Rating: 
Summary: Ideology or Fiction (Disclaimer)
Review: I've read the reviews of several readers of this novel and found a common thread among many of the negative reviews. It seems to me that many people find the political ideology presented by Mr. Clancy in a work of FICTION offensive. We wouldn't want that kind of ideology being spread around in FICTION would we. I mean somebody might get the wrong idea about what FICTION is. Maybe we should put a disclaimer in the front of all books stating the ideology contained therein. That way people who didn't want to read the wrong ideas wouldn't have to. C'mon people its fiction, something to be enjoyed for what it is.
I guess if normal people were offended by onesided politcal rhetoric in mass media we'd all be watching the Newshour with Jim Lehrer.
As always I enjoyed this Jack Clancy installment, even if it had some extraneous plot lines (of course thats true of almost every Clancy novel). The technical detail was superb, and the view of the inner workings of our goverment was also superb.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent juant while driving
Review: While having to drive about an hour a day for work, I decided to give Clancy a try to help pass the time (NPR can only do so much after about a month <30 hrs of radio time>). The audio CD was wonderful and really helped pass the time. The story is interesting - lots of twists, turns, Clancy techno-battles, and interesting characters - without the volume issue that makes the reader decide what sections to skim.As well, I really enjoyed the reader for the book (even though I panned Mr. Hermann in 'A Beautiful Mind', he did a wonderful job here). He paced the desert war, the gun battles, and the moments of intrigue (the lead-in and standoff with the rogue secret service agent comes to mind) well, keeping interest and at times causing me to sit in the car for an extra 5-10 mins waiting for a scene to play out. All in all, a solid 4 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: on the slippery slope to mediocrity
Review: At what point exactly did Clancy dispense with the editorial process? This and surrounding novels contain several points where the same phrase is rehashed over and over, not to mention the overt political commentary mentioned by so many others here. It's getting to seem like it's not worth the effort to wade through his books anymore.
Rating:
Summary: some unresolved issues, unexplored areas, lacks culture
Review: A Jappanese pilot slams a passenger jet into the capital building killing the president along with much of congress and the supreme court. Two low lifes plot to assasinate the president by default (Jack Ryan). Another man who believes he should be president tries to dig up dirt on Jack Ryan and bring him down. A powerful alliance called the UIR (United Islamic Republic) is formed. The UIR then attacks the US by introducing a deadly strain of the ebola virus into the population and plot's to assasinate the president and to kidnap his daughter. Meanwhile, India and China's navy and Air Force is acting
suspiciously. These are exciting plots and I'll add that the one involving the ebola virus was down right disturbing. Unfortuantely, not all of these plots and issues were fully resolved, at least not to my satisfaction. Since this is largely a political thriller, I think the author could have gone into some of the economic ramifications of what happens. Tom Clancy writes well and seems to have a heavy interest in military weaponry and tactics but is not very culturally literate and hence makes mistakes and appears awkward when writing about non-americans and non-Christians. A Muslim
(regardless of sect) can never pray for a dead or dying person of another faith to go to heaven. Most people who read the part of the book where a Muslim doctor is praying for a Catholic nun would not think anything of it. This appears not only stupid to us Muslims, but contrary to our belief. Another thing which occurs throughout the book is the use of anglicized foreign names (particularly with Muslim names). It seems as though
the names are simply phony (as if anything which looks good was just slapped on the page) and therefore takes away from some of the realism and drama of the story. The people in the story who are supposed to be foreigners (Indian, Iranian, Chinese, etc.) just don't seem convincing to me. It always seemed like he was
writing from an American's frame of reference. Iranians may not like Arabs but they would never call the Saudis "goatherds". I don't know where the term "goatherd" came from, but Iranians and Arabs equally find it offensive. Also, using the pejorative term "raghead" doesn't add anything to the entertainment value of the story. One other thing about the book which annoyed me were the hackneyed references to going to the bathroom. A few were ok but after a while, I saw them coming. One would think that he would be more creative than that. If you wish to read a thriller writer who can cut across different nationalities with ease and sound convincing and balanced; read some of Frederick Forsyth's books.
Rating: 
Summary: Long Winded
Review: Having read all the reviews, I must admit that I am going to be a bit of a heretic here. Well, here goes - I disliked this book. I found it long winded. At times, it felt like I was reading Tom Clancy's political beliefs as opposed to a work of fiction. I didn't think that it was at all suspenseful - he moved away from the plot line for such long periods of time, that it completely broke the feeling of suspense. I actually found it predictable in parts. I felt that the TV interviews of Jack Ryan served no purpose in the story other than to take up a few more pages. I genuinely believe that if it had been half the size, and just concentrated on events directly related to the story, it would have been an excellent read.
