Dead or Alive (Jack Ryan Jr., #2)

Jan 21, 2011 Wayne rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, own

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Worst Tom Clancy book ever.
This book is the latest in the Jack Ryan series. Ryan is contemplating a return to the White House and doesn't know that Jack Jr. has enlisted in the shadow organization (the Campus) that Ryan set up before he left the White House. Clark and Chavez are summarily dumped by the CIA after the new administration decides to take a softer/electronic approach to intelligence gathering. Anybody that didn't foresee Clark and Chavez joining the Campus hasn't been paying attentio...more Worst Tom Clancy book ever.
This book is the latest in the Jack Ryan series. Ryan is contemplating a return to the White House and doesn't know that Jack Jr. has enlisted in the shadow organization (the Campus) that Ryan set up before he left the White House. Clark and Chavez are summarily dumped by the CIA after the new administration decides to take a softer/electronic approach to intelligence gathering. Anybody that didn't foresee Clark and Chavez joining the Campus hasn't been paying attention all these years. The Campus continues to hunt down The Emir, who is the architect of 9/11 and myriad other terrorist incidents.

There is virtually no character development in the book. If you didn't already read the first 12 books in the series you wouldn't know who anybody is. There is no side dialog. Very little internal musings. Everything is very tactical or strategic. Little happens outside of the main plot line. When it does it feels very out of place, like when Dom picks up a girl at a restaurant and leaves her apartment in disgust after she pulls out a vial of cocaine. Nothing is elaborated on or expounded on. The author(s) could have used the scene to make some point or round out the character, but nothing happens. Dom leaves, doesn't say anything, and it never comes up again. Jack Jr. wrestles with some weighty issues. He doesn't spend any time wondering whether it is wrong to kill someone outside of the law, he spends his time debating whether he has what it takes to do the killing.

There are multiple typos throughout the book. Words missing or in the wrong order, one point where the word BY is in all caps in the middle of a sentence for no reason, and one point where the wrong name is used to describe what the character is doing. Brian is named instead of Dominick. These mistakes I chalk up to an editor who didn't earn their money. However the massive factual error on page 630 of the hardcover is inexcusable. While describing international politics in the Middle East and discussing the interrelated goals of Iran, Iraq and various terrorist organizations the author(s) state that Iran is trying to protect the Shia minority in Iraq from the Sunni majority. Every source I can find says that the Shia have a 60%-70% majority in Iraq. Unforgivable factual error.

Clancy has been putting more and more political discourse in his latest books. I understand that he writes about military and associated matters, and that by default the majority of his characters are going to have a distinctive lean to the right. That's fine. He's managed up to now to not bring much politics into the story. Whether you vote Democrat or Republican doesn't matter much when you're flying an F-14 Tomcat over the North Atlantic and trying to avoid the Mig on your six. He's managed to write some very entertaining and engaging stories without discussing the validity or fairness of the estate tax. In this book almost every character is decidedly conservative/Republican. The two exceptions I can think of are Arni van Damm and Sally Ryan. Arni is at this point more of a convert to Ryan and while he might disagree with some of Ryan's politics he believes Ryan is the right man for the job and the opposition is not a valid option. Sally Ryan is portrayed as rapidly becoming a militant vegan and is ridiculed by the other characters, including her brother. What little dialog in the book that is not devoted directly to the story line is devoted to ridiculing/dismissing such topics as vegetarianism, environmentalism, and government oversight. The main theme of the book seems to be that the only option left in politics is the right because everybody on the left is too corrupt, stupid, inept, or short sighted to keep from screwing things up.

It's hard to know how much to blame on Clancy's ever narrower focus on the world and how much to blame on having a co-author. This is the first Jack Ryan book to have a co-author and that might explain why I disliked it so much. I have never liked the Op-Center and other Clancy series that seem to be written by others and stamped with the Tom Clancy label. I don't like the Clive Cussler and James Patterson books that are labeled "written with". Maybe I have to make a decision not to read any more books that the author can't be bothered to write himself/herself. My comment directly to Tom Clancy would be that he can't need the money that badly. If he can't write the book on his own, maybe he shouldn't try to push it.

