T Clancys Op Ctr Dvd Conqr Cd : Divide And Conquer (Op-Center Series)

Rating:
Summary: A decent story but not up the Op-Center standards
Review: A good thriller but missing something. This was not up to the normal Op-Center books, in my opinion. While it has a good story line it seemed to be off.

in this story Paul Hood ends up seeking help from is Op-Center counterpart in Russia to help hunt down the notorious assassin the "Harpooner". At the same time it seems that all of the issues in the Caspian Sea seem to be tied back to the US president who may be having a mental break down, or is he. His wife thinks that something is wrong and calls in his old friend Paul Hood who is being stonewalled by members of the president's cabinet. While the story is plausible it still bothered me. If you normally like this type of story you will probably enjoy the book but not be thrilled by it.

Rating:
Summary: OP-CENTER: DIVIDE AND CONQUER
Review: A stiff, slow-to-develop installment in an otherwise exciting OP-CENTER series by Tom Clancy, et. al. In the new-world order, the bad buys are no longer the Soviets or rogue nations, instead they are our own government officials.

Op-Center Director Paul Hood gets to the bottom of terrorist activities in the Caspian sea, only to learn that it is somehow connected to the President’s deteriorating mental state. In a suspenseful ending, Hood solves the riddle with help from a Russian spy and the First Lady.

This installment seems mechanical and cookie-cutter with humorless characters. First-time OP-CENTER readers might want to try an earlier novel, while purists will want to stay with the story line and character developments.

Rating:
Summary: Brains over brawn - all-Hood.
Review: I'm beginning to read the Op Center series just to see when Paul finally leaves his family and moves in with Anne. Where's the rest of the support team? No one would be fool enough to take on the Oval Office without bouncing more ideas off your intelligence analysts. Hey, Clancy, et al, it's time to delve into the lives of the supporting players a la Clear and Present Danger.

The absence of the Striker team and the backchannel use of the Russian Op Center lends more and more credibility to the writers for a believable story. Yes, it's possible to have excitement without bullets but the action around the Caspian Sea should keep the blood-n-guts and hard-core spy thriller readers occupied. But the mental breakdown of the President? Interesting plot line but I wasn't convinced this was the way it could be done.

Rating:
Summary: the American Achilles' tendon
Review: I've read reviews of a number of other reviewers, who commented Divide and Conquer was not as good as the previous Op-Center novels. I don't agree with them. I actually think Divide and Conquer is the best of the series. By plotting a chain of events, which unfold in a very short manner of time, the team behind Divide and Conquer (including Tom Clancy, Steve Pieczenik and Jeff Rovin) creates a very tense-full situation. I think the average reader of Divide and Conquer will have a lot of fun reading this book.

What also struck me as remarkable, was the fact that for the first time in a very long series of Op Center novels, the United States of America seemed vulnerable. Usually the Clancy novels don't mention the weaknesses of this Worldpower. But by creating an "internal" conspiracy - a conspiracy by Americans - against the President of the USA, and by revealing the American "Achilles' tendons" to the public, the team of Op Center writers really surprised me. I'd surely recommend this book to Clancy fans and also to others, since you will spend a great time reading it (regarding the great plotting and excitement that rushes through this novel, that won't be a very long time). The fact that Clancy has finally revealed America's weaknesses, makes this novel even more inspiring!

Rating:
Summary: Solid contribution to the Op Center Series
Review: Overall, the Op Center books remain the strongest of the four on-going "Clancy" serials. While not as strong as Games of State or Acts of War, Divide and Conquer makes a solid contribution and continues to build the depth of the series.

One of the things that I enjoy most is the continued development of the on-going characters. This book focuses almost exclusively on Hood and does a good job of continuing the development of his character. In general, I find the characters believable and that they act rationally; I can not always says this about the Net Force characters.

I did miss several other continuing characters, including Rodgers, McCaskey and the Striker team. These characters essentially did not appear in Divide and Conquer. One of my dislikes about this book was just this omission; it ignored almost all of the normal supporting characters. Just as disconcerting, there are hints that the next book will continue this trend.

Additionally, I have a general sense of unease that the events of the last few books are supposedly so close together on the timeline. The pace of the events of these books seems unbelievable.

Finally, it will be interesting to see if the authors ever have the nerve for the main characters to fail, rather than succeed, when they are acting on their instincts...