Product Description
For years, Jack Ryan, Jr. and his colleagues at the Campus have waged an unofficial and highly effective campaign against the terrorists who threaten western civilization. The most dangerous of these is the Emir. This sadistic killer has masterminded the most vicious attacks on the west and has eluded capture by the world’s law enforcement agencies. Now the Campus is on his trail. Joined by their latest recruits, John Clark and Ding Chavez, Jack Ryan, Jr. and his cousins, Dominick and Brian Caruso, are determined to catch the Emir and they will bring him in . . . dead or alive. ... Read more

Product Description
In a world at peace, Jack Ryan is the President's National Security Advisor-but the wages of peace are as complex-and devastating-as war itself.Amazon.com Review
Razio Yamata is one of Japan's most influential industrialists, andpart of a relatively small group of authority who wield tremendousauthority in the Pacific Rim's economic powerhouse. He has devised aplan to cripple the American greatness, humble the U.S. military, andelevate Japan to a position of dominance on the world stage. Yamata'smotivation lies in his desire to pay off a Debt of Honor to hisparents and to the country he feels is responsible for their deaths: America. All he needs is a catalyst to set his plan in motion.Whenthe faulty gas tank on one Tennessee family's car leads to their fierydeath, an opportunistic U.S. congressman uses the occasion to rush anew trade law through the system. The law is designed to squeeze Japaneconomically. Instead, it provides Yamata with the leverage he needsto put his plan into action.As Yamata's plan begins to unfold, itbecomes clear to the world that someone is launching afully integrated operation against the United States. There's only oneman to find out who the culprit is: Jack Ryan, the newpresident's National Security Advisor. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (213)

debt of honor
ridiculous book. i got to third dot without understanding any plot. do not buy this book.

long is good
this book is very good.i have the print and the kindle version. i can read it on my ipod or go on my computer.or just read the print book.this book is very good i got one about 5 years ago and have been looking for a long time.i love this book i give it a 5 star out of 5 star.

Excellent book on CD
The book was fabulous...slightly more cursing than I expect from Clancy, but a nail-biter none the less.

One of Clancy's best novels
By far, an excellent novel worth keeping to read again in the future. Tom Clancy's novels are all terrific, well written, and seemingly real, but this one is very near the top of the list of his very best, worth every penny.

Good reading
Once again Tom Clancy has given us a novel of truth and fiction. How much of each is let to the reader and their reasoning and fantasy. ... Read more

Product Description
The old rules no longer apply - anybody with a spare AK47 or a knowledge of kitchen chemistry can become a player. In a nondescript office building in suburban Maryland, 'The Campus', set up with the knowledge of President John Patrick Ryan identifies and locates terrorist threats - then deals with them, in whatever manner is necessary. It's an organisation always on the lookout for new recruits - men like Jack Ryan Jr, the President's son. Filled with the exceptional realism and cutting-edge authenticity that are his hallmarks, this is Clancy at his best - and there is none better. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (830)

Teeth of the Tiger
The book was great - I love the unabridged version.The only problem I had was the sctatches on some of the discs.Of course, the product was used but it was described as in very good condition.I think I can polish out some of the skips but there is one I can't fix.
All in all I am pretty happy with my purchase.

very disappointing...
The characters, plot, and writing were horrible, even laughable at times.I've read and loved every book in the Jack Ryan series -- this doesnt even seem to be written by the same person.....

THE TEETH OF THE TIGER
LOVED THE BOOK WHEN IT FIRST CAME OUT.HAVE BEEN HUNTING FOR ANOTHER IN THE SERIES EVER SINCE. I'M THRILLED THAT ONE WILL FINALLY BE OUT IN DECEMBER, MY ONLY COMPLAINT WAS THAT IT WAS TOO SHORT. DIDN'T WANT IT TO END.

NOT A FAN.
This was actually the first time I read Clancy. I honestly can not criticize him as a writer per say. I think its just that I don't like what he is writing about. I did not care for the movie The Hunt For Red October. I am not real big on war movies and military crap like that.With that being said, this book was a hard read, rather boring for me. Clancy is just not for me!!

A miserable disappointment
This one is a miserable disappointment.No plot, no decent characters; in short, it is a bore.The notion that the Government would commission a couple of idiots like this to run around illegally killing people is, well, who knows?At any rate, pass this one by.I have thoroughly enjoyed many of Clancy's novels.Not this one.RJB. ... Read more

Product Description
Jack Ryan has become President of the United States-and finds himself surrounded by enemies both inside the White House and around the world.Amazon.com Review
Tom Clancy goes to the White House in this thriller ofpolitical terror and global disaster. The American political situationtakes a disturbing turn as the President, Congress, and Supreme Courtare obliterated when a Japanese terrorist lands a 747 on theCapitol. Meanwhile the Iranians are unleashing an Ebola virus threaton the country. Jack Ryan, CIA agent, is cast in the middle of thismaelstrom. Because of a recent sex scandal, Ryan was appointed vicepresident, a slot he doesn't hold for long when he lands in the ChiefExecutive's chair. He goes after the Iranians and then tries to piecetogether the country and his life the only way he knows how--with afury that we've grown accustomed to in Clancy's intricate, detailed,and accurate stories of warfare and intrigue. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (522)

A boring, overly-long novel by a writer of mediocre ability
This is the only Clancy book I've read (or more accurately, attempted to read) and I am certain that it will remain the only one.

I should mention right from the start that I'm the type of reader who seeks out books and authors that have won literary prizes such as the Man-Booker or Pulitzer. I don't have a lot of spare time for reading. What time I do have, I want to invest wisely. However, sometimes I like to take a break from the snobby stuff and read something mindless and fun just to take my mind off things. That was the frame of mind I was in when I came across Executive Orders in a second-hand store. A friend whose opinion I trust had suggested Clancy to me, so I thought I'd give him a go.

It was a mistake.

Clancy is not a talented writer, and his prose is never more than workmanlike. The plot proceeds at such a lethargic pace I felt like I was watching a still-life painting. There is an awful lot of stuff about people looking out windows and thinking about things, and these passages seem to go on and on for much longer than necessary.

I stuck with it for about 150 pages. There was still an awful long way to go.

In short, I didn't like the book and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. However, I do acknowledge that I am not a connoisseur of the thriller genre.

Horrible Kindle Version
This review is solely for the Kindle version of Executive Orders.

This is one of my favorite Clancy novels.I re-read it every few years.I re-purchased it for the Kindle and must say that this is the most horrible conversion to Kindle I have seen to date.It's like they just opened up the source file, did a SAVE-AS and picked Kindle format and went to market with it.It is so full of typos and errors that it looks like it was OCRed.I will be re-reading my hardback rather than the Kindle version.

How about some proofreading?
Good novel, but extremely poorly published......at least in the Kindle edition.The text appears to have been optically scanned.....as "1" (numeral one) is extremely often used in place of "I" (capital i). Spelling errors of the same character name appear often. Didn't anyone proofread this thing???

Marred by OCR errors - Kindle Edition
Tom Clancy is one of my favorite authors, however my enjoyment of this book was marred by errors I took to be typos at first. Then, remembering my own OCR experiences, I realized that when there was an lc where there was supposed to be a k it was an OCR error. Similarly, a lot of the e's were changed to c's or c's to e's - it was a bit annoying. Love the Kindle - hate the errors. To sum up - 5 stars for the book, three stars for the Kindle edition.

Ahead of it's Time
Like Treason by Don Brown, which predicted Fort Hood, Tom Clancy years before that essentially predicted 9-11 with Executive Orders. I'd highly recommend this plus the novel's of Brown's Navy Justice Series for an insight into Islamic Terrorism. ... Read more

Product Description
In a harrowing tour de force, Tom Clancy shows how an ordinary man named John Kelly crossed the lines of justice and morality--to become the CIA legend Mr. Clark.Amazon.com Review
This harrowing #1 bestseller is an unforgettablejourney into the heart of darkness.Without mercy.Without guilt.Without remorse. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (338)

good
it takes place in america during 60's-70's. it has a very beleivable character line and the characters are very likeable. the plot is very exciting about vengence. the author wants to show how ex-military people are very good people and can love too. i beleive this book is aimed to entertain any aged man who is intrigued by the military. this book ment to me that an ex-military guy can be sensitive but still be a tough guy who can risk his his life for someone he loves. tom clancy wrote a very good novel

Great book, kindle version has many typos (poor OCR???)
This book is one of the best from TC!I'm glad my kindle purchase was for a re-read however.There are many typos in the kindle version (e.g. a 1 rather than a I).Some/most of these are just annoying, but some make the text unreadable/incomprehensible.I don't know what the process is for converting a book to kindle format, but if I had to guess based on the types of typos that I'm seeing in there I'd guess it's some for of OCR (which is fine, but they really need to do a better job at proof-reading the digitally converted text).I've noticed these types of errors in some other kindle books, but this one seems to be much worse than any of the others I've seen in the past (there seems to be an error every few pages).

Awesome read
Great entertainment. Would have been good if the main character had been a LITTLE more in jeopardy at times, but very satisfying.

Kindle Version Ruins an Excellent Book
I've been reading Tom Clancy since 1989, when my dad gave me copies of Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising as I left for college. I've loved most of his work (things started going seriously south with Rainbow Six), in particular Without Remorse. A few weeks ago, I decided that I wanted to revisit this favorite, so I purchased the Kindle edition.

