Rating: 
Summary: joder, que negativos sois
Review: El libro es de ciencia ficción, no pretende descri bir la realidad. Y como libro de ciencia ficcion, hay que reconocer que al autor se le va la olla :-)
Rating:
Summary: catalans are not serbs
Review: Even in a fiction book, the comparison between catalans and serbs is hateful. Specially since we feel much more like the Croatians or Slovenians: the rich Nation of the State, paying lots of money to the other parts of the State, with some basic rights in the edge of discrimination against us; and still being hated and/or missunderstood by most of the other people. I just think the author doesn't know anything about what he's writting. Very unfortunated.
Rating:
Summary: Don't WASTE your money & time on this one
Review: For an author renown for his meticulous research on his previous books, Tom Clancy has definitely not done his homework on Balance of Power. His lack of understanding (& ignorance) of the present political/social situation in Spain is incredible, to say nothing about the totally unrealistic plot of the book - laughable. It is obvious to this reader that the author has never spent any time in Spain. As a Spanish reader, I found his characterization of Spaniards one dimensional & totally demeaning. As for his use of the Spanish language, I suggest he use a proper Spanish dictionary. Personally, I think Tom Clancy has confused the situation in Yugoslavia or maybe Russia & tried to apply it to modern day Spain.In conclusion, Balance of Power is a badly written book (where was the editor? ), with an unrealistic plot. DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS DOG!
Rating:
Summary: Don't WASTE your money & time on this one
Review: For an author renown for his meticulous research on his previous books, Tom Clancy has definitely not done his homework on Balance of Power. His lack of understanding (& ignorance) of the present political/social situation in Spain is incredible, to say nothing about the totally unrealistic plot of the book - laughable. It is obvious to this reader that the author has never spent any time in Spain. As a Spanish reader, I found his characterization of Spaniards one dimensional & totally demeaning. As for his use of the Spanish language, I suggest he use a proper Spanish dictionary. Personally, I think Tom Clancy has confused the situation in Yugoslavia or maybe Russia & tried to apply it to modern day Spain. In conclusion, Balance of Power is a badly written book (where was the editor? ), with an unrealistic plot. DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS DOG!
Rating:
Summary: Distorted Reality
Review: For those people who enjoy reading this kind of literature, this may be a gripping, can't-put-it-down kind of book. But for anybody who has any idea about Spain and its people, it is a complete joke...I know it is fiction, but the author didn't bother to write a note explaining that, like serious authors do. And I'm afraid that many readers are going to believe all the absurdities that are said about Spain in this book. True facts and names are mixed with fiction in a dangerous way. The American president's name is Lawrence, but the Spanish prime minister and king keep their real names, why?..I have to admit though, that I had some good laughs with this book. It is evident that a computer translation program was used to make the characters speak Spanish. The result is hilarious: not even the Spanish characters can speak Spanish! And no wonder the Op-Center diplomat is shot to death at the beginning of the novel: "Fusilar!" doesn't mean "gunman!"; it means "shoot!"
Rating: 
Summary: It was better than the in-flight movie
Review: I had read Clancy's "State of Siege" before reading this. "State of Siege" was a thrilling action novel that was clearly focused. The same, however, could not be said about this book. The action sporadically jumps from Spain to Washington. However, the Washington scenes add nothing to the plot except an "Americans are the thankless peacekeepers of the world" idealogy. The action scenes are few and are rather pathetic. Too much is happening at one time making them far-fetched and hard to imagine. Besides, Clancy doesn't stay with a scene long enough for the action or the scene to develope correctly. The end is utterly predictable leading to a emotional let down Many of the reviews, in particular from Spaniards, show a disgust for the grossly inaccurate portrayle and comparison to the republics of the former Yugoslavia and his corruption of the Spanish/ Castillian language( if you can even call it that). My only response to that is this: the distortion and polarization of Spains "ethnic" groups was used to bring the problems that some Eastern European countries are having to a Western country, a country that Americans can more easily identify with(that is the only way I can explain the obvious misrepresentations).So if you are a Clancy fan, read this and know that he has written better. If you've never read Clancy, don't take this as a great example of his work. This was a book meant to be picked up at the airport and read on transatlantic flights. And in that respect, it is a good buy.
