Executive Orders

Rating:
Summary: Tom Clancy gets everything right down to the tiniest detail.
Review: At 874 pages Executive Orders will give you some seriousreading, but that didn't stop me from finishing it in 2days. From biological warfare on the US to the second war in the Persian Gulf, to a terrorist attack on the First Toddler, and more Constitutional crises than you can count you will be sitting on edge just turning the pages of this book. And reading it has convinced me: I want Jack Ryan for President!

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Summary: If you thought, Debt of Honor was the best, try this one!
Review: Tom Clancy did it again. Starting his storylines everywherearound the globe and then connecting them one by one, hejust doesn't let the reader go. First of all, ExecutiveOrders must be finished, then something else. Suspense,superb writing, links to previously published novels, it'sall in Mr. Clancy's latest: Executive Orders. Buy it andread for yourselves

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Summary: The last Clancy book I read
Review: I had read all of Tom Clancy's books up to and including this one. But this one made me realize that now that the Cold War was over, so was my fascination with Clancy. This book is part "Tom Clancy's Public Policy Opinions" and part virus outbreak, with a homegrown terrorist plot that, without giving too much away, ends up a major disappointment. The virus plot is interesting, but the political plot wasn't to me. Perhaps this is because I don't share Clancy's views, and he portrayed them as such basic common sense, with the opposing side so hapless in offering a rebuttle, that I was a little offended. This also made me reflect on his previous books and realize even more that his characters all seem to be either really really good guys or really really bad guys with horrible character flaws. There's never any shades of gray to his characters, and even the "scandal" that dogs Ryan is due to him being too noble for his own good. Finally, I realized that with Jack Ryan as president, his days of dodging torpedos in a submarine were at an end, and thus, my favorite literary action character was being retired to a desk job.

Rating:
Summary: Idealistic, perhaps, but a good story.
Review: Tom Clancy gets somewhat farther away from the style that won him fame in "The Hunt for Red October". "Executive Orders" is as much a political statement as it is a novel. His premise: throw out the entire federal government and start fresh with people more interested in serving the country than in serving themselves. Not a bad idea to think about actually, although dropping a 747 on the assembled office holders is a bit too extreme to be practical. The persons and groups are characterized in a manner which is too perfect and stereotypical: Jack Ryan is absolutely selfless, immensely strong of character and never wrong; the media is self-serving, prejudiced and untrustworthy; the military and police agencies are brave, dedicated and unfailingly capable and the "bad guys" are devious, dastardly and utterly remorseless. The book is very long, but it never drags. The cast of characters is large enough that some readers may have trouble keeping track of who everyone is over the course of the several days it will take most people to read the book. The concluding desert battle is rather confusing if you attempt to form a mental image of exactly what is taking place. I may some day write out a list of the units involved, including all of the nicknames and code names used for them, and try to plot out exactly how the battle was conducted. Despite the tremendous numerical odds against them, the battle is much more one-sided in favor of the Americans than a real battle is ever likely to be. Despite these criticisms, I found the book to be very entertaining and the image presented of how America should be, politically and militarily, is refreshing and stimulating. Clancy has been accused of being misogynistic and Islamophobic. I don't agree at all. Several of his characters portray women in atypical roles - and doing their jobs well. He also goes out of his way to show that the "bad guys" are just that and, through their evil actions, are going against the tenets of their faith. In general, this book is certainly not Tom Clancy's best effort, but it is definitely worth reading - all 1358 pages of it!

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Novel
Review: Probably my favorite book read so far! It's a long one (almost 1,400 pages long!), but don't let that intimidate you... I could not put it down! I found myself constantly compromising with myself over how much sleep I *really* needed to get so I could keep reading.

The action begins on page one... terrorists crash a 747 into the US Capitol, instantly wiping out nearly the entire US Government - except for Vice President Jack Ryan. Now-President Ryan has to deal with a host of problems, including the murder of Iraq's president which leads to an Iranian takeover, Iranian terrorists launching a biohazardous attack against the US, India not playing well with others, and a US Secret Service Agent who is really a terrorist.

Kind of eerie to read after September 11th, but it just goes to show you how realistic Clancy can make his books, even if it is a fictional work written before the real attacks. Be prepared to read this one for a while, but you won't be disappointed! I only wish that I had read the earlier Jack Ryan books before this one. Now I have to go back in time to read them! 5 out of 5 stars

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Summary: If you can make it thro the boring parts
Review: Executive Orders by Tom Clancy is an exellent charactor study of Jack Ryan. Unfortunatly for those of us who enjoy Clancy's action sequences in his books, your up for a bit of a dissapointment. The first 800 pages are nothing much more than dialouge, excellent dialouge and great an excellent study of Jack Ryan and how he would react, t just tends to drag on at certain points. After that it's what Clancy fans like, cold ruthless and dramtic action that keeps you on the edge. If you want an action book by Clancy you should choose something more like Without Remorse or Patriot Games, but if you want to get more into Jack Ryan then this is the right book for you.

