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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
This is my first Tom Clancy book. I'm also new to the technothriller genre. The sprawling scale and meticulous attention to technical detail kept me engaged, but I did not expect that it would come at the expense of all character development. This made it difficult to feel strongly about any of the characters involved. The characterizations of the Russian storyline was laughably comical, with dialog barely better than "to evil!". His Russian leaders repeatedly talk about how they have no disregard for their soldiers' lives but only spare them from dangerous missions for fear of losing the equipment. It's beyond parody.
While I understand this book is a military focused work and a product of its 1980s era, it was jarring that the only notable female character featured is a helpless maiden whose entire personality is being acted on: in that she is a) raped and b) rescued. There is also a brief cameo by a female fighter pilot with the callsign "Buns"...
I found the premise of the war to be bizarre as it is focused on capturing Middle Eastern oil fields but this is never mentioned outside of the very beginning and very end. It's almost like he forgot the storyline and needed to sandwich it onto the ends of the main story. Finally, the ending was a bit disappointing and abrupt.
While I understand this book is a military focused work and a product of its 1980s era, it was jarring that the only notable female character featured is a helpless maiden whose entire personality is being acted on: in that she is a) raped and b) rescued. There is also a brief cameo by a female fighter pilot with the callsign "Buns"...
I found the premise of the war to be bizarre as it is focused on capturing Middle Eastern oil fields but this is never mentioned outside of the very beginning and very end. It's almost like he forgot the storyline and needed to sandwich it onto the ends of the main story. Finally, the ending was a bit disappointing and abrupt.
I got this book for Christmas as a teenager and did not sleep as I read it. It was such an engrossing read especially as a teenager in the 1980's. My guess is a teenager today would not understand why it had such an impact as the Cold War is something they study in history. Tom Clancy was so detailed in setting up the plot, you had to push through the many chapters setting up a climax. I have always considered a Clancy book like a roller coaster, you go up a long hill really slow until that moment when you crest the top and take off on a wild twisty, curvy ride. That crest usually happened about midnight which meant I did not sleep until morning.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
All the pre-war tension building was quite a bit more exciting and interesting than the actual fighting itself. Funnily enough.
Somehow I was surprised by how much time was spent with the Navy (both above and under the surface), much more than on the ground. I mean, there's always the talk about how insanely huge the Soviet tank armies were compared to the Nato forces. Maybe I've read too much crap in the 'net and all that :p
Verdict: very interesting. Would read more.
Somehow I was surprised by how much time was spent with the Navy (both above and under the surface), much more than on the ground. I mean, there's always the talk about how insanely huge the Soviet tank armies were compared to the Nato forces. Maybe I've read too much crap in the 'net and all that :p
Verdict: very interesting. Would read more.
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
My dad loves war stories. He recommended Tom Clancy—I never knew Tom Clancy was so popular! Red Storm Rising is a thick, dystopian novel about a future World War. It switches from a few different perspectives, and I fell in love with each of the characters!
3.5 out of 5
3.5 out of 5