Tom Clancy books

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

Make your categories, list the books

Best books:
Hunt for Red October, Sum of all Fears, Rainbow Six, Red Storm Rising

Most screwed up movie adaptation:
Sum of all Fears - They totally hacked the beginning which is critical to the rest of the story.

[GDS_Starfury]

Best: Red Storm Rising

Worst: The Bear and the Dragon

[mirth]

Best: RSR

Worst: Red Rabbit

[GDS_Starfury]

the Bear and the Dragon was so over the top that thats where I stopped getting his books.

[Barthheart]

Red Storm Rising was the best.

Sum of All Fears I liked a lot because he actually let them explode the bomb at the stadium. Don't see many nukes actually get to go off in books.

The Bear and the Dragon was my last as well. Not good, go nowhere plot lines, poorly edited.

[mirth]

The Bear and the Dragon was over-the-top, but I thought it was dumb fun. I haven't read any Clancy since Red Rabbit.

[undercovergeek]

RSR and debt of honour

I stopped at the one after bear and dragon

[mirth]

Red Rabbit was the one after B&D. I liked the idea of going back to Ryan's early years and the more believable espionage stuff, but that book was tedious.

[mirth]

Great article on the Dance of the Vampires scenario that was used in RSR

http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/tne/pieces/choreographing-dance-vampires#_ftn1

[JasonPratt]

Best: RSR, Hunt, Clear and Present Danger

Worst: I'd say Red Rabbit but I haven't read it. Sum of All Fears for the needlessly sloggy pacing.

Despite the movie changing the bad guys, I thought it carried off the switch reasonably well. Wasn't keen on the rebooting otherwise, since much of the point of the Ryan novels is how he epically rises from a relatively low-level analyst to becoming an effective President. (This is why I've never bothered to read the book about Ryan's son... was it Eye of the Tiger? Did anyone read that? Was it worth any effort?)


Most Flagrant Ripoff of Mack Bolan the Executioner: Without Remorse

Best Ripoff of an Executioner book: Rainbow Six. Rips the plot straight off the first combination novel of Bolan, Phoenix Force, and Able Team. I can't recall that book's title now, but while I never cared much for Bolan and Able Team I reaaaallly liked the Phoenix Force novels, and this was one of my favorites despite the presence of the other characters. I grinned all the way through Rainbow Six.

[GDS_Starfury]

Great article on the Dance of the Vampires scenario that was used in RSR

http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/tne/pieces/choreographing-dance-vampires#_ftn1

you realize thats the beginning format for every sci fi space opera battle written during the last 25 years.

[mirth]

Great article on the Dance of the Vampires scenario that was used in RSR

http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/tne/pieces/choreographing-dance-vampires#_ftn1

you realize thats the beginning format for every sci fi space opera battle written during the last 25 years.

Even this one?

[GDS_Starfury]

Im talking about real sci fi battles like you would find in Honor Harrington / Shiva type books not 90 minute toy adverts.
or something like this:

[mirth]

"I tell them you learn to write the same way you learn to play golf," he once said. "You do it, and keep doing it until you get it right. A lot of people think something mystical happens to you, that maybe the muse kisses you on the ear. But writing isn't divinely inspired — it's hard work."  -Tom Clancy

[Airborne Rifles]

Best: 1. Hunt for Red October , 2. RSR, 3. Cardinal of the Kremlin

I stopped reading after B&D.  Movie adaptation of HfRO was decent.  The attempt to add Dance of the Vampires into the Sum of all Fears movie was nice eye candy.