Rating: 
Summary: China and Soviets mix it up in a James Bond way
Review: Generally speaking this is a great spy novel. As always in Tom Clancy novels, they start a little slow but always return a real page turner by the end. However, The Bear and the Dragon was a little slower than usual for most of Clancy's other novels. It is amazing the grasp he has on current technology and the way other cultures think and operate when it comes to American ideology. In this respect, Clancy does a fabulous job of letting the reader in on how the Chinese Politburo thinks as it regards the its place in the world and how it measures up to other super powers. It is equally interesting to see how world communities act together and depend on each other as far as gold, oil, money, technology, and religion are concerned. Clancy is well apt to make the reader think about all these things without shoving them down our collective throats.It is also equally fascinating how Clancy can make the most mundane and average events you normally wouldn't blink an eye at play such a major catalyst on how quickly the world can be thrown into chaos! In addition to the overall storyline of the former Soviet Union being stalked and invades by an overzealous China, there are numerous subplots: The death of a pimp in Red Square (was he really the target?), a former TRW programmer redesigning missile guidance systems, the death of a Baptist and catholic minister in China that spun out of control, the return of Rainbow Six, and more. A few new characters were introduced that you want to see developed in future novels as well as some subtle hints of future plot lines makes the reader salivate for the next one. The only drawbacks I had towards this novel which refrained me from giving it 5 stars was that the climax was straight out of James Bond, fun for the ride, but you had to suspend reality for a bit. Not that it is a let down, for I was enthralled and excited (which a novel should do), but perhaps in a more believable way. Also I noticed that Mr. Clancy is also getting more liberal in his 'adult' language as his novels continue. AS secular language always has its time and place, it just seemed a bit more peppered this time out.
Rating: 
Summary: On The Rebound??
Review: Well, Tom had some spelling errors in this one, but the one error he did not make was creating a sequel to Rainbow Six. That book was 1/2 star. This one gets three because it is: - a rebound from Rainbow Six - over 1,000 pages - a decent story - cool technology If you have read every Clancy novel (and, like me read two in a week when you just started) this one follows the "pattern". Get through the first 200 pages, it gets faster. You are addicted between 400-800, then it has a rapid wind down.
Rating: 
Summary: Character, character, character
Review: Mr. Clancy has apparently forgotten that having characters one can relate to is all important in any fiction writing. In *The Bear and the Dragon* the characters are one-dimensional and raise little empathy with the reader. I really didn't care if anyone lived or died. It was immaterial to me since I had no investment in them. Now, I know technology and suspense are the chief ingredients in a Tom Clancy novel, and that is why I bought the predecessors to this one, but in all the others, I cared about the characters. In the *The Bear and the Dragon* Mr. Clancy seems to have simply dashed this one off. Perhaps he is too involved in too many other projects to really put anything into real writing anymore - even the techno-thriller kind. All-in-all, a bust.
Rating:
Summary: The Bear and The Dragon
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Read all 1,028 pages in less than a week. I've own all of Clancy's books in hardcover and rate this one solidly in the middle. I only wonder why Clancy as to sell his books by the pound.
Rating: 
Summary: Who wrote this?!
Review: I am an avid fan to TC's past work. I think every novel up to and including Executive Orders was fabulous. Rainbow Six was a drag and Bear & Dragon is UNREADABLE. I am reminded of a once incredible athlete who has played about two seasons past his prime. We see this all to often. Tom, please just retire rather than subject us to another one of these. As it stands, TC has gone from my buy the hardcover first week it comes out list to wait for the paperback. If the next one is this bad, he has squeezed his last penny out of me.
Rating:
Summary: A Laborious Read
Review: I have been a long-time Clancy fan, but THE BEAR AND THE DRAGON has been sitting on my bedside table for weeks unfinished. I can't bring myself to pick it up again. This is a far cry from Clancy's early novels which kept me up into the wee hours. I don't find any of characters realistic. The CIA team of Foley and Foley are particularly nauseating. Clancy uses this novel as a soapbox and his preaching became truly tiresome as the novel progressed. Maybe I will use it as a doorstop...
Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but a long way from Clancy's best
Review: "The Bear and the Dragon" isn't that bad a read - it has all the trademark Tom Clancy techo-war details that we all buy Clancy books for. But it is a LONG way from being his best work. The problem is that it takes hundreds of pages to get to the good stuff, and while waiting, we're subjected to: a dull plot about a botched assassination, a seduction story that is resolutely unsexy, endless "I don't like this job" complaints from Jack Ryan, and extensive liberal-bashing (he calls them "vampires" and makes numerous reference to the Lewinsky affair, as if conservatives would NEVER fool around...righty-o, Tom!). The problem with this book is that there is too much fat and too many right wing platitudes, and the book simply sags under their weight. Worse yet, the characters are more portraits than people; we know everything they're going to do before they do it. I think Tom Clancy was far more entertaining when he was telling taut sea stories like "The Hunt For Red October" and "Without Remorse." Frankly, if Clancy wants my hard earned money, he'll lay off the verbal diarrhea, right wing platitudes, and silly liberal bashing (if I wanted to hear that, I'd listen to Rush Limbaugh) and stick to what he's best at: lean, mean storytelling. Otherwise, this may well be my last Clancy book.
Rating:
Summary: The Bear and the Dragon
Review: I was disappointed with this book. It started off well, but the finish was flat. Clancy concentrated on numerous "dead end" sub-stories that eventually became irrelevant, and cut off other that looked as though they would have been quite substantial and enjoyable for the reader. I would have liked to have spent more time with the Chinese and Russian field commanders, instead of trapsing around Moscow and St. Petersburg. Clancy did an excellent job of describing hyper-war, but would have done better to add a few "survivng witnesses" to the destruction to add some color. This is the first Tom Clancy book that I wouldn't buy again.
Rating:
Summary: Crypto fascist fantasy
Review: The Hunt for Red October, for all of its dark political undercurrents{the naval institute press issuing this book when its sub funding was being put under the scope,its author a fantasy war monger who couldnt find it in his heart to seve in Vietnam]was a great ride. tautly written, far fetched in some of its plot but close enough to reality that its credibility was never too stretched, it introduced J ack Reilly to America,the anglophile with the Irish name{Clancy,well, you get it...].Since then, Mr Clancy has been getting further from reality,where all of the good guys are military republican types[well, this is a fantasy beacuse this guy NEVER served under these dunderheads]and the bad guys are swarthy arabs[sigh] or drug smugglers[also swarthy types[heavy sigh]or worst of all Intellectual liberals{shock>Horror of Horrors.Oh the humanity...]In this vapid tome, Mr reilly is now president{dont ask how,star trek is more believeable...]and doing battle with,well...over the top assinine violence from soemone who had not seen it{no one who witneses this type of carnage glorifies it,or dishonors the memories of those who perished. This guy has no problem,of course},the plot tiwsts make Clear and present danger seem tolstoyan.The attempt a few books ago to give mr Reilly a drininkig problem were another silly device, because people would never stand for a preseident with a drinking problem who did not get help for it{oops.maybe this is not so far...]Absurd,and silly too bad becuase Mr Clancy tells stories well, though not here and not this time
Rating:
Summary: The Boor and the Dungen
Review: First of all, this book was about 500 pages too long. Dont get me wrong, im all for long books, especially if they are good and interesting, unfortunatly this was not that good. It was certainly streaky, with parts of it flowing along quite well, unfortunatly it was mostly a slow, boring book. Secondly, the battles are terrible in comparison to Red Storm Rising. I suffered through 700 pages of missery only to find maybe 40-60 pages of action. In the end I felt like I was locked in a dungen being teased horribly by the incomplete and unsatisying ending. This book is better than Rainbow 6, which is the only good thing I could say about it.
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