This novel focuses on the events leading to John Kelly's transformation into Mr. Clark, a central figure in several of the Jack Ryan-centric novels. Largely absent from Without Remorse is Clancy's typical wide-angle view of events with periodic zooms into the events in one setting or another, though it's clear that the historical context shapes the story. The story is well-paced and Clancy does a solid job of making us care about the central characters.

The Kindle edition of Without Remorse, however, reads like someone tore the pages out of the novel and scanned them into the computer using a version of OCR software dating back to the mid-90s. There are quite a lot of mangled words, spacing is often weird, and punctuation frequently doesn't make sense. If you can overlook this sort of thing, the Kindle edition will work just fine for you. If you find that such problems interrupt the flow of the story, as I do, you're better off passing on the Kindle version and tracking down a hard copy from your local library or used book store.

wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wow. i loved this book. i am only elven years old and i have read 8 of clancys novels, and this was by far my favorite! ... Read more

Product Description
Four Cassettes, 6 hours

Time and again, Tom Clancy's novels have been praised not only for their big-scale drama and propulsive narrative drive, but for their cutting-edge prescience in predicting future events.In The Bear and The Dragon, the future is very near at hand indeed.

Newly elected in his own right, Jack Ryan has found that being President has gotten no easier.Domestic pitfalls await him at every turn, there's a revolution in Liberia, the Asian economy is going down the tubes, and now, in Moscow, someone may have tried to take out the chairman of the SVR - the former KGB - with a rocket-propelled grenade.Things are unstable enough in Russia without high-level assassination, but even more disturbing may be the identities of the assassins.Were they political enemies, the Russian Mafia, disaffected former KGB?Or, Ryan wonders, is something far more dangerous at work here.

Ryan is right. For even while he dispatches his most trusted eyes and ears, including black ops specialist John Clark, to find out the truth of the matter, forces in China are moving ahead with a plan of truly audacious proportions.If they succeed, the world as we know it will never look the same.If they fail--the consequences will be unspeakable.
Amazon.com Review
Power is delightful, and absolute power should be absolutelydelightful--but not when you're the most powerful man on earth and theplace is ticking like a time bomb. Jack Ryan, CIA warrior turnedU.S. president, is the man in the hot seat, and in this vast thrillerhe's up to his nostrils in crazed Asian warlords, Russian thugs, nukesthat won't stay put, and authentic, up-to-the-nanosecond technology ascomplex as the characters' motives are simple. Quick, do you know howto reprogram the software in an Aegis missile seekerhead? Well, ifyou're Jack Ryan, you'd better find someone who does, or an incomingballistic may rain fallout on your parade. Bad for reelectionprospects. "You know, I don't really like this job very much," Ryancomplains to his aide Arnie van Damm, who replies, "Ain't supposed tobe fun, Jack."

But you bet The Bear and the Dragon is fun--over 1,000 swift pages' worth. In the opening scene, a hand-launched RPG rocket nearly blows up Russia's intelligence chief in his armored Mercedes, and Ryan's clever spooks report that the guy who got the rocket in his face instead was the hoodlum "Rasputin" Avseyenko, who used to run the KGB's "Sparrow School" of female prostitute spies. Soon after, two apparent assassins are found handcuffed together afloat in St. Petersburg's Neva River, their bloated faces resembling Pokémon toys.

The stakes go higher as the mystery deepens: oil and gold are discovered in huge quantities in Siberia, and the evil Chinese Minister Without Portfolio Zhang Han San gazes northward with lust. The laid-off elite of the Soviet Army figure in the brewing troubles, as do the new generation of Tiananmen Square dissidents, Zhang's wily, Danielle Steel-addicted executive secretary Lian Ming, and Chester Nomuri, a hip, Internet-porn-addicted CIA agent posing in China as a Japanese computer salesman. He e-mails his CIA boss, Mary Pat "the Cowgirl" Foley, that he intends to seduce Ming with Dream Angels perfume and scarlet Victoria's Secret lingerie ordered from the catalog--strictly for God and country, of course. Soon Ming is calling him "Master Sausage" instead of "Comrade," but can anybody master Ming?

The plot is over the top, with devastating subplots erupting all over the globe and lurid characters scaring the wits out of each other every few pages, but Clancy finds time to insert hard-boiled little lessons on the vileness of Communism, the infuriating intrusions of the press on presidential power, the sexual perversions of Mao, the poor quality of Russian pistol silencers ("garbage, cans loaded with steel wool that self-destructed after less than ten shots"), the folly of cutting a man's throat with a knife ("they flop around and make noise when you do that"), and similar topics. Naturally, the book bristles like a battlefield with intriguingly intricate military hardware.

When you've got a Tom Clancy novel in hand, who needs action movies? --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1064)

The Bore and the Draggin'
This book is a pretty good 300-page read; the
problem is the other 800 or so pages.

Clancy needs a good editor who isn't afraid to
slap him around some.There are too many words
wasted repeating the same point repeatedly
throughout the book with a lot of repetitive
repetition.

This book is a Japanese sausage that he
tries to shove down the reader's throat.
Go vegetarian.

A racist piece of junk
Bought the book in aused-book sale a few years ago, and thought I'd finally read it. Too much narrative, not much dialogs. But I kept reading it until the author starts to write about the Chinese, and then I skimmed it to find more ignorant and racist remarks, some of those came out from the mouth of Jack Ryan, a character I'd liked before. I don't think I'm going to read another book by Tom Clancy. As for this one, it is not worth the 50c I paid and belongs to the trash can.

Not his best, but better than most people give credit for.
I have to admit that I've seen better from Mr. Clancy.It was a long book, maybe he gets paid by the word now? - and there were several issues of repeated phrasing.Then again, I think I would run out of new things to say after a thousand pages as well.

However, there are some things that people take for granted.Of course the plotline is going to be a bit unbelievable.The problem with big global-spanning action is that it would be too unbelievably complex as issues and events would take years to unravel to their final conclusion.Things that begin in the beginning of the book are all neatly wrapped up by the end.Unrealisticperhaps but not surprising.

Clancy is a man who has his opinions about people and those best suited to run countries and which ones are worst.That being said, I'm convinced there aren't ten people in the world that don't have their own (likely dissimilar) views who lack but the forum to share them.Would they stop themselves if they had the chance?I doubt it.

In short, it's a decent book.Worth the read, but nothing to get too excited for.

Better And More Real Than Any Movie !
Bonzo! Dead Eye! Fire Away!This sequel to "Executive Directions" is dyanmite!No movie could ever do justice to the multi-layered dynamo of War, Espionage, and International Intrigue.What a whale of a story!So fast-paced that it leaves you on the edge of your seat! No other work of fiction on current issues on war and intriguecould ever match this! A complete course in international relations--- all contained in this incredible book! Tom Clancy is a national asset! Politicians and military alike could benefit from this master genius with so much awareness and depthfrom whom we all could learn so much!

Mr. Clancy, females don't clip their pronouns in speech
I'm actually surprised, given all the insightful reviews here, that no one else is irked by his characters' "Hollywood" dialogue.As much as I admire Tom Clancy's story development and research, his characters' conversations are stilted and 1950s Hollywood.In his earlier novels, his work has been a sort of antithesis to Stephen King's universe:in Clancy's world, all men are overachievers, Decidedly Republican, and if not in possession of a Master's Degree, most assuredly working on one! Conversely, in King's realm, all men are drunks, given to child molestation, and of course had abusive parents!But I'll give it to Stephen King:his characters' dialogue is so true to life as to be, well, a bit scary. Contrast that with a typical exchange between Clancy's ongoing protagonist Ryan and his wife:
"Hi, Honey.Do anything today?"
"Went to the mall.Didn't buy anything."
"Bargains?"
"Didn't see any. Came on home."
Earth to Tom:having spent a few years in the United States Army, I can confidently say that there are very few guys in or out of the military that actually talk that way( clipping pronouns and articles in speech )...and absolutely NO females I've encountered that do it! However,
like so many avid Clancy readers, I absolutely love his meticulous attention to detail( Earth to Stephen King: stay away from the military and UFOs!! ).Nobody does his research quite like Tom Clancy( although I've always thought the Late Michael Crichton came very close, plus some very realistic conversations between his characters ).So I too was disappointed with this gargantuan effort.As to political leanings, the not-so-subtle digs at the Clinton administration didn't surprise me, although I also wondered just who, other than President Fowler in Clancy's universe, represented the token Liberal Democrat...Clancy probably would like to go back and reissue his novels, substituting Fox News in place of every reference he made to CNN.
One more point on the dialogue critique, Mr. Clancy:Please stop assigning stereotypically poor grammar to enlisted folks!I've met more than a few NCOs throughout my tenure in the U.S. military with very eloquent speech...and quite a few officers who were never taught the finer points about employing double negatives in speech, much less pronoun/antecedent agreement.Characters in Clancy's universe fall into one of two categories:Overachievers ( the vast majority of every American he introduces, along with his educational resume ), and the token wino/terrorist/criminal.Where are ordinary, average people in Clancy's world?Nary a store manager or public school teacher is introduced.Oh, they live; just working out their underachieving lives as best they can...but, in Navy parlance, just "below the radar".
If you approach a Clancy novel as one more platform for Tom showing the world just how smart he is, you won't usually be disappointed...I only wish he could find a way to be less didactic about it( something Mr. Crichton achieved in virtually every one of his novels ). And one final note, Mr. Clancy:very, very few people actually "chuckle" anymore.Most of us Laugh, sometimes Uproariously!
... Read more

Product Description
Jack Ryan's first days with the CIA may be the Pope's last days alive. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (618)

A boring book in many ways
When in the early 80's the brand new Pope, John Paul II, delivers an ultimatum to Warsaw to stop its repression, he does not seem to be aware of the consequences his actions will have on the world of politics. One of the main political players is Yuriy Andropov, chairman of the KGB, and his is far from happy with what the leader of the Catholic Church has decided to do. Therefore he demands immediate action.

