Rating: 
Summary: this cant be clancys' writing
Review: i actually had to force myself to finish reading this book...i am happy that i bought it used and not new, the cost for this tripe would have really mad me ticked...alot of the time i would hit a section and found myself skipping to the next dialogue section... he got too cutsy on pet names, got carried away on how he was going to discribe various religious and ethnic peoples, he even made comments on baptist and mormons being nondrinkers...my kids got tired of hearing gripe about the writing...a waste of cash flow...if you must read it, go to the library
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Summary: Ryan, the reactionary
Review: Yes, this book develops too slowly, but when it finally begins to show its true colors, it gets pretty ugly. I stopped reading this book on page 183. That's when President Ryan spews forth all of Clancy's anti-abortion rhetoric to the less than convincing arguments of his chief of staff.This is Clancy's last war for this reader. I'll leave him 845 pages from the next treaty and long before he sends the world to war once again.
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Summary: The misunderstood book
Review: If you're reading this, you've probably read some of the other reviews on this page and know about the opinion of the too long and drawn out book. The book, at 1028 pages was in fact too long. I could have lived with Jack expressing his dislike of the job about 15 times, but the 16th time was the last straw. But let's think of a real person. If you don't like your job do you complain to your best friend once and be done with it, or do you constantly complain about how your job is such a hassle. It may be annoying, but guess what, that's how a real person handles it. Also, many of the reviewers say that nothing happens through the first 700 pages, but they fail to realize that things do happen. There's the murder investigation, the diplomatic trade negotiations, the Catholic/Baptist events, and the set-up of SONGBIRD. This doesn't take just 100 pages to build up. True it's not an action packed thrill ride, but it's necessary. A country can't just declare war on another without good reason. Clancy's criticizers seem to think the book would be better if the book started out: "Chapter 1: Suddenly, China decided to declare war on Russia for no apparent reason!" It can't work like that, and I personally believe that Clancy has a sheer genius for thinking up these dense plots. Maybe you could see where things were going from the beginning, but does that truly take away from the story. If you've already seen Patriot Games will you not read the book because you already know how the events work out? This book with an amazingly intricate plot and real-life characters is misunderstood.
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Summary: Paid by the word?
Review: With "The Hunt for Red October" I became a Tom Clancy fan. I agreed with all of the glowing reviews. And the next several books (and movies) also entertained me. However, after 50 pages of "The Bear and The Tiger" I concluded that Mr. Clancy must be getting paid by the word. After 183 pages I realized that he is trying to gain favor with the Catholic Church. His constant moralizing and preaching so clouds and distracts from the story line that one has trouble keeping one's place. He has Jack Ryan, who should personify competance, whining, and being bitter. If the book were edited to @250 to 300 pages it might be very enjoyable. Unfortunately it is 1028 pages of mostly preaching, moralizing, and patronizing text. Don't waste your time.
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Summary: Clancy's 1000 page editorial
Review: I have been an avid Tom Clancy since Hunt for Red October, but I'm afraid I've read my last of his works. I expected a technically-laced thiller, what a got was a conservative diatribe. I hate being preached to by extremists on both sides via the endless media blitz throughout the course of a normal day, let alone during my leisure time. I had to endure right-wing editorials on abortion, labor unions (they're actually conservatives and just don't know it), social security, the environment, tobacco (it's not actually bad for you unless you drop a lit one in your lap while driving), to name a few issues. We finally got the 'Tom Clancy' we all know and love in the last 200 pages. But even this scenario is getting old. While being relieved the editorializing ceased briefly I got the distinct feeling I had read this before. The story was ridiculous, implausible, and tortuous to read. The Sum of All Fears left me breathless at the end. The Bear and the Dragon had me breathing a sigh of relief that it was over. Please Tom, save the editorials for the papers, get back to writing novels.
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Summary: The last Tom Clancy book I'll ever read
Review: This is the book that will finally force me to stop buying Tom Clancy. There are only two principal problems with "The Bear and the Dragon:" the writing and the story. One gets the sense that Clancy writes in a fashion that would have made the old Soviet Union proud: pound out twenty pages of production per day no matter what the quality. How else to explain ten pages of verbatim sermons given by two tertiary characters - an event that barely moves the story forward? I'm willing to accept some clunkiness - if you've read other Clancy books, you expect it just like you expect the clear good guy / bad guy dichotomy - but over 1,000 pages of it was unbearable. Even worse, there's nothing really exciting or surprising going on. The plot is telegraphed well in advance, including the grand finale threat to the US. Even if the page count were chopped in half, there would be no avoiding this uninspired plotting. For the last thirty percent of the book I found myself flipping pages, wishing it were over so I could move on to something better. If you like this genre, James H. Cobb and Larry Bond do it much better.
Rating:
Summary: The Bear and the Dragon
Review: This is first Clancy book that I could not only put down but also the only one I didn't care whether I picked it up again or not. The story moved so slowly and some parts had so little to do with the plot I got bored reading. I could only recommend this book to someone having trouble sleeping at night. I will have a difficult time convincing myself to buy his next book.
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Summary: Perspective
Review: I have read numerous reviews and my feelings are both "with you" and "against you", but in the final analysis.... #1. You have to keep in mind that this is fiction, not the real world.....that is why all of us are Clancy fans. #2. Yes, it was kind of long and probably could have been condensed somewhat, but Mr.Clancy's claim to fame is refining his very intriguing characters to the best of his abilities.....and I would doubt anyone who is a true technocrat would say that he has not lived up to his superb abilities. #3. My bottom line.....GREAT----Very lively read and simply let your imagination run wild----as a intellectual excercise---at the starting point of the battle and continuing, draw yourself a map and plot for yourself the actual war stategy for both sides----FUN!
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Summary: Time for Jack Ryan to retire
Review: This is not one of Tom Clancy's best. Jack Ryan's inner dialogue gets very tiresome after the third or fourth time. One of the biggest elements missing form this book is the element of surprise. In his past books, we didn't know what was the master plan that connected all the characters together. In this book, you know from the get go. I think it's time to retire Jack Ryan and move on to a new main character. Wait for the paperback if you are a die hard Clancy fan.
Rating: 
Summary: Once Again The Master Does It
Review: Tom Clancy's The Bear And The Dragon was an action-packed book, full of military and political actions, real scenes, excellent writing and basically good material. The detailed way Tom Clancy writes adds to the true feeling of being there. The storyline is complete in every aspect, from the locations to the weapons and people. Overall, I would describe this book as great, detailed, action-packed and addictive!!
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