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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
I read this long ago. I don't even remember what it was about, so I won't give it a very high rating. But I'm pretty sure I enjoyed it, FWIW.
I finished my second Tom Clancy novel in three weeks. And I've become a fan.
I enjoyed "Red Storm Rising" more than "Clear and Present Danger". "Red Storm Rising" was Clancy's second novel and doesn't include either of the characters that make up much of the core of his fabulously popular high-tech military thrillers: Jack Ryan and John Clark. Clancy builds credible motives for the Russian-fueld World War III, and the plot drives all 600+ pages of this novel that bounces between perspectives of characters ranging from military leaders, to intelligence officers, to the most engaging of all, an Air Force weatherman thrust to the fore of the international battle.
I'm not a military guy and I've not read much around a modern military (though I've read my fair share of ancient Roman Legion battles), but I became hooked on Clancy's details surrounding the tactics of all branches of the military and the somewhat less fulfilling political machinations that drove the bigger picture war efforts. Clancy's mostly able to differentiate a multitude of battles, though seemed to struggle a bit with an ongoing series of submarine engagements.
There's no character depth here, and quite frankly, I was perfectly happy to let the detailed plot drive the story. "Red Storm Rising" is an exciting and engaging read. It's not great, but it's a whole lot of fun.
I enjoyed "Red Storm Rising" more than "Clear and Present Danger". "Red Storm Rising" was Clancy's second novel and doesn't include either of the characters that make up much of the core of his fabulously popular high-tech military thrillers: Jack Ryan and John Clark. Clancy builds credible motives for the Russian-fueld World War III, and the plot drives all 600+ pages of this novel that bounces between perspectives of characters ranging from military leaders, to intelligence officers, to the most engaging of all, an Air Force weatherman thrust to the fore of the international battle.
I'm not a military guy and I've not read much around a modern military (though I've read my fair share of ancient Roman Legion battles), but I became hooked on Clancy's details surrounding the tactics of all branches of the military and the somewhat less fulfilling political machinations that drove the bigger picture war efforts. Clancy's mostly able to differentiate a multitude of battles, though seemed to struggle a bit with an ongoing series of submarine engagements.
There's no character depth here, and quite frankly, I was perfectly happy to let the detailed plot drive the story. "Red Storm Rising" is an exciting and engaging read. It's not great, but it's a whole lot of fun.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
I loved this book, as I knew I would. It has been out long enough that you can easily find a plot summary and a million people who have read it probably more than once. Nothing like a hot book about the cold war.
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Pretty good, but sometimes feels like you are reading a technical manual for submarine warfare rather than a novel.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think my review on this book as a bit biased. I am a huge Tom Clancy fan or at least a Jack Ryan fan. However this book just was not one of my favorite books of his.
Such a fascinating concept. Even though Clancy wrote it during the Jack Ryan years, it's a standalone book. None of the characters exist anywhere outside this book, and none of the events in this book impact the Ryanverse.
What this book IS, instead, is Clancy's account of a (non-nuclear) World War 3. Back when the Cold War was a Thing and it looked like it could happen, this made a lot more sense. The Soviets lose most of their oil supply, and they want to take it from the Persian Gulf, but they're worried NATO will stop them, so they decide to fight NATO first. I dunno, maybe it made sense at the time.
This book tells the full story of that fictional war - land, sea, air, underwater, and some of the politics from the Soviet side. There's no US government participation in the story - you see the perspective from the regional commanders and below. The detail is incredible. It's basically war porn - throw away most of that character development since it just gets in the way, and this is what's left. But, man, Clancy can really write that stuff.
Really no reason for this not to be 5 stars. If you like Clancy, you'll love this book.
What this book IS, instead, is Clancy's account of a (non-nuclear) World War 3. Back when the Cold War was a Thing and it looked like it could happen, this made a lot more sense. The Soviets lose most of their oil supply, and they want to take it from the Persian Gulf, but they're worried NATO will stop them, so they decide to fight NATO first. I dunno, maybe it made sense at the time.
This book tells the full story of that fictional war - land, sea, air, underwater, and some of the politics from the Soviet side. There's no US government participation in the story - you see the perspective from the regional commanders and below. The detail is incredible. It's basically war porn - throw away most of that character development since it just gets in the way, and this is what's left. But, man, Clancy can really write that stuff.
Really no reason for this not to be 5 stars. If you like Clancy, you'll love this book.
adventurous
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No