At the same time Jack Ryan gets involved into his first field assignment. His mission is to help transport a Russian defector and his family to the United States with the help of the British SIS. The defector has information that might save the life of the daring pope. But Jack is fully prepared for his task and will have to do with all the support he can get.

To be honest, I did not read a Clancy novel before I started on Red Rabbit. But because the cover suggested that this story would describe how Jack Ryan started his life as a hero, it wouldn't be such a bad idea to begin with this novel. I watched and liked the film version of Hunt for the Red October, so I already had some idea of what Tom Clancy's opus is all about. All this did not help to drown my disappointment while reading Red Rabbit.

The story is quite realistic, although it is clearly written with a feeling of American superiority in mind. As a European I have difficulties understanding this American patriotism, but that would not necessarily hinder me in enjoying a good story. But sadly enough that is exactly what is missing from this book. Tom really was in the mood of making weaving a story strongly hooked into reality, but as you may know reality is not always synonym for exciting. The story drags and drags and although it keeps the promise of a big final alive, it never delivers. Some story arcs just die without any denouement. Where the narrative really shows the craftsmanship of a talented writer, the plotting can't get me enthusiastic at all. I will have to try one of his earlier works, I guess.

Did clancy really write this?
The style looks wholly different, characters seem "out of character" and the reader has shovel an awfully lot of manure to find the pony.

Insult to Marines
A good story idea, but a mediocre execution.
Worst, however, Clancy lost the bubble on Jack Ryan.

There are inconsistencies in the character in his relationship to his previous and subsequent "history," but most notably in his personal character.

Clancy seems to have decided that vulgarity sells books. Using that vulgarity in the character of Jack Ryan,, a Marine officer, has definitely cheapened Clancy as a novelist, and is a real insult to all Marines - officer or enlisted.

Shame on you, Tom Clancy!

Feel Free to Skip this Ryanverse Novel, You Won't Miss Anything
This is an average thrown together Clancy novel. Does not focus on Jack Ryan, he is more of a bumbling ancillary character. If you skip this you will miss almost nothing in the Ryanverse. I read the book 4 years ago, so I do not remember the particulars , just that I was unimpressed.

Clancy at his best with a Russian spy novel
This is Tom Clancy at his best! A Regan-era cold war spy novel about a Russian KGB communications officer wanting to defect to the west. The bulk of the novel covers the planning and execution of the CIA plan to get the "Rabbit" and his family to the west.

The abridged audio book was well performed with good Russian accents as needed. The abridgement was well done and the story hung-together-well. Yep, a must read. ... Read more

Product Description
The U.S. Army’s Special Forces are known for their highly specialized training and courage behind enemy lines. But there’s a group that’s even more stealthy and deadly. It’s comprised of the most feared operators on the face of the earth—the soldiers of Ghost Recon. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

amazing book
In my opinion reading this was better than playing the game I couldn't put this book down I loved all the action and fighting. It was like watching a war in my head. I loved all the bloody gore and details of the death that happens during the many battles that take place. Awesome book I'm 20 and loved this book is recommend it for teens and anyone loves the military and war

Easy read, not to heavy on substance
If you are looking for a fun book to kill the time this book is for you!!The charcters aren't heavy and it is a whole lot of kill or be killed type scenerios just like the game would be before you hit the reset button and do it all over again.This book was a nice change of pace from what I normally buy from Amazon.

Thrilling adventure
As a big fan of the video game series, I was skeptical that a book could convey even the smallest amount of justice to the name. That said, I'm pleased to have been proved wrong.

Ghost Recon has great action, it's wonderfully written and actually very believable in some aspects. Much more so than some action book these days. A great read.

Great for the fan
Ghost Recon is a fantastic game and a strong series. Often times video games don't translate well into other mediums like movies or novels. But while not Shakespeare Ghost Recon does a pretty good job of keeping fans of the video game happy while appealing to those looking for a light read in the semi high tech military genre. There is some character growth but not what you would find in a typical novel. That said since you can't kick back and play the game while killing time on a bus or plane, this is the next best thing. I recommend it for fans of the game and think those who haven't played the series but enjoy the Tom Clancy Universe will also find it a worth wild read.

This actually could have been a great book.
This is a great one to three day read with lots of special forces action. It's based on a video game but I've decided to stop being so danged picky about what I read. Many of the facts about military hardware are inaccurate but... WHO CARES? If you're looking for special forces history there are plenty of options for you out there. The sad thing is that if this story had been more developed it probably would have been as good or better than a Tom Clancy novel. Maybe the author will get a chance to strike out on his own someday. One thing the reader may find annoying is the shameless and sort of funny Blackhawk tactical knife advertisements scattered throughout the book. I'm not talking about just one or two lines, these things go on and on. Here's an example;

"Brown unsheathed his Blackhawk Masters of Defense Nightwing and took it into his left hand in a reverse grip. He wasn't expecting to use it, but you never knew. The fixed blade had a fiberglass nylon handle with wing-walk inserts, a black tungsten diamondlike carbon (DLC) finish, and a serrated spine, giving him a secondary edge for back cuts and draw cuts. The blade was 5.9 inches of pure death, and he considered it the American Express Card of knives- because he never deployed without it."

This chestnut is truly gruesome, especially that Schwarzeneggar one liner at the end. Thankfully these deviations from the course of the story are not frequent and I think we should refrain from blaming the writer for them. I'm certain there was an advertising, marketing, or contractual issue that allowed those hideous lines to make it past the editor. Plus I'm probably being silly because this book may have been written especially for youngsters who might actually consider those bits of information useful and essential to the story. In that case I may be the real idiot here.
Bottom line: it's a quick entertaining read, if you like military stories you should buy this and take it on the plane with you. You won't hate it. And for the record, Blackhawk does make some fine gear.
... Read more

Product Description
From the author of The Hunt For Red October, a New York Times bestseller for over 40 weeks, comes his greatest performance yet. Red Storm Rising is an alarmingly authentic portrait of escalating aggression between superpowers on all fronts--land, sea, air and space.Amazon.com Review
Using the latest advancements in military technology, the world's superpowers battle it out on land, sea, and air for the ultimate global control.A chillingly authentic vision of modern war, Red Storm Rising is as powerful as it is ambitious. It's a story you will never forget.

Hard-hitting, suspenseful, and frighteningly real.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (304)

Good Read for 1994 but dated for 2010
I loved this book when I first read it although I'm not sure Clancy's references to advanced military technology are as applicable to the weapons of today. Unlike other books based upon war, Clancy does rely more on the fact that he is presenting something futuristic.The many years that have passed since this was written has muted the excitement over something he presents as futuristic and yet the reader sees as old technology.
I only wish that Clancy would go back to writing books where he spends more than a few months between releases.When he spends some time on a book, he can be a very engaging writer but when he cranks 6 books out in a year, the quality of his books drop immensely.

Best Book Clancy Wrote
I've read this one a couple of times over the years, and I get something out of it each time.To me, this is the best book Clancy has ever written followed closely by The Hunt for Red October, and I have often wondered why he didn't continue with these characters in future novels vs. writing one or two too many Jack Ryan novels as well as the Op-Center and many other derivative works with co-authors.It's too bad clancy seems to be done.

A classic that never gets old
This is one of the great ones.Too big to be made into a movie that could adequately capture all that the book encompasses, this is the only place you will catch a glimpse into WW III, Clancy-style.Clancy has done it all, covering politics, naval warfare (surface, submarines, and aviation), land warfare, air warfare and intelligence; there is no aspect of modern warfare that is unexamined in this book.And as we have come to expect, Clancy has woven all of these components together flawlessly as only he can.Surprisingly, this was Clancys' 2nd book; when I read it, it read more like the pinnacle of a masterful career as opposed to only his second book out of the chute.I can't recommend this book highly enough; great work, Mr. Clancy.

A great tale of Cold War conflict between The Warsaw Pact and NATO at political, strategic, and tactical levels
I've read this book a number of times since I got in the mid 1980s. It had been long enough since my last reading of it however, that I kept being reminded/surprised by that happens next.

For those of you who don't know this title, it was published in the 1980s, before the fall of the Berlin wall and the end of the Cold War. By the time this book came out the Cold War had been rolling for close to 40 years, and the USA and the USSR had enough nuclear weapons to wipe out humanity several times over.

This book provides one author's (Tom Clancy) vision of what war between the Warsaw Pact and NATO might have looked like. It is a masterful military and political action adventure that takes place at political, strategic, and tactical levels of conflict.

This is my favorite Tom Clancy novel. He writes in a layered fashion, skipping from one location and set of characters to another. I think that he is the one who made this writing method popular. I like the fact that he keeps the reader up to speed with what's happening simultaneously with several different characters in differnt locations at the same time.

Definitely 5 stars for me. Have a great day!

