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Rating:  Summary: Waste of Time Review: I agree with the other reviewers - this is a pretty weak book. It seems to me that this should an 8-10 page short story. There is too much fluff.Examples of where this book is flawed: 1. Extensive discussion of handguns and target practice that does very little to add to or advance the plot. 2. The attempted seduction of Michaels - weak. And the boss of the seductress who would benefit from this doesn't seem to know what she is doing. 3. Does your teenage babysitter just happen to carry his 22 target pistol with him when he comes to take care of your child? 4. What do the random shootings of several police officiers and a biker bar have to do with anything in the story line? 5. As one reviewer mentioned, the ending just reeks. Why would there not be guards to help protect the location? Why can Net Force just wipe out a person who just happens to be involved in a law suit against Net Force and no one seems to care enough to even investigate? Segways accross the desert? I did like Jay's VR stuff even though it is a bit overblown. All in all, I would not waste money on this book. A lame effort by all involved.
Rating:  Summary: Can anyone just stop this??? Review: I do have similar view several Net Force books back but this one really wins it - and makes me write this. Could anyone tell the authors not to continue as they seem to forever??? A plot which is less than void of anything of action, predictable heroes with hobbies that the authors never seem to be bothered to recapitulate at least three times within one book, and if, being totally used they disappear simply to be replaced by new ones who happily continue the same path... One really wonders if Mr. Clancy needs to put his name on the cover of these books. Awwwful.
Rating:  Summary: Not the best, but a fast read Review: I have to agree that this book does not live up to the expectations of anything associated with Tom Clancy. The book was a fast read for me. I agree a lot of the computer stuff is fantasy at best, with a little too much Virtual Reality [...] involved.The entire book would probably take only 30 minutes in a film. If you like the Net Force series, you will probably like this one too, but if you are a Tom Clancy fan and have never read this series, be warned that it is not written by Clancy, and that is quite eveident.
Rating:  Summary: Categorically the worst novel of the series ... Review: I picked up STATE OF WAR today and read it in an evening, but that shouldn't be taken as a sign that the book was well-written. The last book, CYBERNATION, was released in November 2001, so the bulk of it was no doubt written before the World Trade Center attacks. That makes this book the first in the 'Net Force' series to be written after the September 11 attacks. Unfortunately, the authors chose to attempt to integrate the events of 2001 into this future they had been portraying, and they did so without even the slightest modicum of skill: the references were incredibly hamhanded and extremely clumsy, and came across with all the subtlety and grace of a sledgehammer hitting a watermelon. This, to me, was the worst of the novel's flaws, but it is hardly its only one. Tyrone's sudden miraculous superhuman sharpshooting ability was comically unbelievable because it had no foundation built for it in any prior novel -- worse, it came across as the cliched 'boy genius saves the day' syndrome made so hated by Wesley Crusher and Macaulay Culkin. None of the main characters (Alex, Toni, Jay, Howard) experience any significant personal growth or character development, and many beloved secondary characters are entirely absent. And many of the novel's substories and plot threads were not only uninteresting, but are left sloppily unresolved. What was the argument Tyrone could not think of? Whatever happened to Joan? I'm fond of the series' characters after having watched them grow and live their lives throughout six other novels, so I may still pick up whatever novel is written next, mostly out of blind hope that future novels won't be as awful as this one was. But it hurt to see the characters be such pale imitations of their former selves. Comparing the 'Net Force' of STATE OF WAR to the 'Net Force' of its predecessors is like comparing a romantic comedy to the kind of movie you'd pick up in the back of your video store -- the ones they keep behind the red curtain. A huge, huge disappointment.
Rating:  Summary: Mediocre, Not as Good as the Other Net Force Books Review: Like most of the other Net Force junkies, I've been waiting for quite a while for the next installment. Sadly, I was dissappointed. The authors seem to have phoned it in, the characters and plot are very cookie-cutterish and predictable. It seemed shorter than the other books, and ended precipitously. The "big ending shootout" was a bit odd, they never came up for a justification for doing it, and yet we're to believe they could mount a multi-million dollar manhunt on no one's authority, just 'cause they think he's a bad guy. And speaking of bad guys, the villains in this book are oh so lame and unbelievable. So they do this impossible mission, nobody gets questioned or punished, and then everybody retires. End of story. Definitely dissappointing. We don't even get to see Toni kick anybody's backside this time. It seems the steady decline in quality of these books may be heralding its end. But if they're all as half-baked as this last one, that's ok with me.
