Tom Clancy Books

well, i havent finished it yet, but from what i've read its very good. It provides an understanding of the military comprehensible to civilians. Kudos to Clancy.

This is an excellent in-depth view of how our USAF is run. The capabilities of our aircraft. If you enjoy military non-fiction then you'll love this book.

Loved the way this book was written. You really get a sense of what being in that FW is really like. Im already in the Air Force, but for me it was a nice look from the outside in, and getting to know the history of the unit, what action they have seen, and where the Air Force is heading. Great information and a great tour!!

The third book in The Guided Tour series, Fighter Wing is a non-fiction book devoted to an Air Force Composite Wing. (Why it's called "Fighter Wing" escapes me, since the 366th Wing includes a wide range of combat aircraft!) Like the other books in this seven-volume series, Fighter Wing gives the readers a reasonably interesting look at the U.S. Air Force since its restructuring in the early 1990s. Here, for instance, is where I found out the Air Force had renamed its major commands; Strategic Air Command (which controlled the bombers, particularly the B-1, B-2, FB-111, and B-52 aircraft) and Tactical Air Command (which controlled the smaller fighters and fighter-bombers) merged and became Air Combat Command.

The book discusses the theory and history of air power, the training of the men and women who fly for the Air Force, and, of course, the planes and weapons of a typical Composite Wing. As in most of the books in the Guided Tour series, photographs, graphics, an interview with a senior flag officer, and a fictional scenario depicting the combat roles of a Composite Wing are included.

The book is informative without getting too technical, and one comes away with a bit more inside information about how the modern Air Force works.

In the updated and expanded version,Tom Clancy goes into great detail of why air superiority was and remains key to U.S. armed forces. For instance, the f-15 originally developed to combat Russian Migs, is now becoming obsolete. Third World contries can now rival the fighter. This is now why the U.S. developed the f-22. The radically advanced fighter has stealth, advanced avionics, and radar. This was SUPPOSED to fight new Migs and Sokui aircraft, but the Cold War ended. With Russia as our ally the U.S. has endured many cuts an reformation of airforces. Why hasn't the f-22 replaced the f-15? Why has the b-2 not become the U.S.'s primary bomber? This is a must read for all those interested in answers to these questions. Plus, analysis on why the U.S. is developing the Joint Strike Fighter!

You know, every now and then, something occurs that really gets the mind thinking. These generaly raise questions that range from little "Huh, I wonder why..." to the massive "Why, in the name of all that is good and pure don't we..." Well, this is one of those books. And I know you probably don't want to have to sit and read a super-long essey of a review, so I'll cut to the chase: Why, in the name of all that is good and pure, hasn't one of our presidents picked Tom Clancy as their National Security Advisor>

I read his book on Marines and then the book on the Airborne. The problem that I have with Clancy is that he must hang out with the Public Relations officer where ever he goes. He gets the best possible answers and explanation for everything. So he is kind of right on just about everything but exactly right on just about nothing. I checked with a buddy from the Marine Corp. He had the exact reaction. Clancy should get down with the troops and find out what is really happening.

I spent 4 years with the 1st Brigade at the 82nd. LGOP to us meant "Lost Group of Paratroopers." This was pre GPS mind you. As for the 82nd taking shots from our Legged bretheran in the 101st. Notice it is they who feel the need to denigrate the real Airborne. In the 82nd we were always too busy to worry about what the legs were doing or what they thought.

Being a former 82nd Airborne Division Paratrooper I was very disapointed with the contents of Mr. CLanceys book. For all the history that the 82nd has very little of it was covered in this book. He also failed to cover much of the 82nds current capbilities and possible uses. In fact at times I felt like I was reading a book on COSCOM, or the Airforce instead of an Airborne unit. There is much more depth that could have been given to this book had he taken the time, but instead you get the impression that Mr. Clancey saw Ft. Bragg from a tour bus going down Ardennes street. If you've never been in the military or an Airborne unit then this will give you "some" insight, but if your interested in military history, or have been a paratrooper then this ones not for you. Mr. Clancey may be good at fiction but there's alot he could learn from historians like Stephen Ambrose or Shelby Foote.

Tom Clancy and John D. Gresham's Airborne: A Guided Tour of an Airborne Task Force is the fifth entry in Berkley's "Guided Tour" series of non-fiction books about U.S. military units. As one might expects, the book zeroes in on the elite paratroopers of the "All-American" 82nd Airborne Division, their "tools of the trade," training, history and roles and missions.

The 82nd Airborne is America's last true paratrooper division; its XVIII Airborne Corps partner, the 101st Air Assault Division ("The Screaming Eagles") traded in its parachutes for helicopters long ago. Along with the 101st, the 82nd Airborne is teamed with the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Division and the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, giving the XVIII Airborne Corps both a powerful punch and flexibility.

