Rating: 
Summary: Cardinal is Clancy's best work
Review: I am an avid Tom Clancy fan. I have read all of his books, and The Cardinal of the Kremlin is by far the best. Focusing less on military hardware and more on espionage, this book is ripe with themes on honor, justice, and vengance. A much more human tale than some of Clancy's other offerings, The Cardinal of the Kremlin forces the reader to sympathize with agent CARDINAL and to share his hatred for the political system that ruined his family and his life. Jack Ryan returns, making decisions based on his conscience and his strict virtues, and at the same time, Clancy introduces Ryan's counterpart-the enigmatic Mr. Clark. This cool, calculating man of mystery grows throughout Clancy's novels to become Ryan's dramatic foil: while Ryan's choices revolve around ethics, Clark's life is governed by cold reason. Their relationship develops into an intriguing contrast in Clancy's later novels, and Mr. Clark gets his start in Cardinal. To summarize, I would reccomend this book to any Clancy fan or to any reader looking for a challenging, excitng read.
Rating:
Summary: Don't overlook this one....
Review: Kardinal of the Kremlin is one of the best, if most often overlooked, books in the Jack Ryan series. The plot of Kardinal basically involves three related story lines. First, both the Russians and the US are attempting to create a ground based laser defense system to shoot down enemy sattelites and nuclear weapons. At its base, the story focuses on both side's efforts to build their respective systems, and to gather intellegence on the other side's progress. Second, the U.S. has a very high level intellegence source inside the Kremlin itself. A lot of the story focuses on the U.S.'s attempts to maintain his cover, and its actions to save him after he is discovered. Finally, a backdrop to the story is ongoing strategic arms talks in Moscow, which is eventually used as a cover by the US to arrange the defection of another high ranking Russian official. Kardinal gives the reader a true insite into the workings of the US government, particularly the CIA, as only Tom Clancy can. The story is very immersive and suspenseful. My one warning to people who have read other Clancy books is that there aren't really any large scale battles or all out wars as in some of his other books. Here, Clancy focuses more on the fine art of playing spy :) Asside from being a great book on its own, Kardinal does a great job tying in events and characters from earlier books in the Jack Ryan timeline, specifically from The Hunt For Red October and Patriot games. Just as importantly to all Clancy fans, events related in Kardinal (perhaps more so than any of his other books) are referred to in the novels that Clancy wrote later on.
Rating: 
Summary: A great spy story - 3 1/2 stars
Review: I had a tough time deciding between 3 and 4 stars on this one, so I think I will actually give it 3 1/2 stars. I think the story was good and mostly believable. Clancy gives a great deal of realistic information on spying as well as counter-espionage during the Cold War. Certain parts of the plot require the reader to suspend their disbelief a great deal. This book is fun and exciting to read and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the genre (or thinks they might be).
Rating: 
Summary: A true Spy Novel
Review: I am a Tom Clancy fan. I have read most of his material, and I have always found his books entertaining. "Cardinal of the Kremlin" is no exception. Probably the most true spy novel in the Jack Ryan series, "Cardinal" has all of the elements that make an exciting story; mystery, intrigue, honor and vengeance. Clancy takes the time to develop his characters, explaining why each of them has chosen the path they are on, instead of just throwing an exciting scenario at you and letting you figure it out. I also like the way Clancy incorporates characters from previous books, like Captain Ramius from "The Hunt for Red October". Also if you plan to read more of Tom Clancy's work in the future, take note of the brief appearance of "Mr. Clark" because you see much more of him in the books to come. Many believe that this is Clancy's best work, but I disagree. It is a very good book and I would recommend you read it, but I think Clancy's best book is "Without Remorse."
Rating:
Summary: A Solid Spy Novel by the Master of the Techno-Thriller
Review: The Cardinal of the Kremlin, though outdated because it involves the Cold War, is still an exciting read. It is a great spy-thriller. However, if you're looking for an all-out, smash-bang action story reminiscent of the James Bond novels, then this book isn't for you. That isn't to say that it doesn't have any action or thrills in it; it is certainly an exciting and fast-paced read. Tom Clancy's main hero Jack Ryan returns as the famed CIA analyst and attempts a staggering coup aimed at the Soviet KGB. CARDINAL is a CIA mole who has infiltrated the Kremlin in Moscow, and he is the CIA's most trusted agent in the Soviet Union. The story has a great Cold War theme. Clancy makes the book even more intriguing by blending in the story of the Afghan freedom fighters and their fight against Soviet occupation. All in all, I consider this one of the best books Clancy has written. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: One of the most intriguing pieces of the Jack Ryan puzzle.
Review: Of all the books in the Ryanverse, this is the most true 'spy' novel. "Cardinal" is an American informant deep in the KGB. When things go wrong, he must be extracted and lo and behold...it's up to Jack Ryan to do so! This is classic Clancy intrigue, and provides an introduction to many of the classic supporting characters that are seen in the rest of the series (including the first appearance of JOHN CLARK). One of the shorter Clancy novels, but you get your money's worth by far...and then some!
Rating:
Summary: Riveting!
Review: I loved it! Some of the best action and characters in the whole series.
Rating:
Summary: Short and Sweet
Review: The Cardinal of the Kremlin is somewhat short, but it is one of my favorite Clancy books. The Cardinal himself is a well thought out and admirable character. The Archer is my favorite Clancy character yet. I would recommend this book to anyone, and I'm sure they would enjoy it. It grips you and makes you wonder what will happen to Cardinal, the Foleys, the Archer, and Jack Ryan. The resolution is almost poetic, and brings true closure to the story. Excellent book, 2 thumbs up!
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing from page one
Review: This book is a fast paced, high stakes espionage fest that will leave you way behind on your to-do list. From the Archer, to the familiar characters of Ryan, Mancuso, Ramius and back to newer characters like the Foleys and Clark, the characters carry the action to compelling heights. We see the stakes from their perspective, and that helps us to feel the danger that is looming over the world.
Easily the least technical in terms of war machines, this is Clancy's most compelling plot. With Ryan flying everywhere and finding himself in Moscow at the unexpected and satisfying conclusion, readers will applaud another great story.
Strengths: Several subplots are woven seamlessly into a strong finish. Ryan's real human reactions and intelligence give us a protagonist we believe and root for. An intelligent read.
Weaknesses: None come to mind. Doesn't suffer from the sometimes verbose technical descriptions some of his other work has.
Rating:
Summary: The Cardinal of the Kremlin
Review: This book was extremely entertaining. One thing that made it good was that I had trouble putting it down to do other things. I enjoyed how at the beginning of the story, the different plots appeared to have no connection, but came back to be intertwined, with each part important to the story. I also liked reading the vivid descriptions that Tom Clancy wrote; I felt that I was actually in and involved with the story while reading. This was a great book and I fully recomend it to others.
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