Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #87059 in Books
• Published on: 1992-04-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 1040 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Once again, Tom Clancy manages to add new twists to the alternate U.S. history he initiated in The Hunt for Red October. In The Sum of All Fears, the centre of conflict is that perpetual hot spot, the Middle East, where a nuclear weapon falls into the hands of terrorists just as peace finally seems possible. Clancy realistically paints an almost unthinkable scenario--the bomb is planted on American soil in the midst of an escalation in tension with the Soviet Union; the terrorists hope to rekindle cold war animosity and prevent reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians.

Despite such a dramatic story line, Clancy doesn't neglect the individuals who drive his tale. Jack Ryan's problems are as much domestic as they are part of the international crisis that is the ostensible narrative: National Security Director Elizabeth Elliot has the president's ear, and she has convinced him that Ryan's ethics are questionable. She hints at marital infidelity and an insider-trading scandal. Of course, both accusations are false, but her arguments have enough evidence behind them (some photographs of an innocent embrace with a friend for example) to cause a strain in the Ryans' marriage and a flurry of media attention. While "Mr Clark" tracks the terrorists, he also provides some needed intelligence to heal the Ryan family.

The Sum of All Fears is the stuff of nightmares but contains enough verisimilitude to terrify sober minds. Ryan has developed into a complex protagonist, just as Clancy's writing has matured. Ryan is plagued by stress and self-doubts that test even his dauntless moral compass and make him a more interesting subject for readers' attention. Those fascinated by military hardware, from nuclear submarines to atomic weapons, will find almost enough here to start their own army. And Clancy's understanding of international politics seems chillingly correct. --Patrick O'Kelley

New York Times
"Clancy's best book since The Hunt for Red October
... a whiz-bang page-turner"

Sunday Times
"Classic Clancy... accurate and chilling, his most successful book... assures his place at the forefront of modern thriller writers"

Customer Reviews

Too many words!
Inside this mammoth tome was a great novel waiting to break out. But it never got the chance. You have to really be a dedicated thriller reader to plough through the first 500+ pages to get the reward which awaits - and it does await, don't get me wrong, but perhaps Clancey was being paid by the word? Yes, its a great story, but it wasn't worth the effort. I would like to see it cut to about 600-700 words. Some of the details are unneccessary and just plain dreary.

Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock...
Terrorists build a nuclear bomb and plan to detonate it at the Superbowl. The president and his National Security Advisor are imbeciles but can Jack Ryan stop the two of them causing nuclear Armageddon? Tom Clancy's novels are good "blokes" stories - this one doesn't disappoint.

fast paced thriller
What an awesome book! I started the book as someone who had never read Clanys work, but after this I was hooked! Started out quite slow, building background and character profile, but it really accelerates toward the end, until I could't put it down! Clancy is always descriptive, but not distatefullt so when dealing with certain situations in the book. Id recommend this to anyone!