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vingilot's review against another edition
5.0
What happens when the “War on Drugs” goes from a metaphor, to a cold hard reality? A series of ever growing escalations of force, with no good way out of it for those involved.
It’s an election year, and the president of the United States decides that his best bet for winning is to declare a literal, if hidden war on drugs. Complete with billion dollars worth of military hardware. A jet fighter is send to intercept as many drugflights as possible, lethal force is encouraged. Light infantry units are dropped into a friendly nation, to surveil drug operation. Meanwhile a coastguard ship comes across a gruelling murder scene and decides to use unique measures to get information out of the subjects. This sets the stage for an escalation that will end in assassinations, airstrikes, and teams trapped behind enemy lines abandoned by their government.
Clancy really surprised me with this one. I’d been somewhat iffy about this series, I loved The Hunt for Red October, but the subsequent books never grabbed me as much. They were fun reads, but they were lighter on moral substance, but this makes up for that in spades. This book shows what such an escalation of force can lead to, how little it is likely to accomplish in the end, and who suffers most. From the civilians on the ground, to the soldiers given the orders.
Particularly impressive is that Clancy doesn’t drive his own message home in the end. I don’t know where he would have landed on this discussion in the end. I would have argued against the very first escalation myself, but others wouldn’t. But once they committed to that, every escalation from that point does make sense. It’s believable. Even though I often had other ideas that I think could have worked too.
If one thing did not age well in this novel it’s the treatment of those addicted to drugs, called “druggies” throughout. Views have shifted, and the way it’s addressed has too. Weed is treated with almost the same hatred as cocaine, particularly ironic given what’s now happened in quite a lot of US states. As well as an off hand comment about the Netherlands, having already legalised it.
You don’t handle drugs by declaring war on the people who bring it in, nor the ones who use it. You handle it at home. Emblematic of this is the fact that they have a fighter plane shoot down drug planes… Why not follow them to the us? And have people ready to arrest? That way you’d also get the domestic infrastructure. But so often the US treats drugs as a problem that comes from the outside in. Seemingly in an effort to avoid addressing the real issues back home.
All in all an excellent read.
It’s an election year, and the president of the United States decides that his best bet for winning is to declare a literal, if hidden war on drugs. Complete with billion dollars worth of military hardware. A jet fighter is send to intercept as many drugflights as possible, lethal force is encouraged. Light infantry units are dropped into a friendly nation, to surveil drug operation. Meanwhile a coastguard ship comes across a gruelling murder scene and decides to use unique measures to get information out of the subjects. This sets the stage for an escalation that will end in assassinations, airstrikes, and teams trapped behind enemy lines abandoned by their government.
Clancy really surprised me with this one. I’d been somewhat iffy about this series, I loved The Hunt for Red October, but the subsequent books never grabbed me as much. They were fun reads, but they were lighter on moral substance, but this makes up for that in spades. This book shows what such an escalation of force can lead to, how little it is likely to accomplish in the end, and who suffers most. From the civilians on the ground, to the soldiers given the orders.
Particularly impressive is that Clancy doesn’t drive his own message home in the end. I don’t know where he would have landed on this discussion in the end. I would have argued against the very first escalation myself, but others wouldn’t. But once they committed to that, every escalation from that point does make sense. It’s believable. Even though I often had other ideas that I think could have worked too.
If one thing did not age well in this novel it’s the treatment of those addicted to drugs, called “druggies” throughout. Views have shifted, and the way it’s addressed has too. Weed is treated with almost the same hatred as cocaine, particularly ironic given what’s now happened in quite a lot of US states. As well as an off hand comment about the Netherlands, having already legalised it.
You don’t handle drugs by declaring war on the people who bring it in, nor the ones who use it. You handle it at home. Emblematic of this is the fact that they have a fighter plane shoot down drug planes… Why not follow them to the us? And have people ready to arrest? That way you’d also get the domestic infrastructure. But so often the US treats drugs as a problem that comes from the outside in. Seemingly in an effort to avoid addressing the real issues back home.
All in all an excellent read.
beingshort's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
cgcang's review against another edition
4.0
Well... I have a like-dislike relationship with Clancy, simply because my emotions aren't strong enough for a love-hate one.
I liked Red October, DNF'd Red Storm Rising, and I quite like Clear and Present Danger. Clancy does like dragging plot threads out and this book could easily be cut in half without losing much from its story, but it proved to be a page turner after the first 300 pages.
The story tied up neater than I anticipated and the last 200 pages were quite enjoyable. So, solid 4 stars. I want to give The Sum of All Fears a chance but I don't think it's one of the most-read Clancy's.
I liked Red October, DNF'd Red Storm Rising, and I quite like Clear and Present Danger. Clancy does like dragging plot threads out and this book could easily be cut in half without losing much from its story, but it proved to be a page turner after the first 300 pages.