Classic
Still one of the best military thrillers out there. In my opinion, this novel is Clancy at his best! ... Read more

Product Description
Two men possess vital data on Russia's Star Wars missile defense system. One isted by the KGB. The other is Jack Ryan, hero of The Hunt for Red October,ld to peace. A 4-month #1 New York Times bestseller, with 1.3 million hardcover copies in print. HC: Putnam.Amazon.com Review
Two men possess vital data on Russia's Star Wars missiledefense system.One of them is CARDINAL--America's highest agentin the Kremlin--and he's about to be terminated by the KGB.The otheris the one American who can save CARDINAL and lead the world to thebrink of peace--or war. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (141)

A Cold War Masterpiece
I have been reading through the "Golden 5" Jack Ryan novels, starting off with Patriot Games and ending with Sum Of All Fears. While Hunt For Red October was always my favorite, I have to say that Cardinal Of The Kremlin will now have to follow any re-reading of that book. These two novels feel like Dune and Dune: Messiah, two parts of one tale.

The main reason for this is the way that characters follow through right from one story to the next. In many ways, Cardinal provides a good deal of payoff for October. We get the epilogue of many of the featured characters from the former novel, and as the title suggests we see who the shadowy but essential agent CARDINAL is and why he does what he does.

As October dealt with the dark spaces that submarines occupy, Cardinal goes the opposite route and deals heavily with satellite warfare. In between, however, the book once again weaves a complex and riveting narrative of human action and reason. Whether it is CARDINAL himself, the Afghan warrior "The Archer" or Clancy's iconic Jack Ryan, we see how many different lives are fueled by motives that are far more intricate than simple good or evil. While Clancy has often been (duly) criticized for making Jack Ryan into an uncostumed Captain America, what I found exceptional here was the lack of caricature in dealing with the Soviets. Indeed, even the worst of the men on the Russian side are still layered and thoughtful, something that is refreshing for the time.

Outside of the characters themselves, the book provides a thrilling spy story. In some ways the story is a simple case of a race against the clock, in this case the goal being to get CARDINAL out of the USSR alive. Alongside that there is a parallel tale of another race, the dueling attempts at perfecting satellite technology that in summary sounds dull but on the page is surprisingly exciting.

If you were a fan of Hunt For Red October and want a followup to those characters and another tale in that vein, you'll find a lot to like in Cardinal Of The Kremlin. Another great read from Tom Clancy.

KINDLE SPECIFIC COMMENTS: Yet again, this ebook is almost humorously full of small errors. Nothing that will stop you from reading, but you may find yourself re-checking a sentence or to in order to make sure you read it right.

Very well written novel
I've read a couple of Clancy books in the past, inspired by the films and video games bearing his name (although I know the games had little to do with him).Back when I had enough time to read, I would not have understood Clancy novels, and though I do love reading I don't have a lot of spare time these days.Still, I decided to snag this book and several others and get back into it.I am also an aspiring author so I get a little more out of a book than just a nice story; I appreciate writing style as well, and Clancy's generally suits me very well and shapes my own writing.

Since I haven't read all of his books, I'm not qualified to give an opinion on whether or not this is his "best" or "worst" book.I will say that it is very solid, however.Clancy comes across as an expert on everything, but that's not really possible, so I'm sure there are some errors; some people have complained about unrealistic homosexual themes and impressions of Moscow life.If you can accept that fact that it's not perfect, however, you will enjoy a great story with excellent character description.I can't say there's a lot of character "development" because for the most part, each person holds onto his views throughout the story, but each person is given an extensive back story and their thoughts and emotions are detailed explicitly.

As for the storyline itself, many reviewers have complained of a slow-moving plot and boring premise.I would venture to say that these people aren't mature enough to understand this book, or not suited for this genre of novel.Yes, it's not non-stop action, but whose life really is?Our modern staple of action movies makes it seem like quiet moments, personal reflections, or days of ordinary activity are a curse upon the hero type, but this book takes a more realist approach, which I appreciate.The political passages aren't the most exciting, and I admit I prefer the tense combat scenes, but they are very insightful and worth reading carefully.

Clancy does well with cliffhangers as he switches between characters, keeping you turning pages to see what will happen next.The writing style used here is very fluid; sentences aren't too long but they aren't short and choppy (I have literally put books down after the first couple pages because the writing style was too staccato).The language is intelligent and elevated, and Clancy (except for once) avoided his revert to a "textbook" style of writing in which he switches from past to present tense and explain how something works.Despite being an engineer myself, and enjoying technical aspects, I feel that isn't the way to handle them in a novel like this.

All in all, this book is a very solid, well-written thriller that definitely had me turning pages at a rapid pace, and did not turn me off to the idea of reading several more Clancy books in the near future.If you enjoy his work, I would definitely recommend The Cardinal of the Kremlin.

Yawn
How very disappointing. I've noticed that Clancy has difficulty with moving a story along. This really could have been a much shorter book. The premise was interesting but it didn't really go anywhere. Flat characters and directionless story. At least we aren't buried in technical jargon like some of his other books.

Not recommended.

Times have changed
Given the change in the world since this book was released the plot seems a little dated. Aside from that this book is also probably the most compelling that Clany has witten. It also relies to some extent on characters from past Clancy novels which may it a little confusing for first time readers.

I didn't find the plot as entralling or suspensful as other Clancy works like the Hunt for Red October or Clear and Present Danger. I still however enjoy Clancy's writing style and plot development and his high level knowledge of the subject matter.

Perhaps the world has moved on too much now for this style of novel to be truely engrossing. It is hard to imagine a world in which the major struggle was the Cold War, yet it once was. Unfortunately that is what happens when you write a book based on current events, when those events change your work dates very quickly.

Clancy's most underrated novel
This is a classic Cold War spy novel. The bulk of the story is Soviet intelligence searching for a mole inside their community, and American intelligence trying to extract said mole after decades of service. It's been a long time since I read this book, so I can't get into detail about the plot. I do remember one memorable scene in which the Soviets immerse an American spy in a sort of isolation chamber that includes sophisticated sensory deprivation techniques. The interrogators trick the spy into thinking she is dead and God is speaking to her. Needless to say, she confesses everything, giving the Soviet interrogators exactly what they want.

Per Clancy's MO, there are a legion of characters not lacking depth, suspenseful and extended action sequences, heart-in-your-throat submarine tactics, and a slam-bang ending that was one of the more politically charged endings Clancy ever wrote. What's better, The Cardinal of the Kremlin doesn't fall victim to the overwhelming length of Clancy's later novels (see The Sum of All Fears and Executive Orders). ... Read more

Product Description
Ex-Navy SEAL John Clark is the newly named head of Rainbow, an international task force dedicated to combating terrorism. In a trial by fire, he must stop a terrorist group of men and women so extreme that their success could literally mean the end of life on earth as we know it.Amazon.com Review
No one would have blamed David Dukes if he had declinedreading for Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six. Not only is "Rainbow" amelting pot of secret-agent patois, but the 700-page-plus book versionruns at a rampant pace--this despite the usual wealth of Clancydetail. But actor and audio pro Dukes (and the editor responsible forcondensing the script onto six hours of tape) handles this dauntingtask admirably, applying a steady--but not urgent--Everyman's tone andimparting a sense that we're hearing the whole story. Listenersmay want more, but will be satiated with this abridged rendition.

Dukes also bounces seamlessly among dialects, giving distinct buteasy-to-understand voices to Rainbow, a colorful cast ofinternational good guys assembled to save the world fromterrorism. The group is led by a sometimes violent but justice-mindedex-CIA agent, John Clark, who is proof that Clancy can paint a darkprotagonist as vividly as his good knight, Jack Ryan. But RainbowSix is an equally bright showcase for reader Dukes, who, likeClark, is bent on providing justice. Dukes's reading gives justice tothe abridged form. (Running time: six hours, four cassettes) --RobMcDonald ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1444)

Not Much at the end of this Rainbow...
I guess this genre/subgenre of literature is not for everybody, but I am almost certain that it can be written and edited better than this was.

When this novel is at its best, it flows and actually thrills me as the reader. However they were many setbacks and take away from how colorful this couldve been. Like the stereotypical characters that are near Super-human. No traces of character flaws or conflict that actually help create suspense and thrill. Everyone is wealthy with Masters and Doctorate degrees living rather lavishly. The Big Bad is not classism or racism or the human condition, it is organized global terrorism, which only the "Westernized" nations can fully combat.

The constant explanation and reiteration of things (i.e. weapons) and various jumping POVs take away from any momentum, making this novel move at a snail's pace. I don't understand why Clancy chose to narrate and devout an entire detailed , yawn stimulating paragraph to a character cleaning his rifle, when it can be summed into one sentence (i.e. Character thoughtful cleaned his expensive rifle.)

The characters I found myself intrigued by were unfortunately not main characters, but were ripe with human characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses (outside of military combat). If Clancy could transfer on how well he introduced these minor characters to his protagonists, this novel would be ten times as better.

I continued on through the novel, often skipping paragraphs that repeated the same detail (they practiced this way, they practiced that way, one is french, one is german, so on, so on). The suspenseful parts of the novel for me get lost and bogged down by Clancy's need to provide lengthy exposition.

slow to develop
Takes a lot of pages before you learn what the plot is all about. Clancy takes up too many pages about clark's wife & daughter & her husband Chavez. About halfway through the book you learn what the plot is & then it gets very exciting.

One of, if not the, best book I have ever read.
Before I even knew of the existence of this book, I was a huge fan of the Video Game series. Wanting to read a good Video Game tie-in book, I read this. This was by FAR one of the best books I have ever read. This book got me interested in Tom Clancy's Novels, and I then read "Clear and Present Danger", another absolute winner, but not quite as good as Rainbow Six. If you like Special Ops or the game series at all, READ THIS BOOK!