Update 1/21/11:
I just finished listening to Tom Clancy's Patriot games, not his best book, but one of my favorites. On the next to last page Ryan is talking to the Prince of Wales and gives this advice about living with terrorists:
"I guess maybe it comes down to justice. If people believe in their society, they don't break its rules. The trick's making them believe. Hell, we can't always accomplish that. But you try your best, and you don't quit. Every problem has a solution if you work at it long enough... You just have to make it work for everybody, and do it well enough that they believe. It's not easy, but I think you can do it. Sooner or later, civilization always wins over barbarism."
This is right after Ryan almost killed the man that attacked his family. If he can find that much faith in the justice system when its involving something so very personal how does he become the man 20 years later who is so disillusioned with his government that he has to set up a secret police that operates outside of the law?(less)

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Sep 16, 2012 Peri Kinder rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Dead or Alive” was boring. There wasn’t that hanging-on-the-edge-of-my-seat suspense that Clancy writes so well. I thought the writing was choppy, the story was bland and the characters were flat–except for the women, who always seem to have large chests. I trudged through 900 pages hoping it would get better–but it never did.

Give me “Hunt for Red October” or “Clear and Present Danger” and I’ll be in espionage heaven. But this one didn’t work. Too bad. But I’m not giving up on Clancy yet, maybe...more

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Dec 13, 2010 Rachel C. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: length-massive, pop-fic-action-adv

Plowed through this book in one day. I went in eager to approve, but didn't like it as much as I'd hoped. This is the first time Clancy has shared a byline on a Jack Ryan book and I'm a bit scared that the floodgates are now open for a ton of Patterson-esque cheap knockoffs.

I guess it was easier to enjoy the Cold War Clancys since there was historical, and therefore psychic, distance. I found it much harder to turn my head off and become immersed in this Middle East / terrorism story. I kept com...more

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May 19, 2013 Katie/Doing Dewey rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked Dead or Alive as my first audiobook because I figured it wouldn't take much attention to listen too. That expectation was based on my opinion that all Tom Clancy books are basically the same and I was mostly right. However, I either haven't read the earlier books that included torture or they weren't as horrifying in print. Either way, the last few chapters of this book were actually stressful to listen to they were so violent. The rest of the book was just another Tom Clancy story, wit...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Brock Hohmann rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Book Review
The book that I am recommending today is called Dead or Alive by Tom Clancy. Dead or Alive is an action novel about a man named Jack Ryan and his adventures after he leaves the navy. He has to overcome many struggles with people and money. Eventually people start coming after him and trying to kill him, but him and his son fight for their own lives.
I would recommend this book to people who don’t mind reading long books because it is 700 pages long. I would also recommend this book t...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Pawan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

http://iandbooks.wordpress.com

“Dead or Alive” is another on the edge thriller by author Tom Clancy. The cover also says that he has written it with Grant Blackwood but the style and writing is purely Tom Clancy in this book as well. I have now read many of his books and he never fails to impress me with the fast paced and over the edge drama and thriller. His heroes are always American though the face of enemy has changed over the years. In his earlier books fight was always against Soviet Union...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Dodol Surodol rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A long read, Dead or Alive is. I don't know if it's the "with" authorship or Clancy having changed -- lost his edge, if you will -- since '90s, but I find myself longing for the days of Patriot Games and The Cardinal of the Kremlin.

The actions are still good, the I.T. stuff believable (which is better than most books), and all-star setup having me excited. The authors are very in-your-face now with their right leaning. Either you're right or you're incompetent. The good guys even deem torture ne...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Alain Burrese rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It had been a long time since reading about the exploits of Jack Ryan, John Clark, "Ding" Chavez, and the Caruso brothers, Brian and Dominic. I've always enjoyed Tom Clancy, and have to admit, "Without Remorse" and "Rainbow Six" were probably my favorites because I really like the character John Clark. So, when "Dead Or Alive" came out, I was excited to read the newest story about Clark that also featured all of the other main characters from Clancy's novels. For whatever reason, the book got se...more It had been a long time since reading about the exploits of Jack Ryan, John Clark, "Ding" Chavez, and the Caruso brothers, Brian and Dominic. I've always enjoyed Tom Clancy, and have to admit, "Without Remorse" and "Rainbow Six" were probably my favorites because I really like the character John Clark. So, when "Dead Or Alive" came out, I was excited to read the newest story about Clark that also featured all of the other main characters from Clancy's novels. For whatever reason, the book got set aside, and I've finally read it so that I can get to reading the new "Locked On."

