Executive Orders

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing, again!
Review: Those of us who remember Tom Clancy when Tom Clancy could tell a good story, keep buying his books, hoping to see the magic again. Unfortunately, Executive Orders, like Mr. Clancy's last -- oh, four books, needs serious editing, is overly long, and boooooooring! Last good Clancy novel? Cardinal of the Kremlin.

Rating:
Summary: By far the best book that Clancy has written at this time.
Review: This book, Executive Orders, is one of the best and most intriguing books that I have read to date. Clancy has taken Jack Ryan on the adventure of his life when he assumes the role of president of the United States of America. By: Brian Minty

Rating:
Summary: It doesn't get much better than this!
Review: Was this novel long? Long on interest, yes. Long on intrigue, yes. Long on innovation, yes. I've recommended this book to everyone I know who enjoys both action and mental stimulation. One caution -- be sure to read Clancy's "Debt of Honor" first, or you won't understand/enjoy/get involved in many of "Executive Orders" sub-plots. Wow! What a great read!

Rating:
Summary: CLANCY IS STILL IN THE TOP 1%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: With Executive Orders, Clancy has once again proven himself to be THE master of contemporary fiction. After Debt of Honor, I was convinced that tis was it--that Clancy couldn't possibly top it. I changed my mind when I read Executive Orders. When reading Executive Orders, I was once again absorbed by Clancy's incredible narrative talent, and incredibly detailed descriptions. I was inpressed by his uncanny ability to weave a mosaic of plots, some of which may seem insignificant at first, and bring them crashing together in an action-packed roller-coaster ride of power. I was very satisfied with his deadly accuarte portrayals of the charachters and dazzling weaponry such as the M1A2, AH-64D, MLRS, and the M2/M3(not to mention a few others I wont divulge to keep the surprise intact). At 874 pages it was the lengthiest book I've read (2nd and 3rd place belonging to The Sum of All Fears and Debt of Honor, both also by Clancy), but after turning the last page I still wanted to keep reading. I sincerely hope and pray that this won't be Clancy's last full-lenght novel. In conclusion, WAY TO GO, MR. CLANCY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: I felt like my wife left me...
Review: Tom Clancy was a god to me. What a writer. The man whom all other tecno-thriller writers have copied now for more than 10 years. You can't beat the man's track record for sheer action, yarn-spinning or attention to detail that fleshes out a book so completely. But no more... Solidly in Clancy's club since "Hunt", I wondered when the man would finally start cracking. It started with a kamikaze attack on the Capitol (straining credibility), and finally starts toppling with the "I gotta get EVERYBODY in this novel" mentality which pervades "Executive Orders". To say that he is hurriedly trying to tie up loose ends is an understatement. God help you if this was the first book of his you cracked because you'd be hopelessly lost. A bad sign. Only a return of Marko Ramius would have forced me to finally abandon all hopes for this book. I stayed with it through confusing plots, soon-to-be-dated "in" phrases (i.e. "been there, done that"), dull narrative, political soapbox grand-standing all because I kept thinking "THERE'S GOT TO BE A PAY-OFF"! No such luck. Jack Ryan is dead. The thrill is gone. Unless they dig up more of his past, his character is exhausted. Perhaps we'll see more of Ding. Or Clark. Or a Jackson novel. Anything but Ryan. If I sound despondent, I guess I am. But I give the book a 5 because even Clancy's dreck is better that what most others pump out. If you're a Clancy fan, proceed with caution. If you've never indulged before, here's my dog-eared copy of "Cardinal of the Kremlin" THOSE were the days...

Rating:
Summary: Not His Best, But Still Worth IT
Review: I just finished Executive Orders, and some Amazon reviews of same. I did enjoy Executive Orders, mainly because I really agree with Clancy's politics, and really hated the bad guys in the book. He does need to develop some other characters, Mr. Clark for instance. I enjoyed Debt of Honor & Without Remorse more than EX.ORD. which was too wordy. I am excited by his next book - I hope Clancy squarely takes on domestics politics & shows how America can work. He should also take on the Lunatic fringe in America - the militia movement, etc. Don

Rating:
Summary: One of Clancy's best yet.
Review: As a Clancy fan from before the movies, I was very excited when I saw he had a new book out. I couldn't wait to read it. I was not disappointed. Tom Clancy has a way of pulling his readers in and making it impossible to set his books down. Granted it was 875 pages, but it was well worth the wait. Clancy can create a situation and hook his readers like no one else I know. The premise of the book is ingenious. With the Soviet Union no longer in existence, and Russia not a serious threat, writers like Clancy need to look elsewhere for the bad guy. He's found it here. All in all, well worth the $20 and 2 weeks it took to read the book.

Rating:
Summary: Take-Out Orders, Not Too Executive
Review: Best described, reading this book gave me the same feeling I get when I stand in line at the check-out at Taco Bell. "A long wait for the action (food) and then when I get it, it doesn't satisfy or fill me up

Rating:
Summary: So long Jack Ryan, it's been fun...
Review: Having finished "Executive Orders" just last night I was left with the feeling of...how do you say..disapointment. I have read and re-read every Clancy novel (with the exception of the commercialized "OpCenter" series) and have seen Jack Ryan go from cubicle bound teacher and analyst to the President of the United States. It was a great ride, but that train has stopped. I feel it is time to go in another direction. In "Without Remorse" we saw how Mr. Clancy can branch out and explore other characters with style and human depth. Let's see more of the same. Take Domingo Chavez and build him up (albeit not with the current speed - a Masters huh?!). He has two of the most interesting characters created and he hardly gave any credit nor lines to either of them. I really enjoy his writing style and technical detail. His ability to see the military as it is for alot of us is truly appreciated. Don't stop writing - ever, Mr. Clancy, just take the time to develop in new directions. As a previous reviewer noted "What's next, Master of the Planet?" "Executive Orders" is a good book. A little long and heavy, but definate Clancy. The ending was a bit rushed, leaving alot of the sub-plots just hanging there. That dead line must have been coming up real quick.

Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate in the Series! What's Next?
Review: Clancy's progression of Jack Ryan's careeer from "Hunt for Red October" to the penultimate thrilling tie-up conclusion of "Executive Orders" makes the reader thirst for more. The varying plot lines are almost Hitchcockian as they build the drama to a page-turning stay-up-late delight.