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Patriot Games
RRP: $27.95
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Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
Author: Tom Clancy
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Average Customer Rating:
Our Price:
You Save: $ 27.95 ( 100% )
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
Author: Tom Clancy
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Average Customer Rating:
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Patriot Games Description
Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780399132414
ISBN: 0399132414
Label: Putnam Adult
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 544
Publication Date: 1987-08-04
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Studio: Putnam Adult
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780399132414
ISBN: 0399132414
Label: Putnam Adult
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 544
Publication Date: 1987-08-04
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Studio: Putnam Adult
Editorial Review of Patriot Games
Tom Clancy's Patriot Games is filled with the exceptional realism and authenticity that distinguished the author's two previous bestsellers, Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising. Patriot Games puts us on the cutting edge of another type of war -- the international battle of terrorism.
Years before the defection of a Soviet submarine will send him hurtling into confrontation with the Soviets in Red October, Jack Ryan, historian, ex-marine, and CIA analyst, is vacationing in London when the Ulster Liberation Army makes a terrorist attack on the Prince and Princess of Wales. By instinctively diving forward to break up the attack, he gains both the gratitude of a nation and the hatred of its most dangerous men. Jack Ryan must summon all of the skills and knowledge at his command to battle back against his nemesis.
Patriot Games is a major new film from Paramount starring Harrison Ford.
Two Casettes.
Years before the defection of a Soviet submarine will send him hurtling into confrontation with the Soviets in Red October, Jack Ryan, historian, ex-marine, and CIA analyst, is vacationing in London when the Ulster Liberation Army makes a terrorist attack on the Prince and Princess of Wales. By instinctively diving forward to break up the attack, he gains both the gratitude of a nation and the hatred of its most dangerous men. Jack Ryan must summon all of the skills and knowledge at his command to battle back against his nemesis.
Patriot Games is a major new film from Paramount starring Harrison Ford.
Two Casettes.
Customer Reviews of Patriot Games
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Still my favorite Clancy novel
Review: This is still my favorite Clancy book ever. It's the most personal Jack Ryan story and is very, very emotional (and thus very gripping) for that reason. The only time I've ever cheered at a novel was while reading this! This book has much less technical and military minutiae than any of his other books and I actually prefered that. If I want all the specs on a pistol or mortar round, I'll look it up in a Jane's.
There are other stylistic differences and some have speculated that Clancy was playing with the character internally and giving him more depth. I've always felt like that 'Patriot Games' was his "real" first Ryan novel - actually written (or at least sketched out) before 'The Hunt for Red October.' It precedes that book 'chronologically' and its basic plot is mentioned in 'Red October'.
I read the book first and while I love 90% of the film version of 'Patriot Games', the book is better to me. The movie is more faithful to the book than just about any movie adaptation I've seen - except for the ending. I utterly despise the movie's ending, having read the book first.
SPOILERS: The whole point of the story is that Jack is a better man than Sean Miller. That he doesn't kill Miller at the end of the book and instead turns him over to the authorities is extremely important. Now, the movie may kill off Miller "accidentally" (and clumsily) during the boat chase but it robs Jack of that important moral choice. And I HATE THAT.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: What a flick!
Review: we the british we have ruled this planet since we have been around and we will continue to rule it for as long as we are around
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Not Free SF Reader
Review: IRA attack.
Jack Ryan accidentally gets involved with the IRA when he saves one of their targets from being killed because he just happens to be around and that is the sort of thing he does.
This has serious reprecussions for him when he is minding his own business with his family and they come calling with an attack team.
A decent, fairly intense personal level thriller.
3.5 out of 5
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: As opposed to the movie...
Review: Having seen the movie many times I decided to read Patriot Games and see how the novel compared to the film. Unfortunately, as with other reviewers, I was disappointed by the novel but regard the film as well done. Both adhere to the same story line with the novel going more in depth into the characters and technical details of the intelligence, military, and law enforcement communities. Honestly, I felt it was a bit much and could have done without it.
