Rating: 
Summary: Best Clancy Book Yet!
Review: The plot of this book is way over the top and will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time you are reading it. The inserted subplots make this book a really great one.
Rating: 
Summary: Left a bad taste
Review: I've been a hard-core Clancy fan, wih my favorite being"Clear and Present Danger". However, this one truly left me with an unpleasant feeling, especially with its portrayal of Chinese culture and society. It uses some of the harshest descriptions that Clancy has ever used to describe an entire nationality, and is loaded with racial expletives and stereotypes... The portrayal of the Chinese as not valuing human life as much as other societies (not the just the government, but the culture) goes back to the days of Rudyard Kipling. His characterization of Confucian and Buddhist beliefs are downright insulting, and incorrect (Confucianism is not a religion). His portrayal of the Chinese stands in stark contrast to his newfound sympathy for Russia, even though recent real-life events (the Kursk, Chechnya) belie that situation. Clancy has a lot more talent than to resort to this. Also, his characterization of the current Chinese leadership is way of the mark---they don't really believe in Marxiam-Leninism, no more than Americans believe in McCartyism. Clancy should stick to the combat details, until he reads up on what is really going on in China.
Rating: 
Summary: Idiotic
Review: After a long list of right wing idiocy. Clancy has frankly outdone himself with over 1000 pages of a mindless, thoughtless, silly monstrosity. Appealing to lovers of cheap tricks over realism. This is populist trash at its worst.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow Descent
Review: If I had to characterize this book, I would say, "strange". I've read every Clancy novel, most of them several times. I've enjoyed all of them, and considered any of his work (as opposed to the Op-Center series) a must-buy. Now, I'm not so sure. I have two problems with this book: First, way too long. It could have been done in about 700 words, easily. Over 1000 was a bit much. Second, I have a hard time justifying all the profanity in this book. He has used it before, but never to this extent, and most of it is absolutely pointless. I'm not a prude by a long shot, I hear all this and more during an average work day. But in a novel like this, and in this context, there is no need for the level that I read. There was also sexual content, something else that is new, and something that given the "tone" of his other Ryan works, was pointless. Gratuitous sex scenes is the thought that comes to my mind. More or less, I think if he had an editor with enough brains and brass, he would have pulled this one out. As it is, I won't be so inclined to rush out and buy the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Clancy at his worst
Review: I agree with T. Drizzle almost word for word. I found itlong-winded and - well- boring! More superficial than Sum and less entertaining than Rainbow. I thought he glossed over sections that needed attention and poured pages into things that had no bearing on the story. I read for fun and relaxation and this was neither. Maybe Clancy suffers from too much success, since his other books were so well done, but without the Clancy name and reputation, I would have put this one down after the first slow 500 pages. In retrospect, I should have. I have read and own all the Clancy titles, but my next Cancy will come from the Library... Does anyone know a current author that writes like Clancy used to write? I guess it is time to move on....
Rating:
Summary: Mr. Clancy, please think of your female readers!
Review: While the plot is good and we have quite a bit of Jack and his handling of the world, I was let down that there wasn't more of his home life which made EXECUTIVE ORDERS such a wonderful book. While I realize that Mr. Clancy's audience is mostly male, there are female readers who enjoy his stories and there would be more if he would include other things besides graphic descriptions of weapons and battles, which I admit I usually skim over. I also sprained my wrist trying to hold this book while I read it--it was extremely heavy. Maybe it could have been a tad shorter??
Rating:
Summary: Clancy is back at his best
Review: I really enjoyed this book although I was a little leary as the previous two books were not up to par, but this one is a great read and all the characters are back; Ryan was elected back as President, Robby as VP, his staff from before, Clark and Ding, Nomuri the Japanesse American spy and the main Chinese bad guy from the former books. As the title implies, The Chinese go against the Russians and we jump in to help our Russian freinds. I particularily liked the interactions in the White House and with other government agencies and the battle descriptions. My only disappointment was that even with the 1028 pages I still wanted more storyline about Clark and Ding plus I wanted to know more about Nomuri and Ming afterwards. A great book that stands alone but is helped by prior knowledge of his other books. I strongly recommend it for all Clancy fans but recommend new readers to start with earlier books and read as fast as you can to get up to this one.
Rating:
Summary: Clancy and right to life?
Review: I have read and enjoyed all of Clancy's books, own the movies and rushed to buy this one. Now I am rushing to return it to Costco.Page 181 and Mr. Clancy decides that the right to lifers deserve a forum. There were references to the Chiense and killing new borns early in the book, but when Jack Ryan descides the Supreme Court should reverse Roe vs. Wade I had enough. Mr. Clancy has done what my wife and children have tried to do for 30 years, make me a democrat. Monday I sending a $100 to AL Gore.
Rating:
Summary: Not Clancy's best
Review: I was very disappointed. Definitely not up to the caliber of Red October or Cardinal -- or even Rainbow. The plot development is weak. Actually I think Clancy has become such a popular writer that his editors might be hesitant to make suggestions. Personally, I think Bear and Dragon could have benefited from losing 300 or so pages. And what about that Gogol character? He's really interesting and Clancy passes up a great chance to develop him. Also Clancy's knowledge of China is a somewhat dated. Politburo members dress in suits, and their secretaries would probably dress to the nines, too...
Rating:
Summary: Does Anyone Edit Clancy's Work?
Review: After redreading Executive Orders three times, TB&TD comesas a crushing disappointment. The book is rife with typos, repetitive dialogue, longwinded xenophobic discourses and, worst of all, Jack Ryan (and most other characters) appears to have undergone a personality transplant and now curses like a longshoreman. His new VP (identity withheld) is a gross one-dimensional caricature and the dialogue within the CIA is excrutiating. ... Perhaps military technology has outpaced dramtic suspense as one series of bombs can now take out all the opposition. Its a decent first draft but hardly a quality finished product.
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