Rating:
Summary: It was better than the in-flight movie
Review: I had read Clancy's "State of Siege" before reading this. "State of Siege" was a thrilling action novel that was clearly focused. The same, however, could not be said about this book. The action sporadically jumps from Spain to Washington. However, the Washington scenes add nothing to the plot except an "Americans are the thankless peacekeepers of the world" idealogy. The action scenes are few and are rather pathetic. Too much is happening at one time making them far-fetched and hard to imagine. Besides, Clancy doesn't stay with a scene long enough for the action or the scene to develope correctly. The end is utterly predictable leading to a emotional let down Many of the reviews, in particular from Spaniards, show a disgust for the grossly inaccurate portrayle and comparison to the republics of the former Yugoslavia and his corruption of the Spanish/ Castillian language( if you can even call it that). My only response to that is this: the distortion and polarization of Spains "ethnic" groups was used to bring the problems that some Eastern European countries are having to a Western country, a country that Americans can more easily identify with(that is the only way I can explain the obvious misrepresentations).So if you are a Clancy fan, read this and know that he has written better. If you've never read Clancy, don't take this as a great example of his work. This was a book meant to be picked up at the airport and read on transatlantic flights. And in that respect, it is a good buy.
Rating: 
Summary: Clancy as an example of American ignorance
Review: I had the chance to read this book during my last business trip to the States and I was very interested to see how Clancy dealt with this story about pseudo-nazi attitudes in today's democratic Spain. I've got to say that the plot is catching enough, masterly webbed; the setting though is not credible at all and, besides that, it's insulting not only for Catalans but for the rest of Spain's nations as well. In Europe, people usually have the feeling that Americans are ignorants in many matters as long as these don't relate to the US. Some of us, after knowing lots of educated American folks, changed our minds and began to think this was another old fashioned topic with no truth behind it. Unfortunately, Mr Clancy has made me change my mind again. Sorry.
Rating:
Summary: Mr.Clancy, you just lost another fan...or almost did
Review: I have long praised T.C. novels for being so real-sounding and accurate depicting characters and events no matter where the action did take place. Now that I know firsthand the real background in this one, I wonder whether all those detailed facts that I enjoyed so much have the same in common with reality as here. I can't help but feeling somewhat cheated, Mr.Clancy. Your novel lacks verosimilitude from the very first page! Most names, expressions, concepts used sound rather Latin-American than genuinely Spanish, or purely invented.. When I think of Gen.Amadori I imagine an Argentinian-Junta general rather than a spanish military. I use to enjoy sci-fi stories, but the ones with aliens and robots. And those Op-center super brains, well, I sincerely hope that such an agency will never exist, to the benefit of us all. Please come back with new exciting techno-thrillers and I will convince myself that some other Tom Clumsy wrote this book instead of you. ;-)
Rating:
Summary: Its historical background lacks of the due information
Review: I have praised Tom Clancy books for years. "Balance of Power" has, however, disapointed me. Reading it I have had the same feelings as reading science-fiction. The geography and the names' spelling of the Spain that Clancy views, are very accurately settled (a quality that the Spanish reader seldom finds in English-American books). In contrast, Spain's historical, social, and political background is as far from reality as the Ptolemaic physics from the Copernican ones. Spain reached its unity as a nation in the 16th Century; Yugoslavia was an artificial State born in this Century from territories of the ancient Austrian and Turkish Empires. Why then put in the same level Bosnia and Andaluzia? The Spanish Constitution say that the King of Spain is the Chief of the military forces (a role similar to the President of the US). He has in fact an authority over the Spanish Generals and officers, that was decisive in stoping the "vaudeville" military push of 1981. Clancy's book do not mention the real thread to Spanish democracy: the terrorism of ETA.
|
