The Sum of All Fears (A Jack Ryan Novel) - Softcover

Clancy, Tom

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0425184226 ISBN 13: 9780425184226

Publisher: Berkley Books, 2002

Synopsis

The search for a stolen nuclear weapon on American soil sends Jack Ryan on a dangerous mission with global consequences in this #1 New York Times bestselling thriller.

Peace may finally be at hand in the Middle East, as Jack Ryan, Deputy Director of Intelligence for the CIA, lays the groundwork for a plan that could end centuries of conflict. But ruthless terrorists have a final, desperate card to play: a nuclear weapon hidden somewhere in the United States.

With one terrible act, distrust mounts, forces collide, and the floundering U.S. president seems unable to cope with the crisis. With the world on the verge of nuclear disaster, Ryan must frantically seek a solution—before the chiefs of state lose control of themselves and the world.

About this title

Review:

Once again, Tom Clancy manages to add new twists to the alternate U.S. history he initiated in The Hunt for Red October. In The Sum of All Fears, the center of conflict is the perpetual hot spot the Mideast, where a nuclear weapon falls into the hands of terrorists just as peace seems possible. Clancy realistically paints an almost unthinkable scenario--the bomb is planted on American soil in the midst of an escalation in tension with the Soviet Union; the terrorists hope to rekindle cold war animosity and prevent reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians.

Despite such a dramatic story line, Clancy doesn't neglect the individuals who drive his tale. Jack Ryan's problems are as much domestic as they are part of the international crisis that is the ostensible narrative: National Security Director Elizabeth Elliot has the president's ear, and she has convinced him that Ryan's ethics are questionable. She hints at marital infidelity and an insider-trading scandal. Of course, both accusations are false, but her arguments have enough evidence behind them (e.g. some photographs of an innocent embrace with a friend) to cause a strain in the Ryans' marriage and a flurry of media attention. While "Mr. Clark" tracks the terrorists, he also provides some needed intelligence to heal the Ryan family.

The Sum of All Fears is the stuff of nightmares but contains enough verisimilitude to terrify sober minds. Ryan has matured into a complex protagonist as Clancy's writing, too, has matured. Ryan is plagued by stress and self-doubts that test even his dauntless moral compass and make him a more interesting subject for readers' attention. Those fascinated by military hardware, from nuclear submarines to atomic weapons, will find almost enough here to start their own army. And Clancy's understanding of international politics seems chillingly correct. --Patrick O'Kelley

From the Publisher:

A new world order... on the brink of destruction... Peace may finally be at hand in the Middle East---as Jack Ryan lays the groundwork for a plan that could end centuries of conflict. But ruthless terrorists have a final, desperate card to play; with one terrible act, distrust mounts, forces collide, and the floundering U.S. president seems unable to cope with the crisis. With the world on the verge of nuclear disaster, Ryan must frantically seek a solution---before the chiefs of state lose control of themselves and the world. The author of five consecutive #1 bestsellers, Tom Clancy now offers his timeliest, most explosive novel yet, presented here in a special, expanded four-cassette program---six hours of the exceptional realism, authenticity and unrelenting suspense that make him the undisputed master of the contemporary thriller.

About this edition

• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0425184226
• ISBN 13: 9780425184226
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 914