The Sum of All Fears (Signed 1st British Printing)

Clancy, Tom

ISBN 10: 0002238594 / ISBN 13: 9780002238595

Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, London, 1991

About this Item

A fine copy in a near-fine unclipped dustjacket. This copy is signed by Tom Clancy on the title page--signature only without inscriptions. This is the first British printing of the author's sixth Jack Ryan book. A tight and clean unmarked copy. The dustjacket is complete, unclipped and near- fine--no chips or tears--no edgewear--moderate rubbing to the jacket panels. Protected in a clear new acrylic dustjacket covering. Shipped carefully wrapped in a box. Quite scarce signed in British edition.

Seller Inventory # cfe18455

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Sum of All Fears (Signed 1st British Printing)
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, London
• Publication Date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0002238594
• ISBN 13: 9780002238595
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 1st Printing
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)

About this title

Synopsis

Jack Ryan confronts terrorists in the Middle East in Tom Clancy's spectacular sixth novel -- another Sunday Times No 1 bestseller -- now reissued with a new cover. As those in power around the globe face up to the challenges of a new world order, in Washington CIA Deputy Director Jack Ryan is putting everything into a plan that could finally bring peace to a Middle East still suffering from the ravages of war. But too many groups have invested too much blood to allow the plan to succeed -- the terrorists have one final desperate card to play. With one terrible act the world is plunged into nuclear crisis. His dreams of peace shattered, Ryan is confronted with a situation he has never dared to imagine: with the world standing on the brink of war, what do you do if the US President is incompetent to deal with the greatest crisis of all?

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