Solid
I come from a background of reading horror, sci-fi, and thriller, but Rainbow Six was the first Clancy Book I've read. I gotta say I liked it. Yes, the characters are all supermen. But I believe it is actually more realistic if a group of people like this existed than didn't. And to say that there was no plot is a lie . . . Although the first half of the book follows a repetitive path. But that's not the reason I give it four out of five. The dialog wasn't much different from character to character--you'll find all characters saying things "dubiously" quite often, and things like "you say so." It seems like I'm being a prick but this is just something that irks me because it makes the characters feel unnatural. You may not be bothered by it.

Besides that little thing, the book is superb. The action is intense, the technology is cool, and the plot is cool, the bad guys have a frightening plan, and the ending is kinda unexpected (won't give it away). And despite my previous remark about the dialog, I still find myself enjoying the conversations the characters have. Great job, Mr. Clancy.

4/5

Tom Clancy at his best!
Loved the book on CD.Tom is the best.I've never played the video game, now I want to do so! ... Read more

Product Description
A deadly game of hide-and-seek played out in 18 days over 4000 miles of ocean. Red October is the Soviet Navy's newest ballistic missile submarine. When the whole crew decides to defect, the Soviet fleet sets out to destroy it, while the US and British fleets attempt to prevent them.Amazon.com Review
Somewhere under the Atlantic, a Soviet sub commander has just made a fateful decision: the Red October is heading west.The Americans want her. The Russians want her back.And the most incredible chase in history is on....

The Hunt for Red October is the runaway bestseller that launched Tom Clancy's phenomenal career. A military thriller so accurate and convincing that the author was rumored to have been debriefed by the White House. Its theme: the greatest espionage coup in history. Its story: the chase for a runaway top secret Russian missile sub. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (320)

Blew my mind!!
This is the first (and best) Tom Clancy available to date.

It is an intense tale of cat-and-mouse in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and kept me on the edge of my seat until the last page was turned, or, more accurately, the last time I clicked the 'next' button.
This book is one of the best I have ever read, and I look forward to reading Clancy's future exploits.

Fanatastic - Gripping & Great Ending !!
I haven't read the book, however can't stop playing the movie. Is it a true story? Strong evidence says yes.
My brother is a reader - he thanked me for referring him to it, though he read the book. Book probably better, however, I'm a visual person. "Combat tactics" real, & pushed to the limit.

Ultra-detailed thriller still holds up!
Clancy's first Jack Ryan novel is so detailed I'm pretty sure I could pilot a Russian submarine.Its pretty amazing some of the knowledge that he was able to attain and included in the novel in a way that fit in and didn't read like a manual.The cast got too huge at times but overall a good book, just a little dense.

Submarine Spy Thriller
When this book first was published, the Navy and CIA were worried there was a leak in Naval operations, that is how accurate Clancy was in his story telling. The stalking of Soviet subs by the US subs which were better, quieter and more aggressive, the "Crazy Ivan" moves, experimental propulsion systems all add to the realism of this novel.

It's addictive reading. It's believable (OK, so Jack Ryan is perfect all American father/husband/patriot, but shouldn't our all of our hero's be?). It is a techno-thriller, but sets the standards by which others have been measured since Clancy wrote this one. It has politics, good guys vs bad guys and plenty of suspense. There are many things to be learned from this novel about life on board a modern sub, the tactics both sides used....maybe that is why it has been so popular and still stands the test of time. The movie was also excellent and faithful to the book. Highly recommended.

A classic for the technology lovers
The Red October, a new nuclear stealth submarine invented by the Russians, is violently taken over by Ramius and starts making its way into American waters.

With half the Russian navy and the rest of the world watching Jack Ryan is assigned by none other than the U.S. president to aid the military intercepting the sub and working out what the hell is going on.

The novel is a product of extensive research, which is likely its claim to fame. It takes 100 pages before the actual hunt for Red October begins, and its only around page 300 that some real action begins.

The majority of the book is devoted to intricate descriptions of military techology, maneuvers and a little Russian psychology. This is fine if thats what you like, I usually prefer a little more character based stuff, bu hey! If military novels are your thing than this classic is for you. ... Read more

Product Description
Playing detective in a mystery simulation, Net Force Explorer Matt Hunter investigates the high-profile murder of a wealthy young socialite. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Major disappointment
I also chose this book because I have liked all the other Clancy books I have read.This one was a definite disappointment.None of the excitement or intrigue of his other works ..... makes me wonder if he even wrote it.Too bad.Tom Clancy is one of my favorite authors

Very poor work
I am very confused with this Clancy attempt at what it would seem as teen literature.A very dull story, almost obvious.Too boring for adults, yet confusing and truculent for kids.

Cold Case
I choose this book because I like Tom Clancy novels. Although I like Tom Clancy novels I think this one could have had more action in it instead of trying to solve an easy mystery. Perhaps if this book were more of an adult book than it would have been much more interesting.
The book is mainly about a team of Net Force Explorers who find themselves in a homicide case. The only thing they have as a lead is a paper with addresses and numbers that were scratched out.
IF you would like to read this book go ahead but I don't recommend it.

This book is only good for starting fires.
Ok I love Tom Clancy's books, but this one (disappoints). If you are going to read the Tom Clancy Net Force series, only read the adult level books. These younge adult books (stink) and are an embarrassment to Tom Clancy's name. The only good books are #1-6, dont waste your time reading anything after that.

net force
net force is about net force explorers who solve crime ... Read more

Product Description
The controversial bestseller from Tom Clancy, the all-time master of the techno-thriller. CIA Deputy Director Jack Ryan joins the war on drugs. And when three American officials are assassinated in Colombia, the U.S. response is swift-and shocking.Amazon.com Review
At the end of the prologue to Clear and Present Danger, Clancywrites, "And so began something that had not quite begun and would notsoon end, with many people in many places moving off in directions and onmissions which they all mistakenly thought they understood. That was justas well. The future was too fearful for contemplation, and beyond theexpected, illusory finish lines were things fated by the decisions madethis morning--and, once decided, best unseen." In Clear and PresentDanger nothing is as clear as it may seem.

The president, unsatisfied with the success of his "war on drugs," decidesthat he wants some immediate success. But after John Clark's covert striketeam is deployed to Colombia for Operation Showboat, the drug lords strikeback taking several civilian casualties. The chief executive's pollsplummet. He orders Ritter to terminate their unofficial plan and leave notraces. Jack Ryan, who has just been named CIA deputy director ofintelligence is enraged when he discovers that has been left out of theloop of Colombian operations. Several of America's most highly trainedsoldiers are stranded in an unfinished mission that, according to allrecords, never existed. Ryan decides to get the men out.

Ultimately, Clear and Present Danger is about good conscience, law,and politics, with Jack Ryan and CIA agent John Clark as its dual heroes. Ryan relentlessly pursues what he knows is right and legal, even if itmeans confronting the president of the United States. Clark is the perfectsoldier, but a man who finally holds his men higher than the orders of anycareless commander.

Along with the usual, stunning array of military hardware and the latesttechno-gadgets, Clear and Present Danger further develops therelationships and characters that Clancy fans have grown to love. AdmiralJames Greer passes the CIA torch to his pupil, Ryan. Mr. Clark and Chavezmeet for the first time. Other recurring characters like Robert Ritter and"the President" add continuity to Clancy's believable, alternate reality.This is Clancy at his best. --Patrick O'Kelley ... Read more

Customer Reviews (160)

Right-wing pap guised as 'technothriller'
Tom Clancy knows his stuff, that we all know. But his politics and his paper 'patriots' like Jack Ryan often overshadow the narrative (it actually fares a lot better here than his previous novels, like 'Patriot Games'; where our 'heroes' were so morally correct and faultless it's simply...BAD writing). As of writing this review, Tom Clancy's novels have hit rock bottom; the intelligent folk of America have come to see his militaristic, pro-American novels as outdated rants from a Reganesque era where diplomatic reason was all to lacking. But his earlier novels were actually worthwhile-'Clear and Present Danger' being one of the readable of the bunch; and his simple-simon, military centered politics actually did serve the plot some good. It's a good thriller, in the rein of his first novel 'Hunt for Red October'; if you have the patience to ignore his intrusive, right-wing rants that pepper the pages now and then this is good bromide before bed, and that's all there is to it (and people wonder why his novels clock in at 600+ pages!).

Compact and very relevant story in its time, but...one nitpick
I won't add to the already excellent user and critical reviews other than to post one nitpick observation:

All the original novels in hardcover had "signature" fonts, artwork, and layout, and most importantly, the artwork was relevant to the story.

A photo of two obviously much older F106A Delta Darts of the Montana Air National Guard, which have zero role in the story, is typical of the careless approach to the paper back covers. These aircraft technically were in service until the late 1980's before completely being phased out (which started in 1983), but have *nothing* to do with this story!

It's not that hard to get it right, the original has a Sikorsky Helicopter which actually figures prominently in this story, not two second-line Firghters who come no closer to the story line than the Canadian Border.Even some stock artwork of a Tomcat would have made more sense!

I warned it was a "nit", but given the number of people who read these books with an appreciation of the level of effort Clancy made to be reasonably accurate w/re to equipment, I can only ask, "Did he ever see this cover? He would have had kittens!"

:)

This book needs an editor.
If I had to describe this book with one word it would be long.This book goes on forever.It wouldn't be so bad if it were interesting, but long stretches of this book are very dry and boring.It takes several hundred pages to set up the story, and much of this is wasted on extensively describing characters and subplots that have very little to do with the main story.

When the main part of the story is going, it goes very well.There is intrigue, suspense, exciting gunplay, and surprises that are typical of Clancy novels.But there is so much in between that the book as a whole drags.

