (ethics problems), Ted Kennedy (known alcoholic, runs around in Barney costumes), etc. I really enjoyed seeing the entire political structure fall down and get to see real life people try to clean up our outstanding issues. To take the approach of dealing with it like it were a business instead of a playground was very refreshing. Thank you Tom for giving me some hope that all of them could be wiped out and we could start again and succeed! Keep your wonderful work coming...even the boring part...sometimes we just need to remove ourselves and delve into some fantasty!

Rating:
Summary: a must read!
Review: I had long ago given up on Clancy's books. Too technical and detailed for my taste. But I read a review of this one and was intrigued. I really enjoyed the book. Though pretty far-fetched at times, I enjoyed the change-of-pace from his prior works. He could have trimmed about 200 pages from the last third of the book. But, it's worth it--read this one

Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but Clancy has done much better
Review: I am a hard core Tom Clancy fan. Ever since the time I first read "Hunt for Red October," I have delighted in knowing that someone in the "popular media" came close to sharing my own beliefs about Communism, Capitalism, etc., and who could spin a heck of a yarn at the same time. I literally would have to stay up until I had read the entire book. This was also true of his immediately subsequent novels (Patriot, Cardinal, and Clear). Unfortunately, Mr. Clancy has fallen into a rut that started with Sum of All Fears. It seems that in the Jack Ryan universe, earth-shattering events happen every day. And now that Jack has been President, I get a sense of "Where do we go from here?" It almost seems as if, in order to satsify our need for Clancy's customary ride by the seat of the pants, events, even the most contrived, are artificially accelerated. As a Clancy fan, I had no trouble reading Executive Orders. Despite the aforementioned flaws, I enjoyed it. But I feel that now is a good time for Mr. Clancy to take deep breath, a little soul searching, and come up with a new avenue to pursue. Even if it takes more time to come up with a new book, quality will compensate.

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Summary: Executive Orders: Tom Clancy Strikes Back
Review: Tom Clancy has written yet another masterful work, and rebounded to write, in my opinion a better novel than his last, "Debt of Honor". I should say that I am writing this mostly in response to some other reviews that I have seen posted here, and therefore, in defense of Tom Clancy and Executive Orders. It is not easy to be an author, to continue to produce top echelon material, especially when you are as eagerly anticipated as Tom Clancy. I saw a lot of comments regarding what appears to be an attempt on the part of Clancy to write a 'thick' book just for the sake of doing so. However, I do think that readers should keep in mind that publishers are putting pressure on authors to produce bigger books in order to give the consumer more book for their buck, while at the same time maintaining the level of writing that they are known for. Secondly, I saw comments on Ryan's climb to the White House laced with complaints. Well, when writing an ongoing saga or series of books, an author always faces dilemnas of what treatment to give characters, and how their lives will play out. Would we all keep reading about Jack Ryan if he goofed up and became the White House janitor? I doubt it, and with good reason, because a White House janitor would never steal a Russian sub, bail out troops in Central America, or prevent the world from going to a nuclear war. Thirdly, I saw complaints regarding Clancy's selection of storyline, usually with regards to his last two Ryan novels. In regards to this I ask readers to consider all of Clancy's novels and the time period in which each was written. Clancy has always tried to select stories that tie in to the events of the current time. For example, "Red October" was written at the height of the Cold War, and "Clear and Present Danger" was written in a time when the U.S. was aiding Central American countries in similar ways. The result of this is that he adds an extra "thrill" to his thrillers because the stories are therefore more realistic, and sometimes even sound like something direct from today's headlines. A vast majority of us, the reader, are amateurs in the field of writing, and I suggest that we all keep that in mind. Try writing a novel, and if you have enough discipline to create even 25 pages of rubbish I commend you, for that is far further then I ever have gotten. If you are terribly worried about dropping $25 on the next Clancy novel then go to your loacl library(that's what they're their for), before you add it to yours.