So, about "Dead Or Alive." I enjoyed reading it. I liked reading about these characters again, and the story has action, suspense, surprises, and kept me wanting more. Many don't care for the newer Clancy novels co-authored with others. I'll agree they don't seem the same as the earlier works, but I still enjoy them. (I will admit that "Against All Enemies" was not up to par with Clancy's earlier stuff at all, but it was still a light fun read. Sort of like the straight to video movies.) "Dead or Alive" is better than straight to DVD, and liked it more than "Against All Enemies."

The story could have been told in less than 950 pages, but I found I didn't mind the length, because I enjoyed reading the book. It definitely set things up for the next in the series, "Locked On." In this book, Jack Ryan Sr. announces that he will run for President again, but not much else. That story will continue in the next book. The majority of this story focuses on Jack Ryan Jr., Clark, Chavez, and the Caruso brothers and their new positions with the Campus team, an outside the government group set up by Jack Ryan when he was president that serves the mission of defeating terrorism by any and all means possible, laws be damned. The Campus team is after a terrorist and must stop a large scale terrorist attack. Nothing real original or mind bending there, but the story is told well with enough action and intrigue to keep you turning pages, especially if you are a fan of the Tom Clancy characters.

While it might not be the same Tom Clancy of old, it is still a fun action yarn that I enjoyed, and it makes me look forward to reading the next book "Locked On."
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Jun 07, 2012 James rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: military

This sequel to Teeth of the Tiger resumes the story of Jack Ryan, Jr. and The Campus, an off the books anti-terrorist organization setup by then President Jack Ryan. Going after terrorists by any means necessary, the story starts by integrating two previous Clancy characters last seen in Rainbow Six, John Clark and "Ding" Chavez, into The Campus, with Clark becoming Jack, Jr.'s training officer. The United States is again threatened by the Emir, a shadowy Osama Bin Laden-type terrorist leader wh...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Rob rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. After several years of waiting for a new Clancy book I was delighted to see this release late last year and saved it to be my vacation read. Unfortunately this didn't read like his standard affair, the smashing together of real world events like 9/11, Iraq, Afghanistan, Putin, Iran's nuclear program didn't make much sense given the history of Ryanverse in several previous novels. The US was going to war with China to protect Russia a few years ago, and now Putin is in charge? The leadership of I...more After several years of waiting for a new Clancy book I was delighted to see this release late last year and saved it to be my vacation read. Unfortunately this didn't read like his standard affair, the smashing together of real world events like 9/11, Iraq, Afghanistan, Putin, Iran's nuclear program didn't make much sense given the history of Ryanverse in several previous novels. The US was going to war with China to protect Russia a few years ago, and now Putin is in charge? The leadership of Iran was assassinated by Ryan shortly before that, and now they're back with only a slight improvement in attitude (rather than invading Iraq like last time now they're only threatening to) what happened to the massive war between the countries? How did Iran rebuild its military so fast? But while I have quite a few nitpicks (mostly detailed below) the story is certainly one I enjoyed, much more so than Teeth of the Tiger, and was certainly worth reading.

The book doesn’t really break the line (or straight up retcon anything), so much as toe it and ask for a large suspension of disbelief. The US seems relatively unworried about the idea of Iran possibly getting nuclear weapons despite the fact that the US HAS NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS OF ITS OWN. So while no mention is really made (at least that I noticed) of an active US nuclear arsenal, I don’t find it all that believable that anyone would be ok with Iran being anywhere near a nuclear weapon given that everyone else seemed to have gotten rid of them several books back.

President Kealty makes for a very nice punching bag, and while some other reviewers have claimed that as an annoyance, given the history of the character stretching he really make a very good one. Having a friend pull his letter of resignation from a recently assassinated presidents files? So that he could then try and file a law suit to get the presidency? It wouldn't be that out of character for him to have been behind the assassination of Robby Jackson therefore assuring an easy election.