Clancy and Gresham describe practically every weapon, tool, uniform and aircraft employed in modern airborne warfare today in a clear and concise fashion. The authors also discuss the proud history of the 82nd Airborne (and airborne warfare in general) from World War II to Operation Restore Democracy (the 1994 mission to remove the military junta in Haiti) and the various aspects of life for the modern-day paratrooper, particularly the arduous training regimen involved in getting young men and women to jump out of, as Clancy wryly observes, "perfectly good airplanes."

Airborne also includes an interview with the then-incoming commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps, Gen. John B. Keane and a Foreword by retired Gen. Gary Luck, who commanded the corps during the first Persian Gulf War in 1991.

As in all the books of the Guided Tour series, Clancy includes several short vignettes to illustrate what the 82nd Airborne's roles and missions are. Of course, now that we are in a major conflict in Iraq (in which the 82nd and 101st Divisions are engaged) Clancy's choices for settings (Sudan and Belize) seem odd, but they make for good reading and explain how the XVIII Airborne Corps is used in combat situations.

Tom Clancy must be the world's number one fan of the USA Military.

And vice versa.

"Airborne" is another in the series of mutual admiration society books written by Tom beginning with Submarine, and progressing on through Fighter Wing, Marine, Armoured Cav and others.

Each one is an in depth look at the men, equipment, training, tactics and history of a segment of the US Armed Services. Tom doesn't give a dry list of statistics, a few cutaway diagrams and photos, no this is hands-on stuff, straight from the people who use the weapons, supplemented by Tom's observations on a guided tour of the facilities and attendance at a training exercise.

I'd give this a top rating, but for the graphics, which aren't up to the standard of earlier books. Many of the photographs, for instance, are literaly the size of a postage stamp.

But that's a minor niggle, and there are some excellent photos, and diagrams.

What comes across very strongly is the awesom esprit de corps of the Airborne. Far more than any other units, Airborne soldiers fight alone without the direct support of other arms, excepting maybe the airforce. But if an airborne force goes into action on the far side of the world, where friendly runways are few and far between, then they are very much on their own until reinforcements win through.

The unique tactics of the airborne units are highlighted. The "LGOP" mentality, where Little Groups Of Parachutists form up and fight through to the objective. The way that subunits are divided up amongst aircraft so that if one aircraft doesn't make it, it doesn't take out an entire platoon or company.

There's more, a lot more, and I particularly liked the historical chapters. Right at the end of the book is a glossary, almost de rigeur for the acronym-laden world of the military, and most valuable of all for those wanting yet more, a very comprehensive bibliography.

This is a book that belongs on the shelf of any military buff, alongside Tom Clancy's other works. Highly recommended.

As always, Tom Clancy's research into a subject is beyond reproach. As a veteran of 28 years involved in Naval air (and the son of a Naval officer with the same tenure), it's good to be brought up to date by someone I respect in this arena. Clancy does a great job of getting one through the "An Officer and a Gentleman" Pensacola experience, and into the ready room.

Carrier, the sixth book in Tom Clancy's Guided Tour non-fiction series about America's armed forces, is a detailed look at the Navy's grande dame, the aircraft carrier and associated battle group (CVBG). Even 63 years after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor ended the reign of the big-gun battleship and despite the lethality of nuclear attack submarines, the carrier, with its 70+ plane air wing and assorted escorts, is still the most powerful, versatile, and visible symbol of American sea power.

Once again, Clancy and series collaborator John D. Gresham take the reader where no ordinary civilian can easily go. From the Pentagon office of Admiral Jay Johnson (who at the time was Chief of Naval Operations) to the bustling -- and dangerous -- flight deck of the Nimitz-class USS Harry S Truman, the authors explain the role of the modern carrier group in today's world, as well as describing each ship -- from carrier to guided missile escorts -- and aircraft that makes the CVBG the "big stick" of American foreign policy.

At the time of publication (2000), the Navy was still in the midst of the transition from large 90 aircraft carrier air wings (CAW), and strike pilots were completing the handover of air-to-ground attack missions from the venerable A-6 Intruder to the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet. Other changes discussed by Clancy and Gresham are the eventual phasing out of the F-14 Tomcat, the long-range interceptor made famous by Tom Cruise's 1986 mega-hit Top Gun. Although still a formidable aircraft, the Tomcat -- which has never fired its prime long range missile, the Phoenix, in combat -- is now a 32-year-old design and due to be replaced by late generation F/A-18 Hornet variants and the new Joint Strike Fighter now in development.

As in all the Guided Tour books, there are chapters devoted to all the elements that make a CVBG such a valuable fleet asset. Much of the book focuses on the Nimitz-class carrier's design, construction, power plant (or at least as much as the Navy will allow the authors to divulge for security reasons), and the embarked air wing. However, Clancy emphasizes the human element and describes the training and daily lives of the sailors and airmen that operate the various ships and aircraft of the CVBG.

