trip back to the Cold War might not have been the novel Tom Clancy's fans were anticipating." In a mixed review, Publishers Weekly derided the lack of suspense, which is "a disappointment when other writers (Forsyth in Day of the Jackal, for one) have shown that there can be enough tension in a fated-to-fail assassination plot to give a stroke to a yoga master". The book was also notable for its disregard for real history, as CNN reminded that the events in Patriot Games occur after the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, which in turn occurs after the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II. Conversely, the book was praised for its "believable and encyclopedic" plot; Publishers Weekly remarked: "It's utterly fascinating to read Clancy's playing out of that likely scenario—is there a writer in the world who brings so much verisimilitude to scenes both high (Politburo meetings) and low (details of spy craft and everyday Soviet life)?" The Washington Post praised the book, stating: "Clancy moves skillfully among a large cast of characters in Washington, London and Moscow, and develops many of them effectively. [His] writing has improved since the clunky prose and robotic dialogue of his early novels." References 2002 American novels American thriller novels Techno-thriller novels Prequel novels Attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II Novels by Tom Clancy Ryanverse Cultural depictions of Pope John Paul II Novels set in Budapest Novels set in Moscow Novels set in Yugoslavia Novels set in Rome Novels set in London G. P. Putnam's Sons books