Sorry
Rating:
Summary: Jack Ryan as the twentieth century savior
Review: Right up front I certainly don't share Clancy's political leanings (slightly to the right of Rush Limbaugh). But that's not what occasions my rating (at least I hope not). I have thoroughly enjoyed every single Ryan book to this point, but in this novel Ryan ceases to be a mere mortal and takes on characteristics that remind me of a Christ figure who also happens to be a Republican. In the midst of Ryan's CONSTANT lament that he is "not a politician" we are treated to his/Clancy's views on VERY political issues from the top ten on the Clancy 'hit list' (lawyers, professional politicians, feminists, members of the press, gun control advocates, the Chinese, the Indians,) We are treated to Ryan's constant suffering via his soliquies on his his unworthiness. Sometimes Ryan's lines, "take this cup from me", "I am not worthy". "why me, oh Lord", sound like a new chapter from the New Testament. At one point Ryan bemoans the fate of 11 American passengers on an airline shot down by the Chinese; "He was the president, he was supposed to PROTECT his people. He had failed them". Finally (and way too late) his own press secretary tells him "Jack, you're not God". Of course, all the GOOD and TRUE people love Jack...real Americans (military, doctors, business men, and those who come to know him)...who recognize his integrity and his sincerity and his all around heroic character. When you can get away from Ryan's constant agony (he begins to remind me of Patricia Cornwall's tortured protagonist, Kay Scarpatta) the novel is very intertesting. As usual Clancy does his homework and emerges as very knowledgeable on so many subjects the mind boggles. And the other regulars are reassuringly normal (John Clark, Ding,Pat and Ed Foley). Lots of suspense, lots of good stuff. But I got so I wanted to skip over the testiment according to Jack Ryan to get to the real meat of the novel.
Rating: 
Summary: A very intriguing and suspenseful story
Review: As with other Clancy novels, Executive Orders is full of intrigue and excitement. Before reading it I was unsure I'd find it interesting thinking that it was more a political story than a military-type action story found in other Clancy novels, but I went ahead and read it and I think it's one of the best ones I've read by Clancy. It contains multiple plots concerning reestablishing the government, an attack on Jack Ryan and his daughter, a biological attack on America and a question of whether or not Ryan is really the president. All of these different happenings help to make this book very exciting and compeling. It's a book you don't want to put down. Although this book is rather long and many people have often complained of the length of this book and others by Clancy, I appreciate Clancy's attention to detail even if perhaps sometimes unnecessary. That attention to detail helps the stories to be better written and gives the reader the feeling that Clancy really knows what he's talking about. Also, I've read Debt of Honor which came before Executive Orders and I think Executive Orders is considerably better. For any true Clancy/Jack Ryan fan this is worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: It could happen here
Review: Before Sept. 11th the events in "Executive Orders" and its prequel "Debt of Honor" seemed extremely implausible. In "Debt of Honor" a plane used as a missile to destroy the Capitol just as the terrorists did to the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Later in "Executive Orders" the United States was attacked by a biological weapon, reminiscent of the anthrax scares the country suffered through the Fall of 2001. One has to wonder is Tom Clancy clairvoyant. Throughout the novel Clancy's hero Jack Ryan, meets the challenges of putting the government back together and defending America against both domestic and international enemies. Admittedly, Ryan makes political mistakes, relying on other technocrats and bureaucrats he has worked with through all of the novels in which he has appeared. Clancy uses Ryan to express his own conservative political ideology, which I personally do not totally agree with. Despite my aversion to Clancy's politics the book is well plotted though overlong. Two novels could been gotten from this plot. It will be interesting to see how the non-politician President Jack Ryan copes in the next book when its time to work a reconstituted Congress, pick a Vice President and name nine judges to the Supreme Court.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: It's good to be the President... Good sequel to Debt of Honor. I've reread my copy so many times that I need to get another copy. My first copy is tattered already. Hey Tom, keep it coming. I want to read more about John Clark and Jack Ryan.
Rating:
Summary: Clancy does it again!
Review: When I first picked up this book, I was a little bit skeptical at the length. While I have read every book in his series up to Rainbow Six, this one was several hundred pages longer than any of them. I was afraid that it would be too drawn out without enough action. It wasn't. Clancy used every page as effectively as he does in all the others. I read this book because I had just finished Debt of Honor and was anxious to find out what happened next. For those of you who havent read Debt of Honor, I would strongly recomend you read it first. This book picks up exactly where the last left off. If you haven't read Debt of Honor, you will still be able to understand what is going on, but it will make a lot more sense in context. The irony of the situation is, itself, worth the read. Ryan, who absolutely hates politics, is suddenly thrown into the most political job in the world. His experiences and knowledge from the CIA help him to a certain extent, but he still has absolutely no political savvy. He makes several political blunders in his first days in the White House, before his experienced Chief of Staff can straighten him out. As inept as he is at handling the domestic politics, when an international crisis erupts, Ryan is finally in his element. An experienced intelligence analyst, Ryan skillfully handles the developing crisis in the Middle East. Here, Clancy also finds himself at home. As always, he does an excellent job portraying the explosive situation in the Middle East as a terrorist government takes over and combines both Iran and Iraq. His depiction of events is so believeable and realistic that the book seems more a story of real events than a fictional novel. As many others have said, the situation is extremely plausible, especially considering the events of 9/11/01. Don't let the length scare you, this book is well worth the time it takes to read. The story is so brilliantly complex, it could only come from Tom Clancy!
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