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Title: Mediocre work despite an interesting premise
Review: Clancy appears to have decided not to put a great deal of effort into his latest work, borrowing liberally from one of his first efforts, _Red Storm Rising_. Unfortunately, this book doesn't quite match up to that earlier work. This is a long book, not just in the number of pages, but in the feel. Unlike most of his past efforts, it's in no way a page turner, but instead you read on simply to get to the end. And when you get there, be prepared for disappointment. After setting up an interesting premise, Clancy wraps everything up more neatly than most Christmas presents. The only plus to the work is the characters long time Clancy readers have grown to know so well--they remain generally the same, and are fun to follow, but their talents could be much better used. Perhaps it's time for Clancy to start a new series, as he appears to be tired of dreaming up new problems for Jack Ryan.
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