However, while Kealty makes for a very nice punching bag, and Ryan has always made a great puncher for me (blackmailing a Russian leader with the Red October incident in Moscow?) I found the political fighting boring, uninteresting, and bland. And while I actually agree with Ryan (and Clancy) politically, I found the repeated insults on Kealty’s policies boring. Perhaps, its because I’m listening/watching/reading attacks on Obama’s policies all day and so when I bury myself in the book I’d rather not be reminded of what my actual life involves. Or maybe its because Ryan wasn’t presented as a great domestic president, but a great foreign policy one, but his greatest achievement as president in hindsight is being held up as his tax code. And while I think I remember that being mentioned in a previous book, I’d have thought the “Ryan Doctrine” or him bringing democracy to China, bringing Russia into NATO, rebuilding the entire US government basically from scratch, protecting the middle east from a massive Iranian invasion might be worthy of mention along with his simplifying of the tax code.

But the book isn’t really about Ryan and Kealty, but about The Campus and Ding and Clark. We have two ex-CIA, ex-Rainbow operatives now tasked with hunting the Emir (Osama in this series) and the hunt is relatively entertaining. The terrorist murder lots of innocents, and demonstrate their resolve to the cause along the way, and the action is well written, interesting, and the diagrams certainly make everything easy to visualize. Unfortunately the action was mostly missing something for me: fear and tension. With many long term characters in the book I never really felt that any of them were in danger, or at the very least the ones I really cared about. Ding, and Clark just feel too old, and have so much invested in them that having them die in a simple gunfight isn’t something I ever really felt afraid of. When they were first introduced, sure, I always wondered who was going to die, and who wasn’t, and that was one of the things I loved about Clancy’s books, I never really felt that to many of the characters were “safe” apart from probably Jack Ryan. I mean I used to fear for Agent Andrea Price’s life as I tried to turn the page as fast as possible until she (and Ryan) were safe again. That was sorely missing, and even though there is a major character death, it was of someone who I barely remembered (just from Teeth of the Tiger I think he appeared) and wasn’t particularly emotionally connected with.

Overall though I was glad to have the book, and I’m hopeful that its inevitable sequel will be far better, because I feel that this book is really more of a bridge between Teeth of the Tiger and whatever will come next as Ryan (likely) returns to the presidency. And if that is the case it does a pretty good job of wrapping up some old plotlines (The Emir) from the disappointment that was Teeth of the Tiger, and opening a new one (Ryan running for president). And that fact alone carried me through a lot of the book, as I didn’t really care for Teeth of the Tiger, but certainly enjoyed Executive Orders, and The Bear and the Dragon and felt like whatever comes next may be a return to the latter (I don’t expect to return to the Red October, or Patriot Games type books). So perhaps in that sense many of its flaws can be attributed to it being the 2nd installment of a larger arc where the characters aren’t really in real danger, because they have to return for the next installment, and nothing big is really happening (Ryan’s candidacy seems to be getting off to a slow start) because that will all come in the next book.

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Jul 06, 2011 John rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a tough book to rate. It was a strange book to read, too. At times, it read like really, really good fanfic. It's been a while since Clancy came out with a Ryan/Clark/Chavez book and maybe that's the reason.

Anyway, I'll keep this spoiler free and just say that the book had a really good ending when the action stopped, but Clancy couldn't stop himself from indulging in a little bit of fantasy/wish fulfillment at the end which was both unnecessary and unfulfilling.

Both Jack Ryans are bac...more This is a tough book to rate. It was a strange book to read, too. At times, it read like really, really good fanfic. It's been a while since Clancy came out with a Ryan/Clark/Chavez book and maybe that's the reason.

Anyway, I'll keep this spoiler free and just say that the book had a really good ending when the action stopped, but Clancy couldn't stop himself from indulging in a little bit of fantasy/wish fulfillment at the end which was both unnecessary and unfulfilling.

