Rating:  Summary: Typical Mass Produced Pulp Fiction: 2 1/2 Stars Review: As an avid fan of Clancy's original techno thriller literary style, his latest barrage of pump'em out as fast as you can ("Op-Center," "Politica" and now "Net Force") are mildly entertaining but by no means great. Net Force, an anti-cyberterrorism/Op-Center, set in the near future, is a governmental intervention force for policing the Internet. "Net Force" appears to have its roots from Clancy & Pieczenik's "Op-Center" series (obviously), with a sprinkling from Neal Stephenson's near future virtual reality in "Snow Crash," and William Lovejoy's cyberterrorism in "Backslash." For the TV miniseries Hollywood changed much of the book, the overall theme remains, however, most of the subplots have been altered. If you have seen the TV miniseries (2/1 & 2/4), the book provides a somewhat different story line. Most notably, the books's primary villain was a Russian cyberterrorist whereas the miniseries portrays a "Gates" Information
Rating:  Summary: Not a Clancy.... Well DUH! Review: Everybody likes to cry over how this isn't writen by Tom Clancy and blah blah blah. Right at the bottom of the title it says:
"Created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieezenik, writen by Steve Perry"!
If you can read the book, at least read the credits before you whine so much. After that being said, this is an excellent series and I highly suggest. 4 stars, could have been 5 but a couple chapters were really really bad and kind of confusing. It's one of those rare books that even if you're dead tired you want to get to the next chapter to see what happened next.
Rating:  Summary: Beginning of a worthwhile series Review: I've read a few of the NetForce novels, including this one that launched the series, and thought I'd pop around and see what some of the Amazon.com users like me thought about them. I'm really surprised they're not more well received. Some thoughts in reply to several comments I've seen readers make here: 1) Tom Clancy did not write these novels. He and Steve Pieczenik are listed as "created by," and it appears that a writer named Steve Perry may have done most of the actual writing of at least two of the three NetForce novels I've read. His name is an attention-getter, and it is somewhat odd to me that so many reviewers comment on "this isn't Clancy's best work." Of course not. It's obviously not his writing, so the books cannot be accurately reviewed from that angle. 2) Comments regarding there being less than Clancy's usual tons of technical detail are irrelevant as well. Personally the technical detail bores me anyway, and there is too much here for my tastes, making it one of the weaknesses of the NetForce series IMO. YMMV; some reviewers want more technical detail, I want less. There's enough in this series to be illustrative, but for me (I prefer plot exposition, moving the story along, and character development) the writer stops to explain various weapons more than enough. It slows the story down, but at least it's not too distracting. 3) Someone commented that this series "is not written for people who actually use computers." Ahem. I have operated a commercial website for several years as a part-time job, and my full-time job is on my PC as well. I have rebuilt and upgraded entire computer systems by myself with minimal instruction. I practically *live* in e-mail. And I do enjoy this series. Again, perhaps the reviewer was looking for some kind of extensive technical detail on the computer systems and how they function and interface, but gimme a break, that's *work* to me. I read for pleasure, not to take my work with me into those hours. The internet crime focus and extensive descriptions of a futuristic virtual-reality-driven internet are definitely interesting reading. Having said all that, the prospective reader of this series must also be aware that it is not just a series of self-enclosed stories but an actual serial of sorts. One of the bad guys in this novel returns later in the "Night Moves" book (third in the series), our heroic geek Jay Gridley meets someone in that one who changes his life and becomes part of future episodes, the working relationship between Alex & Toni (with occasional comments about an attraction) bears fruit in future volumes, and Colonel Howard's family life (plus the life of his son Tyrone) is another thread that runs throughout much of the series. The NetForce books realistically include people of multiple races, backgrounds, personalities, interests, religions, politics, etc., and consistently have the interesting multiple perspective of viewing the story through the eyes of various characters. It also introduces us to some little-known martial arts, primarily from Indonesia, but in the later "CyberNation" book we get some sharply drawn bad guys and one of them has a Brazilian fighting style. By and large, this is a series which I will continue to follow with interest.
Rating:  Summary: Great Book Review: I've read the Spanish translation. This book is very poor, elemental. There is no emotion, no thriller. Some argumental threads become suddently dead. I've not got any pleasure reading this book.
