Rating: 
Summary: RUUUN RED RABBIT...RUUUUN!!!
Review: Remember RED RABBIT, that awfull cut&paste juvenile first draft that we got suckered into buying as a novel? Well I for one have not forgotten and, for that matter, neither have Clancy's readers I hope. This one is a just tad better. More events, although none too cleverlly interwooven, lots and lots of extreme right-wing retorics (still looking for those Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, aren't we Tom?) and the nagging aftertaste of having bought another phoned-in flop.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm 4 Chapters In And It's A Classic Clancy Story.
Review: I'll tell you up front that I have every Tom Clancy Novel in hardcover. I enjoy his work and I have re-read most of his classics and by classics I mean the true epics, not the co-authored works or the in-depth looks into the Armored Cav. etc., although those are solid works as well. While not every at bat can be a home-run (Red Rabbit was predictable and occasionally slow) so far I think Teeth of the Tiger has the ability to be a Grand Slam akin to Executive Orders or Without Remorse. I sat down last night and burned through the first 4 chapters with out the notion of any passage of time. In typical T.C. fashion the book grabs you by the ears and refuses to let you even look up once. As you saw in the liner notes this takes place a few years down the road and Jack Jr. is the apparent heir to the throne with all of his father's characteristics, attitude, and intelligence firmly implanted in him. What I wouldn't give for a dinner and drinks with T.C. to hear the real stories that he has to tell.
Rating: 
Summary: Disapponting
Review: Tom Clancy is known for his tense drama, multiple-subject points of view and excellent (if somewhat wordy) description of modern weaponry. This book disappoints on all three points. The one moment of tense drama is a terrorist attack on a shopping mall. The story told from the terrorist's point of view is primarily rhetoric and travelogue. And we now know that an Ingram automatic weapon pulls up and to the right when fired. As a prolog to a new series with a new generation of characters, this is more satisfying. Jack Ryan is retired from the presidency, and we meet his now-grown son Jack Junior as well as two cousins, a Marine and an FBI agent - all of whom have potential as primary characters - as they go to work for a non-governmental agency known as The Campus. Their mission? to follow the money trail that leads to the terrorist's leaders and financers, then terminate with prejudice. The book's ending is obviously a lead-in to the next installment. I would recommend waiting for the paperback, and reading it just before the next installment of this new series.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing beyond words
Review: In short, this book [stinks]. Now I'm a huge Clancy fan. Been hooked from day one. But since Executive Decision his books have been weighted down by over-the-top political editorializing, characters embarking on these long ..., ridiculous soliliquies to give light to Clancy's particular conservative views. But although they could barely hold a candle to Cardinal of the Kremlin or Clear and Present Danger, Clancy's last three tomes---Decisions, Rainbow Six, and Bear/Dragon [i couldn't bear to open Red Rabbit]--still had enough heft of plot, techno-military-espionage, and pure action to keep me hooked. But if you're lookin for any of that in Teeth of the Tiger, forget it. This ... reads like a half-hearted attempt to fulfill a contract. Clancy purports to be giving new life to the Ryan lore by moving into the second generation. Want plot? The book is basically about Ryan's son, the now grown up Jack jr., and two cousins, who've popped out of nowhere, basically travelling around the world sticking terrorists ... with poisoned pens. Blofeld would be embarresed. When they're not sticking folk ... they're sitting on some boring ... locale engaging in the damned political soliliquies again. Remember Clancy's taut action sequences? The opening of Patriot Games? Clark's drug dealer rub-outs in Without Remorse? The frantic fire-fights of Chavez and the other Spec Ops operaters in Clear and Present Danger? Well, forget it. The best this new [book] can offer is ... a by the numbers "shoot the terrorists" scene halfway through the book. How many ways can I say [bad]? Frankly, Clancy should be embarresed and I want my money back. Somebody call me when Clancy chooses to focus again on tight plots, strong characters, and fast-moving, geopolitcial military action. This tiger has no teeth.
Rating:
Summary: A book chopped in half
Review: I'll say right at the start: I really miss Tom Clancy's writing style from his first five fiction books -- those were all excellent, and in general, tightly written... Something tells me either Clancy himself or his editors... decided that it might be a good idea to keep this newest installment of the Jack Ryan canon *short*. It's physically about half the thickness of "Executive Order." There's no real build-up to the ending -- the Caruso brothers and Jack Ryan, Jr. (yes, the former prez's son) methodically take out four terrorists connected to a string of simultaneous suicide attacks on several American shopping malls with hardly a peep from the supposedly higher-ups in the terrorist organization. The conclusion gives a small hint of a cliffhanger. Clancy's action scenes are always well-written, but I've been getting a creeping suspicion that his editors (if they exist) are taking a nap and letting him write whatever he wants. That's why I liked his earlier books so much more -- they were *tightly written*, with no extraneous fluff (...). Why didn't the editors just cut that whole section out? Here's hoping Clancy's editors get some backbone when his next book is completed.
