Rating: 
Summary: A great perspective on military history
Review: I did not know what to expect when reading this book. It was given to me by a friend as a gift. I am a big non-fiction reader so I approached the "Clancy" title with hesitation. I have to say I was very surprised at how much of a page turner this book ended up being. I found it to be extremely enjoyable from a historical perspective and packed with surprisingly useful information considering the current events and news headlines of our times.If you find yourself up late at night watching "The History Channel," I am pretty sure you would enjoy this book as much as I did. It gave me a profound respect for the Special Forces and the role they have played in all postmodern American conflicts. I thanked my friend deeply for giving this book to me. I never would have considered reading it otherwise.
Rating: 
Summary: Many pertinent details make for a well documented book
Review: Well documented; however, on page 404 there is reference to the FFG-58 'Samuel B. Roberts' having been hit by a mine in 1998. I believe this was in 1988. This book is excellent non-fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: Unfocused, slow...
Review: There are better books on this topic out there. The combination of Stiner and Clancy is awkward at best, and jarring at worst. Decent coverage of the special forces over the years, but numerous dull anecodotes and bulleted lists.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Review: This book is a must reading for anyone in the military. Once again Clancy is able to accurately relay the events of a true life character. This one is going into my library of Clancy books.
Rating:
Summary: Shadow Warriors: Silent, but Deadly defenders of our nation.
Review: I just bought this book last night at the local bookstore, but I had wished I bought it at Amazon because it would've saved me ...[money]. I've only read the chapter on Panama and a little on the Gulf. So far, I find this book excellent and up there with my favorites such as Black Hawk Down or We Were Soldiers. This is my first Tom Clancy novel and I highly recommend him. This doesn't really go into all the uneeded mumbo jumbo, it gives you the straight facts and what happened, great maps also. Believe it or not, there is some humor in this book, like the time some SF guys blew a door up and the doorknob flies up the warlord's rectum who is trying to sneak away. Must-have for anyone having interest in special operations or the military in general. The book is titled Shadow Warriors: Inside the Special Forces. Special Forces is actually the official name for the U.S. Army's Green Berets. Thus, this book, evidently, focuses mainly on the Army's Special Operations such as the 160th SOAR and Rangers, not the Navy or the Air Force even though they are just as good at what their business.
Rating: 
Summary: Partly interesting, covers too much at expense of co-author
Review: Tom Clancy has written enough nonfiction material now that the observant reader will know a) that he writes fiction and nonfiction, and b) how to distinguish between them (mostly in reading the dust jacket!). "Shadow Warriors" is the latest foray into the nonfiction realm, but sadly, a potentially great topic seems wasted away. In many of his nonfiction works, Mr. Clancy collaborates with a military figure. "Shadow Warriors" is no different; the contributor is Special Forces veteran Gen. Carl Stiner. However, in such projects, the story of a major military event or segment of the armed forces (i.e., armor, air) is woven around the co-author, usually with the end result of portraying the co-author in a very favorable light. Sadly, though, Gen. Stiner's career is never afforded the same treatment. Whereas Gen. Chuck Horner in "Every Man A Tiger" or Gen. Fred Franks in "Into The Storm" get a hero's portrayal, Gen. Stiner winds up as almost a footnote here. The primary reason for this occurring is, I believe, that "Shadow Warriors" tries to paint too broad a brush in terms of scope and history. "Every Man A Tiger" and "Into The Storm" focus on a singular event - in both cases Desert Storm. Here, Mr. Clancy and Gen. Stiner attempt to cover 50 or 60 years of history in a shade over 500 pages. While a history of the U.S. Special Forces would be a tremendous and valuable work, this book comes off as neither. I will acknowledge that there are many operations, training evolutions, and tactics that were classified - and should remain so - but there is certainly enough unclassified material available that would make a history of covert operations more engaging and worthwhile. "Shadow Warriors" completely glosses over the Vietnam War, where the modern special operations truly cut its teeth and had some of its most spectacular successes and deeds of heroism. This was the prime example of Mr. Clancy doing a disservice to those warriors; it was short shrift by watering down their exploits to a chapter of a meaningless, antiseptic overview that was almost a chore to read. Also contributing to Gen. Stiner's heroic portrayal getting lost