Tom Clancy

“He's coming on Michael Medvedshortly. Also had an op ed piece in the WSJ on Tuesday. Haven't read it yet.”

“Didn't he write a book a few years back that has alot of similiarities to what occurred on 9/11?”

“Briar Rabbit,yes he did. Pathman, Cool!! I heard an interview with him on CNN the other night, he didn't say much except kept stressing that he writes FICTION. lol”

“Briar Rabbit, the book was "Debt of Honor" (I think). He also covered some of the Afganistan fighters in "Cardinal of the Kremlin".”

“"Executive Orders" is the aftermath of the plane crashing into the capital, and the bioterrorism etc. that follows. Too spooky. He's like a geopolitical Jules Verne.”

“Tom Clancy is Nostradamus?”

“Tom Clancy scares the CRAP out of me! "Executive Orders" was too prophetic. I think it's time for "Rainbow Six" to step in. maybe he should be our Sec. of Defense.”

“Clancy is an over-rated puss bucket.
His writing is NOT REALLY VERY GOOD!!!

I saw that fool on CNN last week and all he could come up with was, "...spend more money on the CIA...."
What a phucin' genius!!!!
Talk about pouring money down a rat hole!”

“I agree his writing sometimes leaves something to desire, but his plots should be a wake up call.

Now Tom, tell us how you really feel. ;-)”

“Thanks for sharing, Tom. Clancy is no James Joyce but I have enjoyed a number of his books. Ya wanna talk BAD writing, Tom, ya gotta talk Stephen King.”

“I liked The Stand and The Shining but nothing else.”

“Ok, Ok, the plots are very creative......cool?”

“stephen king is a terrible writer.

good ideas, tho.”

“Actually, I enjoyed the Tommyknockers. But then again sometimes I get real brain dead and watch prime time TV too.

My mother keeps buying me King books for Christmas. Like a bad tie, I just don't have the heart to tell her how bad I think he is. I've read a number of his books. I mean BAD.

Steinbeck is my favorite author. But I like Clancy for his knowlege of military strategy and technical issues. He wrote about a plane crashing into an important U.S. building. He's written about the mid-east and Afganistan. He wrote about a biological attck. He wrote about concerns of not having enough "spooks" to gather intelligence. Seems to me that the man is a little ahead of the curve. I love speculative fiction, especially good science fiction. Just no books with Spock in them, please.”

“I like to listen to Clancy on tape when I'm out walking. Much easier to listen to than read. Good gravy all the names! I like Clancy for the technical spook stuff but when I want a$$kickin' and cuttin' throats I go straight for the dick Marcinko Rogue Warrior books. Moocho fun!”

“Who wrote " The spy who came out of the cold" and " Little Drummer Girl"? THAT is good espionage reading, the author is former British intelligence (oxymoron?)”

“Clancy's OK, but I think his last four or so books have gotten increasingly predictable. He really panders to the "rah-rah" good-ol'- boy type of reader, much more than he did at the beginning of his career. In Rainbow Six, for example, the evil National Security Advisor is an uppity woman with THREE PhD's to her credit - showing the "error" of educating women and placing them in positions of power.

My favorite Clancy novel is actually his second, cowritten with Larry Bond: "Red Storm Rising." It's also his only "non-Jack-Ryan" book.”

“Those stories do seem to appeal to the chicken-hawk cheerleaders of war.
Its a world where America is all good and all powerful.”

“The guy's a prophet. How did he predict Condi Rice would be NSA?”

“Hyperpacker, I beleive that was John LeCarre (sp?).

I agree, Forrest. As far as story goes, I liked Storm the best. But I also like how he gets me thinking about possibilities in his other books.”

“Arclite: I -do- admit that Clancy can really hit the nail on the head when it comes to possible scenarios. I've been wondering (as have most of us) if Bin Laden got his idea from "Debt of Honor."

And I must admit that I have at least one foot inside the "good-ol'-boy" circle. For example, my favorite storyline in "Red Storm Rising" is that of Michael Edwards, the Air Force meteorologist-turned-commando. The scene where he first meets Vigdis is some VERY powerful writing, in my opinion.

But I've grown weary of Clancy's characterizations - they've fallen into certain quite-predictable patterns...”

“I really dig Tom Clancy books. Op-Center kicks butt, and focuses on small unit action, which is currently becoming doctorine in the military. I'm reading The Bear and The Dragon right now. Good book to read, and sort of fits the current timeline/situation.”

“Did anyone read "Net Force" the one on virtual war? It was kind of hokey but entertaining. Crippling our communications network would wreak a certain amount of havoc.”