Much has been made of the recent run of Tom Clancy novels
not actually being written by the author. It appears that these stories are
co-authored, but as long as the stories are well-written, engaging and faithful
to the incredibly complex universe that Clancy created beginning with The Hunt for Red October, then I really don’t
see the problem.
Right from the outset, I was enthralled by Command Authority,
the latest, and perhaps the last, offering from Clancy – it’s been well
documented that he died late in 2013 – and co-author Mark Greaney. I’d have to
say it’s the most I’ve enjoyed a Jack Ryan novel since The Bear and the Dragon. After a few good but not great novels, Greaney
and Clancy have really hit on a good thing. It’s a shame that the chemistry they’ve
developed came just as Clancy left us.
Jack Ryan Junior and the off-the-books intelligence agency
The Campus make a return, and so does President John Patrick Ryan Sr, the main
character in the classic Clancy novels, who has taken something of a back seat
to his younger son’s exploits. In Command Authority, President Ryan comes back
with a bang. There are old faces and new faces, plenty of intrigue, espionage
and action. The story flowed quickly, and excitingly. I devoured this book. I haven’t
done that with a Clancy novel since Rainbow
Six.
The story, one of financial crime and corruption in Russia,
is written both in the present day and thirty years ago. As the narrative goes
along, it becomes clear that Jack Ryan Senior and Jack Ryan Junior are investigating
the same people, just three decades apart. Obviously, the Cold War is alive and
well when Ryan Senior criss-crosses Europe on the hunt for a shady KGB assassin
known as Zenith.
There’s a similar feel to present-day Russia, where Jack
Junior is the focus, because the newly-elected president, Valeri Volodin, seeking
to return to the glory days of the USSR. In the first chapter, the Russians
attempt to invade Estonia. Later on, they launch a more successful assault into
the Ukraine. Around the military action, brilliantly and grippingly described
by Clancy and Greaney, is the continuing hunt for answers surrounding Zenith
and stolen money, which leads to the uncovering of much more deviousness.
I liked the length of this one. Threat Vector could’ve been shorter, and dragged on because of the
copious – and often unnecessary – backstory on every character. Command Authority
was short on unimportant information, instead focusing on the narrative of the
plot. That force-feeding of backstory was what dragged Threat Vector down. It
was harder to get through that book. This one? I flew through it. I always hate
it when good books end.
Command Authority
was great in that it brought the Cold War-era characters and events a kind of
full circle, whilst not sidelining Ryan Senior too much. After all, there’s
only so much you can do from the Oval Office. It was great to turn the page and
be greeted by some familiar names and faces: John Clark, Ding Chavez, Mary-Pat
Foley and Dan Murray. I also liked some of the new characters, particularly Barry
Jankowski (AKA Midas), the Delta colonel who played a major role in a lot of
the events.
Not much to not like about this book. It was a return to the
Clancy of old – in my opinion, he was at his consistent best with the Cold
War-era novels – and it’s sad to think that we’re most likely not going to see
another entry into the Ryan-verse. At least we have a great back catalogue to
go through.
A fitting end to one of the great series' in recent memory.
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