Both Jack Ryans are back. with Senior mulling a run for the presidency (see note 1 at end) and Junior following in Dad's legacy working at the Campus. Clark and Chavez are back too, rotated back from their tour at Rainbow Six and recruited to join the Campus (see note 2). Dominic and Brian Caruso are back too - you might remember them from Teeth of the Tiger. Even Mary Pat Foley is back!

Dead or Alive tracks the Campus and the CIA's pursuit of "The Emir" - Clancy's fictionalized version of Osama Bin Laden who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks (see note 3). At its best, the book is vintage Clancy: expertly managing several plots at once and eventually bringing them all together. The plots are reasonable, the action is good and the writing is crisp. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and had a tough time putting it down.

The reason that I say that it seems like really good fanfic is because the first 2/3 of the book is really only for diehard Clancy fans who want to see the band get back together one last time. It would be an exaggeration to say this book is basically "see Clark ride on planes, see Mary Pat pick up her dry cleaning, see Jack Junior read some memos" but it has that feel at times. If you love the characters it's enjoyable, but if not, it might drag a bit.

OK, now for my notes:

Note1: I'm a little confused about Ryan's eligibility to run for office. I thought he served a little bit of Durling's term in Debt of Honor, then had a full term of his own in Executive Orders. Wouldn't running for president and serving a full term put him over 2 terms in total? I'm honestly not sure, and it isn't addressed.

Note2: Shouldn't Clark be getting a little old by now? He's still running around, leading his team into battle and shooting up badguys. I know he keeps himself in great shape, and I'm glad that Clancy lets Ding lead the charge sometimes. Just wondering.

Note3: Also a little confused about the chronology of 9/11. I guess the Japanese plane crashing into the Capitol happened in the 90s, but in Clancy World, were we still unprepared for someone to try using planes as weapons again? (less)

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May 28, 2011 Jay rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm going to rate this as a guilty pleasure 4 stars

I can't help but compare this to David Weber's "A Mighty Fortress", which I reviewed recently.

* Both books are the latest entry in a series of indeterminate length.
* Both books are ... let's say "plus sized"; Clancy's coming in at over 900 pages.
* Both authors are "Franchises".

Maybe I should explain what I mean by that. Besides writing their own books, both writers have enlisted other writers to write books in their "universe". A great way to ea...more

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Mar 30, 2011 Topher rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: spy-tech-etc

I have fond memories of clancy books - I seem to remember really enjoying a lot of his books, and given the size of his books, well, let's face it - we get our money's worth.

On the other hand, I just barely remember reading the last few of his books. I remember enjoying Rainbow Six (late 90s), and I think I remember enjoying up through the Bear and the Dragon (early 2000s) - though the idea of a war with Japan and the events that fell out of that seemed ludicrous at the time, and even sillier no...more I have fond memories of clancy books - I seem to remember really enjoying a lot of his books, and given the size of his books, well, let's face it - we get our money's worth.

On the other hand, I just barely remember reading the last few of his books. I remember enjoying Rainbow Six (late 90s), and I think I remember enjoying up through the Bear and the Dragon (early 2000s) - though the idea of a war with Japan and the events that fell out of that seemed ludicrous at the time, and even sillier now.

So...I picked up Dead or Alive. At nearly 1000 pages, it the perfect airplane book for me, as it'll last through an entire day of travel. And, I discovered that either my tastes have changed or Clancy's have.

Let me be clear. This book is a steaming pile of dog crap.

The book is badly in need of an editor (at a guess, about 300 pages or so of this could have been removed entirely without any loss to the story due to an incredible amount of repetition) and other things should have been clarified. I've read all of Clancy's works, but let's face it, he's not the type of author you pick up on a snowy night by the fire and say "Hey, I want to re-read Executive Orders. I wonder how it'll end?". With a 7 year gap since the last book, and several hundred books and hundreds of thousands of pages (and a graduate degree for that matter) of reading since, I could have used a 1 or 2 sentence backstory on some of the peripheral characters - people in important enough roles that you knew they were in the last work. But, frankly, I don't remember everyone I talked to 7 years ago - let alone characters that were peripheral in a novel from that time frame. The book would similarly be aided by a fact checker. The most egregious error placed las vegas four hours behind north carolina.

I really have to hope that this was actually a ghostwriter, and that Mr Clancy was stuck somewhere without phone or internet access the entire time he could have reviewed it before publishing it under his name.