The story tied up neater than I anticipated and the last 200 pages were quite enjoyable. So, solid 4 stars. I want to give The Sum of All Fears a chance but I don't think it's one of the most-read Clancy's.
rageousmageous's review against another edition
4.0
10 points to anyone who can spot the Ghostbusters reference toward the end of the book.
italianstallion91r's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
dburley37's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This book has many scenarios that switch frequently between paragraphs. It is an intricate plot with many characters. You need to concentrate with no distractions when you read the book. Its close to a 1000 pages in Mass Market Paperback.
nightmane's review against another edition
3.0
Es wäre ein ganz unterhaltender Thriller, hätte der Plot nicht die Komplexität einer Navy-CIS Episode - gestreckt auf fast 1000 Seiten.
Viel zu viele Figuren und die unglaublich vielen Perspektivwechsel haben dabei leider nicht viel geholfen.
Viel zu viele Figuren und die unglaublich vielen Perspektivwechsel haben dabei leider nicht viel geholfen.
jgolomb's review against another edition
4.0
This was my first foray into the world of Tom Clancy (aside from seeing the film version of "The Hunt for Red October") and I thoroughly enjoyed the tale of high -tech military actions targeted at damaging the dangerous Columbian drug cartel. Clancy knows his politics and doesn't shy away from exploring the ethical considerations of military action and political decision-making.
I understood when I picked up this book that I should be prepared for some dated technology, and aside from the obvious improvements in the militarization of digital and computer-based technologies (and perhaps also the use of drones), the story read very realistically and didn't suffer an ounce in its' excitement and intensity.
I had no real background of Clancy's Jack Ryan, nor the enigmatic John Clark. I found both to be a little two dimensional, but honestly didn't care very much either. The story was seeped in political intrigue and military tactics - and these elements provided enough jet fuel to propel the story.
I understood when I picked up this book that I should be prepared for some dated technology, and aside from the obvious improvements in the militarization of digital and computer-based technologies (and perhaps also the use of drones), the story read very realistically and didn't suffer an ounce in its' excitement and intensity.
I had no real background of Clancy's Jack Ryan, nor the enigmatic John Clark. I found both to be a little two dimensional, but honestly didn't care very much either. The story was seeped in political intrigue and military tactics - and these elements provided enough jet fuel to propel the story.
immunis's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
js_warren's review against another edition
3.0
I've read a good chunk of Clancy's books, but it's been years since the last one I read. I remember enjoying them quite a bit, but either my tastes have changed or this just wasn't a great choice for jumping back into the world of Jack Ryan.
I was surprised by how slow the first 1/4-1/3 of the book was. I'm a pretty patient reader, so I didn't let it discourage me, but it took about 300 pages for me to get truly invested; before that, I was just hoping things would move along and get more interesting. It doesn't help that there are about two dozen main-ish characters, and that Clancy alternately refers to them by their first names, last names, nicknames, and ranks/job titles. I didn't bother to do it, but I was tempted to start keeping a list of everyone's information so I didn't have to spend time trying to remember who the hell was involved in whatever scene I was reading.
And maybe it's just that I'm older and (ostensibly) wiser, but I found the viewpoint very much skewed to the conservative side. Obviously, this wasn't a shock; anyone who writes these types of books is bound to be a bit conservative, but the degree of said conservatism was greater than I recalled. And his treatment of his female characters is dated, to say the least (it gets a bit cringe-y at times). The book definitely gives off a strong "conservative old white dude" vibe.
One of his most eye-rolling habits in this book was his constant use of the term "druggie" to refer to anyone even remotely connected to the drug world. Drug lord? Druggie. Drug mule? Druggie. Guy who uses drugs? Druggie. Guy who thinks about using drugs? Druggie. His discussions of drugs was very much in the vein of "they're destroying the fabric of society!" I'm of the opinion that drugs are a symptom, not the disease itself, so his views on drugs often came off a bit hysterical to me.
All that said, once the story got rolling it kept my interest. I just wish it'd gotten rolling sooner. I'd give it 2 1/2 stars if possible.
I was surprised by how slow the first 1/4-1/3 of the book was. I'm a pretty patient reader, so I didn't let it discourage me, but it took about 300 pages for me to get truly invested; before that, I was just hoping things would move along and get more interesting. It doesn't help that there are about two dozen main-ish characters, and that Clancy alternately refers to them by their first names, last names, nicknames, and ranks/job titles. I didn't bother to do it, but I was tempted to start keeping a list of everyone's information so I didn't have to spend time trying to remember who the hell was involved in whatever scene I was reading.
And maybe it's just that I'm older and (ostensibly) wiser, but I found the viewpoint very much skewed to the conservative side. Obviously, this wasn't a shock; anyone who writes these types of books is bound to be a bit conservative, but the degree of said conservatism was greater than I recalled. And his treatment of his female characters is dated, to say the least (it gets a bit cringe-y at times). The book definitely gives off a strong "conservative old white dude" vibe.
One of his most eye-rolling habits in this book was his constant use of the term "druggie" to refer to anyone even remotely connected to the drug world. Drug lord? Druggie. Drug mule? Druggie. Guy who uses drugs? Druggie. Guy who thinks about using drugs? Druggie. His discussions of drugs was very much in the vein of "they're destroying the fabric of society!" I'm of the opinion that drugs are a symptom, not the disease itself, so his views on drugs often came off a bit hysterical to me.
All that said, once the story got rolling it kept my interest. I just wish it'd gotten rolling sooner. I'd give it 2 1/2 stars if possible.