Rating: 
Summary: Well, I can't share this one with my teens.
Review: I'm not even finished with the book, but felt compelled to write an online review. I have read all (except Rainbox Six) of Clancy's books and thoroughly enjoyed them and passed them along. If the character's names were changed and someone had asked me to read this book and tell them who wrote it, Tom Clancy would not have come to mind. I have always loved the fact that Mr. Clancy wrote exciting books, that didn't have all the language and sex in them that this one did. I sincerely hope this is not a new trend. I can't pass this one along....
Rating: 
Summary: I disagree with the negative reviews
Review: I devour all of Clancy's books as soon as they come out. I agree that Rainbow Six was less than his best effort, but this one ranks up there with Debt of Honor as far as I am concerned (My favorite Tom Clancy book is Sum of All fears, and nothing has come close to that). The dialogue is somewhat contrived, but I have always fond that to be the case. What I like about this book is that it brings back the white-knuckle action and the sense of reality that makes me have to put the book down to realize that we aren't actually at war. I again found myself up until 3 in the morning racing through the last third of the book. This book is also full of the usual military techo-toys that keep us one step ahead of the unsuspecting foes.
Rating:
Summary: Predictable
Review: This book wasn't too good. I guess it was trying to be realistic talk, but I got pretty tired of all the "slant-eyes" remarks. The sausage stuff was not clever or witty, it was just kind of gross. I don't think most people reading this kind of book (mostly men) want to read about some guys "Japanese Sausage" over and over and over again.And the whole last part was predictable...everything in the last couple of hundred pages could've been predicted by about page 500--I knew what was going to happen with the hunter guy, I knew what was going to happen with Clark and all that followed their actions, almost exactly what was going to happen, and the aftermath was also totally predictable.
Rating: 
Summary: My Last Clancy
Review: I've read every Tom Clancy fiction title, but this will be the last. Aside from the many oversights in editing, I'm simply disappointed to see what has happened to my favorite characters. Good ol' Jack Ryan, formerly a regular guy (despite his wealth, intelligence, hero status, and Harrison Ford good looks), now shamelessly preaches about "treehuggers," Roe V. Wade, Liberals in Congress, White House hanky-panky and whatever else irks Mr. Clancy. Other valued characters, including Robby (V.P.) Jackson and George (Trader) Winston, have become similarly obnoxious. Whether one agrees with the politics or not, this is not why we read Clancy "thrillers." I would agree with a previous reviewer about the possibility of a ghost writer here; I'm sure it was Rush Limbaugh.
Rating:
Summary: Isn't the Gore/Bush race enough politics for this year?
Review: Okay, I normally get through a good book in a week, with one this long, maybe 2-3 weeks, but it's been 5 weeks since I started this book & I'm only on page 191 (out of 1000+). This book reads more like a political statement than a novel (e.g., abortion, foreign affairs, the economy - & remember I'm not even 200 pages in yet). A suspense thriller is not the right place to get up on a soapbox Mr. Clancy. Your views, and your need to express them so strongly in your book, is making you predictable, sir. And being able to surmise the trend & tone (if not the events) of the rest of the story is the last thing I want from this type of book, especially with 800 pages left.
Rating:
Summary: A very long book
Review: I have to admit that I have always had a hard time finishing Clancy's books, although I love reading them, but there's just so much detail and it goes on forever. This book covers a very interesting subject and that kept me going, because this time, the characters weren't that interesting. And it is a very long book. I'm sure it was a lot of work to write this novel and I respect that, but sometimes it seems as if an editor should have just ripped out this section and that paragraph. Anyway, if you have some time to spare then this book might a great way to enjoy a good read. In comparison I just read a brand new 400-page thriller by a new author which covers a similar topic of nuclear terrorism, and it's fast-paced and I read it in less than 2 days, which is the highly recommended new high-profile megathriller by Alec Donzi called "The Consultant."
Rating: 
Summary: More is Not Better
Review: Having read all of Clancy's fictional books I must say that while each becomes larger they are not becoming better. More pages but no more story. It seems as if Clancy has attempted to incorporate ever character from each of his prior books, even when they are not needed. Was The Rainbow Six Team needed here or was that a veiled attempt to sell more of the Rainbox Six book and games? Too many sub-plots that wither on the vine. Better development of fewer sub-plots would have improved this novel. I agree with another reviewer, The Bear and the Dragon lacked an effective editor, clearly the spell checker in Clancy's computer is defective. Unfortunately, Clancy has risen to the level where most will buy his books without reading the reviews -- something I will not do in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Good thing it wasn't his first book !
Review: Had this been his first book it would never have been published and we'd all be saying "Tom who?". Instead I'm saying "Tom, what happened to you?". Though slightly better than Rainbow Six, the story is far too linear, repetitive (The word "Klingon" appears over a dozen times - spread through the book!) and ordinary. The final chapter must have been phoned in by those same Klingons. (Among other things Ryan invites the entire crew of a destroyer over to the White House to get drunk with him.) The last line is simply revolting and unworthy. I suspect Tom is using some kind of high end computer program, plus assistant writers, to generate is latest "material". If so he should either get back to basics or give it up entirely. Thanks for a fantastic run Mr. Clancy. Please don't ruin your legacy with this kind of work.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth the read
Review: A very good book. The scene in the hospital, with the cardinal and the minister fighting to help a father and mother save their child in the process of being born from a forced abortion, with CNN filming the event, is riveting. The technologies for spying and conducting war are fascinating. Its interesting that you can sometimes learn more by reading a novel than you can from traditional sources....
Rating:
Summary: Not Up to Mr. Clancy's Previous Standards
Review: This book is in desperate need of an editor. There are characters introduced then forgotten, misspellings and redundant statements, cultural anachronisms (sorry, I have spent a lot of time in Russia and no one calls anyone 'Comrade' anymore). The whole thing feels like a second draft that could have been tightened quite a bit. Sorry, I think Mr. Clancy has stretched himself too thin.
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