In addition, the discussions about the rape early in the book and the foul language did nothing to contribute to the story, and in fact detracted greatly from it.

Don't like aspect
It's bad to wage war on drug dealers in South America?!?!?!?!?
I wish Tom Clancy would do us all a big favor and keep his silly Libertarian views to himself.

Good listen
A good read to a good book, I just wish that they had an unabridged version of it. ... Read more

Product Description
Offers a detailed, fact-filled examination of the Airborne Task Force, complete with exclusive photographs, illustrations, diagrams, and an extensive interview with the commander of the 18th Airborne Corps, General John Keen. Original." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Review from a paratrooper
My husband, who is a former paratrooper, read this book and said it is right on as to the research and explains very well the reasons and attitude of what it takes to truly be a paratrooper.

Could have been much better
Clancy offers just enough to information to let you know that there is quite a story to be told of the Airborne and its soldiers. The problem is that he doesn't tell it. While equipment is important, Clancy is so enamored by it that it dwarfs any emphasis of the people and what they do. The book isn't a snooze-fest, but it also isn't riveting. Without a doubt, the worst part of the book is the small photographs. They are numerous and useless. Most of the time they add absolutely no information. They are maybe 2 inches by 2 inches and taken from very far away so that often all that can be seen is specks.

I jumped with the british & Tom Clancy wrote a book about it!!!
I was stationed at Bragg in the nineties & was a paratrooper during that (cluster___) operation called operation royal (purple) dragon. The brits were a sloppy bunch of guys. Oh, the book was alright, it was nice to have a book written about something I did, especially if it is by Tom clancy (and some other guy). I was out of the service by the time this came out and having a hard time finding work, so this was a proud little moment. I doubt it would interest today's paratroops or anyone else. Anyhow, ALL THE WAY!!

Serves as a snapshot
As a book about the U.S. Army's airborne forces in the 1990s it is an OK book, but so much has happened in the last ten years that it really is dated. Realignment has changed the 82nd Airborne and some of the old airborne units in support of XVIII Airborne Corps are losing their airborne status; those slots are being realigned to Special Forces, where they are more needed and are more relevent.

There are some misconceptions perpetuated by Clancy and the chapter in which he interviewed a former XVIII ABN Corps CG seems totally irrelevent in today's environment. With that being said, anyone interested in the Airborne from a historical perspective should get this book.

Clancy is kind of Right
I read his book on Marines and then the book on the Airborne. The problem that I have with Clancy is that he must hang out with the Public Relations officer where ever he goes. He gets the best possible answers and explanation for everything. So he is kind of right on just about everything but exactly right on just about nothing. I checked with a buddy from the Marine Corp.He had the exact reaction.Clancy should get down with the troops and find out what is really happening.

I spent 4 years with the 1st Brigade at the 82nd.LGOP to us meant "Lost Group of Paratroopers."This was pre GPS mind you. As for the 82nd taking shots from our Legged bretheran in the 101st. Notice it is they who feel the need to denigrate the real Airborne. In the 82nd we were always too busy to worry about what the legs were doing or what they thought. ... Read more

Product Description
All in a day's work for a Splinter Cell®He is Sam Fisher: Third Echelon special operative. And when a cargo freighter loaded down with radioactive material is headed towards the coast of the United States, he has minutes to disable the ship - or die trying. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (44)

meh
the book is worth reading, but why oh why would they switch authors, and in the process switch from first pov to third pov? (not to mention the SIZE of the books) im SUURE there was a good reason why the first david michaels went away and antother one was brought in, but WHYYYYY did they have to start from scratch?NONE of the story arcs from the first two novels are there.what happened to sams ability to control his sleep?GONEwhat happened to the whole katia subplot? GONEhow about sarah?GONE GONE GONE.i mean, i was poking around on wikipedia, and i saw that op barricuda sold quite well...so why would they do this?i dont get it.apparantly they know that splinter cell is going to sell regardless, and the current scenario is better for business, for whatever reason.

the spelling errors are ungodly, and im completely shocked that a book with TOM CLANCY's name on the cover would make it to press in such a state.its weird.to be honest i almost didnt read this book.i saw 'conviciton' at a book store, and i decided i wanted to check out the series, and me being the completionist that i am, and being a fan of the game, i picked up the first two.i was happy with the first person narrative and i like the katia subplot.i like how it all flowed into op barricuda, and i LOVED how katia died. i mean, i hated it, but i WANTED to know where that was going, so of course i ran out and bought the others. then im all likeGODDD whats wrong with these people?

at LEAST we'll always have the first two.they're great.and i suppose checkmate is OK.it provides plenty of tactical espionage action, and sams pretty clever in his dialogue sometimes.the asction is described well, but the storys kind of slow i guess. the main villian is hardly mentioned?except for some weak chess theme...the book opens with an air drop at night onto a ship, which is awesome.theres diving too.and the tac suit is all new with some cool stuff. lots of techincal goodies all around.

im halfway through fallout, and its about the same.i wont know for sure till im done. then its on to conviction, which i already own bc like i said, im a completionist. btw im not editing this review for spelling bc if a TOM CLANCY endorsed novel based on a bestselling video game franchise released by a major publisher doesnt have to revise, then neither do i.

Awesome!
A very good book, catches my attention, and had me guessing the whole way through. This book is recommended for all those Splinter Cell fans out there. Again, very enjoyable and worth the purchase!

dont pay any attnetion to my rating
i have not actually even read this book.im only on the second page of sc2.i wanted to point out something that most sc fans probably dont even know. david michels is not real.other authers just wrote under his name.(i think its calleda pyseduem{is that spelt right?}) the author the wrote the fist 2 book is not the one who wrote the last 4 books which is why it changed from 1st to 3rd person

Third Person, keeps you from really connecting
Why did they switch to third person? Now it is "Sam FIsher checked his op-sat" rather than "i checked my op-sat." To me this really keeps me from connecting like i did in the first two books. This really bums me out personally.

bad continuity
If you read the first two books like I did, this book will gravely disappoint you!

I found this book to be very poorly written. As others have mentioned it is riddled with errors throughout that keep the reader from truly getting immersed in the story. My guess is there are errors every 3 pages or so.

One argument I have is the lack of continuity with the first two books. I know it was written by a different author, but sadly he didn't bother to fact check what is already supposedly fact about Sam Fisher. For instance, in the first book Sam reads and can understand Farsi, but in this book Sam comes across Farsi documents but apparently doesn't understand a word (he has to be flown to an AF base for the interpreters??). It's frustrating that this author also doesn't continue already pre-written facts about fisher. I can get past small annoyances, like not mentioning previous sub-plots, but when everyone and their mom seems to talk to Fisher through his subdermal implant (a pilot for one) I get upset. There are many things like this that always leave me wondering. My list of grievances goes on and on.

Again, I could have gotten past this if the writing was good. Sadly, it left a lot to be desired. The story bounces around the place and leaves one constantly wondering what's going on. My overall impression was the that author had notes about major points he wanted in the story, and then just kind of wrote individual stories about each of his major points, without really tying them together in any coherent way. I was constantly left wondering, "Why is Sam doing this?"

For a grade I give the continuity a D-, the writing style a C (since apparently some other reviews said they could follow the story), and I give the plot a D. I loved this series, but now I will not be reading any more. ... Read more

Product Description
From England to Ireland to America, an explosive wave of violence sweeps CIA analyst Jack Ryan and his family into the deadliest game of our time: international terrorism. An ultra-left-wing faction of the IRA has targeted Ryan for his act of salvation in an assassination attempt. Now Ryan must pay--with his life. HC: G.P. Putnam.Amazon.com Review
The bestselling author of Red Storm Risingand The Sum of All Fearsbrings Jack Ryan back in his to fight his deadliest battle yet.

From England to Ireland to America, an explosive wave of violencesweeps a CIA analyst and his family into the deadliest game of ourtime: international terrorism. An ultra-left-wing faction fo the IRAhas targeted the CIA man for his act of salvation in an assasinationattempt. And now he must pay ... with his life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (181)

Book
While the book was as advertised, hard bound, I wasn't aware of exactly what a turtle back was. Whne th book showed up, it was indeed hardbound, but the size of a paperback. I can't fault the vendor for my ignorance though. The service was prompt and the product was in the condition advertised

A Fantastic Thriller
Like many people, my first exposure to Tom Clancy came by way of the film version of The Hunt For Red October, still one of my favorite submarine movies of all time and still a top contender for Best Hairpiece Used By A Scot Playing A Russian. Many years and repeated viewings later I read a few opinions that compared the pace of the book very favorably to the film, o I bought the book and was floored by how great it was. In the meantime I had also seen Patriot Games, and again loved the film.

For this reason, and based on the great reviews the book has, I decided to again read the book that the film was based on and again I have come away impressed. In terms of chronology, this book actually takes place before Red October as Jack Ryan is struggling to decide whether to work officially for the CIA. While on a research trip to the UK, he is inadvertently caught up in an assassination attempt on the Prince of Wales and his family. In foiling the attempt, Ryan becomes a target for a radical cell within the PIRA that sees his intervention as a personal insult. If you've seen the movie, you know the basic framework. If not, I'll try not to spoil anything further for you.

First let address concerns raised by other reviewers for this book. Yes, Jack Ryan does come through as an almost perfect man, and the dialogue between he and his wife does get syrupy and nearly laughable. The moral deliberations on the Irish issues with the UK apparently rankled some who were more familiar with what went on, but for me it didn't make a difference. Chalk that up to my American lack of knowledge on what exactly went on, so if you have strong opinions on that conflict you may find yourself annoyed at the stance Clancy takes, which I will agree is strongly pro-Britain. Even so, outside the boundaries of the political arguments I found myself sharing his disdain (through Ryan) at the tactics of terrorists who would kill innocent children.

