Tom Clancy's Op-Center: Mirror Image

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Summary: Op Center: Stop this man before he writes again
Review: The first thing you notice in this book is that it was not written by Tom Clancy. Maybe someone who has no familiarity with Russia or the military would enjoy this novel, but I spent more time laughing at the idiocies. First of all why does a Special Forces team that infiltrates Russia consist mostly of inexperienced Privates who don't speak Russian. It doesn't just end there unfortunately, the wooden writing and even more wooden characters make this a painful read.

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Summary: This was terrible!!
Review: I have read many of Clancy's books....enough to know that this isn't one of them! While reading it ,I could pick out the parts that Clancy MIGHT have hadd a hand in writing. Those are mainly the parts dealing with technology. The book reads like a poor James Bond script. Are we to believe that a video game is going to cause world turmoil? You could say that I've read this book (or any in the Op-center series) twice. The first time and the last time.

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Summary: About as enjoyable as a bad TV Movie-of-the Week.
Review: As a die-hard fan of Clancy since before Red October was popular, I couldn't get over my disappointment at what was clearly a sell-out by Clancy. The plot was weak, the characters one-dimensional, and the '90's politically correct overtones were too much to take. Where is John Clark when you need him?

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Summary: Acts of War-a total disappointment
Review: First of all I would like to state that I am both an avid fan of Tom Clancy and the Turkish military, as a member of a family with close ties to the Turkish air force. However I was very disappointed with the lack of even very basic knowledge and the diligence to detail usually associated with Tom Clancy books. Especially for someone with extensive knowledge of military technology and the Turkish history and military, the book is full of errors, some of which are: -Kurdish PKK terrorists are trained with Marxist-Leninist principles which do not respect any religion at all. Besides, practice of religious obligations is a crime punishable by death in the PKK organization. Clancy's Kurdish characters are far too religious to be real. -Turkish military does not operate McDonnelDouglas MD500D helicopters for patrol duty. There are no armed examples of these helicopters in any branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. -How can the security of a border gate be left to two soldiers only when there is the PKK problem and a lot of illegal drug and weapons trafficking in this area? Turkish border gates in the area are usually guarded by 200 to 300 people strong commando units serving alongside the border guards. -The closest air base to the Ataturk Dam is not two hundred miles away as the author states. The helicopter in the novel would probably be intercepted and shot down by the F-16C's of the 181st or 182nd squadrons based in Diyarbakir which are constantly patrolling the airspace in this area. -Turkish officers have been prohibited to grow moustaches or beards for the last 50 years or so; Colonel Seden in the novel can never have a moustache in active service. -In the Sanliurfa region, in which there is significant PKK terrorist activity, a Turkish colonel must be very adventurous or stupid to wander around alone on an Harley motorcycle as depicted in the novel. Colonels are usually transported in this area using Sikorsky BlackHawk helicopters, not Harleys. -Probably the most important of all, The Ataturk Dam, which is blown up by terrorists in the novel, is heavily guarded by an entire army battalion and anti-aircraft missile and gun batteries to ensure that any attack will be a suicide. Now have some fun: In the book, there is a sentence that the Turkish border is told to be carrying a 9mm "Capinda Tabanca". "Wow", the reader is supposed to say. "How impressive details! This should be some sort of Turkish-made 9mm pistol." The truth is "9mm Capinda Tabanca" translates as "9mm handgun" simply. Probably Clancy or whoever wrote the novel just looked this up from the dictionary. There is no "Capinda" brand of Turkish weapons. "Tabanca" means "pistol,handgun" and "Capinda" means "having a diameter of", used here in the context of weapon caliber. I am completely disappointed with the book. Read it, it is interested reading but do not be too tempted to think it is based on accurate technical,political and historical information on Turkey and the Kurdish problem. Kursad Albayraktaroglu University of Maryland, College Park

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Summary: If you like Clancy You can't miss this!!!!!!!
Review: IF you like a real page turner get this book. There is no Tom Clancy book like this one. Miss you wedding, Miss you father's Funural, but don't miss this book!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Summary: Clancy's A-team tackles terrorism in Korea, without a clue.
Review: Total Disneyland. For all Clancy's vaunted skill with technical derringdo, this doggo title can't even get right even such relatively simple details as Korean surnames or common greetings in that language. The breathless computer chicanery is very funny, although apparently not by design. The characters are far more cardboard than usual; the plot has twists and turns, almost none believeable; and the book has a high mawkishness quotient. Perhaps Clancy has an infinite number of monkeys under contract to produce this series of clinkers, but it's about as real-world as Robert Ludlum (and only slightly better written than those eminent pieces of hackwork).

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Summary: Time for the President to shut down Op-Center
Review: Nowhere near as superb as the first Op-Center, Games of State or the NBC TV movie. This one plods along at snails pace at first, has an old-hat plot . . .can`t we think of anything better than the Middle East crisis? The brilliant Executive Orders had a Middle East situation to end all pulp fiction on that subject. The action and technical expertise does kick off in the second half, however as the ROC finds its way into the hands of the Kurds . . .this does make up for the lacsadaisical pacing which causes one to ponder the implausibilities. Why put an expensive piece of military hardware in a trouble-spot anyway, except to churn out an unneccesarry sequel? Tom, stick to what you do best, the Jack Ryan series, SSN, Red Storm Rising. Technothrillers rule, old hat pulp fiction`s good for a plane read but not much else.

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Summary: A real page turner
Review: I really liked this book. Clancy has a way of intriguing readers. I really appreciated the fact that it wasn't filled with profanity or vulgarity. It just proves that those things are not necessary to hold interest or create a mood or feeling.

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Summary: Prepubescent pap
Review: Tom Clancy is a supremely gifted writer, but he clearly sold out to an unconscionable marketing scheme in allowing his name to be used to sell this Op Center drivel. If has done so without remorse, he truly owes his readers a debt of honor.

Rating:
Summary: It is good
Review: This book is good but you must keep in mind that it was not written by Tom Clancy. In my opinion, it is better than the other op-center books, and I am looking forward to the next book, if there is another.