What a stinker.(less)

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Mar 19, 2011 Daniel rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Most people think Tom Clancy lost his nut on 9/11. And it's true, he's bugfuck insane. But it actually happened earlier than that. His fiction was predicated on the cold war, and the cold war ended, so Clancy flailed around looking for some bad guys to fictionally blow up. He tried the Japanese (Debt of Honor, 1994) and environmentalists (Rainbow Six, 1998). 2001 was actually a good setup for him, because he had a new generational conflict to fictionalize.

The thing is, the brain-eater got him. "...more

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Mar 15, 2011 Jason Seaver rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A major upgrade over the disastrous Teeth of the Tiger, Clancy's new (co-written) book pulls together his most popular characters for a sprawling but still exciting thriller, this time with a proper ending but enough hints that Jack Ryan Sr. will be a part of further books in the series to keep the long-time reader looking forward to the next one.

However, Clancy does manage to potentially turn some of his audience away with parts of the last act, a long and vindictive torture sequence that the a...more

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Mar 09, 2011 Chuck rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have to say that, back in the day, I used to look forward to each new Tom Clancy book with great anticipation. I would buy the new one in hardcover, usually right after it came out, and would plow through it quickly, and then would often reread it. I was a fan. I also had the very rare opportunity to meet Clancy at a Baltimore Orioles game and drink beer and eat crab cakes with him in the owner's box in 1996. That meeting is still my favorite story about a living author.

So I was happy--very ha...more I have to say that, back in the day, I used to look forward to each new Tom Clancy book with great anticipation. I would buy the new one in hardcover, usually right after it came out, and would plow through it quickly, and then would often reread it. I was a fan. I also had the very rare opportunity to meet Clancy at a Baltimore Orioles game and drink beer and eat crab cakes with him in the owner's box in 1996. That meeting is still my favorite story about a living author.

So I was happy--very happy--so see that, after a seven year gap, Clancy had published another novel. I was doubly glad because his last novel, 2003's 'The Teeth of the Tiger,' is probably the worst novel ever written by a good writer. I won't take the time to "dog" on the novel except to say that it was really, truly awful, and that its awfulness surprised me at the time because I thought the novel immediately previous to it, Red Rabbit, was probably his second best, and a very close second to 'The Hunt for Red October' and 'Patriot Games.'

Anyway, that's a lot of lead in to 'Dead or Alive.' The novel details an attack plotted by a character known as the 'Emir,' who, in Clancy's world, is the man responsible for the September 11 attacks. It is not a Jack Ryan novel, although he appears in a few scenes, but rather, it's an ensemble cast, with nearly every major character from the previous 'Ryanverse' novels making an appearance (Although I was sorry to see that Clancy had killed off Robby Jackson, who was my favorite character in the series outside of Ryan).

In many ways, it's classic Clancy, with the fast moving, intricately plotted storyline that traces intelligence operatives trying to stop a major attack before it happens. In many ways, the book is exciting, and is a very satisfying read. I think it would have been even better had it been less of an 'all star' cast with a clear main character. Clancy always did a good job of multiple point of view novels with multiple plots, but in his best work, there's been a clear 'main character' and the reader learns much of what is going on through that character's eyes (it was usually Ryan or John Clark). Without a main character whose fortunes we follow, there's bit less emotional investment by the reader.

Although an important character dies, there is less of a sense that the characters are in danger, too--the action isn't poorly written; in fact it's quite well done. The problem is that it Clancy has set the bar for himself pretty high, and the action, while competently done, isn't as riveting as it is in many of the other books.

I guess that's my overall review of the book--it's a good book, but it's not a great book the way, say, Patriot Games was (my personal favorite of all the Clancy novels). But I'm very, very glad he's writing again, and I will take this 'good' Clancy (even if he may have lost half a step), over the best work of most thriller authors writing today.