Clancy also continues the tradition of ending his Guided Tour books with a short but entertaining fictional account of a unit in action. In this case, the author looks forward at the world in 2016, pitting the United States in a short but fierce confrontation with India after "the world's largest democracy" has a nuclear exchange with its Muslim neighbor Pakistan and becomes erratic in its foreign policy.

Although Clancy is hardly objective when writing about the military -- he clearly loves the services -- he does provide the public valuable insights into what the Navy does and the tasks our men and women in uniform perform daily in times of war and peace. Carrier, therefore, is an informative and entertaining primer on today's Navy...and tells the reader exactly why every President since World War II has asked, in times of crisis, "where are the carriers?"

This is just a wonderful book on the topic. Clancy and co. have done a great job of taking the reader through the ships in question and really explaining the different types, parts, and jobs associated with an Aircraft Carrier. Clancy also does a good job in explaining what it is like to live and work on one of these ships. He also takes us through some of the training that takes place to get into the job. He also adds a good amount of detail of what the typical types of missions these ships and battle groups have today, what they did in the cold war and the possible missions upcoming.

I was surprised at the number of countries that also have aircraft carriers not to mention the different types the U.S has. Clancy takes us through a long inventory of all the different countries that have aircraft carriers today, what kind of ships they are and what are the strengths and weaknesses of the model. Another interesting part of the book was the description of all the countries currently making the aircraft carriers and how good / bad they are at it. I enjoyed the fact that the catapult technology really only comes the U.S. as no one else has mastered it.

Overall this was an interesting, easy to read and very informative book. If you are interested in aircraft carriers then this should be your first stopping point. A good book well worth the money.

This is one of Clancy's best. Not only is it interesting and fun to read, it is very informative and the information is accurate with a few exceptions. These include the misnaming of certain carriers.

As good as this book is, there are many things I simply didn't like about this book. First of all, the book was very idealistic and was more of a propoganda work rather than some kind of reference book. For example, when Clancy explains the air wing layouts, he claims that a certain air wing with less fighters but more striking ability can hit more targets on land and the older 90 plane air wing's land-attack capability was much more limited. He doesn't know that, does he? He never took into consideration that the carriers during the Cold War never actually fought, so it can't be safely said that such and such an air wing is more capable than the other. He also doesn't consider the amount of threats in the world today when talking about the less ships and planes, the more effective. He even says that the current naval aviation structure is much better and is less complicated, when he doesn't even know how effective the previous standings were and how bad things are getting in the world. Also, when talking about the new carriers, he doesn't consider the complications such a program would make and believes carriers are simple "help the needy" machines when they are actually powerful weapons of war. Nor does he ever mention anything about the serious costs that future programs will take and just goes rambling about how cool things will be and how much better things will get. All this, in a way, insults the Navy, because it shows them as a group that simply just buys expensive stuff and doesn't care about their task at hand.

Another thing that was seriously flawed was the explaination of missions and tactics and the fiction. The missions are well shown, but they are not fully explained. They are also described in a way as being"totally effective," which is not true. it takes more than just a carrier to win a war. The tactics are also shown as being 100% effective, also not true. Finally, as someone from India has stated, the fiction was not only short and screwed up, it totally defaces what India is really like. It shows them as ruthess, evil conquistadors, without ever really considering everything to the story. The news report showing the destruction of the Indian ship was totally unreal and propogandic. No such thing would take place, especially when sensitive information is present and would surely have been censored.

Overall, this book was pretty good, but there were many errors and was very biased, propgandic and based on the authors mind. next time, Clancy should write it like a real reference book, accurate to the last detail, unbiased, realistic, or never write non-fiction again. Maybe he jsut didn't know what he was talking about.

This is a most unusual book in that it goes into excruciating detail about the Navy, the Air Force and carriers. In fact, even though I found it fascinating reading, it's more than most people would want to know unless you're a real fanatic. At times I felt that a foreign power could learn how to duplicate our success by reading this book -- hopefully Clancy left some military secrets a secret!

The most enjoyable parts of the book for me were the descriptions of the pilot training (and the amazing prowess of Navy flyers who have to catch a "string" upon landing so they don't fly right off the deck), life aboard a carrier and the interview with the navy official. The chapters devoted to the layout and structure of the carriers were less interesting from my point of view.

A very detailed approach to carriers and their role in protecting our role in world affairs.

The writing good. The story-line is entertaining enough to make the book worth buying. It was not as good as the previous titles. Sam is a great character. I hope to see Splinter Cell books.

I've been a long time fan of the Splinter Cell games but this was the first book I've read relating to the character. It was really an exciting and gripping storyline full of interesting twists and exotic locations. You could imagine playing as the character, sneaking into highly secure residences and playing with new cutting edge electronic toys while at the same time invisibly saving the world. You feel right in the scene when five North Koreans are walking towards your flipped Jeep with assault rifles at the ready and you have to act. It was great to combine my love of the games (not Double Agent) with the enjoyment of reading.