Outside of those failings, however, I found a expertly paced thriller that captured the breakneck action of the best spy films right there on the page. Some were less than pleased about the hospital section, but I was impressed that rather than just skip over the recoveries of the injured we got a taste of the aftermath of violence. Too often a person gets shot and is jumping the hoods of cars a week later, here we see the deliberating effects of a single bullet. Outside of that, the sections that dealt with gunplay and combat were deftly handled, with a careful sense of location and tension. In what seems to be a realistic fashion, life and death often results from mistakes made rather than a plan working perfectly. After years of James Bond and Jason Bourne, there is a welcome feel to trained men still falling prey to fate, and a turn of the weather making the difference in success or failure.

In the end, if you're looking for a taut thriller that feels more realistic than the scenarios we often see on the screen, you'll probably find a lot here to like. If you enjoyed the movie, the book will appeal as well. A great read.

KINDLE SPECIFIC COMMENTS: As other reviewers have said, there are some embarrassing errors in the Kindle version. `If' gets substituted for `It', `comer' for `corner', etc. Not a deal breaker by any means, but it is occasionally distracting.

Great book - not so great Kindle edition
I've been a Clancy fan for years and love this series.However, the Kindle edition has some obvious flaws apparent right from the beginning.The initial quotes in Patriot Games from Edmund Burke and William Webster are simply not in the Kindle edition.Also, I believe the publisher used some form of OCR (optical character recognition) to input this book.Words like 'corners' in the hard-copy edition come across in Kindle as comers.Not a big deal, but jarring nevertheless.While I love the convenience of carrying around the whole series without the need for a backpack, this kind of sloppy, lazy data transfer gives e-books a bad name.

Clancy's psuedo-politics continue
The character of 'Jack Ryan' looks good on the big screen, and ideal for cheap entertainment--but on paper our morally virtuous, ever-correct protagonist is simply unbearable. I mean, how many scenes of corny dialog between Ryan and his wife do we need to tread through to know that our esteemed Uber-patriot is a faithful family man?Clancy is just so stuck up with his fascist outlook he fabricates a faultless, working-class Irish American just for purposes of lambasting the IRA (Provisional IRA wing)--now, I am not a IRA apologist; but Clancy's story at times made me wonder if it was written by some ignorant Anglophile! Clancy's view on the Troubles--projected through the 'conscientious' Jack Ryan--is all too ignorant and disturbing; instead he wastes paragraphs lionizing the Royal Family (he even has the cajones to state that the media reports on the rocky marriage of the Prince and Princess Wales--based on Charles and Diana--are fabrications, which we all know was NOT). Not to mention that Clancy's military fetish and obsession with the Royal Navy and SAS and whatnot borders on smarmy ingratiation. The sad thing is, there's actually a good story behind this fascist facade; the procedurals and joint agency activities of the CIA, FBI and Customs make for interesting reading...only to be ruined now and then by the protagonists's (the author's) shameless ruminations of military fascism.

Spy novel
THis is a quality spy novel.It got me dreaming.I wish I could be like the hero Jack Ryan.A good escape, and that is what I like. ... Read more

Product Description
Updated with new material on Seawolf and Virginia

"Takes readers deeper than they've ever gone inside a nuclear submarine." (Kirkus Reviews)

A rare glimpse inside a Los Angeles-class (SSN-688) nuclear submarine with Tom Clancy as your guide...

Only the author of The Hunt for Red October could capture the reality of life aboard a nuclear submarine. Only a writer of Mr. Clancy's magnitude could obtain security clearance for information, diagrams, and photographs never before available to the public. Now, every civilian can enter this top secret world and experience the drama and excitement of this stunning technological achievement...the weapons, the procedures, the people themselves.

Submarine includes:

* Exclusive photographs, illustrations, and diagrams
* Mock war scenarios and weapons launch procedures
* An inside look at life on board, from captain to crew, from training exercises to operations
* The fascinating history and evolution of submarines
* Tom Clancy's controversial views on submariner tactics and training methods. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (207)

Timely Re-read
I read Tom Clancy's book, "SSN" several years ago, and enjoyed it very much.Little did I know I'd be re-reading it and sharing it with my daughter.My grandson (her son) is in the midst of training at the Navy's submarine school on the East Coast.I think the combination of fact and fiction makes it one of Mr. Clancy's more memorable books - full of excitement.His writing allows me to see everything with the mind's eye and, with his writing, experience all the activities aboard the mighty USS Cheyenne during action in the Pacific.

Stay away from this one!
What a stinker! Except for Captain Mackey, none of the characters had names, faces or personalities. I kept hoping it would get better, but it never did. No suspense, no character development, no plot. I am almost ashamed to say I read the whole thing.

EXCELLENT PRIMER ON SUBMARINE WARFARE
I liked SSN very much. Like one reviewer said, it's not Tom Clancy's typical book. But in my opinion, it wasn't written to be one of his typical books. Instead of crafting a story about submarine warfare with good guys and bad guys battling it out to the end, SSN is more about submarine tactics. The author takes one US nuclear submarine, the USS Cheyenne (SSN-773), and shows you exactly what tactics that particular boat would employ under a variety of battle situations if the US were in a naval war with China. Almost every chapter sets a new battle scenario, and the author shows how the Cheyenne would function under that specific scenario. Personally, I liked reading about launching Harpoon missiles on a "swim-out." Then once the Harpoon was air born the captain had it programmed to skim across the surface of the water to strike its target completely unaware. That was the chosen strategy in that particular situation. And that's only one expample. So what's not to like? There's no need to go into every battle tactic in this review. The fact is that if you read this book you'll know a heck of a lot more about tactical submarine warfare than you do now--that is unless you're already an expert. And if that is the case, why on earth would you even consider buying this book?For the rest you out there who like reading submarine books, I give SSN five stars.

Video Game becomes an audio book performance
Just finished listening to Tom Clancy's audio book SSN. Short and exciting. It appears to have been adapted from a video game. Simply a submarine battle. What makes this unique is that rather than a single reader performing the book, there was a troop of about 10 voices and lots of sound effects. So it was like closing your eyes during a movie battle scene.

Short in that it was only 2 CDs of audio (about 3 hours). A nice change from some of the 20 CD books I've been listening too recently.

I recommend the audio CD version.

Good audiobook, bad for reading
I love Clancy's writing, and so while going on a long road trip a while back, I bought the audio version.Excellent entertainment on the trip and fun to listen to.I plan to get the CD and download it to the iPod to carry around for the same purpose.But for reading, I can probably see why many on this site rate it as they do.I read for depth.And deep this ain't.As far as reading goes, if you want a great Clancy novel which takes you through sub warfare, I strongly recommend Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising.If you want to have a fun yarn while on a road trip, the audio verion is worth it. ... Read more

Product Description

In the year 2010, computers are the new superpowers. Those who control them control the world. To enforce the Net Laws, Congress creates the ultimate computer security agency within the FBI: the Net Force.

Reeling from a shattered personal life, Net Force Commander Alex Michaels is informed that top secret information from a joint Air Force-Navy venture has been accessed and downloaded. The research involves an atmospheric weapon with the capability to drive half a country into madness using low frequency wave generation. Now the technology has fallen into the wrong hands -- and testing has begun...

A powerful examination of America's defense and intelligence systems of the future, Tom Clancy's Net Force TM is the creation of Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik.

Customer Reviews (19)

Net Force
A great listen to CD in a car.I love the Net Force Series.Great entertainment

Not captivating enough!
Even though the cover of the book will have in big letters `Tom Clancy's Net Force' written on it, this book is really written by Steve Perry, and created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik. This is also the fourth book in this series, so you might want to start with the first book, simply called Net Force. The second and third books are, respectively, Hidden Agendas, and Night Moves.

The story takes place in 2010. Computers are the new superpowers, and those who control them control the world. To enforce the Net Laws, Congress creates the ultimate computer security agency within the FBI: the Net Force.

Net Force Commander Alex Michaels must stop a research that involves an atmospheric weapon with the capability to drive half a country into madness using low frequency wave generation. Such a technology is actually possible, and the storyline is not farfetched. The world has really changed since the advent of computers and the internet, and more changes are on the way.

In this book, this technology has fallen into the wrong hands! One wonders what the right hands are for such a technology to fall into in the first place? Anyone creating such a technology must be evil in the first place! Are the good people the people who create such technology and the evil people those who use it?

"And who wrote the tune, you dare to ask?
You know who wrote it--
it's the Devil's own music, hot and sweet, and surely
damned will be the man who turns his ear toward it." --Sean Patrick O'Mahoney.

I did not find this book to be very captivating, and with so many good books out there to read, I stopped reading this one soon after I started it. This book is now out of print. Is this a telltale sign? Maybe I'll go back and read the first book in this series first.

Better than the last one.
This was my second book by Clancy. The first one was a major flop in my opinion. This one was not to bad. It had a few flaws, but what book doesn't. At the beginning he put in a few to many characters, and I had a little trouble remembering exactly who did what. Also some of the characters were of a type that did not seem to fit with the story.
Near the end, things started to get a bit confusing. Some of the happenings just didn't seem to fit the rest of the book.
Also, it started out with almost everyone in a one guy and one girl situation. Farther in, it started getting into the sex stuff more than I would have liked. Not as bad as some books I have read, but still more than I liked.
Even so, it was a big difference over the last one, and a very good read. I would definitely reccomend it. Read and enjoy.

