Jim Davis
asked:
Did Tom Clancy actually write this book? I have read a number of his books and this book has a totally different writing style than any other Clancy book I have ever read. One sentence will not suffice when he can write ten that say the same thing. Way, way more description of an event or thing than could ever be necessary. I waded through the entire book but it was a struggle.
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Red Rabbit,
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Steve Visel
I think he did write it, for the reasons you cite. He is (was) a serial over-writer. I threw Executive Orders across the room because [spoiler] President Jack Ryan agonized for 8 pages before his first press conference. Get to the story! How long does a character need to ruminate before taking action? All of Clancy's books could have been written in 1/3 fewer pages. All that said, I know an author who ghosted one or more of the Jack Ryan, Jr. series under Clancy's name. I think all the Jack Ryan, Sr. series was written by Clancy. Red Rabbit is unique in that it's the only book in the series to use actual historical figures (Yuri Andropov) as primary characters.
Adam
I was looking for a place to write this, and I was surprised to see your question. I think he did write it, but the thing about this story is it's actually true. I think that he got the information from an interview with the defector, because this actually happened. Names are changed of course, but this was orquestrated by the CIA. The way I figured this out was I was supposed to be going on a biking trip with my best friend and his boss, who happen's to be the former chief of staff's in moscow's best friend. He was telling me about a book his friend was writing(they both live in my town). He had to skip our trip because his book had to be submitted to the CIA that week to get it reviewed and back by their publishing deadline. The friend told me a story he was told by the chief of staff and I said,"I've read that story." He said,"Yeah, the book annoyed him because he and his wife don't cuss." Other than that, it's a true story, with minor detail changes. That'll change your perspective, right? TRUE STORY! I have more details if you want to confirm.
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