This is the first and last time I will use Amazon and pay full list price.

Truly a wonderful book. Keeps you glued to the pages chapter after chapter. Great story line, too!

How do you stop an entire country from dying by a deadly chemical? 2 words, Sam Fisher. Splinter Cell Fallout by Tom Clancy and David Micheals is an action-packed novel! This is a mystery novel for anyone who wants a thrilling book! This book is my favorite book and could be yours also! There are surprises around every corner. This book takes place in the Middle East, Far East, and the US. It is around 2010 when this all happens so it is for more of the futuristic readers.

Colonal Irving Lambert is Sam's leader and a close friend of his. Anna Grimsdottir is another one of Sam's workers and is a good friend also. This is written in third person so when it says Fisher it means Sam.

There are many things wrong with the thinking of high level officials in our government that would be corrected if they followed the advice offered by General Tony Zinni in his book. This is a must read for all American citizens.

Zinni (with Koltz) surprised me with this read. I had not expected him to be so open-minded and practical in his approach. Instead of pointing fingers (no more than 3 or 4 times) without offering solutions, here he IS offering solutions, and not half-hearted or vague ones, but well thought-out and capable ones.

In the beginning I was a little thrown off by some parts that seem to say "Hey look at me, I, Zinni, am great, I did this and that", but it does relay to the casual reader his credentials and knowledge on what he's writing.

His focus is more on global policy, with some changes (although not small) to some of the departmental structuring in the American government. Some topics he tackles are the "Stove Pipe Effect " (no cross-talk between intelligence agencies, leaving us blind-sided), moving away from the Cold War-Era military framework, and the ignorance to any REAL civic response to global crisis.

Worth reading, for anyone and everyone that believes America needs to adapt. Written without partisanship or superfluous chatter.

Even though Tom Clancy is a top-notch military historians, I found his forward to be completely unnecessary, why would he need that extra credibility? Should be apparent by his (Zinni's) roles and experience.

I didn't enjoy trying to read this book. The beginning starts off like some cheesy infomercial. Maybe Tony wants to be on TV, but I wasn't buying it. Top the melodrama off with crazy ideas on what America is in relation to the world... different strokes for different folks.

Gen Zinni's book is a timely overview of current US global engagement strategy. He provides clear examples of inconsistencies in US international engagement and makes several straightforward suggestions for improved coordination and execution of American foreign policy and national strategy. He shows why the US MUST stay globally engaged and that to revert to isolationism would be catastrophic and costly.

An extremely direct, intelligent and nonpartisan assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of American governmental structure and foreign policy. More importantly, General Zinni bluntly lays out what needs to change, how and why inorder to effectly deal with the post Cold War environment that we find ourselves in. Brilliantly insightful and in the line of General Zinni's many other writings in being pragmatically idealistic.

It may be fair to call this book a meditation on how some places are perfectly fit to induce particular states of mind. As promised by the title, "The Black Room at Longwood" describes the prison by describing its effect on the prisoner.

Kauffmann describes the sights and smells of St. Helen in such detail that its desolation is almost palpable. He makes many self-conscious efforts to find the relics and remembrances of its most famous prisoner. Kauffmann brings the place to life--but such a life--dreary and meaningless--and contrasts it with known preferences and dislikes of Napoleon so that every little pinprick can be felt.

When I tried to picture as active a man as Napoleon Bonaparte in that place, I couldn't help but pity him (from my comfortable vantage point, in 2006). As described in the book, Napoleon's own mind was beginning to give way to the horror of that oppressed place by the time he died.

The author has a seemingly great idea : cruise to out-of-the-way St. Helena and combine a historical hunt with a modern day travelogue of his journey.

The premise works well at some points, but lags quite often. The most annoying trait of the book is the author's tendancy to wax poetic for literally PAGES describing paintings or other works of art to be found in Longwood. I don't really understand what Mr. Kauffmann's opinion of "The Last Phase" has to do with Napoleon's exile.

I've finished reading the book and I'm still actually not quite sure what I just read. It was certainly unique and well-written, I'll give Kauffmann that much. But I don't believe that I learned anything about Napoleon's exile that I didn't already absorb from more thorough, historical works. I genuinely expected to hear some unique tales and speculation about Napoleon's last days... but alas, none were to be had. This was a fruitless read if you're looking for fun or irreverant facts about Napoleon's final days.

Bottom line : Not worth your time and money unless you are completely obsessed with Bonaparte, or if you plan to visit St. Helena at some point.

This is a strange mixture and I have to admit to very much disliking it when I first picked it up. It is a translated version of what was originally a French work and the English to me seemed a bit florid and dramatic. I am not sure if that is the translation or if the French naturally write in that style. I would however recommend people who are interested in Napoleon to persevere - it is a strange sort of book but worth the read.

