Rating: 
Summary: Run Rabbit Run!!
Review: RED RABBIT is a dreadful prequel to the other Jack Ryan books. If Clancy had written this before RED OCTOBER maybe it would be forgivable, but this is 16 years on; and the second lousy novel in a row from him. The plot concerns a young Jack Ryan attempting to foil an assassination attempt on the Pope, or that's what RED RABBIT is supposed to be about. What the reader gets is page after page of hot air and rambling and pretentious drivel. We all know that without the extensive research Clancy is just a lousy writer,with RED RABBIT not even the research can save him. At only 650 odd pages it's a lot shorter than some of his books, but it could have been edited down to about 300 pages. Don't expect to see this one filmed any time soon. It's still slighter better than BEAR AND THE DRAGON, but surely Clancy couldn't get any worse than that. Tom, maybe you should consider going back to selling insurance and leave the techo thrillers to the new blood like Matthew Reilly. Now HE is really good. Check out Reilly's ICE STATION or AREA 7 instead of this abomination.
Rating:
Summary: Clancy Creates New Levels of Boredom
Review: I've read college textbooks that were more entertaining than this book. It's amazing to me that the author of Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Rainbow Six, and other excellent novels also wrote this book. Most of the book seemed to be setup of Jack Ryan's life and the history of other characters that appeared in the other novels. Reading over six hundred pages to get twenty pages of actual excitement and adventure made this book a huge disappointment. Based on this novel, he is no longer a 'Master of Suspense' and should stick to writing his histories of the military services. For those of you that must read all Clancy novels, I suggest you wait till your local library has it or to buy it off the paperback table at your local used bookstore. I'd have given it zero stars if that were an option.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I've got all of Clancy's adventure books, and I've enjoyed them all up to now.This book was, utterly predictable, slow, and boring. At no point was there any suspense. Now that I think about it, this may be the closest any of his spy vs. spy novels has ever approached reality. I prefer his escapism.
Rating: 
Summary: Another disappointment from Clancy
Review: Tom Clancy seems to be one of several popular novelists whose recent books have disappointed readers due to the absence of a good story. (Robert Jordan, Diana Gabaldon, and Jean Auel come to mind). Why is this happening? Are publishers pushing authors to publish a big book every year? Is it greed on the part of the writers? Although we know the outcome of the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul, this could have been an exciting story, filling in some of the gaps in the life of Clancy's popular hero, Jack Ryan, and other recurring characters. But, as many reviewers have pointed out, there is no story, no action, no suspense, and far too much repetition. This is not the sort of writing that made Clancy famous. If you must read "Red Rabbit," borrow it from the library.
Rating:
Summary: [Tired] Rabbit
Review: I have long been a Clancy fan and my personal library has ALL of his books. But Clancy has grown tired and this book is positively [poor]! There were no surprises and little action. His earlier books were hard to put down; this one took me days to get through. I'm afraid this is the final chapter in my Clancy library. Remember his better days - skip this one!
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I've read all of Clancys books except the co-authoured ones (ops centre)Up to now i've automatically bought them in hard back when they came out. I'm not sure, could this book have been written before the rest & only published now ?
I have found it to be very poor, in fact i don't know why i bothered to finish it.
I found it wooden & lifeless. Clancy should stick to what he invented "the techno thriller"
His attempt at the spy/suspense genre is nowhere near the calibre of Ludlum or Forsyth.
I hope he can return to form in the future & is not just relying on his success to date.
Rating: 
Summary: entertaining but no knockout
Review: For Clancy fans, this is a very good book and another good story. It would probably get four stars from me but I have had trouble finishing it, and therefore it got bumped down to three. If you've got some free time, go for it. It is a good book. If you don't, you may prioritize this thing down to the bottom of your list.
Rating:
Summary: B-O-R-I-N-G
Review: This is the first Clancy novel I haven't liked. It's as well written (style-wise) as anything else he's done, it's just that nothing really happens. No suspense, no huge dramatic moments (compare this to anything else he's written). I'm a little surprised he'd write a dud like this, even more surprised the publisher would allow it. If you're not familiar with Tom Clancy, this is not a good book to start with, if you are, this will dissapoint you. If you need a Clancy fix, re-read Executive Orders, or The Bear and the Dragon. Red Rabbit is roadkill.
Rating:
Summary: SSSSlllloooowwww
Review: I've always been a huge Clancy fan. He's lost me after this one. It was a chore to plow my way completely through this book. Several times I considered throwing in the towel because it was just too laborious. The worst part....you keep hoping for some serious action, but when you finally get to the end it's not even a surprise. Don't waste your money on this one unless you want to substitute it for your sleeping pill prescription.
Rating:
Summary: Colossal Failure
Review: Regrettable, an author that I very much admired in the past is self-destructing. Red Rabbit is lugibrious, pious, and pedantic. I find his philosophical passages boring and trite. A number of small errors make one wonder about whether or not his famous attention to detail has failed him. If the book were interesting, or exciting, or imaginative, one could forgive the errors. But given the sad state of the book, they just make it worse. Worse, he takes a very interesting story and trivializes it. In fact, the Pope did have a lot to do with bringing down the "Evil Empire." The untold (and only surmised) story of how the US, embargoing Poland on one hand during martial law, was pouring millions in through the Catholic Church to support Solidarity, leading to the roundtable talks and the demise of the Communist Party in Poland. Now THERE is a story. Someone, someday, will do the reseach to truly document that story, and that will be a best seller. Red Rabbit is a poor imitation, not worth reading, even if someone gives you the book. Don't bother.
|
