Rating: 
Summary: Ten Ryan/Clark books, and this one comes in tenth
Review: Somehow, when Clancy has become long winded in the past (and he usually gets somewhat long winded), I didn't mind as much as during this book. Maybe it was because something actually HAPPENED in all the other books. Or at least whatever DID happen was not telegraphed 600 pages before the end. I was caught off-guard exactly ONCE in this book, and that less than halfway through it. I can't say that I hated this, because just the idea of Ryan/Clark/Chavez gets me fired up, but I have a hard time recommending it to anyone. I've been more caught up in Op-Center books.
Rating:
Summary: Cigarettes and sausages
Review: I am a longtime T.C. fan from Western-Krautland/Europe. Please excuse my poor English. One thing I know for sure now is that T.C. does like a smoke (big no-no) every now and then. He does not endorse tree-huggers too much (medium no-no), but he likes a sip of smooth vodka if the time is right (who doesn't). Well, we all know that the most Russkies are good chaps with big hearts most of the time - there are exceptions of course - and that Red low-tech hard- and software is not quite up to the standards. But this could be corrected with a little help from the right guys, couldn't it? One other thing we all know is not to trust the Chinese too much. (Secretaries: Be alert and always know to tell the right saugage from the wrong one!) Once you did the first half of the book - this takes time - the plot starts accelerating. After the climax the quick and dirty end left me kind of unsatisfied. Is T.C. running out of good plots? Has he covered it all in his previous books? I hope some real highlights are still to come! ;-)
Rating:
Summary: Too kind to liberals
Review: Yes, it's too long and loosely written. (Does anyone know who edited this? -- now there's a name to avoid....)Yes, most of us would have preferred more war and less limping along in aimless subplots. And yes, the Saturday matinee ending is awful. But...what's with all the pouting and hissy fits from leftish, oafish readers? The only offensive stereotyping in the book is the unnecessarily kind and fuzzy treatment of the media, along with a few "Not bad for a white boy" remarks. Is TC folding under pressure? Seems to me it's awfully close to midnight for the race-baiting, hate-filled ethnic capitulators who've dominated campuses and airwaves for so long. Is this what's making you all so mad? I do hope so.
Rating: 
Summary: A let down from a talented writer
Review: I have been a TC fan since "Red October" (read when I was still in the Navy), and that's why I'm so bothered by this book. I won't argue the political leanings, but I was offended by some of the language in the book. The cracks TC had Ryan make about his secret service agent (when she's discovered to be pregnant) were fairly far out of bounds, but the most offensive of all was the final sentence in the book. It was just plain vulgar, and to no good point. And, as much as I hate to say it, I think it's time to retire Jack Ryan as a character - he's simply no longer interesting to me. He's become predictable and inflexible, and just not that much fun to read about. This is a shame, because the overall theme of the story had all kinds of great potential (and, admittedly, some was followed through on), but so little was done with it. What a pity.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Good Steps from Great
Review: I just finished The Bear and the Dragon and decided to read some reviews. I must say that I am surprised by some of the reactions this book has received. The bottom line is: this is America and we do have freedom of speech it's protected by law. So Mr. Clancy can express his viewpoint and you have the right to disagree. I happen to agree with most of his viewpoints and I applaud him for having the stones to say it. I don't think any writer, which I happen to be, can stop from put his own beliefs in his writing. One of the first things you learn as a writer is to 1.)Write what you know and 2.)Write what you believe. This is what Mr. Clancy has been doing for years. A little less overtly, yes, but maybe he to is sick of what is happening to the greatest nation in the world. We have politically corrected ourselves to a point where we will end up being the biggest third world country in the world. Is it so wrong for a President to have morals instead of being a fence sitter? And by the way more people then you know use that language everyday of the week. I am not saying this book was a perfect 10. I for one would have liked jack to be a little less of a whiner but it does show you he is only human after all. The other piece of the book that has taken heat is the character development, I think it was a real step forward for Mr. Clancy to do some fleshing out of his main and ancillary characters. I will still buy his books when they roll off the press.
Rating:
Summary: Clancy-Is he burning out?
Review: My father got me started reading the Jack Ryan stories by Tom Clancy, and I have been an avid fan ever since. I have bought or read all of Tom Clancy's Ryan books, and have been greatly impressed by his work. Until now. The culmination of "Debt of Honor", with Jack Ryan's assumption of the Presidency, may well have been the zenith of Clancy's writing career as well. Since then, his literature has gone downhill, beginning with "Executive Orders", and continuing with "The Bear and the Dragon". Sure, in EO there were some exciting battles in the desert, and suspenseful moments during the Ebola outbreak, but the book is mostly an analysis of Ryan's thinking, and an attack on the Iranians/Iraqis. I lost count of the # of times "raghead" was used. In "The Bear and The Dragon", Clancy shows his Republican, good ole boy side, with his blast of the New York Times' gun stance, his misogynist comments (i.e. "when men were men and women were grateful") and his critique of Marxism. I suppose Mr. Clancy would say that I am "un-American". Then what, I ask, is "American"?
Rating:
Summary: Clancy weaves another web.....
Review: In classic Clancy style, The Bear and the Dragon weaves a varied story on the front end, only to tie them all together by the time we turn the last page. The action begins with an assassination by rocket propelled grenade. The catch is that the intended target is not completely clear. True to form, Clancy moves from there and creates the framework for the "backside" of his story. During his development of the story, he explores the political reality of rationalizing the actions of nations using our own notions of right and wrong. The complexities of this task become evident as heads of state fall short of the mark in anticipating the actions of their adversaries. This effort finds itself arriving at a time when the nature of relations with China is evolving... from espionage to most favored nation status... its hard to go through a day without hearing some news relating to China. This fiction finds itself fiting well into the todays news. The only complaint I might have to level at this work is that the ending seemed to abrupt. But this is a small concern when considering the entire work. If your in the mood for hard hiting action, I would suggest taking a look at Rainbow Six or Debt of Honor before picking up this 1000+ page tome. But if your into the kind of story that Clancy weaves that builds to a final climax, this is the book for you. In closing, I find it difficult to set aside time for pleasure reading. Most books of this size would take months to read as I eek out a few minutes a day or even in the week to take in a few more pages. However, in this case, all other lifely pursuits had to take a back seat in order for me to finish it in 3 days. If you have found Clancy as addictive as I have in the past, you may want to put off starting this book until you've cleared those improtant projects off your schedule... if you don't this book will do it for you!
Rating:
Summary: Clancy's Bizarre World View
Review: I give this book two stars only because it is slightly better than the completely ridiculous Rainbow Six. Now Clancy has Jack Ryan as the military dictator of the U.S.; he is able to make alliances and join a war with nary a mention of Congress. Given Clancy's obvious love of the Rush Limbaugh view of America, this may not be surprising, but it doesn't make for a very good book. There are some good, if farfetched, descriptions of battle, although it is hard to believe the Chinese would be quite as stupid as Clancy would like us to think. As much as Clancy wants us to think of Ryan as a right-thinking hero, he seems not to realize what a fascistic character he has created, one whose own stupidity and unilateral actions lead to a nuclear threat to Washington, D.C. The hope that the Clancy of Red October will ever return seems utterly forlorn.
Rating: 
Summary: What level of political discourse did you expect...
Review: ...from a guy who has met his last several girlfriends in chat rooms?
Rating:
Summary: Clancy mails one in.
Review: Clancy needs an editor who will cut much of the fluff. This book was mailed in without much time, effort or thought in producing a real book. While their is an interesting story within this book,it is presented in a more unrealistic manner than in other Clancy stories. All in all not worth the time necessary to read this novel.
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