I say this for two other reasons - firstly because Kauffmann has read just about every primary source about Napoleon's exile on St Helens - a tiny island pretty much in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and secondly because Kauffmann knows first hand about captivity.

After reading this book a little = and not enjoying it I read the author biography - this man spent some years as a captive in Beirut in the 1980's. Returning to the book I started to realise that this is more than just a book about Napoleon, or about a travellogue to the island. This is a story about captivity and its psychological side. Kauffmann is very clearly the right man to write about it. The oppression of captivity overwhelms the writing sometimes. Kauffman clearly found the place oppressive - he keeps talking of the town itself squeezed between two mountains - it is one of his repetitive themes and I get the sense that if he didn't sail out there expecting to dislike the place, his dislike of it coloured his later writings about it.

I think this book could just as easily be named 8 days on St Helens as the book is divided into chapters for each day. So his trip is dealt with chronologically - the information about Napoleon ducks and dives - often with seemingly little logic to it. However if you are looking to learn about Napoleon's last years they are touched on - more so Napoleon as a man is revealed. His impatience (he drove each day on the island in a carriage with two wives of his officers - but went at such high speed as to throw them around - a demonstration of power?) his arrogance.

There are also interesting insights into the man prior to his captivity - for instance I never knew Napoleon couldn't speak perfect French - (he spoke it badly and confusingly at times - muddling his words and pronunciations). However I don't think Kauffman explains anything new to most scholars of Napoleon. He mentions that Napoleon considered going to America before settling for surrendering to the English - why did he change his mind?

So you can read this book on many different levels - a story of St Helens, a mixed bag of Napoleonic history, or a story of captivity. All have different merits in this - but they are all mixed together. I don't know that I would recommend making a special trip to get it - but worth reading if you haven't much else to do.

I went searching for a book about Napoleon for a friend. This is that book. If you want to know anything about Napoleon's last years, this isn't the book to read. I found this book dull to the extreme. It reads more like "what I did on my summer vacation.' I kept waiting to get into the informative part of the book but it never came. Kauffmann talks of paintings that aren't shown, quotes that came from other works as he wanders around Longwood.What the English women have to do with this book is a mystery. A complete waste of time and paper. Read something else if you want to know about Napoleon.

I read this book on a flight to France, and was mesmerized by the author's lapidary prose and his ability to bring to the reader a keen sense of loneliness and desolation. According to the author, Napoleon spent a good deal of his last six years trying to figure out what went wrong at Waterloo...the sort of torment worthy of Greek mythology. Feeling broken and forgotten, the former emperor, to quote General McArthur, "faded away", dying as much of depression as of physiological causes.

A few days after finishing the book, I visited Napoleon's tomb at the Hotel des Invalides in Paris. It's very grand, and I'm sure he would have loved it. Enshrined, perhaps even resurrected, in this manner, Napoleon has the last laugh.

Future War would have been a great work of fiction. It's intriguing subject matter and there are some really entertaining scenarios that would keep you turning pages long into the night.

However. If you're in the market for a well-researched, factual account, you should probably look elsewhere, especially if you are, like myself, a relative new-comer to the whole non-lethal weapons field.

Col. Alexander gets some extraordinary things wrong. He uses Ruby Ridge as an example of law enforcement gone wrong and to point up the need for non-lethal alternatives to lethal force. No arguments there. But he must have been thinking of a different Ruby Ridge, because in this one, Kevin Harris doesn't survive. I found that interesting, seeing as how Kevin Harris ended up giving a report to the FBI and getting tried in a court of law after the standoff ended. Reports of his death in this book are greatly exaggerated.

Col. Alexander would also like us to believe that Tazers don't burn. Even in the Nineties, law enforcement was aware that Tazers burn the skin. Several court cases have included evidence of the burn patterns unique to different models of stun guns. He also seems to take great pleasure in claiming that they are never lethal, which is an interesting claim to make about something meant to deliver tens of thousands of volts of electricity into the human body. "Never" is a word that an ostensibly learned man should not have employed to describe such a weapon, even given the state of knowledge in the 90s.

I won't spend this space dissecting the plethora of other errors I've found. I just want to present a caution to anyone incautious enough to buy this book: before getting excited about any one claim, make sure you get the facts from another source. You can't trust this book to be right.

This is an excellent book covering all the weapons that are available to fight an enemy,now and in the near future.Of course,as the title suggests, it leans on non-lethal weapons.This is not a book of Si-Fi stuff because we have already seen the use of many of the weapons described,although many have been used in various degrees,locations and purposes.As the author shows,there are many forms of weapons that do not involve a projectile or explosives but nonetheless have huge impact in warfare.Elimination of supplies,exploitation of media,disruption of communications,just to name a few.Non-lethal weapons have the greatest effect when the enemy has little or no knowledge of the other sides capability or use involved.Breaking of the German and Japanese codes was an excellent example of this 50 years ago.There has never been any magic bullet nor any new weapon that lasted too long before the other side found a counter weapon;so the way to maintain superiority lies in the ability to keep ahead.The reason America has managed to keep ahead in this is the extremely high value it places on the safety and security of every one of its citizens.Above all else this is the number one responsibility of the government.
This book shows not only the types of weapons that are available but also the thought process that goes into deciding which best solves the threat involved.Reading this book will convince you why any nation which truly values it freedoms must spend the resources to maintain superiority in all forms of weapons. Being second best is not an option.