Rating:  Summary: 3rd Period English AP Assignment Review: Let me start by saying I'm not an avid fan of reading books. Only on very rare occasions do I have the desire to read books just for the sake of reading. However, reading this book was not only a very pleasant experience, I enjoyed it so much I actually want to read the rest of this series, which is an amazing thing for me to say.
This book is set in the year 2010 when computers and technology have become increasingly important in everyday lives. The internet has expanded its reach across the entire world and can be accessed in a 3-D simulation, relating what you're doing on the computer to events occurring in real life. Alex Michaels finds himself in a situation where he must take control of a government organization in charge of maintaining the status quo on the internet and route out cyber-terrorists from usurping power in other countries.
This book's target audience was obviously those who are infatuated with the internet and technology. Well, it hit its target with precision aim. It also mixed in a nice amount of action and drama to go along with the geeky look into our future and where technology will lead us.
At first it was hard to keep up with the various characters going about their separate lives, but toward the end it was much easier. As the book progressed, not only did it become easier to keep up with who was doing what, but it was interesting to see how the different characters interacted with one another and to see things from their different points of view.
All and all, a very well written book. However, it might not appeal to those who aren't quite as infactuated with technology and the internet as I am. I give it a 4 out of 5 stars.
Rating:  Summary: A good Clancy Technological thriller Review: The author, Tom Clancy, is known for being a military technology buff, and porting his love over to his novels. Originally an insurance broker, he wrote his first novel, The Hunt For Red October in 1984. From then on, he's been well known for being an excellent military writer as well as creator of military and terrorist scenarios. His skills as a writer, show in this book, as well as his interests in technology and terrorism. Net Force is a novel, that starts, and doesn't stop. Like a roller coaster, it drops you down and takes you for many twists and curves in the plot. Net Force, is also a frame story. It had many different stories going on at once in it, that all combine to a fantastic climax. Me being an avid reader of Clancy novels, I found this book extremely enjoyable. Character development started right off, as they went in about Michaels (The new director of Net Force) and his reactions to the many chaotic events that happen around him. Clancy showed human flaws in his normal characters. I really enjoy those types of characters, so I suppose that struck a chord with me. Also, Clancy's use of imagination as well as technological knowledge was superb. To describe the internet, a growing almost living thing, twelve years into the future, and go into that much detail, is incredible. The antagonist, just like the protagonist, is indeed, human. Although his goal is world domination, he attempts to succeed in very simple and humanly possible ways. He makes mistakes (which ultimately lead to his downfall) and underestimates Net Force. Of the many sub-stories however, I enjoyed the Russian, "The Rifle's" most of all. Clancy later carries this character ahead to the 3rd book, and ties it together very well.
Rating:  Summary: Pretty good, but don't expect Clancy Review: This book's actually not written by Tom Clancy, but mostly Dr. Pieczenik. And that's the point. Just ignore the name of Tom Clancy written on it and you've got a perfect book. And be sure to read Hidden Agendas right after this one. Without HA it seems to be rather incomplete.
Rating:  Summary: Almost a book Review: This story is out of reality at any time, it has an almost love story, almost FBI thriller, almost futuristic, almost childish, and I can keep going about almost everything, apart of that, you can skip almost half of the book and you will understand it, so to resume this review, this book is a complete (not almost, complete) waste.
Rating:  Summary: FUTURISTIC GLIMPSE Review: Tom Clancy is a genius at research on any topic - and he excels in the futuristic world of the virtual world computer. If you enjoy the science of computers, the possibilities of virtual world then this is a must read. It will be a scary prospect when considering RW (real world vs. VR (virtual reality) - but brace yourselves because Clancy has hit the nail on the head. If you are a fan of his writing - don't miss this one.
Rating:  Summary: FUTURISTIC GLIMPSE Review: Tom Clancy is a genius at research on any topic - and he excels in the futuristic world of the virtual world computer. If you enjoy the science of computers, the possibilities of virtual world then this is a must read. It will be a scary prospect when considering RW (real world vs. VR (virtual reality) - but brace yourselves because Clancy has hit the nail on the head. If you are a fan of his writing - don't miss this one.
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