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Amazon.co.uk Review
Once again, Tom Clancy manages to add new twists to the alternate U.S. history he initiated in The Hunt for Red October. In The Sum of All Fears, the centre of conflict is that perpetual hot spot, the Middle East, where a nuclear weapon falls into the hands of terrorists just as peace finally seems possible. Clancy realistically paints an almost unthinkable scenario--the bomb is planted on American soil in the midst of an escalation in tension with the Soviet Union; the terrorists hope to rekindle cold war animosity and prevent reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians.
Despite such a dramatic story line, Clancy doesn't neglect the individuals who drive his tale. Jack Ryan's problems are as much domestic as they are part of the international crisis that is the ostensible narrative: National Security Director Elizabeth Elliot has the president's ear, and she has convinced him that Ryan's ethics are questionable. She hints at marital infidelity and an insider-trading scandal. Of course, both accusations are false, but her arguments have enough evidence behind them (some photographs of an innocent embrace with a friend for example) to cause a strain in the Ryans' marriage and a flurry of media attention. While "Mr Clark" tracks the terrorists, he also provides some needed intelligence to heal the Ryan family.
The Sum of All Fears is the stuff of nightmares but contains enough verisimilitude to terrify sober minds. Ryan has developed into a complex protagonist, just as Clancy's writing has matured. Ryan is plagued by stress and self-doubts that test even his dauntless moral compass and make him a more interesting subject for readers' attention. Those fascinated by military hardware, from nuclear submarines to atomic weapons, will find almost enough here to start their own army. And Clancy's understanding of international politics seems chillingly correct. --Patrick O'Kelley --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Review
From the reviews of The Sum of All Fears:
‘Another classic Clancy. His most successful book… assures his place at the forefront of modern thriller writers.’
Sunday Times
‘Clancy’s best book since The Hunt for Red October – a whiz-bang page-turner.’
New York Times
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I had previously read other Clancy Books and have everytime been amazed at the realism of the stories and quality of writing but this book broke the mould. This is an incredible book, i couldn't put it down and when i had to i was thinking about it. The character of Jack Ryan is taken into much more depth in this installment of the 'Jack Ryan series'. The real gem in this book though is that the story actually seemed so real it was frightening, Clancy perfectly describe the series of events which would lead to a nuclear crisis and the aftermath.
If you don't read any other book from Clancy, you have to read this one. Fans of the series will love it and newbies will be amazed (if not a little confused).
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The last four hundred pages of this are fantastic; vintage Clancy with geopolitical intrigues, human frailties, military action and a classic hero in the form of Jack Ryan.
But the first 600 pages of the book are fairly heavy going - about three important plot lines are set up but unnecessarily slowly given the huge drama when they finally come to something in the finale; there's a lot of tedious technical stuff about submarines and nuclear physics which went way over my head; and a lot of readable but unexciting stuff which adds nothing much to either character or plot.
Also, Clark and Chavez are woefully underused, and when is the action supposed to take place? Apparently at least two years after Reagan and Bush (ie at least 1994), but with Russian troops in Berlin and the Soviet Union still intact (ie before December 1991). Twenty-first century hindsight doesn't do much for a book written in 1991 when the future was unclear. But the Israeli-Palestinian stuff, and terrorism in the US is more topical than ever.
So read this if you have a lot of time on your hands, and don't mind the slight tedium of the first half - the second part is well worth it, but if you want a good first Clancy and fantastic self-contained thriller then Red Storm Rising or the Bear and the Dragon are much more satisfying.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As a Jack Ryan fan I did not watch the film until I had read the book. I now know that this wouldn't have been a problem as there is so little resemblence between the two. The detail in the story line is superb although it did wrap-up slight quicker than it could have done.
If you've seen the film then read the book and find out what Tom Clancy really wrote.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good value.
Not easy to track this one down in the shops at the moment. Had the DVD, wanted to read the book.
Published on 1 Nov 2009 by N. E. BURDETT
Long
This is a very long book (900+ pages), weaving together a large number of converging storylines which culminate in a terrorist nuclear attack in the US. Read more
Published on 29 Sep 2009 by Stephen Bishop
Atomic attack on the States
The next in the Jack Ryan series of books.
This isnt my favourite, however upon re-reading it recently I found it wasnt as bad as I remembered. Read more
This isnt my favourite, however upon re-reading it recently I found it wasnt as bad as I remembered. Read more
Published on 13 July 2009 by Glosblue
Far removed from the film
I have to admit that I had seen the film before I read the book. I never thought too much of the film, but read a few reviews of the book that suggested the book is as far removed... Read more
Published on 17 May 2009 by J. Milton
Too many words!
Inside this mammoth tome was a great novel waiting to break out. But it never got the chance. You have to really be a dedicated thriller reader to plough through the first 500+... Read more
Published on 26 Aug 2008 by Embkay
Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock...
Terrorists build a nuclear bomb and plan to detonate it at the Superbowl. The president and his National Security Advisor are imbeciles but can Jack Ryan stop the two of them... Read more
Published on 26 Nov 2006 by PennysHubby
fast paced thriller
What an awesome book! I started the book as someone who had never read Clanys work, but after this I was hooked! Read more
Published on 16 Mar 2006 by blue giraffe
Nuclear Device is Lost & Found, Paranoia, Nearly WWIII
Tom Clancy is brilliant and absolutely without equal for developing this complex plot filled with international, political and military action. Read more
Published on 18 Feb 2006 by Erika Borsos
Great thriller, but overlong, and dated.
The Sum of all Fears is set after the Cold War has ended, but shows us that the danger of nuclear war won't go away quite that easily as terrorists attempt to provoke a war between... Read more
Published on 25 Feb 2005 by "rasam23"
Clancy's Pinnacle
With the release of the movie recently (which, although good in its own right, bears little resemblence to the book! Read more
Published on 21 Oct 2002 by CJ
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