Patriot Games Hardcover By Tom Clancy 1987 Hardcover – January 1, 1987

The book was enjoyable to read, and it kept you reading throughout the book. I decided to read this book because it was the next book in the Jack Ryan series after The Hunt for Red October. This book did not exceed my expectations because The Hunt for Red October was my favorite. However, Patriot Games is still a very well-written book while not meeting my expectations. Tom Clancy's book takes place in London and America and tells the story through the eyes of a veteran of the armed services, Jack Ryan. Tom Clancy was very good at keeping track of events at this time, so the book could be as realistic as possible while still keeping it interesting. He uses radical terrorist groups of the time, current people in power, and political views to keep the book realistic. People that like Jason Bourne, Jack Reacher, and other Tom Clancy books will enjoy Patriot Games. I would say that Patriot Games is a more mature book because of the language and some of the graphic imagery that Clancy is known for. Overall, a great book that most people would like.

Great read. Second time around. Could not put it down. I recommend it all needing excitement and adventure. On to the next one.

Tom has the best ability to weave technical reality into the story so that it enhances the suspense w/o engulfing the reader .

It's interesting to revisit a key bestseller that you first read over 30 years ago. This is the first in the Tom Clancy's long-running series about Jack Ryan, which has even been continued after Clancy's recent death via the pen of Mark Greaney.Jack Ryan is visiting London on vacation with his eye surgeon wife Catherine and 4-year-old daughter Sally when they find themselves close to a terrorist attack by the Ulster Liberation Army on a Rolls Royce driving through St James Park. After the terrorists have blown up the front of the car with a grenade they start moving in firing machine guns, intent on capturing the people in the back of the car. In seconds, Ryan tackles one of the attackers and kills another but is seriously injured. He didn't realise until later that the occupants of the car are the Prince and Princess of Wales and their infant son.This fantasy opening makes Ryan and his family close friends to the Royal Family and the Queen gives him an honorary Knighthood for his bravery. While the captured Irish terrorist Sean Miller is given life imprisonment, with the help of the ULA he escapes when being moved to a high-security prison. Miller vows that he will eliminate Ryan and capture the Prince.The rest of the book details Ryan's determination to find Miller and defeat the ULA and to do this he reluctantly accepts an invitation to work at the CIA. Miller pops up again in the US, targeting Catherine and Jack. Later on, he continues his vendetta against Ryan and the Prince with a stunning bloody gunfight at the end.I enjoyed going back to the start of the Jack Ryan saga and to read Clancy when he was at the top of his form. Some aspects of the book are dated (for example, terrorism was considered to always have political motives) and technology is fairly primitive. My main reservation is that Clancy's writing style is pretty ponderous and detailed. In those days, we expected blockbuster novels to be 800 pages but now we would expect this kind of story to be a compelling 400-500 page-turner.My other reservation is Clancy's inclusion of real people in the plot in fictitious situations, especially the Royal Family. He also has poor understanding of Royal protocols - calling the Duke of Edinburgh "My Lord" and the Prince "Your Highness".Many of you will have seen the movie of the book starring Harrison Ford and Anne Archer. I suggest that you read the book because the finale when Ryan finally catches up with Miller is very different and shows Clancy's forethought in making Ryan the kind of character he becomes in later books.As pointed out by several reviewers the conversion to an e-book has not been done well with no breaks between different sections of the action making some parts difficult to follow.

One of those where you want to know what’s going to happen next with every turn of the page. Deep character background information, which helps you feel invested in each character. The settings, spy groups, government agencies and weapons get equal amount of in depth coverage. So many characters using sometimes the first name, sometimes the last name and also the nickname made it a little hard to follow occasionally.Intriguing and interesting. After reading this I listen to the news with a new ear.

Typical Tom Clancy fashion. Action packed cover to cover. I had a hard time putting the book down. Looking forward to the next.

Phenomenal, and a quick read. Action packed and a great continuance of the series. Couldn't put it down, kept me on the edge of my seat.

The biggest problem I have with this as I have with most Tom Clancy books, and I've read most of them, although it's been several years, is the slow development of the plot with most of the action occurring in the latter half of the book but when it starts to get going, it really gets going. I !liked it very much, having read it over ten years ago and would recommend it to anyone that loves spy thrillers.

Genuinely great, all the way. It does NOT get boring at all. It has more organic take in it - you get to know Jack and Jackson and it never gets old. Thrilling and greatly paced book.

Great read. Gripping story. Nice built up of the story. Liked the flow of book. Interesting characters. Ending looked a little rushed.

Reading currently. Pretty detailed and hence quite slow reading

少なくとも我々日本人読者にとっては、テロというものが如何なる創造的な価値も持たず、世界中の誰の支持も受け得ないことは自明のことであり、その意味において、本作品に登場するテロリストの活動模様も、いかにClancyの筆致をもってしても、残念ながら読書対象として足りうるものではないことが、序盤から読んで感じ取れます。この想いは377Pで確かなものになるが、ここにある「democratic processes」とは何か、具体的な描写が欲しい。　そもそも何故ＵＬＡは斯様なテロを繰り返すのか。著者は踏み込んでいない。RyanとPrinceの会話は多いが、Princeも語らない。読者の焦燥は募るばかりでしょう。いっそのことCathyを主人公として、394Pで「It was one thing to・・・」と言う彼女の葛藤を読み解く物語にしてもらいたい、とすら思います。　英国人読者を意識してかわからないが、やや語彙の水準が高いというか、違和感を覚えます。それは冒頭で「plethora of Rolls-Royces」を目にした時の予感そのままでした。蛇足ながら、53P「Putting your body・・・」は、96年以降の読者には実に意味深ですね。

loody boring book. Was looking for something on the lines of Jack Reacher but by god this book is Americano and characters seem so fake.