Rating: 
Summary: Just showing his lack of military knowledge
Review: The novel should be used as a textbook in elementray school. It is not only plotless, some of its assumptions are just, well Assumptions. I wonder why PLA would engage US in a situation like that. Why PLA wouldn't go all out when Taiwan declared its independence? Another good try on predicting future conflicts between major powers (Which US always wins, off course). But the lack of knowledge and understanding of Asian culture make this novel suited only for the not-informed Americans. But again why would they care when they think they are always right.
Rating: 
Summary: Suffers to an extent from accretion
Review: This is a good book with an expansive plot that Mr. Clancy manages to keep moving along fairly well. I thought the book drug a little bit prior to page 450 or so, then picked up pretty well after that. I believe also that somebody new to Mr. Clancy would enjoy the book moreso than I did, as I got a strong sense of deja vu while reading it. In my opinion, this book followed the same main plot as his last two (i.e. somebody big and bad needs put in their place by the US), with only the details and the enemy to differentiate it from Debt of Honor and Executive Orders. My biggest concern is that it has too many appearances of characters from previous Clancy books to the point of being distracting. The one new character (the Italian policeman in Rainbow) was interesting, and I wish there could have been a little more development of him. I also think the ending was a bit too convenient, as if suddenly the book had to be wrapped up. Mr. Clancy might be well served to pare down his next effort, perhaps changing to a different universe of characters and reality. Still, a good effort that I'd recommend to others.
Rating: 
Summary: Read em all, this one's average
Review: I'm a big Clancy fan who has read every one of his books. This one has too much build up to too little climax for me. I found myself skipping over pages to read for more interesting passages..this I almost never do with a Clancy novel. I love Jack Ryan..but I don't think I would vote for him based on his handling of this crisis..which he makes worse at every turn.. The best character was Robby..and maybe he ought to be the next preseident while Jack goes home and becomes a house father and Cathy runs for the senate in new York!
Rating: 
Summary: Ryan returns in a classic opus!
Review: Clancy returns with Pres. Ryan helping the Russians with an invading Chinese force in Siberia. This opus, 1028 pages, read very well and the action scenes were great. It's nice to see all the regulars back in action. The plot seems very plausible with the Chinese screwing the US out of trade dollars, etc. The scenes that were not battle oriented were great also. Without giving out any spoilers, the only problem I had was Ryan's location toward the end of the novel. It is a bit far fetched and unbelievable. Other wise a stunningly brilliant book. Highest recommendation. For reference, the only Clancy book I disliked was DEBT OF HONOR...all the rest were great!
Rating:
Summary: Great build-up, rip-off ending
Review: As a Tom Clancy reader, I looked forward to this book, finding myself trading needed sleep hours for the stuff I got addicted to while reading other Clancy books.Editing is somewhat poor in comparison. While the story captures the reader in an intricate weave of plots and sub-plots, the ending left me wondering if Clancy asked some hyped up 17 year old to whip out a quick chapter for him. He might as well had the president emerge flying from the whitehouse window wearing superman spandex, darting around and shotting the bad guys with a ray gun. This was mass murder of the numerous sub-plots he spent so much time developing. After an entire novel going to painstaking lengths to establish Jack Ryans discipline and professionalism, ending the book with him getting sloshed doesn't make sense. Though the immediate crisis had been avoided - it was still a delicate time in need of focused attention by the Pres. and his staff - and the beer fest didn't seem to fit. I would have liked to see the news conference that night! Some better closure to other important characters and areas would have been appreciated - like the Chinese woman who narrowly escapes forced government abortion, the wife of the murdered Chinese minister, the CNN reporter, etc. Hope I don't spend long hours on the next book in a dash to another disappointing end. A matter of fact, I'm going to rewrite the ending for myself this time. . . .
Rating: 
Summary: Not Clancy's best work.
Review: I am stunned that so many reviewers have written that this novel is Tom Clancy's best book ever. As an avid reader and re-reader of Clancy's books, I found The Bear and the Dragon to be a poor effort compared to his earlier works. The technology descriptions don't disappoint, but the human interactions leave much to be desired. Most of the characters are not developed at all, especially Ryan's family, which appears to have increased by one. In addition, every time Ryan's oldest child is mentioned, it is in the context that she is now dating and the Secret Service's attendance at her dates provides Ryan with some comfort. Each family member is now a cliche, sent off to dwell at work, school, or day care so that Ryan can govern the country. Thankfully, Clancy has not forgotten how to keep the tension level high. The scenes of preparation leading to war, as well as the early days of the Chinese invasion, kept my attention. However, again Clancy fails the reader with his poor treatment of the cast of thousands. In fact, the only character development is simply to reiterate cliches about the military, women, Russians, the Chinese, Hispanics, the poor, the press, politicians, and [...]. It is kind of pathetic. I'm not sorry that I read the book, but I am hopeful that many of the problems could be resolved by careful and comprehensive editing as well as spending more time developing characters and then resolving and concluding the book. I will hope for a better effort next time.
Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: Not great. I have always enjoyed Tom Clancys books often reading them twice or more and still staying up till 2am reading. His large storylines always come together so well and this book was no different. However this book could have been better. I feel like he drew out the beginning like i always expect of him and then i strap my self in for one hell of a finish. This book however needed an extra 200 to 300 pages to really make it good. He compressed the end too mucch and that is something i really never expect from him. I still found myself staying up till all hours reading it though. If you are a Clancy fan you should read this but if you are just getting into him read this one last after all of his others(in order prefferably). I still eagerly await the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Overall a good book, though ending was weak
Review: Continuing a series, my personal favorite being the Cardinal of the Kremlin, President Ryan takes on a fairly plausable crisis involving China and Russia. The ending was less than satisfactory, and it is unclear how the whole situation was resolved. Also, I would hope that Americans would be more resonable (Remember Pearl Harbor) and boycott goods from aggressor nations.
Rating:
Summary: The Buildup is Great Fun
Review: "The Bear and the Dragon" certainly has a lot in common with some recent Clancy outings, and with some "big" works by other authors. Tom Wolfe's "A Man in Full" comes to mind, with its vivid characterizations, its keen sense of setting, its complex and fun buildup -- and its relatively disappointing ending that's just too quick and too easy. Clancy's latest outing shares this fault, and has a couple of others. He reuses metaphors in a really distracting way, such as when, twice in 150 pages, he tells us a particular Navy-owned computer was "the flower of 1975 technology" but that it doesn't perform nearly as well as a modern iMac. Despite these faults, it's a compelling read, and fans will devour its 1,028 pages in a few days. The military detail is awe-inspiring, the social commentary is relevant (although sometimes you're not quite sure when his characters are reflecting on actual history or the U.S. history in Clancy's own parallel universe), and the action is first-rate. "The Bear and the Dragon" is set seven months or so after the action in "Rainbow Six." It's a pity we don't get Clancy's epic installments that often.
Rating:
Summary: Just Like Chinese Food....
Review: It's a half-hour since I finished 'The Bear and the Dragon', and I am hungry for more (more of Clancy in the style of his earlier works, that is). Clancy's newest Ryan opus is somewhat of a disappointment in comparison to his past stories. For the record, I am a rabid Clancy fan and always grab his newest book on the first day. I have enjoyed every novel he has written, and still consider him to be my favorite author. This time around however, I'm not satisfied with the novel as a whole. Maybe the quality of his past works has set the bar too high for me to enjoy any subsequent attempts. In any case, here's my take on this book: 1)Roll Call: As usual, Clancy manages to weave a ton of characters into this story. We see major and minor characters from every one of the earlier Ryan novels, which adds a fun and familiar tone to the book. I especially liked seeing the Rainbow Six troops, Sir Basil (briefly), Gregory from 'Cardinal' and Golovko. If you have read all of the Ryan novels, this book is like attending a family reunion. 2)The Clancy Roller Coaster: The use of multiple story lines and his awesome sense of pacing make TC's novels difficult to put down. This book was no exception. Unfortunately, as other reviewers have pointed out here, Clancy must not have had a clear ending in mind, as it was very abrupt and trite. 3)Ryan is getting boring: Once upon a time, Jack Ryan was a very likable, everyman/underdog whose human failings, self-doubt and morals were interesting. Now he is a whiny, preachy, foul-mouthed shadow of his former self. It seemed that every time Ryan appeared he had to: a) complain about being the President (that got old in the last book), b) rant about the media, abortion, or the sexual habits of others (Get off the soap box Tom), and c) drop the ...bomb (since when was Ryan so vulgar in his daily speech? Does the Oval Office require POTUS to sound like he's on Def Comedy Jam?) I suppose Ryan's ascension from a lowly CPA/history teacher to the Presidency has left little room for more character development. What can Ryan do next? Become the Pope? In my mind, 'Clear and Present Danger' will always be Ryan at his best. 4)Get a new editor: You would think a techno-freak like Clancy would utilize a repeated phrase/grammar/spell checker before publishing. Besides typos, there were many instances were he would repeat a phrase, quote, colorful metaphor, or historical reference within the same page or several pages. It was very awkward and annoying. I noticed 'Rainbow Six' did this as well. There were many instances were he would repeat a phrase, quote, colorful metaphor, or historical reference within the same page...whoops, sorry. I guess it's easy to do. Conclusion: Nit-picking aside, Clancy is still the best at what he does. Faults and all, 'The Bear and the Dragon' is worth more that the price of purchase. My dissection of the minutia found therein is merely the ramblings of a hypercritical fan, still fresh from reading the book. Perhaps, with time and another reading, this book will join those before it in a more fond and forgiving remembrance.
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