Rating: 
Summary: Tom Clancy Goes Shopping
Review: There is the germ of a novel here. Sadly, the whole thing got disinfected along the way. We are thrown a new set of characters, tossed off the info that a major series character has been killed offscreen, and given a pretty good setup for a story. As stated in other reviews, there IS one terrific action sequence, the stuff we read Tom Clancy for. And there is that germ, that concept, that just gets flogged around, that ex-President Ryan has set up another black ops shop, off the books. What was wrong with Rainbow Six? Too legal? Also, some fairly interesting rumination on Islam, Catholicism, extremism, politics, ethics. Interesting the first time. The 2nd, 3rd and 5th times, not so interesting. But then we do "Tom Goes Shopping". Everything I used to enjoy about the catalogs of facts and features, pertaining to military hardware, this time is focused on "living the high life". The specs for an Aston Martin (and several other high-end cars), the best hotels and restaurants in London, Vienna, Rome. Fine gentlemen's clothiers. Specs for driving on the Autobahn / Autostrada. What is this - an attempt to write off living it up on your European vacation as research for a book? In this process, we have three (or is it four, I was getting bored with the repetition) identical murders of terrorists, by cardboard protagonists, with no oversight or control, based apparently on increasingly scant e-mail evidence. Did the concept of the rule of law just leave Western Civilization? Oh, and by the way, would a Terrorist Master of Operational Planning NOT recognize the son of the ex-POTUS? And then it just stops. No resolution of most of the plot threads, so obviously there will be ANOTHER overpriced turkey attached to the back of this one. Feels more like his ghost-written stories than a proper Tom Clancy novel. Decidedly NOT my favorite.
Rating: 
Summary: Half his usual
Review: The book is half as long as normal, but is unfinished. Obviously the beginning of a new series, the author has solved the Jack Ryan problem. Having promoted his original hero out of the action, here the heroes are the son and nephews of the original. But these kids are without depth or much of a back story. Jack Jr., a rich, spoiled?, college grad with no experience talks himself onto a top secret job and assasination. Huh? The author would still benefit from editing (three descriptions of death by poison), but still knows how to make a reader turn the page. The kids need more seasoning and where are all the old guys? Finish this one.
Rating:
Summary: All the good and bad of a Clancy novel rolled up in
Review: Like most Clancy fans, I have read all of his books up to now. This one encompasses many features from his previous thrillers; great plot development that keeps the pages turning, but "forced", unrealistic, and hard-to-stomach dialog. He introduces new characters in this book, including Jack Ryan Jr. (who somehow gets a job with a secret anti-terrorist organization without his parents finding out) and his two cousins. The ongoing moral dialog between the two cousins as they debate the morality of their new assignments...basically to kill terrorists "outside of the law" is forced and, at best, hard to believe. Are really there any brothers out there who actually refer to one another as "bro"? I know none of my four brothers can say it with a straight face. Jack Jr. is a recent college grad who spends a lot of time reflecting upon his upbringing, and how it affects his current job as an "analyst" for the new super-secret national secrity organization he managed to ge a job with- The campus. He passes (by my count) several months without speaking to his mother & ex-president father, despite frequent references to their positive influence in his life. All in all, the book just starts to get good when it ends. I will defeinetly read the sequel to see what happens to this new trio with their newly acquired information (which they happen upon within five pages of the book's ending). However, I found myself saying on multiple occasions throughout this one..."Oh come on" as I read some of the dialog. I think Clancy has lost his knack for dialog-based character development that made his other books so easy to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Very average
Review: Better than the co-authored Clancy books but a poor attempt to recreate the character of Jack Ryan in the form of his son. The majority of the book labours over building a plot and characters before a weak and anticlimactic finish. Come on Mr Clancy where's that sparkle?
Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: As with all of Tom Clancy's novels, there is a great deal of detail. Since the book is much shorter than any of his other novels (431 pp.), I figured that Mr. Clancy would spend less time developing plots and characters and more time with action. HOWEVER, except for a few bright spots, I found the book extremely boring. I read every word until about page 200, then I found myself skipping around. One thing that was interesting was descriptions of methods used by our security forces to track down criminals using the internet. But, in my humble opinion, even this could have been done better and with less minutiae. No doubt there will be a sequel, but I won't be wasting my time with it. It is a shame, because the subject of this book (dealing with radical Islamic fundamentalists who want to do nothing more than destroy the US) is so widespread and prevalent today. I am sure that there will be many other books dealing with this subject. Maybe Clive Cussler has something in the works.
Rating: 
Summary: *****"Highly Recommend"*****
Review: "A bonafide page turner that leaves you wanting for more." Tom Clancy has once again captured the mood and culture of the U.S. intelligence community. 100 years from now students will be reading Clancy for historical perspective. Just as he captured the essence of the cold war in "Hunt For Red October" He has effectively scribed the feelings of our nation in the new war against terrorism.
Rating:
Summary: Uggghh, not his best, even for a fan
Review: Having read everything Clancy, I was hoping this thinner volume would mark a return to the tightly-written action-packed stories that made him so popular in the first place. Instead, Tiger reads like a laughable parody. The son of the president (Jack Ryan Jr.) gets to be a secret assassin unnoticed by either his parents or the press. Twin cousins show up from some unmentioned latin branch of the Ryan family and just happen to coindidentally enter the same assassin program, where they just happen to be shopping at a mall during the middle of their training when it is attacked by gun-wielding terrorists. What was he thinking?! Although it's shorter than "Red Rabbit" and "Bear & Dragon", it still drags. For some reason there not one but two tedious car drive scenes, one in the US, one through Germany. Not car chase; car drive. Zzzzzz. Clancy must be too big for an editor. The book is stalled until the last two chapters.