is the fact that the first half of the book keeps including huge passages - normally reserved for Clancy's collaborator - to individuals who aren't the focal point of the story. Special Forces legend Gen. Bill Yarborough occupies, by my estimate, the attention and writing space in the first third of the book. Gen. Stiner gets to relate his experiences in his training in between - which was actually one of the more interesting portions of this book - but it gets lost amongst all the references to and by Gen. Yarborough. I found myself constantly double-checking the cover and title pages to verify exactly who was the co-author with Mr. Clancy. There are some interesting pieces in "Shadow Warriors". One was the aforementioned descriptions from Gen. Stiner of his training. The segements on the Achille Lauro event were intriguing, mostly because there hasn't been too much detailed in other works of the behind-the-scenes work in this operation. The chapter on the Panama operation was also mildly intriguing. Unfortunately these pieces are scattered too few and far between to keep the reader engaged. All in all, "Shadow Warriors" turned out to be a disappointment. Gen. Stiner deserved much better in his partnership with Mr. Clancy, based on the favorable portrayals of Mr. Clancy's previous collaborators. The U.S. Special Forces deserved better in terms of treatment and relation of its laudable history. The reader deserved better in terms of product from Tom Clancy. If nothing else, this also gives more credence to my opinion that Mr. Clancy is better served in terms of quality and reputation to write his works by himself. The fiction works ("Op Center" and its numerous offspring) have lost him credibility in the "franchising" of his name to allow others to write for him. The nonfiction works have been erratic, depending on who he is working with. I give this book a two-star rating because there are some interesting pieces to take away after reading it. But those who have been considering reading this book are encouraged to look elsewhere. This reader will stick to reading Mr. Clancy's Jack Ryan novels...that is, until he starts co-writing those, too.
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Summary: The Life of A Shadow Warrior.
Review: As many before me have already said, this books title leads you on to think it's a historical account of who and what Special Forces are all about, but instead it turns out to be an account of General Carl Stiner affairs in and around the special operations community. Other than a misleading title, the story is incredible. The title of the book does this American hero no justice and as you read the reviews you can see what I mean. I would have given this book 4 star if I had known what I was getting.
Rating:
Summary: Valuable background about our special forces.
Review: I must admit to being awed reading through the history of the development of our special forces teams and what these individuals have to go through to become part of these units. As an outsider I had no idea what these men had to accomplish just to qualify! Then to read about the kinds of things they have done in service to our country is exhilarating as adventure, but as I contemplate the very real sacrifices that are made by these professional heroes I am deeply grateful to them. Far from being held up high by the Armed Forces of our country, these teams were developed against the wishes of the top brass and worked with only minimal support. But they were devoted to their mission and we should keep in our memories all that has been sacrificed by them for us and for our way of life. It is true in the time of battle they fight for each other, but they join and serve because of their love of country. Most of their service is done in secret and is still not known. They are not glory hounds nor are they bloody Rambo types. In reading this book you will get to know some really amazing people. Their real life is more amazing than a lot of the stuff writers make up. Tom Clancy made a great move in writing with these heroes. His fictional stories should be so good! We need to be more aware of the role the Special Forces teams play in our present War On Terror and support them in their efforts to protect and defend us. Some will denigrate and disparage those who serve, we need to raise our voices in support and praise.
Rating:
Summary: Shadow Warriors
Review: The book was a major disappointment. Shadow Warriors was promoted as an explantion and description of special forces. This is a subject that is especially relevant today. Sadly, the book was narrow, shallow, unfocused, and did not begin to explain special forces when it obviously could have. I guess Clancy's well earned reputation for excellent books allowed him to get a clunker past the editors. Los Altos, CA
Rating: 
Summary: Shadow Warriors
Review: This is the most disappointing book I have ever read. Especially coming from an author whose name just happens to be on the cover, as that is the only Clancy I can find in this book.
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