Rating:  Summary: The first Tom Clancy I read was not a good one! Review: My wife picked this up for me - she thought I might enjoy Tom Clancy. In fact I do - but this isn't really Tom Clancy at all and, in fact, I'm embarrassed for him. The good news: It's an easy and almost fun read. The bad news: The writing is absolutely dreadful. I mean really really bad. I will give some other Net Force books a chance some time. The premise is interesting and there are supposed to be some good books in the series out there. This, unfortunately, is not one of them!
Rating:  Summary: Worst Tom Clancy's Novel ....Period! Review: State of War had everything except good authors. I know Clancy's career doesn't exactly revolve around the NetForce series,but he should have kept writing them instead of letting someone else. Anyway, State of War is a multi-point-of-view story. It focuses on a lawyer that loves to see the system crumble, his lap-dog who discovers the excitement of killing a man, and the usual NetForce cast. The first Netforce book had the same subplot on top of supplot basis, but it worked for the book, mostly because the author was Clancy. But in State of War, the different angles are stretched too thin. The problem is since that there are so many charachters there's a chance you'rs going to end up reading an entire chapter about someone you don't care about and want top know about another charchter who doesn't pop up for another eight chapters. The anti-reality Jay Gridley was the main character I couldn't stand to read about. There are about three chapters out of fifteen that he's in where's he's not in the middle of some virtual-reality place that doesn't exist so you just don't care. However, the key element to State of War is Junior (the lap-dog in question). Something about the extreme measures he take to fix his stupid mistakes shows the excitement the book tried to project. The problem with State is that there are too many people to keep track of and most of them you don't like. The idea was great- the 3D charachters, likable good guy, likably bad bad guy, and the list goes on. The authors' inability to keep you interested is the main problem. Would I recomend this? Sure, why not. But be prepared to skip a bunch of pages.
Rating:  Summary: Generic At Best Review: This seventh book in the now stale Net Force series offers nothing new and is better left alone. The Net Force series started off fresh but the books have since grown forced and clichéd. Writers Perry and Segriff seem to still follow the same plot blueprint that most of the books have followed: ruthless bad guy with a diabolical scheme (even though we never learn what it is), a lowlife assassin, a new set of net viruses (a requirement), and Net Force saving the day. At least in this book the writers decide to change the status quo a little in the ending and provide a jumping-off point for bored readers. There are a wealth of better alternative books: readers looking for military/political thrillers should check out Tom Clancy's REAL books, while readers wanting action/adventure should try Clive Cussler's writings, and readers looking for future/tech should try some of William Gibson's books.
Rating:  Summary: Generic At Best Review: This seventh book in the now stale Net Force series offers nothing new and is better left alone. The Net Force series started off fresh but the books have since grown forced and clichéd. Writers Perry and Segriff seem to still follow the same plot blueprint that most of the books have followed: ruthless bad guy with a diabolical scheme (even though we never learn what it is), a lowlife assassin, a new set of net viruses (a requirement), and Net Force saving the day. At least in this book the writers decide to change the status quo a little in the ending and provide a jumping-off point for bored readers. There are a wealth of better alternative books: readers looking for military/political thrillers should check out Tom Clancy's REAL books, while readers wanting action/adventure should try Clive Cussler's writings, and readers looking for future/tech should try some of William Gibson's books.
Rating:  Summary: One of the worst Review: To be honest, I haven't read the whole book. I am the type of person who once I start reading a book I will read it regardless of how good or bad it is. For some reason, I feel an obligation to either myself or the author. This book was so bad I had to quit. This was my first read from this Net Force series. The author tried to get fancy with technology/futurism by describing the mundane use a computer as a virtual reality exercise. That literary 'technique' turned me off. After discussing how much I disliked the beginning of this book with a friend, I was turned onto Clive Cussler (Flood Tide) and am really enjoying that.
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