Even worse, it is cruel, with painfully explicit violence towards children. Yes, that is the real world too, but it in Clancy's writing the good guys used to win and the kids had a chance. Long-term members of the Jack Ryan universe have been killed off with hardly a mention. If you think "Without Remorse" was Clancy's but too long, then you'll like this. If you hated the tight plot of "Red October" and thought "Bear and the Dragon" just needed more vulgarity, then this is your book. Otherwise wait for the paperback or pick up the copy someone has dropped in disgust.
Rating:
Summary: Clancy getting a little soft.
Review: First off, let me say that I am (still) his biggest fan. My biggest mistake is reading Red Storm Rising first. All the rest cannot compare to his masterpiece. Don't get me wrong. A bad Clancy novel is better than a good "any other" novel.
If this were written by any other author, it would have gotten another star. The book has Jack Ryan's son as the hero, taking over much of what his father use to do. It stretches credibility a bit but not incredibly so. What stands out for me is the lack of action or, more importantly, tension throughout the novel. There is just no excitement until the near end. Most of it is background laying. At just over 400 pages, it is one of his shorter novels. Another critique is the short abrupt ending. No doubt, there will be part II to this story. In Clancy's earlier works, the novel would be more "complete." Boo for making us wait another two years and spend more money. Overall, I would say that this is one of my least favorite novels from him.
Rating:
Summary: Who wrote this....really...NOT Tom Clancy
Review: You know that there is a serious problem with a novel when it debuts with a 30% reduction in price, and goes to 40% reduction within two weeks of release. This book is NOT by the Tom Clancy I admire. Tom Clancy's writing is captivating. His themes are profound. His technical discussions not merely astonishing, but realistic. I have an entire file of copies of key paragraphs from past masterworks which have deep philosophical or pragmatic value. This is the work of a hack, out to make a buck by using a famous name. This could not be Tom Clancy. O.K. Here's the plot, such as it is: Islamic extremists form a loose partnership of convenience with South American drug lords whereby "bad guys" are aided in crossing over our Southern border and allowed to create blood baths in several shopping malls throughout the U.S. The point is well taken in light of 9-11: Not even the "heartland" of America is safe. What do we do? Must we wait to be attacked, or should we strike those who would destroy us before our countrymen are slaughtered? To the rescue comes "The Campus"--a privately operated spy agency which has the secret approval of President Jack Ryan Sr.
But we have no appearance by Jack Sr. in this book--only reference to his "fill in the blank" presidential pardons which could be used to sanction the killing of America's enemies. The Campus was merely a center for information gathering until two brothers come along, Dominic and Brian Caruso--one an FBI agent who recently killed (in cold blood) a murdering child abuser and the other a Marine, who learned what it means to take life in Afhanistan. They are selected, and trained, to take the war to our nation's attackers, including those who bankroll, recruit, and plan attacks upon our citizenry. They are joined by Jack Ryan Jr., son of the former President, who has figured out that "The Campus" does some really heavy intelligence work and basically asks for a job--without his father's knowledge. There is a lot of consideration about the morality of preemptive strikes, and the two brothers agonize over their future role as unofficial/private killers. The discussion is neither eloquent nor instructive. Any way, after the shopping mall attacks--one of which takes place where the two brothers just happen to be (whoa, have salt tablets ready) their qualms are eased and they are eager for action. To effect their assassinations, the brothers are given a truly "007" like pen which injects a lethal chemical into the victim which will cause a death which will almost certainly be diagnosed as a heart attack. Because of Jack Jr's computer skill in tracking money used by terrorists, and "The Campus" ability to get all the secret information and computer feeds from the CIA etc. (The unspoken concept is that a band of intelligence community patriots helps The Campus behind the scenes.) With their killer pens in hand the Caruso brothers are off to Europe with a kind of shopping list of bad guys to kill. And, 1-2-3-4, they kill them. The most incredible "termination" being of one of the more dangerous mastermind terrorists by...JACK JR who basically says: "Hey, this can't be that hard. I want my turn too." (Salt, need more salt.) There is no ending which produces any sense of conclusion or climax at all. Rather, there are hints that this is "just one step" in the war against terrorism which must be fought with the same lack of mercy shown by our enemies. I have always agreed with Tom Clancy's views, expressed long, long before 9-11, (1) that the world is a far more dangerous place than we believe and (2) we have more enemies than we are sometimes willing to admit. I acknowledge the need to consider just where we need to draw the line at protecting ourselves. This, however, is not the book to help us ponder such important questions.
Rating: 
Summary: A Short Novel
Review: Instead of "A Novel", the cover should say "A Short Novel". Since Tom Clancy trimmed his cycle down to 1 year, the book is only about 400 pages long. A bit on the short side. The story line developed nicely and I couldn't put it down... but I don't feel as satisfied compared to Tom Clancy's other books. I hope the next one is better. Still, at the price, it's definitely worth picking up if you're a Tom Clancy fan.
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