Rating: 
Summary: I found this book very dissappointing. Bummer.
Review: Ive read all of his other books up to this one, so i had very high expectations for this one. As i read through it, i kept waiting for the book to really get going, but it never did. I was lost in its complex storyline, and it was almost work to have to finish it. I would reccomend this book, but don't expect it to be as amazing as Clancy's others.
Rating: 
Summary: Page-turner
Review: Cardinal of the Kremlin certainly keeps you interested the storyline. Even though it's fiction, and set in the Cold War days with the USSR, it helped me realize why Russia would be opposed to a defensive missile shield for the U.S. This is another book with Jack Ryan as a character, but he is only one of many in this book about spies. Clancy does well with a variety of plots and subplots and coordinates them to bring them together. Though it can be annoying to have him spend a paragraph or two on one part of the story then to have him leave it and not come back to it for a while, when I want to find out what's going to happen next. I guess that's why it's so hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, considering current world conditions
Review: This is the first Clancy book I've read but I really enjoyed it. The CARDINAL is a highly placed Soviet war hero who's been spying for America for 30 years. Then the line is broken and the Americans feel the need for loyalty to get him out. It's maybe not as action-packed as some of his other books, but the story was great and really made you empathize for the characters. I was also impressed at how "human" many of the characters become, and whether or not you agreed with their actions, you could usually understand them. It's also very interesting to read it now (2002), and reflect back on what the atmosphere was like when the Cold War was still going strong in the 80's, with the possibility (however real or not) of nuclear war. It also felt strange to think of the Afghans as "good guys" and the Russians as the "bad guys" given the current state of affairs.
Rating: 
Summary: This book was mildly amusing.......
Review: This was not the best Tom Clancy book I've read. But not the worst. It was mildly amusing. Less action then I expected. However when you finaly come to the action parts they are very good. All in all this was a okay book.
Rating: 
Summary: The Cardinal of the Kremlin
Review: The Cardinal of the Kremlin written by Tom Clancy is a well written novel about the Cold War between and Soviet Union and the United States spy adventure. A Jack Ryan story that involves intrigue, suspense, and some pretty sophisticatedly intricate Star War defense (SDI) that the Soviets are working on.Jack Ryan is sent to get the Cardinal, the CIA's code name for Mikhail Filitov. Who is a war hero colonel in the Red Army turned CIA informant. Clancy sets this book up well with detail on the SDI and makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Clancy weaves the fabric of the story into a fine tapestry making you believe the story to be real. This is a good spy story with a techno-thriller subplot action adventure as Clancy keeps the intrigue going till the end. Total engrossing the read with detail and finally finessing the plot to its predicted end. You will caught by Clancy's tale of "The Cardinal of the Kremlin" till the end. As Clacy adds detail to Jack Ryan a new CIA man, fleshing him out to a full fledged action hero. All in all, this was a fast and enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite Clancy so far
Review: This is the third Clancy book I have read, after Patriot Games and October. It also is my favorite. I loved the page-by-page action and, what Clancy does best, Suspense. I finished the 500+ page book in 4 days. This is a good starting point if you have noty read Clancy yet, an it is also a valuable link in the series. So far, Cardinal is one of the best all-around books I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: A bit off on some of the details, but still a great book
Review: I had my Russian friend & his wife read the book after I did and they found some minor errors in the book. The story is a bit dated with the "America is great, Communism sucks" items here & there in the story, but it still isn't a bad read. I'm reading the Jack Ryan series in order & so far this book is my least favorite - but it's up against some stiff competition.
Rating:
Summary: "Cardinal" on the run...
Review: This is the first novel in the Jack Ryan series that REALLY takes off and gives the reader a fantastic SPY vs. SPY thriller all the way through. It is the novel that introduces us to the legendary Mr. Clark, gives us lots of insight into the life of "Cardinal", and furthers the career of Jack Ryan, all while careening through cases of espionage, counterintelligence ops, and high-strung arms negotiations. Clancy slaps you in the face with lots and lots of technical details right at the beginning of the novel, but you really do have to get a sense of this to understand how important the Star Wars system is. Once his tech jargon is out of the way though, it's full-speed ahead with intense action and covert ops. Lots of recurring characters, like Admiral Greer, Bob Ritter, Capt. Ramius of the Red October, and The USS Dallas' crewmates Capt. Mancuso and Jonesy. This novel really gives you a sense of what life as an operations officer in the intelligence agencies must be like. Lots of twists and turns, lots of secret missions and evil interrogation methods, and like I said earlier, SPY vs. SPY. This is by far the ultimate spy thriller, and my hat is off to Mr. Clancy for this one.
Rating:
Summary: STUNNING!
Review: This is easily one of Clancy's best works, and I have read them all save one (which I will read next). The "Cardinal" is a High-Ranking Russian War-Hero who has become disenchanted with all the "chekist" in his government. He has been supplying the U.S. with information, but still considers himself a patriot. This book provides a wonderful insight into Russia at about the time of the Cold War and still manages to provide several other story lines, including the ever-popular Jack Ryan. A MUST READ for any Clancy fan! Also recommended:
Without Remorse
Executive Orders
Patriot Games
War and Peace
The Count of Monte Cristo
Harry Potter (for "light" reading)
Rating:
Summary: When we knew who the enemy was...and his name was Ivan
Review: A very good espionage thriller written and set in the late 80's. Cardinal of the Kremlin is a little more rounded than Clancy's earlier Jack Ryan books (Hunt for Red October and Patriot Games), as the character have much more depth to them.
Also CotK is has more of a geopolitical angle than his others, with the consequence of having less action.
Clancy, as always, is a master of describing the inner workings of Defense and Intelligence agencies, which I find fascinating, moreso than the technical details of equipment, for which he is also famous (or is it infamous? :)) .
However the ending was very abrupt (especially compared with HfRO which seemed to have several). Still highly recommended.
I can only guess that this wasn't made into a movie because of the smaller role Jack Ryan plays in this story.
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