Hope this starts a trend and we start seeing a lot more Clancy novels. Maybe, if you're listening, Tom, you could do like you did in 'Red Rabbit' and go back in time to a young Ryan . . .you really captured the magic in that. You could do it again . . . (less)

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Feb 03, 2011 Aaron rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Tom Clancy is a master when it comes to writing espionage and political intrigue. I did think that he stumbled quite a bit as he jumped his characters into the modern error (and the next generation) with his previous book (The Teeth of the Tiger). The writing was good, but the storytelling just felt off or flat. With this newest title, the first in 8 years, Clancy continues the trend of writing with the next generation in mind, but he keeps a strong grasp on the characters that were so popular f...more Tom Clancy is a master when it comes to writing espionage and political intrigue. I did think that he stumbled quite a bit as he jumped his characters into the modern error (and the next generation) with his previous book (The Teeth of the Tiger). The writing was good, but the storytelling just felt off or flat. With this newest title, the first in 8 years, Clancy continues the trend of writing with the next generation in mind, but he keeps a strong grasp on the characters that were so popular for so long.

Jack Ryan, Sr., long the star of Clancy's novels, has settled into retirement at the conclusion of his term as President. The new President, the very-liberal Edward Kealty, has been focusing on stripping the intelligence community of funding and resources. This is something that is particularly bothersome to Jack as the War on Terror continues. After some short discussions with colleagues, Ryan decides to run for a second term in the hopes of pushing Kealty out.

Jack's son, Jack Jr., is also keeping busy. He is tired of his job in the business world and finds himself being pulled into work at the Camp, a small intelligence agency that was created by his father and is largely made up of operatives from Rainbow-Six. The Campus' primary focus is on the big terrorists in thee world, and the members have every hope of bringing down the Emir, who is the current leader of the global terrorism network.

The Campus is quickly drawn into all sorts of intrigue being driven by the Emir, and much of it involves domestic terrorism and a number of cells that are operating throughout America. The cells will have to be stopped before too many people are hurt, but it is just as important to bring in the Emir in order to try and breakdown the global terrorism network.

I really thought this was a much stronger novel than Clancy's previous one, though I did think it jumped around too much to easily focus on a storyline. Clancy has always been a rich writer who carefully develops his primary and secondary characters, both good and bad. In this novel he draws on a large cast of characters that he has built up over the years.

Unfortunately, the resulting loos focus creates a novel that seems to lurch between fairly disparate plots and subplots. Things happen to characters that seem to serve no purpose other than to derive unnecessary emotions. There are definitely scenes of action, but they seem a bit rushed and are too few and far between, particularly from the master of espionage fiction. I have to admit to being a bit disappointed!(less)

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Jan 26, 2011 Paul Pessolano rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Those of us who read Tom Clancy had to wait almost a decade for this book, and it is co-written.

"Dead or Alive" brings back the men of Rainbow Six, Jack Ryan, and Mary Pat Foley. It seems that Ding and John Clark are being mustered out of the service but find themselves employed by "The Campus". The Campus is a secret agency posing as a financial institute that runs covert operations but has no direct connection to the American Government. The Campus was set up by Jack Ryan before he left the Pr...more

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Jan 15, 2011 Jay Connor rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After a decade away from the characters of the Campus, Clancy seems to have lost his way back. Even with the assistance of (in really small print) a co-author -- Grant Blackwood who has also worked as a co-author with Clive Cussler, with much larger font credit -- "Dead or Alive" becomes more of a question of Clancy's mastery of the genre he helped create than it is a relevant book title. In fact, it reads like Blackwood brought Cussler's scene chomping Dirk Pitt character, in multiple alter ego...more

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Jan 13, 2011 William Breakstone rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

BOOK REVIEW

“Dead or Alive” by Tom Clancy

Reviewed by Bill Breakstone, January 12, 2011

Tom Clancy’s latest novel, “Dead or Alive,” is a 950-page monster, his 14th in a series that began with his classic “Hunt for Red October,” published way back in 1984. I’ve read 13 of these books, all but “Teeth of the Tiger,” and enjoyed them all. My last Clancy read was in 2000, thus it was a pleasure to return to most of the old characters, with a few new ones tossed in.

Dead or Alive is a complicated, many-l...more

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Jan 12, 2011 William rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Never judge Tom Clancy against the yardstick of literature, but do take his measure by the other books he has written. Reading his stuff should be a guilty pleasure, done for the fun of it. Sadly, reading his latest book “Dead or Alive” was more of a guilty chore.

