Rating: 
Summary: More about politics
Review: Clancy seems to spend more time in the minds of his characters espousing what seem to be his own political beliefs. He's obviously changed as a writer from classics like Hunt for the Red October, I for one am not so impressed. This book seems to end abruptly, definitely setting up sequels. Also, the villains are not as well developed as previous novels. In other books, you felt that you understood the villains motivation, if not agreeing with them. The book is timely as far as terrorism is concerned and for that reason alone may satisfy a lot of readers. If you're not interested in Clancy's political views, skip this one. Perhaps there will be a better plot and more action in the next novel.
Rating:
Summary: Clancy rip-off
Review: Don't pay full price for half a book. This is barely 400 pages, and those padded by wide spaces between the lines. The book looks like it was written for the screen, with a simpler plot than the typical Clancy and an obvious setup for a sequel.
Rating: 
Summary: Is this the same guy that wrote Red Storm Rising?
Review: The story line is OK but the character development is so contrived that a sixth grader would find it so. The conversations between characters had me shaking my head most of the time since they fit neither the people nor the situation. very sad.
Rating:
Summary: Not Quite There
Review: This one didn't work.I'm a Clancy admirer. I tend to agree with his politics, I appreciate his grasp of matters diplomatic and technological, I've enjoyed all his books in the past. But this one? Doesn't work. The characters are completely interchangeable, for starters. Really, there are only two characters: the bad guy, and the good guy. Of course, there are more than one of each, but they're indistinguishable. The bad guys talk the same, the good guys, too. Worse, Clancy's super-good guys are twin brothers Brian and Dominic Caruso. He tries to sketch out gradients of difference, but give it up now -- you won't be telling them apart. But the characters here are meaningless. This is all about getting back at the terrorists, in a not-quite satisfying way. It's certainly not as tense as past Clancy efforts. Not even close. If you're a Clancy reader, you'll probably keep waiting for that BIG THING to happen. Any thing. But that big thing...doesn't. Don't want to spoil the ending for you -- but who can spoil what doesn't exist? Clancy's forays into the ethics of war, killing, and using force COULD have been interesting, if only he'd taken the time to do some deep thinking on the issues. I'm no pacifist, and tend to agree with his conclusions, but reflection the characters are given credit for makes the reader suspect these guys really aren't too bright. The worst part: Clancy's thoughts on Islam. He's strangely simple-minded on religious issues. He takes the intellectually lazy "hey, there are freaks in all religions" route, and Mohammed was a decent citizen, and the Koran teaches the same stuff as the Bible, etc, etc. All that sounds neato, of course. If only it were true. Strangely enough, when it comes to this relevant issue, Clancy takes the sophomore's complexity-be-damned approach. For a guy known for his terrific, nuanced research into his writing subjects, Clancy muffed this one.
Rating:
Summary: Stretched believability, it used to be Clancy's strong suit
Review: *CONTAINS SPOILERS*
CLancy used to be great for his realism and believability. That has all gone out the window in this book. In specific the terrorist attack on a mall where two highly trained assassins (good guys) were in just the right place to save the day. Tom, you never used to believe in coincidences. In Patriot Games an alert cop might have saved the day. Now you stretch believability to think these two guys happened to be in just the right place at just the right time.
In a more general note, Clancy's military and law enforcement world is off in fantasy land. I am in the military, where are the troublemakers, immature, drunk driving, sad sack, cant PT, bad attitude soldiers? How about the highly effective soldiers who are borderline sociopaths? How about a simple acknowledgment that we dont walk on water? The military is an amazing institution and I am proud to be in it and I am proud of my soldiers, but Clancy sounds like he learned everything about the military from official military publications. I am saddened that it has slipped this far.
Rating:
Summary: a new low....