Future war is a brilliant look at the varied types and systems of Less, Less Than, and Non-Lethal technologies.(and the difference between the three)
Dr. Alexander is very creative and colorful when it comes to conceptualising situations that these technologies could be utilised, both in Law enforcment and military/peace keeping engagements, as well as pulling out actual cases and tests.

While heavily footnoted, the book avoids becoming too overly technical, but could possibly bog down a reader not familiar with some of the terminology. Unfortunatly the book also doesn't go into nearly enough technical detail as some might hope, and in some cases leaves the reader confused about certain devices and aspects.

Another aspect about this book is that it was written several years ago, and the technologies talked about are in a relativly rapidly advancing field. By today, some of the things mentioned have been phased or or dropped, and whole new one have cropped up.

But all things considered this is a good book, and a nice read, and makes a dandy reference.

As US/Allied forces this very day are engaging in military operations against Iraq, the emphasis is not only on victory but on the minimization of casualties, both military and civilian. This book discusses several approaches to the latter, via the use of "non-lethal" weapons, and some of these may in fact be employed in Operation Iraq Freedom. The discussion is fascinating, and one can only hope that future technological developments will make war less probable because of the ideas expoused by the author. In the foreword to the book, the author lets Tom Clancy remind the reader of the unique American viewpoint on warfare. Americans, because of the nature of the government in which they have chosen to create and participate, have always been reluctant to go to war. Every soldier is precious, indeed, human life is precious, and is not to be taken lightly. It is therefore not a surprise that precision-guided and non-lethal weapons have and are undergoing intense development in the last two decades in the United States. Hopefully this attitude will continue in this, the best of all centuries. The author seems confident that it will, and indeed we are fortunate to have individuals in the U.S. military who have his attitude and share his philosophy.

Some of the more interesting technological developments in non-lethal weaponry discussed in the book include: 1. Electromagnetic weapons: man-portable laser weapons, blinding weapons, isotropic radiator weapons, pulse weapons, stun guns. 2. Chemical non-lethal weapons: antimateriel chemical agents, superacids, pheromones. 3. Acoustic weapons, such as pulsed periodic stimulus, which causes perceptual disorientation in the individual.

This book has a pretty good introduction to the growing science and technology of non-lethal weapons. It should serve you well if you're looking for something to get you started on building your knowledge of this field. However, you will be disappointed if you are looking for in-depth details on specific systems and technology (these are in most cases still probably classified in any case). The book is still definitely worth reading, though.

Admittedly, everyone has their own idea of what's funny. For some people, it's seeing others slip on an icy street and fall down. Others quite enjoy someone being humiliated, and the more famous the person receiving this treatment, the funnier it is; I guess it makes the envy more bearable.

If there's humor in this book, it escaped me. Prolonged descriptions of diarrhea don't make me laugh, especially when they are inflicted on the likenesses of well-known authors, who are presented as grotesques and lampooned with pitiless adolescent glee.

If I'm a spoilsport for not thinking public humiliations of living human beings are a laugh riot, so be it. If you happen to be one of the increasingly few people who agree that mean spirited ridicule isn't funny, consider yourself warned to avoid this book.

This parody by Robert Kaplow is quite simply hilarious. I'm buying it as a gift for every SMART FUNNY person I know (but not the dumb boring ones.)

A great idea all-around and executed flawlessly by Kaplow.

My only request: More, more, more!

I spotted this gem at the local library (bless those astute librarians who displayed it prominently), and had not read Kaplow before. But I love satire, and was hooked from the first sentence. I'm sure the authors who "appeared" as characters laughed harder than any reader. Kaplow is a master at recreating the inner ramblings of all writers and also wannabe writers(I'm one)who never actually write the novel in their heads. He nailed every facet of the publishing world, extending to media, teachers and others. I taught high school English for a while in the 70s,and I'd forgotten all about "transformational grammar" and Noam Chomsky till I read this book.
I"m sorry for those who didn't love it and probably didn't even "get" most of it. You almost have to be an English Major or at least have taken some literature and creative writing courses, and you'd have to be familar with all the genres referenced as well as the dozens and dozens of famous novels and writers mentioned to get the jokes. Kaplow's choices of "characters" had to fit the story line exactly for it all to work. Stephen King, the undisputed master of horror, is the perfect protagonist. I won't go further, and be a spoiler, but the irony of the last several chapters is delicious. And there really is a mystery.
I got a little tired of the "f" word and the outrageously kinky sex both real and imagined, but must admit the sex (and yes, Sue Grafton's excessive diarrhea) was all there for a reason. The poignant ending celebrating true, unkinky love was all the more so when juxtaposed against the yucky stuff. I suspect there is a special "satire appreciation" gene, and some of us have it and some of us don't. But it's not a big deal. By the way, I'm 76. The older I get, the funnier we humans seem. I'm going to read this book again and again, and give it to carefully selected friends.