Foreshadowing
The American Heritage Collegiate Dictionary defines foreshadowing as presenting an indication or event beforehand.If you use that definition, then Breaking Point is full of foreshadowing.
The first example that is evident of foreshadowing in this particular novel is in the prologue.In this particular portion, the narrator presents a character, an old man, who is a stock character, who is talking about his peaceful country, and then his thoughts drift.He begins to think about how much he loathes his family.How they are so cruel to him.His thoughts go as far as to murder.Then, very suddenly, one of his relatives comes out of the shack with a knife.The old man goes crazy, and kills everyone in the village.This ends with a man laughing over a machine.This particular event foreshadows the plotted mass destruction of the world with a machine that controls people's minds.So, this event essentially summarizes the entire work in just 6 pages.That is how critical the use of the literary device foreshadowing is to this novel.Without it, one would simply not know what on earth the doctor was doing with the HAARP device.
This event is just one of the many times the literary device foreshadowing appears in this novel.It is vital that the reader pick up on this hint.If one does, one can discover the key to this particular novel.

An Old Assassin
My book is about Alex Michaels who is the head of the net -force task force. Net - Force is part of the FBI in Washington DC. Michaels and the task force stop people from selling drugs on the internet. They also stop people from hacking into government files. During the time Michaels finds out about HAARP, a low frequency weapon which has the possibility drive a country insane. The U.S Air Force and the Navy were making the weapon.

I liked the characters because they were all suspicious in their own way. Alex and his wife divorce his wife and she went out with his Toni. There was an assassin who quit because he was getting old. He quit to become a body guard. I did not like the pace because it went fast and then slow. I also did not like the point of view because it changed between characters, which made it hard to follow.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes spy thrillers. The book was a great read I would recommend this to people who like a challenge. ... Read more

Product Description
Fascinating real-life facts about the Marines offer a compelling story and a unique insider's view of this hallowed branch of the Armed Forces and the men and women who serve on America's front lines, in an in-depth look at the United States Marine Corps. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

The MEUSOC reference for ALL!
Not only is Mr. Clancy a writer of riveting tales, he produces a highly worthy documentary narrative of non-fiction military subjects as well.

This is a Marine Corps reference for all. Even as a Marine Corps veteran myself, having deployed aboard ship to Somalia, this is a highly readable tome of knowledge. Within these pages you will learn about the amphibious warfare capabilities of America's MOST PROFESSIONAL and EFFECTIVE branch of service.

I have served in both the army and Marines. Ignore the cowardly negative reviews from those who stupidly disparage this book. If you haven't served in the Marines, you have no grounds to criticize. Any Marine will gladly face you man-to-man if you want a "debate".

SEMPER FIDELIS

Tip of the Spear
This book first came out when I was a young, eager, yet naive Cadet at The Citadel pursuing a commission in the USMC.When it hit the shelves I snapped it up instantly and suddenly realized that there was much more to the Marine Corps than Cammie Paint, Physical Training, Marksmanship, and Dress Blues.This book gives the reader a nuts and bolts breakdown of the expeditionary force in readiness of the USMC the MEU (SOC).

Though most of the technology covered in the book is well out of date at this point in time, the formations, unit size, missions, and structure remain basically unchanged.Anyone interested in the way the Marine Corps task organizes for combat and other real world operations should read this book.Moreover, anyone interested in the day to day operations and training of Marines for war will find this book informative.Make no mistake though, it can get very technical and it is about the primary function of the Marine Corps which is Warfighting.Warfighting is not just a sexy term, it embodies all the funtions of Marine operations and is in fact, the way that everything in the Marine Corps is geared towards.

Personally, this book helped shape the course of my career.I knew that I wanted to go out on a MEU (SOC) and at the time I came in the Corps the place where the MEU was the mission was Camp Lejeune, NC.(Not a dig to the Hollywood Marines, I MEF has always had bigger fish to fry. Not disputing that.)Camp Lejeune where the book is set has truly mastered what it takes to assemble a MEU, lash them together, and send them into harms way.The MEUs from Camp Lejeune have performed every mission of the MEU in their history.Beirut was Lejeune Marines, the first wave into Bosnia were Marines from a Lejeune MEU, the Non-combatant Evacuations of Liberia were performed by Lejeune based MEUs.I wanted very much to be a part of all of that.Also, being assigned to a MEU makes being stationed at Camp Lejeune easier to cope with, it's a great place to live as long as you're away from it 50% of the time!

The MEUs are truly where the Marine Corps puts its long ball hitters. Of the major characters covered in Marine, Colonel Allen went on to command The Basic School (where Marine Lieutenants are trained), is currently a Major General and is now the deputy division commander of II MEF. Colonel Battaglini also made it to Major General and retired recently having been the Director of Expeditionary Warfare Division, Department of the Navy, having also commanded the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade and the 3rd Marine Division.Another one of the commanders in the book LtCol Lefebvre went on to command the 22nd MEU as a Colonel, is currently a Brigadier General and is the Commanding General of MCRD Parris Island and the Eastern Recruiting Region.These 3 gentlemen are just 3 examples of the type of officers who succeed in the Marine Corps, they are Warfighters up one side and down the other.I would go to war with any one of them, any day.

If you are looking for a primer in modern Marine Corps Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures as well as an easy to comprehend picture of Expeditionary Operations this is a book you will enjoy.This is truly how the United States projects power throughout the world, responds to crisis, and influences tense international sitiations.Well worth the money.

The truth hurts
I was a Marine at the time this book was written. For me it was a great tool to hand to me friends and family. Although the equipment is now outdated, the mission is still the same. With the majority of today's conflicts becoming lower intensity, the USMC MEU(SOC) is an ever greater tool for American interests abroad. The fact that some posters here are so anti-USMC surprises me. The Army doesn't need to bash the USMC, they have separate missions. This was proven in Iraq and Afghanistan. A large Army is still as relevant and necessary as well as a fast mobile and forward deployed quick reaction force like the Marines. In fact, as the occupation of Iraq shows, we still need a large number of US Army ground pounders to accomplish the age old task or holding the ground so dearly fought for. Let the Marines do their job and the Army do its.

"Some" previous posts ignore a lot of common sense and history. They also distort the numbers. In reality, the army has a 24 to one ratio of support troops to combat troops. The USMC has about 8 to one. Now where's the bargain for the US taxpayers? Truth is the USMC has a lot more than 3 battalions and if you count the Marine Corps creedo of "Every Marine a rifleman" that ratio is now one to one. In addition, the publicity and fear the USMC exerts in the world of international politics is well known. The term "Send in the Marines" is synonymous with taking action and saving the situation. All of the Army's berets and"Army of One" slogans could never buy that kind of reputation.

The truth is the Army is now taking a page from the USMC's manual and shedding its heavy Armor and support units. Lighter faster, more mobile and hard hitting are its new mantras. The fact is the Army has had to adapt to a Marine Corps style of operation to stay relevant, not the other way around. The Marine Corps has no competition in its function. To call ship obsolete, you should call the Army's heavy tanks and armored vehicles obsolete. To compare the British naval action in Argentina with any situation the US Navy might find itself in today is just plain ignorant and shows that "someone" has never read a book on the Falkland conflict. The British navy spent 20 years adapting to a Soviet submarine threat and were wholly unprepared for a giant naval convoy and invasion circa 1944. They had to commission passenger liners and bring ships out of mothballs. Everyone knows their Aircraft were seriously outmatched. Harriers are not air superiority fighters and were no match against the Skyhawks and Mirage's of the Argentine AF. Yet through good old British ingenuity they proved themselves worthy and eventually won the day.

So what's my point? Simply that the USMC is here to stay. Read the book and find out why. There is no greater guided tour of what today's Marine Corps is made of. There is nothing quite like them in the world today. They are not elite troops, but they fight and act like it. You'll see that America's 911 force has a lot more going for it than other posters will ever allow themselves to admit.

For a final parting shot I ask the posters who feel the USMC is irrelevant and a waste of money -Who occupies three of the six most prestigious military posts in the US Armed Forces. Let's see:

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff (incidently the #1 spot) - General Peter Pace
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR)- Gen James Jones
NATO Military representative, Gen Edward Hanlon

What branch of service do you suppose these gentlemen came from?

The United States Marine Corps.

TomClancy's "Marine"
I enjoyed the non fiction but understand it's somewhat dated now.But it is difficult to find similar material especially here in New Zealand where my resources are lilmited.

Clancy says "Semper Fi" to America's 911 unit.....
The United States Marine Corps, as best-selling author Tom Clancy explains in the fourth entry in the Guided Tour series, is America's most hallowed armed service.Marine: A Guided Tour of a Marine Expeditionary Unit, is an in-depth look at a Marine Expeditionary Unit - Special Operations Capable, a 2,000-strong assault force equipped with armor, artillery and a small but powerful air support detachment that is capable of executing many types of military operations.

Currently, seven MEU(SOC)s are in active service; three each on each coast, plus one in Okinawa with the Third Marine Division.Each unit can carry out almost any type of operation, ranging from short-duration raids on an enemy shore to providing humanitarian assistance after a natural or man-made disaster. Clancy describes the tools and weapons used by the men and women of a MEU(SOC), the amphibious ships of the Navy (the Corps' parent service) as well as the history and doctrine of the United States Marines. There is an interview with the 31st Commandant of the Marines, as well as a fictional depiction of how a MEU(SOC) might be employed in a future combat. ... Read more