Review: In the spirit of disclosure, I acknowledge having read every Clancy book (and often purchasing at almost full price)and having essentially the same complaint after each dose -- the man can't write dialogue. It got better during midcourse where some of the dialogue read almost smoothly, but he's gone to new lows in Teeth of the Tiger. Some of the conversations are so bad, they would sound out of place in an ESL class. Further, Clancy compounds his problems in this outing by featuring three protagonists in their early 20s. I challenge any reader to identify a young man who speaks like the twin brothers or Jack Ryan Jr. do in this disaster. Along those same lines, in trying to breathe fresh air into the Jack Ryan franchise, Clancy demonstrates he is frozen in time. In one painful scene where the twins and Junior are looking at cars at a Ferrari dealership, Clancy has the characters compare a Ferrari to 1) Grace Kelly and 2) Maureen O'Hara. I defy readers to find a young American in his or her 20s that recognizes either name. Okay, a select few might remember Grace Kelly. But Maureen O'Hara? Hell, I barely remember her, and I'm well past my 20s. I'll not even bother to criticize the thin-skinned Clancy for his usual insults directed toward anyone not American or the minority characters he gratuitously includes to demonstrate his "open-mindedness." Readers also will get a kick out of the rather negative references he directs toward smoking (a terrible habit he apparently has given up recently after a lifetime of smoking). Getting off course here. In summary, if you do buy this book (or if someone dumps their used copy on you), read it while holding a highlighter. Every time dialogue clanks off your ears, underline the passage. When you've completed the book, skim back through it looking for the highlighted passages. You'll be amazed at how many there are. Finis.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not great
Review: Overall I enjoyed the story, but at the end, I felt there were too many loose ends and too many convenient circumstances. The heros (Caruso brothers and Jack Ryan's son, whom are cousins) are unbelievably lucky. The action sequences are few, but are satisfying. I suspect one or more sequels are in the works to tie up some of the loose ends. The Publishers Weekly editorial review was right on the money - it's not his strongest novel, but it's a big improvement over Red Rabbit.
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Summary: Excruciatingly Painful Read
Review: I had to read this novel because I am a fan of the Ryan series, but it was so bad that I almost did not finish it. This novel could have been a short story. It is very repetitive. Clancy goes over the same character thought processes and information again and again. The characters are shallow and the story formula. I am no great reader or writer and not very intelligent, but I could see events coming a mile away. Normally I am captivated by the twists and turns of the action sequences; not this time. Clancy has tried to merge recent events of the world (Sept. 11, Afghanistan, Iraq) with the fictional history of the Ryan world (Denver nuclear bombing, 747 airplane hitting the capital building, Saudi Arabia) badly. It used to be that there were analogous events in the Ryan world to the real world, but now they are all together in the Ryan world and there are too many. I recommend this book to Ryan fans because, let's face it, you have to read it. At least it is only half as long as a normal Ryan series novel.
Rating:
Summary: I've read all of Clancy's books...
Review: ...but this might be the last one I waste any time on. I mean, how many times do the characters have to ponder the same moral dilemma over and over...sheesh, Tom...we get the point. This was a short book for Clancy, only 431 pages. He could have done the same story, and had the same impact, in 200 pages. I don't want to ruin it further for anyone insisting on reading it so I'll be vague. Be forewarned...after the first few pages of action...NOTHING HAPPENS for the rest of the book. There is no action and little in the way of tradecraft excitement. In fact, while the premise has possibilities, the way in which the story unfolds would never happen that way...the three cousins operating together...gimme a break. This is more like a Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys plot. For Clancy fans...just remember the good times and find a new favorite author.
Rating: 
Summary: Good work, Fast paced, but a bit monotonous at times
Review: Tom Clancy delivers a creative twist to the Jack Ryan saga by introducing son Jack Jr. to the action. The book starts out with Junior and his cousins each going about their lives doing the right thing (depending on your religious and social beliefs), which results in them being spotted and recruited by 'The Campus.' Recruitment and training takes up about the firt 2/3 of the novel as Clancy goes into his typical infentismal detail regarding global politics, religious beliefs, and the training regimen. One interesting departure is Mr. Clancy's focus on Jack Jr. and his cousins' concience. One of the brothers does a complete 180 after he experiences a terrorist attack first hand and has a young boy die in his arms. The recruitment and training phase builds to a fast-paced crecendo of page-turning action, then smooths out as the trio travels across Europe wacking people in the terrorist network as fast at The Campus can identify them. This is where the story bottoms out in my opinion. The duo/trio embark on a mission which has them travelling Europe performing kill after kill after kill - knocking out various levels of the terrorist organization in a blandly similar manner. Perhaps it could have been more intriguing if some of the targets had engaged in cat & mouse counter-surveillance tactics. I believe that Mr. Clancy was making a point that people who engage in terrorist activities generally believe that they are beyond reproach. He paints a picture of terrorists that are well enough hidden that even if America did employ Assassins they would never be targeted without an organization such as The Campus. The one take away from the book is that America has built up so much beauracracy with regards to the intelligence services and our capability to combat terrorism that we have essentially hobbled ourselves. The ending of the book taunts the reader with a cliffhanger - alluding to another Jack Jr. book which would theoretically become another of the Clancy franchise which already includes Jack Ryan (Sr.), and John Clark (Without Remorse, Rainbow Six).
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