Happy Tuesday


So went to see "The Sum of all Fears" last night, not expecting a good movie. I've read the book and, for the most part liked it (Like a lot of Tom Clancy's books, the military detailing gets a little tedious, more on that a little later) Two and a half hours later, Myself, Willie and Gully left the theatre awestruck. You can tell how much Willie enjoys a movie by the number of words he speaks, this time, 1 ("popcorn") This is a defenate must see for everybody. One of the problems that I have with the movie is the fact that I have a hard time buying Ben Afalac (I know it's spelled wrong, Carrie) as Jack Ryan, as the Ryan I know from reading the books is married, has 3 kids and is older then the Ryan that Afalac plays. One real good peice of casting was Lief Schriber as John Clark. I'm hoping that they'll make movies of the Clark Books, Without Remorse and Rainbow Six. 8/10

Now for the Top 5 Tom Clancy Books:

The Before meantioned Rainbow Six, Where Clark and Ding are sent to England, to run a secret elite NATO anti-terrorism force called Rainbow. Clark is the leader (the "6") while Domingo Chavez, Clark's protge (and new son in law) is the leader of one of the two teams of Rainbow. Some of the members of the team have been meantioned in other books, but none as real major characters. Short on the detailed military hardware descriptions, but long on counter-terrorism strategy and what could happen when the terror hits close to home.

Without Remorse, the first Clark book, gives us the background on the man who Clark was before he was CIA Agent "John Clark" A look at a Vietnam Veteran diver who's first wife has died in a random car accident, also killing his unborn child. After some time, he's traveling to take a weekend on the bay, picking a beautiful young hitchchiker. After spending some time together, they have fallen in love and she tells "Clark" that she is a drug addicted former prostitute who escaped from her pimp. 'Clark takes this in and decides that He still loves her and, with the help of two doctors that they met after they had boat troubles on his island, try to clean her up. It is an amazing read and shows that Clancy not only knows battle but also knows people and how to craft thier stories.

Debt of Honor is one that must be read to get jist of the rest of the series, It takes place 2 years after 'The Sum of all Fears", Ryan has retired from goverment service but is asked by the president to come back as his national security adviser. The Cold war is over but that dosen't mean that all is well in the world but Ryan soon learns that the old rules no longer apply. along with foregn policy problems, there are also domestic problems for the President Durling, and they cause him to dump his Vice- president in favor of Jack Ryan, who's encouraged by the fact that after this he's done in public service. The Congress confrms Ryan's appointment and then..well I don't want to spoil it but let's just say it leads in to...

Executive Orders, where the actions at the end of "Debt", directly affect Ryan and is family and puts the entire United States in the clasp of not one, but two crises as well as a political standstill. I can't really go in to the Plot or I'll give away the ending to "Debt" but it's worth the hefty read (over 1000 pages)

Patriot Games, a little farther back in the ryan-verce, it's the subject of the movie that starred Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan, He's a history professer at the US Navel Academy on vacation in London with his wife and daughter, when they get in the middle of a assassination attempt by the Ulster liberanation army on a member of the British Royal Company. His marine training kicks in and he prevents the deaths of the Prince and Princess of Wales and thier newborn child, The CIA head, General James Greer sees this as the chance to get Ryan in to the agency. The book goes off on two different stories, both in the name of Patriotism

For more on these and other Clancy books go here

Untill next time Drop me a lineLAter