Rating: 
Summary: Clancy's lost it
Review: Underwhelming. That's really the only word to describe this book. I can't say that I'm tingling with excitement to delve into the world of John Patrick Ryan, Jr, especially when the story seems to have been thrown together in a few days. Three out of the last four Clancy books have been clunkers...hopefully the trend will reverse, but I won't be holding my breath.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost a return to form
Review: After the dreadful Red Rabbit (which Clancy apparently abandoned to start Teeth of the Tiger), I vowed never to read another Clancy Book without first reading some reviews. But after reading the prologue that was released online, I felt encouraged to get the book and I read it in one sitting. Clancy is back. Teeth of the Tiger is the latest in the Jack Ryan series and has a good portion of the elements that won him acclaim. Fast action, multiple plots that converge in unexpected times and places, lots of new characters and some clever descriptions of new techs that the good guys use to get the bad guys. The old characters have been retired. President Ryan is out (and you'll never guess who the next president is), Robby is dead, out with the old and in with the new. Jack Ryan Jr. and his twin cousins are the main characters. There still are connections to the Sr. Ryan in the plot, but he does not appear. This book is only 430 pages (about a 4 hour read) and that's a good thing. I didn't notice the horrific lapses that ruined the previous 2 attempts (red rabbit and bear and the dragon) no repetition, no anachronisms and not many useless scenes and monotony. The plot is on a smaller scale (no nuclear weapons unleashed or attempts to exterminate humanity!), but the bad guys are a new combination. The Cartel joins with Al Quida and its up to the new heros to stop it. The terrorists sting America and then its up to the twins to bite em back (the Teeth of the Tiger unleashed). Great stuff, topped off with a bit of a cliffhanger ending suggesting a sequel will be coming. Not as good as the classic Clancy books, and closer in style and content to Patriot Games than Debt of Honor. Clancy not at his best, but not near his worst, definitly worth picking up .
Rating:
Summary: Time for Jack Ryan Jr. 3.5 Stars
Review: The last novel that Tom Clancy presented to readers was not well received. With," Teeth of the Tiger", we are again presented with a young Jack Ryan but this time it is a new generation and not a work that is a prequel to previous books. This book ends abruptly and does so at a point that would normally mark the half way mark in terms of length of one of Mr. Clancy's works. This book is not a sweeping complete tale; it is clearly one in a series. This work borrows from, "Clear and Present Danger", "Without Remorse", and finally, "Rainbow Six". The concepts of sanctioned action outside of nearly any governmental oversight, the drug trade and finally forms of revenge were all explored in the other works that I mentioned. The new twist here has to do with populating the events with Jack Ryan Jr. and two of his first cousins. There is nothing here readers have not been exposed to before and have enjoyed. Mr. Clancy brings great authenticity to the organizations he creates here just as he always does in his work. What is missing this time is the very deft hand he has always been when it comes to the gadgets and weapons systems he presented. His books read as though he had unique access to information, one work even included a satellite photo that caused a bit of an uproar. His very first book was said to have caused consternation in the Navy due to the remarkable and correct detail he offered readers This book's events largely take place in the world of cyberspace and Mr. Clancy clearly is not as comfortable with this and related subjects. I have read all of his stand-alone novels and as a reader from the very first work I would like to see new novels and complete works like those he presented in the past. When you see this book you will immediately note how slender a volume it is for this author. At 430 pages it is comparatively brief, and with the introduction of Ryan Jr. it appears much of Jack Sr.'s career is going to be explored once again. Placing the next generation of the Ryan family in the loop does not constitute a new novel. In this instance the book read like a re-tread and is not a major new work by Mr. Clancy. If fans are not enamored by this work it will mark the second tale in a row that has disappointed his readers.
Rating:
Summary: Clancy Returns From The Dead... Sorta.
Review: I finished this in two flights, so it's a pretty quick read. Clancy has barely escaped his hack reputation he gained (from me, anyway) for his last few books with a half-decent concept, if not execution. He's still doing his 'copy-paste' method of reinforcing characters, rather than truly building them.
(Pg 28 "Bob was a bad man - he killed people.")
(Pg 56 "Bob, you're a bad man, after all, you killed people."
(Pg 120 "What a bad guy this Bob fellow is, Ryan - He killed people.") Again, very low plot-per-page, but an interesting concept to go outside the government to create an airtight splinter organization that hunts down terrorists with no oversight. For that, kudos Tom, for being the first TC book in a while that I didn't skip 20 page chunks just to get through the mundane to see how it ends. It wasn't a page-turner, but it wasn't as bad as the last few. No gigantic flaws or ridiculous things like R6. Whole new character set, only mentions of the
old guard. Ends in a way that will leave you... wanting more... ok, waiting to see what comes next anyway. It is clearly a vehicle for a sequel or series. I was almost ready to give the Clancy franchise a heave-ho after R6 but I found the new book, the ability to tear away from tired characters, refreshing and I'll look forward to when Clancy gets to stretch his legs a bit on the sequel to this one. BTW: No neato highspeed weapons or gear, which was always a staple of TC books, and a little mention that personally bought handguns for civillians are pretty well useless, even though he disproves the logic by having his trained .gov characters just happen to be armed (and carrying CCWs) at an unbelievably inceidental location where some terrorists happen to be
staging an attack that could be taken care of by two guys that had never trained together, with common civvy handguns. Darnit, Tom, you can't skimp on Gemtech suppressors and MH60G helicopters if you want to keep the American public in the gee-whiz mode. :) Glad to see TC is back on track with the new characters and plot potentials: I smell some inspiration cooking from a long-cold pot. KW
Rating:
Summary: Not worth reading
Review: OK, I have read and enjoyed everyone of Clancy's previous books. He has lost his touch here. The dialog is poor, the story is shallow, and the characters are poorly drawn. Everyone is a cardboard character.
Here he has a new agency that runs around the world deciding who they can kill in the name of the United States without any responsibility to anyone. The plot involves the Arabs, in this case the Saudis, joining up with the Columbian drug lords for a raid on four shopping centers in the US. Then Jack junior and his two cousins run the Saudis down in Europe and kill them with a new pen operated device that shows up as a heart attack. Shades of the Bulgarians in the UK.
Only thing new is tracking down the bad guys using the internet as they send emails around the world, and Jack jr and his new friends track them down using the FBI, the CIA, NSA, and MI 5.
Should have been a good story if it had been written better, however Clancy has let us down here. Hope he does better next time.
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