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spacedout_reader's review against another edition
I usually love Scott Brick's narration but I'm really not sold on his British accent unfortunately
shmark's review against another edition
5.0
Very well done. I'm not a huge fan of Tom Clancy (didnt really like Rainbow Six or Sum of All Fears) but this one was quite gripping from beginning to end. hard to put down.
katykelly's review against another edition
3.0
Unusual hero, very VERY detailed descriptions
3.5 stars
I've never tried Clancy, thought I'd try this audiobook from the library. Sorry to the narrator but I found his voice rather tedious and dry, though actually, this 'kinda' suited the main character! Jack Ryan is mid thirties, with a military background, a smart doctor wife and cute kid. He unwittingly gets caught up in foiling a terrorist plot whilst on holiday in London, earning the gratitude of the Royal Family as well as a stay care of the NHS (good advert for them). And a place on the Irish terrorists' hit list.
All well and good, I liked the plot. I just found Jack dry, pedantic in his detail, humourless at times. Jack gets to meet not only Prince Charles but the Queen as well, both of whom are pretty amusing to see through the eyes of an American author. Diana doesn't fare as well, she says maybe one sentence and is mainly seen as someone everyone is in love with.
Jack's wife gets a little more to do, quite a strong female character. Jack himself is both seen as an academic but also the gung-ho guy who gets both sides buttered by doing the research on the terrorists AND getting the chance to fight them physically. Trying to be everything at once.
A book of extremes, with dead-eye terrorists with no humanity on the other side of the coin, doing unspeakable deeds. Protracted climax, I thought, I got a little bored with it to be honest. I might try the film to see how it compares.
I'm not a huge fan of thrillers in general, though I liked some elements of this. This might have worked better for me on paper, listening to it was hard work with a narrator I didn't like and a dry exposition-heavy story.
3.5 stars
I've never tried Clancy, thought I'd try this audiobook from the library. Sorry to the narrator but I found his voice rather tedious and dry, though actually, this 'kinda' suited the main character! Jack Ryan is mid thirties, with a military background, a smart doctor wife and cute kid. He unwittingly gets caught up in foiling a terrorist plot whilst on holiday in London, earning the gratitude of the Royal Family as well as a stay care of the NHS (good advert for them). And a place on the Irish terrorists' hit list.
All well and good, I liked the plot. I just found Jack dry, pedantic in his detail, humourless at times. Jack gets to meet not only Prince Charles but the Queen as well, both of whom are pretty amusing to see through the eyes of an American author. Diana doesn't fare as well, she says maybe one sentence and is mainly seen as someone everyone is in love with.
Jack's wife gets a little more to do, quite a strong female character. Jack himself is both seen as an academic but also the gung-ho guy who gets both sides buttered by doing the research on the terrorists AND getting the chance to fight them physically. Trying to be everything at once.
A book of extremes, with dead-eye terrorists with no humanity on the other side of the coin, doing unspeakable deeds. Protracted climax, I thought, I got a little bored with it to be honest. I might try the film to see how it compares.
I'm not a huge fan of thrillers in general, though I liked some elements of this. This might have worked better for me on paper, listening to it was hard work with a narrator I didn't like and a dry exposition-heavy story.
kkomo's review against another edition
4.0
I know that Clancy is supposed to be the benchmark for the genre, but I wasn’t impressed. It seemed like the story drug out forever and hit definitely boring parts. I listened to the audiobook, so I couldn’t just skim and get to more interesting parts.
I did like how the story took place over a long period of time- that’s more realistic to me. However, this is certainly one I will not put on my re-read list. I did really enjoy Scott Brick as the narrator, though.
I did like how the story took place over a long period of time- that’s more realistic to me. However, this is certainly one I will not put on my re-read list. I did really enjoy Scott Brick as the narrator, though.
mariaduffy's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this book… and maybe it could’ve been four stars if there was even a hint of personality within the characters. There were certainly vivid and detailed action scenes that captured the reader’s attention, however, Clancy seemed to forget to write any details about the characters’ personality. Jack Ryan is a handsome, intelligent, and brave man that is loved by everyone (except terrorists) and is always hero while suffering no consequences. Him, and all the other characters, have no character arc or growth. It felt like the only really plot of this book was people shooting guns and criminals planning attacks. While at times I found the content interesting and entertaining, I was left feeling unsatisfied by the ending and uncomfortable with awkward, emotionless characters that Clancy created.
baxtervallens's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
briannehuffman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
mkmullin's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.25
I really did not enjoy this lol. Tom Clancy’s writing is almost too detailed and confusing - half of this book could have easily been cut out. Not excited to read the other one I have to read for my class…