Anyone who has had the misfortune of seeing the countless parody movies in theaters such as Epic Movie or Meet the Spartans should feel intense deja vu. This books seems to think that vulgarity equals humor. The attempts at humor fail and as they flood the book, it becomes a series of eye rolls and groans. I would not recommend this book to my friends or my enemies.

OKAY, when I got this review copy I was not thrilled. A parody is fair humor at best. I disliked the last audio production done of a Robert Kaplow novel.

WELL I WAS WRONG! (hanging my head in shame). I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes. It pokes satirical fun at the mystery genre and its authors as the world in general.

Who knew Kaplow's unabridged text was so funny? I KNOW NOW! Kaplow work hear can be compared to Weird Al of modern day mystery genre. Whereas Al points out the world in his parodies. So does Kaplow and the interesting thing about it, you love the gossip tone of this novel. The text seems like Entertainment Tonight with a laugh track for the lit set.

And you owe the wonderful audio experience to craftsmanship and vocal talents of Arte Johnson. Yes, this is the same Arte Johnson from Laugh-in Fame. As a narrator, He can do narrative magic with his voice that you assume there are a cast of thousands in the booth. If you dont laugh at his narration antics, have your doctor check to see if your funny bone is still working.

There is every style of comedy employed in the project....and if a slip on a banana peel or a slapstick gag could be done on audio, i bet it would be thrown into this production

To try to explain this multi dirrectional plot is a waste of your time, because you need to expierence this outragous farce first hand without any help. It is a five star winner!

All I will say is clear your schedules, once you start this humor fest, you wont want to stop listening until the end of the last CD.

Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD

This book is a very worthwhile introduction to the U.S. submarine force. The insights offered were highly informative as I was writing my own scenes for "Stealing Thunder". The chapters were well laid out and specific. I would have liked to have seen more photographs but understand that you can't just pop aboard a U.S. nuclear submarine with your Nikon. Still, all and all, it's a ready and useful reference for writers and military aficionados.

It is a very realistic book but one thing i felt less. Each chapter can be read apart because it is based on the computergame. I do not like this.

The graphics seem to be the only upside of this game. The plot is unrealistic, the submarine model absolutely horrible, and the fact that it is completely unrealistic because you can see your own submarine from the main screen!! Jane's 688i is a better deal. Pass on this unless you enjoy burning cash.

I felt this game was better than Jane's688i beacause there was a higher goal, and better graphics than any other sub game i have played. Also it is by Tom Clancy, and i find that all of his work that i have read/played is almost alway extremly good.

In "SSN", you are the commander of the USS Cheyenne, one of the latest ships of US Navy's vaunted Los Angeles Class submarines, fighting your sub against the might of the Chinese navy in a war in the South China Sea. A coup by Chinese Generals, detailed by extensive FMV scenes, puts the PRC on a warpath with the West.

The missions however are a major botch, which is sad becauise of the work that went into them and the potential for something better. Instead of controlling your sub from the inside - plotting your course over a mving map, searching for targets on the sonar screen or periscope, giving orders to various crewmembers - you now drive your sub from the outside, with the main view being that of the Cheyenne coasting along the undersea mountains and running across the occasional whale and (the not-so-occassional) Chinese sub. (Visually spotting the subs isn't a cheat - they don't become visible until Sonar detects them). Handling of the sub seems pretty realistic - you now control the ballast controls, and the sub sinks during prolonged turns. The undersea setting is also pretty abosorbing, full of ambient sound from enemy ships and marine biology - including whales and seagulls. Isothermals - invisible lines created by rapid changes in water temperature - appear as thin layers of dust. Changes in distance from an object cause doppler shifts in the sound that object emits - most radically for torpedoes which are about the fastest objects you'll encounter (underwater, anyway).

What kills the realism is the game's biggest novelty - the "spot" view for the Cheyenne is of limited use. Unfortunately, it's always on, and can't be cycled with something more useful, like a threat indicator, or atleast snipped so that it allows more room for a target computer that tracks more than one target. The sonar screen remains as a small circle lacking even a map overlay so you can at least mentally mark off where sonar targets were when they dissappear (as they will). It's as if the game's writers hit off on this great idea and then realizing how unimportant it was, decided they couldn't get rid of it. With the sub always on screen, it's hard to past the idea that we're outside of a six-inch model of a sub, rather than directing a major undersea battle inside of it.

