Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 704 pages
- Published by: Berkley July 1, 1990
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0425122123
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0425122129
-
Book Dimensions:
6.6 x 3.8 x 1.2 inches
- Weighs: 4.8 ounces
Product Review
At the end of the prologue to
Clear and Present Danger, Clancy writes, "And so began something that had not quite begun and would not soon end, with many people in many places moving off in directions and on missions which they all mistakenly thought they understood. That was just as well. The future was too fearful for contemplation, and beyond the expected, illusory finish lines were things fated by the decisions made this morning--and, once decided, best unseen." In
Clear and Present Danger nothing is as clear as it may seem.
The president, unsatisfied with the success of his "war on drugs," decides that he wants some immediate success. But after John Clark's covert strike team is deployed to Colombia for Operation Showboat, the drug lords strike back taking several civilian casualties. The chief executive's polls plummet. He orders Ritter to terminate their unofficial plan and leave no traces. Jack Ryan, who has just been named CIA deputy director of intelligence is enraged when he discovers that has been left out of the loop of Colombian operations. Several of America's most highly trained soldiers are stranded in an unfinished mission that, according to all records, never existed. Ryan decides to get the men out.
Ultimately,
Clear and Present Danger is about good conscience, law, and politics, with Jack Ryan and CIA agent John Clark as its dual heroes. Ryan relentlessly pursues what he knows is right and legal, even if it means confronting the president of the United States. Clark is the perfect soldier, but a man who finally holds his men higher than the orders of any careless commander.
Along with the usual, stunning array of military hardware and the latest techno-gadgets,
Clear and Present Danger further develops the relationships and characters that Clancy fans have grown to love. Admiral James Greer passes the CIA torch to his pupil, Ryan. Mr. Clark and Chavez meet for the first time. Other recurring characters like Robert Ritter and "the President" add continuity to Clancy's believable, alternate reality. This is Clancy at his best.
--Patrick O'Kelley
From Publishers Weekly
When a U.S. president decides that drug smuggling has become a "clear and present danger" to national security, the response is a complex and covert military campaign against the "Colombian Cartel." "The dean of techno-thrillers demonstrates once again his extreme proficiency of the genre," stated PW .
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Reader Reviews
This review is from: Clear and Present Danger (Brilliance Audio on Compact Disc) (Brilliance Audio on Compact Disc) (Audio CD)
Veteran voice performer J. Charles is not only one of the most accomplished audio book narrators working today, he's also one of the busiest. Both listeners and publishers seem to know that if Mr. Charles lends his narrative skills to a production it's going to be highly listenable. An example is his rendering of this techno-thriller by the unparalleled Tom Clancy. Once again, Mr. Clancy tears his theme from today's headlines - our country's fight against drugs. As the story opens our commander In Chief isn't at all pleased with the progress being made in this battle. So, a formidable team is dispatched to Colombia to put an end to the struggle. It doesn't work as planned. Drug lords, as is known, show no mercy and they retaliate by killing civilians. A beleaguered President gives orders to not only end the original plan but to erase it. It should look as if it never existed. When Jack Ryan, now Deputy Director of for the CIA discovers that this aborted plan has been going on unbeknownst to him and some men have been stranded, Ryan decides to rescue them. In true Clancy fashion it's Ryan to the rescue, but it's a heart stopping struggle. - Gail Cooke
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