Rating: 
Summary: Too jingoistic
Review: It's long been an observation of my fellow countrymen that the Americans have no sense of irony. This book proves it. For example one section is devoted to denigrating the Japanese system of government saying the politicians are the puppets of the businessmen ; yet two pages later the chairman of GM picks up his phone and threatens a US Congressman if sanctions aren't imposed on Japan. Excuse me if I can't spot the difference. I like Clancy's work in general but the relentless flag-waving sticks in my craw. All US military weapons at the high-tech end with the useless "bells and whistles" the contractors push on the procurers for exorbitant fees have 70% plus failure rates in the field, you would not know this from reading Clancy where evrything works perfectly. And given he says the Japs bought AWACS and F-15's and improved them, I find it difficult to believe the US could beat them so easily, with the old unimproved equipment or the new "looks good but can't do much" stuff. The major saving grace of this book is someone has the good sense to fly a jumbo into Capitol Hill, even if it does make that pesky boy scout Ryan President. Amazingly, Harrison Ford's Ryan is a much more sympathetic character than the one in the novels who I keep wishing some CIA guy would slot because he's such a goody two shoes. Clear and Present Danger is still the one to beat in my view.
Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly restrained - a turning point for Clancy
Review: By far the best plot of any Clancy novel amongst those that I have read. Exciting to the end, I did not find it too long at all, and as usual relished the technical details that make the Clancy novels what they are. I thought that 'Debt of Honor' marked a turning point for Clancy as an author. Several times in the book, Clancy could have taken the easy way out and written a typically "Hollywood" resolution to many of the problems the various characters face, but he did not. Instead, many issues end with the "whimper" that you would expect in real life. Unfortunately, Clancy then loses control, and ends the book in a way that even a B-movie script writer might flinch at, blotting what is otherwise a fine read. As well, the novel continues Clancy's irritating habit of painting all the characters on "our side" as perfect well-educated overachievers, while "the enemy" is almost always the opposite. If Clancy could add some "real" characters to his novels, he would then be able to fulfill the promise that his work showed. As it stands, he is far from being the C.S. Forester of our age, as talented as he is.
Rating: 
Summary: wonderfully written!!!
Review: Clancy has done it again! I could not believe how many plots Clancy weaved into his story this time! Of course, to get who Jack Ryan really is, you have to go back to The Hunt for Red October (also masterfully written!). Jack Ryan is mixed in political intrigue and disaster with Japan as a non-political national security advisor. Wonderful! Debt of Honor was long but entertainging. Executive Orders, here I come!
Rating:
Summary: Maybe his best
Review: Although clancy does way to much explaining in Debt of Honor, I found this one of the most entertaining of the lot. It isn't, however, real. I lived in Japan when reading this, and even though I can relate to a lot of this, it's a bit stereotypical. It's not a fault though, because the REAL world is much to boring to write a book about. A definate must have.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but long...
Review: I read this book in a single day, and it took me from about 16 hours to do it. That's a testament and a complaint about Clancy -- the guy knows how to write a plot, but he takes way too long explaining everything, and then tries to keep you in suspense for far too long... It took me two minutes of thinking to get the solution to the world financial crisis, but it takes Jack Ryan and the Great Bankers of the World a full WEEK? Maybe I should be in charge...That, and you're not going to intimidate the Indian Navy by buzzing their carriers and speaking tough to their ambassador. You'll just p*** them off. I also found it very disconcerting that nowhere in the book was the UN response to the invasion even MENTIONED -- not exactly how the Gulf War played out. If the US carrier was broke, why not use a UK one?
Rating: 
Summary: Glorified characters, Japanese cliché's, ridiculous ending.
Review: Yeah, as if this could really happen. Clancy's crash course in economics misses its target completely, boring the reader with a completely unbelievable plot concerning the destruction of global economics. The black and white cardboard characters Clancy depicts here are next to ridiculous. Only his fluent narrative drive keeps the book going. He should do some more investigation on the real world than on technical matters, though. Japanese are not so dumb as we are let to believe from this book (I work for a Japanese company and speak from my experience). It reminded me a lot of those old WW2 pictures where good old GI Joe easily butchers Heinz because of his supposed intellectual superiority. Clancy can do much, much better.
Rating:
Summary: A very slow start
Review: This book really starts very slow, explaining all sorts of things. I quit reading after about 200 pages.
Rating:
Summary: A good read. I also recommend THE OMEGA MISSILE
Review: Clancy owns the technothriller market but there are some other good writers out there you might not have heard of-- Joe Dalton, whose new book THE OMEGA MISSILE just came out is one of those. Check it out.
Rating:
Summary: One more homerun for Clancy
Review: Tom Clancy can't make his books too long for me. Another one that kept me up all night a few nights. Debt of Honor touches on some of the points that USA would like to deep-six regarding our motives and methods with Japan. I always find things in his books that I wish I knew more about, and as always, hated to come to the end of another period of pure pleasure Mr. clancy has prepared for me to enjoy. Keep the books coming an make them as long as possible. They all end too soom for me.
Rating:
Summary: This is cool...
Review: As I started reading I knew it was a good one. Wait, not just a good one, it's a masterpiece. His storytelling is just real good, the story is fascinating and the main character Jack Ryan is in good shape. READ IT!
|