The book weighs in at a hefty 900+ pages. There is lots of white space around the words. The story's pace never makes it out of second gear. The action jogs along at a sedate pace, not at the red-hot speed of a ripping page-turner. It r...more

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Dec 31, 2010 Jess rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I was in college, I read a book called The Hunt for Red October, and I loved it! Then came Red Storm Rising, another terrific book. In fact, I'm getting ready to read that one again. More great Tom Clancy books followed.

For years, Tom Clancy turned out great, thrilling, tightly written books. Then he started to slide. I gave up on him a number of years ago. His writing style had suffered, and he couldn't keep his political views from making blatant, ham-handed appearances in his books. Shar...more

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Dec 31, 2010 Chris Hubbs rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-reads

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 28, 2010 Tim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is a monster book, coming in at 800 or so pages. I read it in about three days, but I'm also a fast reader. Clancy has his modus operandi down pat - macho guys who drink Sam Adams and kill the bad guys, military and tech jargon, fascinating plot points that converge in ways you sort of expect but are still excited by in the pay off. The man knows how to give a big pay off, I'll give him that.

His politics are no where near mine. One character executes terrorists in cold blood and gets away w...more

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Dec 24, 2010 Miles rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviews

Weighing in at well over 700 pages, Dead or Alive by Tom Clancy and aided by Grant Blackwood is a monumental publication. Although in no rush to finish the book, it took me three days to finish and, my overall reaction to reading my first Tom Clancy thriller was one of efficaciousness.

It’s not very often that a book can afford to spend in excess of 200 pages creating a thorough and enviable foundation but Dead or Alive successfully achieves this, all the while creating countless scenarios and on...more

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Dec 23, 2010 Mark rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: maryland-vanity

My dad informed me there was a new Jack Ryan book and then passed it along to me. I remember a summer, which seems not long ago but was in fact a decade now, where I devoured pretty much every Clancy book that had been written up to that point - up to Rainbow Six, I believe. Even at the time there was something of a guilty pleasure element to it and that's only worse now. Clancy is what he is and isn't what he isn't, and being as the man is from Maryland he always manages to get me with a little...more

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Feb 03, 2011 Ardita rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's good to see Clancy again. Same angle, same story, same men (much to my chagrin, his is men's story), and despite the fluid dynamics of world politics, it's still the same old politics.

The novel reads like walking into your stammtisch on a Friday evening in a place where everybody knows your name. Clancy added a bit more punch compared to his last failure "The Teeth of the Tiger". The jolt came in Chapter 30 something, which will give you some ideas where the story will be going, while the p...more

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Jan 30, 2011 John rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A counterespionage story written only partially by Tom Clancy, Dead or Alive takes 1,000 pages to reveal a sinister plot that you could have seen coming a quarter of the way through. The most irritating thing about the book is that it follows many characters throughout the world and they all fall into the stereotypes of their country with maybe one trait that sets them slightly apart. With poorly shrouded political overtones, a demonized democratic party president named Edward Kealty has taken o...more

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Nov 28, 2012 Bruce Snell rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Book number 2 in the Jack Ryan Jr. series by Tom Clancy - 3 stars. Islamic terrorists (loosely based on Osama Bin Laden and al Qaeda) are plotting a major operation in which terrorists will act in several places around America and world simultaneously - and Jack Jr. and the team at The Campus are out to stop them. This time out John Clark and 'Ding' Chavez have joined the team, so the surveillance and other clandestine activities are much more professionally handled than in the last book.

In fac...more

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May 21, 2012 Todd rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

All the Clancy's characters ... check. Tom Clancy's Name on the Front Cover ... Check. A Clancy type story ... check. Clancy writing it ... ummm, I don't think so.

I have been a big fan of Clancy, starting with the first book of his I read, Red Storm Rising. I have enjoyed following Ryan's character through all the rest of the books, and while I was like many others disappointed with "Teeth Of the Tiger", it was at least a Clancy written book. This one you can tell Clancy didn't have much of a ha...more

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Dead or Alive (Jack Ryan Jr. #2)

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