The best example is the Ryan character. I just could not sympathize with him, even though he is portrayed as a great family man. He did not seem human at all and the actions of the characters at the end just seem plain ridiculous, as well as Tom Clancy's justification for those actions. By the end of the book, I did not care about his fate at all. In fact, no character was crafted well enough to not seem ridiculous.
The dialogue between the characters also seemed simplistic and childish. It can be hard to convey the feelings and expressions of characters in a novel without having to resort to plain, simplistic dialogue where every character says what they normally wouldn't if one could see their expressions and emotions. However, Clancy takes this to the extreme. The dialogue almost seemed Victorian in nature. Everyone needed to voice the reasons for their actions, and continue to do so even when the reader has gotten their fill. For example, a state trooper who only appears on one page of the novel. Based on events that happened before his arrival I could derive his emotions and feelings clearly without being explicitly told. However, Clancy goes on and on describing this trooper's ruminations ad nauseum.
Overall, it seems like this was a very early work for Clancy and it shows. Perhaps he was honing his craft, but that is surprising seeing how well I regarded his previous novels. I think he was having fun with the Ryan character as a family man, the beauty of childbirth, morality etc. and he just got carried away. Unfortunately, that translates to a very slow story with many long drawn out parts.
I cannot recommended this book when there are much better Clancy novels out there. If you are new to Clancy I would suggest The Hunt for Red October or Red Storm Rising over Patriot Games. I would have liked to have been able to have read the book before seeing the film. Perhaps that would change my view. However, the movie does a good job of trimming the fat, which is what Clancy should have done with Patriot Games.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Great action and suspense
Review: Jack Ryan, former marine and stockbroker now naval history professor, is on vacation with his wife and daughter in London when all hell breaks loose and terrorists start shooting at a car containing the Prince, his wife, and their daughter. Jack's military training automatically kicks in and he manages to tackle on of the gunman, disarm him, and shoot the other to death. He is shot, himself, in the process, but is saved when help arrives on the scene. He wakes up in the hospital to find himself considered a hero both in England and the US, but not by the terrorists he thwarted. When the terrorists decide to follow Jack back to the United States to tie up their loose ends he finds himself torn between his simple lifestyle as a teacher and a prospective job with the CIA where he can attempt to stop the very militants that threaten the lives of his family and countless others.
This action packed suspense novel keeps the pages turning throughout. The politics and secrecy of the military and various alphabet soup law enforcement agencies keep the reader guessing and wondering if the good guys will catch up with and get ahead of the bad guys. All the while, the suspense is contrasted with the human emotion displayed between Jack and his family as he has to choose the best way to protect his family and decide if his decisions will put them in risk of more or less danger. This is the first in the Jack Ryan series with Jack Ryan as an adult (preceeded by Without Remorse, a John Clark novel with a younger Jack referenced along with his father). It is a great start to what will certainly be a great series.
Review Summary: Still my favorite Clancy novel
Review: This is still my favorite Clancy book ever. It's the most personal Jack Ryan story and is very, very emotional (and thus very gripping) for that reason. The only time I've ever cheered at a novel was while reading this! This book has much less technical and military minutiae than any of his other books and I actually prefered that. If I want all the specs on a pistol or mortar round, I'll look it up in a Jane's.
There are other stylistic differences and some have speculated that Clancy was playing with the character internally and giving him more depth. I've always felt like that 'Patriot Games' was his "real" first Ryan novel - actually written (or at least sketched out) before 'The Hunt for Red October.' It precedes that book 'chronologically' and its basic plot is mentioned in 'Red October'.
I read the book first and while I love 90% of the film version of 'Patriot Games', the book is better to me. The movie is more faithful to the book than just about any movie adaptation I've seen - except for the ending. I utterly despise the movie's ending, having read the book first.