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Summary: another great Clancy novel
Review: This is another great Clancy novel. Not only entertaining and exciting, but informative as well. A+

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Summary: Fighting for What's Right
Review: Jack Ryan and Tom Clancy may have reached their pinnacle of achievement with this book. However, this book is definitely not the place to start the series; as a minimum, The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, and Debt of Honor should definitely be read before this book.

Jack, due to the events detailed in Debt of Honor, suddenly finds himself President of the U.S., a position which he never aspired to and in which he feels decidedly uncomfortable. But, good former Marine that he is, he quickly buckles down to the demands of the job - a job that rapidly spawns seemingly endless problems and complications. In detailing these, Clancy weaves an incredible number of sub-plots together: an assassination of the Iraqi President and the amalgamation of that country with Iran, an attempt to kidnap his youngest daughter, a biological attack on the U.S., a heat up of the continuing dispute between the two Chinas, an attempt by the former Vice President to remove Jack from office, and multiple attacks on his integrity by the news media. This is where Clancy shines, as each of these sub-plots is probably strong enough to be a novel in its own right. They all have strong dramatic elements and are not only plausible, but frightening in just how close they are to events in the real world that have occurred since this book was written - so much so that the notion has been put forth that certain terrorist elements got the ideas for their deeds from this book and Debt of Honor.

Jack is well drawn. His reactions to situations and problems make sense for the type of man he is, and Clancy does a good job of making the reader empathize with him. Most of the other main characters are shown with enough depth to make them real, though it definitely helps if you have read the prior novels in this series, as some of the background for these characters was presented earlier, and is not re-hashed in this book. However, most of the characters are not excessively deep, and it is very clear who are the `good guys' and who are the `bad', which perhaps is a good thing in a thriller.

The battle scenes are typical Clancy, filled with a great number (quite accurate) technical details - perhaps too much so, as at times the picture of just what war is really like gets lost in all these details. Also somewhat of a detraction is the fact that the `good guys' have too easy a time of it; it seems like all their plans are precisely accomplished, with few of the screw-ups and surprises that always happen in real conflicts. Which leads to the other fault with this book - it really is too long, and a fair amount of it could have been cut without losing the impressive tapestry effect.

Some may object to the political viewpoints expressed in this novel, as they are decidedly on the right of the spectrum. But Clancy does a good job of detailing why these viewpoints should at least be given some careful thought by all Americans. Here we find good rationales behind limiting the power of the press under certain circumstances; the necessity for maintaining both a strong military and a strong intelligence network; cases where the power of the President may need to exceed the powers granted by the Constitution; when diplomacy is appropriate versus military action (and just how much diplomacy is dependent on having the military power to back up stated positions). It is just these viewpoints that elevate this book from a blockbuster adventure novel to one with substance. A quick perusal of any newspaper today will show exactly the points Clancy makes here, from the obvious `slanting' of the reporting to the need for a military that is second to none.

A vivid tale of great breadth, exciting and informational, well worth the time it takes to read.



--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

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Summary: Jack Ryan's Finest Hour
Review: Thrust into the White House by a terrorist attack that kills the President and most of Congress, Jack Ryan may finally be out of his depth. He's not going to get a free ride either, as an unscrupulous Middle Eastern leader takes advantage of America's temporary weakness to launch a major military offensive against his neighboring nations. Before Jack has a chance to get his bearings, he's faced with a war in the gulf region, a kidnap/murder attempt on his own children, and a biological warfare attack on the United States. That should be enough to keep anyone busy, but Jack Ryan also finds himself battling the deposed former Vice President for control of the nation, not to mention an assasination plot within the Secret Service.

It takes Tom Clancy a little while to get all the wheels spinning, but - once he does - this book turns into a juggernaut. The military action is fierce and thoroughly exciting. Faced with nearly overwhelming odds, the U.S. military must depend on high-tech weaponry and superior training and tactics to win the day. Will it be enough? Buy the book and find out.

Jeff Edwards, Author of "Torpedo: A Surface Warfare Thriller"

Rating:
Summary: Way too much plot!
Review: The scope of this book amazed me. Clancy writes about the beginning of a new nation, a rebirth of an old one, the successful use of weapons of mass destruction, tensions between 'the two Chinas'(I loved that one), and ethics within the media...and he did it all in less than 1500 pages. Kudos, Tom Clancy.

My one complaint is the 'John Wayne' style of characters. The good guys should all be wearing white hats while the evil villians need to be dressed in black. And just once, I wish a Clancy female character would be a liitle over weight and not quite brilliant. A little humanity wouldn't be too bad.

It's a good book. It's not too heavy, and very entertaining. It was perfect for the long commutes I've been enduring lately. I find it kind of unsettling that he published it in 1996. Coincidence, I guess; just like the conclusion to his last 'Ryan' novel where a suicide airliner changed our world. But hey...at least a superbowl hasn't been nuked...yet.