Whilst no one can approach the heights of the great man Tom
Clancy himself – he was undoubtedly a master of intricate storytelling that
blends the realms of military, espionage and politics into one great saga –
I’ve generally enjoyed the books either co-written by Clancy with another
author, or simply by chosen authors after Clancy’s untimely death, glad that at
least the Clancy characters are still having their stories told.
I read Dead or Alive,
written by Grant Blackwood, with some limited input from Clancy, a few years
ago, and found it very entertaining. So, I figured I’d enjoy Under Fire, as it
was also penned by Blackwood. Except that I didn’t. There just wasn't any real
pizzazz to the book! I kept soldering on, hoping that in the middle or towards
the end, the plot would pick up and make it really worth my while, but it
didn’t happen. I kept on right to the last page because, well…I’m stubborn like
that.
The plot revolves around a planned coup in the country of
Dagestan, Jack Ryan Jr. is dragged unwittingly into a confusing and murky
world, because his best friend from their childhood days, Seth Gregory, is also
knee-deep in trying to ensure the Dagestanis achieve their desired
independence. That effort is being helped along by the CIA, who believe an independent
Dagestan will further destabilise Russia and their ambitious president Valeri
Volodin.
There’s plenty of double-crossing, and action, and the
writing isn’t bad, it just didn’t grab me like these sorts of books usually do.
I expected more. By no means is this the worst book I’ve ever read, it’s just
that I’m used to a different level from the Clancy universe, and despite the
appearance of a few old faces – John Clark and Dom Caruso, chief amongst them –
it just didn’t feel like the other entries into the Jack Ryan universe. And
there just didn’t seem to be any of the frantic urgency that I’ve come to
expect.
(As an aside, am I the only one who finds it completely
implausible that the son of the current President of the United States, can
work for a clandestine intelligence agency, and not be shadowed everywhere by
Secret Service? Generally, I’ll suspend belief for the sake of the good story,
but this one wasn't great, so it got me thinking!)
I’m hoping that Mark Greaney’s Commander in Chief, the latest release in the Clancy universe
redeems the franchise.
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