SPOILERS: The whole point of the story is that Jack is a better man than Sean Miller. That he doesn't kill Miller at the end of the book and instead turns him over to the authorities is extremely important. Now, the movie may kill off Miller "accidentally" (and clumsily) during the boat chase but it robs Jack of that important moral choice. And I HATE THAT.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: What a flick!
Review: we the british we have ruled this planet since we have been around and we will continue to rule it for as long as we are around
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Not Free SF Reader
Review: IRA attack.
Jack Ryan accidentally gets involved with the IRA when he saves one of their targets from being killed because he just happens to be around and that is the sort of thing he does.
This has serious reprecussions for him when he is minding his own business with his family and they come calling with an attack team.
A decent, fairly intense personal level thriller.
3.5 out of 5
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: As opposed to the movie...
Review: Having seen the movie many times I decided to read Patriot Games and see how the novel compared to the film. Unfortunately, as with other reviewers, I was disappointed by the novel but regard the film as well done. Both adhere to the same story line with the novel going more in depth into the characters and technical details of the intelligence, military, and law enforcement communities. Honestly, I felt it was a bit much and could have done without it.
The best example is the Ryan character. I just could not sympathize with him, even though he is portrayed as a great family man. He did not seem human at all and the actions of the characters at the end just seem plain ridiculous, as well as Tom Clancy's justification for those actions. By the end of the book, I did not care about his fate at all. In fact, no character was crafted well enough to not seem ridiculous.
The dialogue between the characters also seemed simplistic and childish. It can be hard to convey the feelings and expressions of characters in a novel without having to resort to plain, simplistic dialogue where every character says what they normally wouldn't if one could see their expressions and emotions. However, Clancy takes this to the extreme. The dialogue almost seemed Victorian in nature. Everyone needed to voice the reasons for their actions, and continue to do so even when the reader has gotten their fill. For example, a state trooper who only appears on one page of the novel. Based on events that happened before his arrival I could derive his emotions and feelings clearly without being explicitly told. However, Clancy goes on and on describing this trooper's ruminations ad nauseum.
Overall, it seems like this was a very early work for Clancy and it shows. Perhaps he was honing his craft, but that is surprising seeing how well I regarded his previous novels. I think he was having fun with the Ryan character as a family man, the beauty of childbirth, morality etc. and he just got carried away. Unfortunately, that translates to a very slow story with many long drawn out parts.
I cannot recommended this book when there are much better Clancy novels out there. If you are new to Clancy I would suggest The Hunt for Red October or Red Storm Rising over Patriot Games. I would have liked to have been able to have read the book before seeing the film. Perhaps that would change my view. However, the movie does a good job of trimming the fat, which is what Clancy should have done with Patriot Games.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Great action and suspense
Review: Jack Ryan, former marine and stockbroker now naval history professor, is on vacation with his wife and daughter in London when all hell breaks loose and terrorists start shooting at a car containing the Prince, his wife, and their daughter. Jack's military training automatically kicks in and he manages to tackle on of the gunman, disarm him, and shoot the other to death. He is shot, himself, in the process, but is saved when help arrives on the scene. He wakes up in the hospital to find himself considered a hero both in England and the US, but not by the terrorists he thwarted. When the terrorists decide to follow Jack back to the United States to tie up their loose ends he finds himself torn between his simple lifestyle as a teacher and a prospective job with the CIA where he can attempt to stop the very militants that threaten the lives of his family and countless others.
This action packed suspense novel keeps the pages turning throughout. The politics and secrecy of the military and various alphabet soup law enforcement agencies keep the reader guessing and wondering if the good guys will catch up with and get ahead of the bad guys. All the while, the suspense is contrasted with the human emotion displayed between Jack and his family as he has to choose the best way to protect his family and decide if his decisions will put them in risk of more or less danger. This is the first in the Jack Ryan series with Jack Ryan as an adult (preceeded by Without Remorse, a John Clark novel with a younger Jack referenced along with his father). It is a great start to what will certainly be a great series.