Rating: 
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: At 900-some pages, this book is hard to get started on. It could be compressed to about 400 pages, if the more useless parts were cut out. It was a very interesting story, but it was executed in a wrong way. One thing that bothered me was the excessive use of profane language. Does cussing really improve a book any? The thoughts of these people are horrendous. Women are constantly called names, and people suddenly yell out "S.O.B." in capital letters in their minds. The idea of a nuclear explosion at the Super Bowl is pretty exciting, but you have to read a ways to get to the real action. Read "The Hunt For Red October" instead of this. Or at least BEFORE it.
Rating: 
Summary: Masterpiece
Review: This is the first Clany book I've read and I have to say it's perfect. This is a true novel. He goes from discussing history with a Georgetown professor, to blowing someone's head off, and then to passionate love making in a single stroke. It's just incredible. This is one of, if not the, best books I've ever read. I'm 17 and enjoyed every word. Keep up the good work. I recommeneded this to everyone including my AP English teacher. She typically hates works of this genre, but couldn't put this book down.
Rating:
Summary: The Sum of All Fears
Review: Wow! How does he do it? Book after book, hit after hit. I've read seven of his books. I give them all so far five stars. This book really made me think. Thilling, Scary, exciting. Thanks Tom... Bill Davis, a fan.
Rating: 
Summary: REad this book
Review: Tom Clancy works his magic again, as he continues the Jack Ryan series with another block buster of a book. I would have given this book a higher rating, but compared to the genius of some of Mr. Clancy s other books i can not. I highly urge everyone to read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Always hard to read and hard to put down.
Review: I find it hard to read a Clancy book. it is great to find one that I can even finish. This one I did finish. It was a great story. A great beginning. and a complex story. A humdinger of an ending. A great story over all. Keeps you guessing.
Rating:
Summary: My least favorite Clancy book
Review: I'm a huge Clancy fan, but this outing falls short. The first four-hundred pages are little more than character introductions masquerading as scenes; little if anything happens outside of the opening scene. Some of the conclusions drawn by Ryan, especially concerning the Israeli-Palestinian situation, don't make any sense to me. And then there are the endless looks into the innermost thoughts of backstabbing, power-hungry politicians, which I found very wearisome. And the technical explanations of the nuclear bomb - I actually took some physics in college, and yet still I felt like I was reading a textbook that was well beyond my comprehension.The book does pick up nicely between pages 500 - 700 though, and becomes your typical fast-paced, seat of your pants Clancy work. Then comes the ending. I suppose the problem was that I really didn't care for any of the characters (Ryan included) by that point, and my main thought was "It'll be surprising if these idiots don't end up destroying the world". The very end, where the terrorists get their due, suffered from what could best be described as a fairy-tail idealism; Clancy seems to forget that if a nuclear bomb were detonated in the US, a country would certainly need to be invaded in retaliation. It's confusing as to whether the terrorism was state-sponsored or not - Clancy wastes so much time giving us physics lessons that he's not got enough pages left to properly wrap up key plot points. He seems to lose sight of their importance by the end, focusing instead on, well...all the characters basking in the warmth of their own overwhelming personal morality.
Rating: 
Summary: Navy saga, Boatswain's Mate is better
Review: Typical Clancy stuff but not my favorite writer. Maybe the movie will bring it to life. I recently read Boatswain's Mate, a sailor's story by Pat Johnston, and found it to be more interesting. The characters are more down to earth than Clancy's high flying CIA operatives.
Rating:
Summary: Dull and dry
Review: Until "The Bear and the Dragon" came along, this was my least favorite Clancy novel. Unlike his earlier stuff, he takes FOREVER to get the story cooking, and it's the first one where his personal politics really start to get in the way. In a book where it takes a whole chapter for a nuclear bomb to go off, you can expect to read some fairly arcane technical trivia.
("The Bear and the Dragon" also has this in common with "Sum." They're the only ones where he tries to write sex scenes, and, well, let's just say it's not his forte. He should have learned from this novel that he doesn't do it well, and left it alone.)
This is the only Tom Clancy novel I have been unable to reread. Some of them I've read five or six times. This one I just can't make it through a second time.
Rating:
Summary: Great read...once again
Review: Once again, perennial best-seller Tom Clancy has crafted a story which is both entertaining and frightening. Considering the events of September 11th, it is not surprising that this book has taken on gargantuan proportions. I do not wish to take anything away from this book. It is well-crafted and very detailed - sometimes a bit too detailed for most people's taste. However, for those who want to understand everything there is, no one is better to do that than Clancy. The Sum of All Fears is wonderfully written and will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the story. It also does not hinder readers who may pick this up as their first Clancy novel. Each character is drawn accordingly and enough information is given so they aren't strangers to the first-timer.
Rating:
Summary: The Sum of All Fears
Review: Tom Clancy's The Sum of All Fears is quite possibly tied for his best work (Clear and Present Danger may be the only that surpasses it). Clancy combines his talent for character self-exploration with the action that only he can describe. Though criticized for his long character developments and explanations, watching Jack Ryan and his colleagues overcome their personal problems, along with the challenges that face the world, excites anyone willing to look deeper into the true meanings of his books. The Sum of All Fears appeals to those who want action-packed adventure and those who want to understand the characters (not just looking for a cheap thrill). Also, on an unrelated note, the Phantom on the cover looks really cool.
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