Considering that this is Tom Clancy, there are also some realism issues - the South China sea scenario isn't unrealistic, but playing the game against Chinese in mostly Russian hardware, the question arises - why not just set the game in the Barent's sea and rename the game "Red Storm Rising for Win95"? The answer is that the game was needed to hype a book which - to remain as cutting edge as everything Clancy does - had to include a speculative conflict against China. The newer scenario never gels, though, without icepacks. More problematic are the Chinese subs - a mix of Russian imports and Chinese "Han" nuclear subs. The Russian subs break down into diesel boats like the Kilo, but also nuclear subs like the Alfa and the Akula, niether of which exist in the numbers represented here. (Only six Alfas ever entered service, most if not all sunk between the various Clancy novels). A more realistic story would have had the fighting covered by Victor II and Victor III subs, with the others in smaller numbers. Also, there aren't any rocket-torpedoes like the Sea Lance, or medium range cruise missiles like Sub-Harpoon. The Clancy's Chinese seems utterly bereft of any cruise-missile subs, and never form any cohesive teamwork. Also, the most important subs in the game are also the easiest to detect - in latter missions, the Typhoon class and Severodvinsk Class subs just suddenly appear in front of you when they should be the hardest to detect.

Overlooking these flaws, "SSN" has limited playability - the missions are pre-scripted, and are played in clusters which must be completed before proceeding to the next cluster. This is annoying when you've got a four-mission cluster consisting of two uneventful missions followed by a murderously impossible third mission that endlessly sends you back to square-1. Nearing the end of the game, assuming you've got the patience, you're probably asking yourself how much hard-drive you'll be reclaiming.

SSN fills a niche between arcade games and hardcore sub sims like Janes 688i. I ran the game on a P166 (then) lacking an accelerator card, and the graphics and sound were flawless.

im getting tired of tom clancy showing me these brillant worlds that i cannot venture into. hence: Xanadu, i want Xanadu!!! who wouldnt like to have a dip into "net forces" version of full bandwith i do, and the all inspiring pavilions. when megan was in that virtual sim, i felt like i was there, and it scared the hell out of me. and it inticed me. this is a book you have t read, just for the shear coolness of it. you gotta love the virtual sims

After reading the first chapter, I was absolutely amazed and couldn't stop reading. Tom Clancy has a great view of technology for the 21st century. When I read it, it made you feel like you were inside the action. To me while reading, everything sounded very real. Definitely worth buying! An overall 5 stars.

I usually am a fond reader of Tom Clancy's works, may they be fictional or factual. But this thing shows a rare lack of knowledge, which I find annoying.

I am german, a citizen of Hanover, where Clancy set much of his plot - and the connection between real events and the story plot would make SOME research neccessary, I guess. But all the research found in this novel is reading a roadmap of Germany, and even that is done badly. Anything else is pure fiction, and the relation to real events is only in the name.

Where is the author that takes up so much time researching things BEFORE writing? THIS thing is just making money...

this book was gerat! i found it interesting and amusing with clancy's views on technology and the 21st century. You've got to read this!

Year 2054: Xanadu, the world's most exclusive (...) resort, is under suspicion to be a possible base for some devastating and harmful thefts done through the Net. Meg O'Malley, a Net Force Explorer, is more than willing to go undercover to discover the identity of the illusive thief. Since her father, a renowned writer, has already been asked to host a writing workshop at Xanadu, Meg is given the perfect opportunity to conduct an investigation. But the beautiful resort with its gourmet food, entertainment, and high tech virtual sites may also be one of the most deadly places to be for Meg. For without any aide from other Net Force investigators, she's on her own to track down the thief.

The Net Force Explorers is a great Young Adult fiction series, especially those with a love for computers and the Internet. Since the Net presented in the books have no boundaries, you will never know what to expect next. With a well-thought out plot, this story has plenty of twists and turns, having the whole plot well balanced with mystery, excitement, and adventure. The end as usual becomes a bit technical and hard to follow as most of the books in the series but you still have a general idea what's going on. But I can't really say any more or I would ruin the story! :)

The characters of the book is what really makes the book more fun to read. Meg O'Malley is a terrific Net Force Explorer with her quick wits, sharp tongue, and martial arts talents. I especially found her very cool and I loved the part where she jokes about her brothers. Mark Gridley, who appears briefly towards the end of the book, is also a fun character. I wish there was more of him in the story. My only complaint for the story is that there's no Leif Anderson! I really loved him in "The Deadliest Game" (book #3 of the Net Force Explorer's series) and I wished he was here. Wim Dorfladen was a poor substitute to be put in as Meg's 'ally'. I really hope we get another story with the teaming up of Meg and Leif!

The series is for Young Adults and I strongly recommend only older kids read it since there are many occasions where a few bad words are sprinkled here and there. Not that bad but still in a way a bit annoying to have them in the book. But I still highly recommend it for older kids for I'm sure you'll love it!