Patriot Games by Tom Clancy
Is Clancy as rich as J.K. Rowling, of the Harry Potter Empire? We know he didn't make as much as an author, because Rowling was the first author to break $1B. But maybe with his video game company, he's close to that? I would guess he's a $100 millionaire, which puts him within an order of magnitude.
Patriot Games is gripping, fast paced, and written before editors were afraid to tell him to cut stuff. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's dated, because it deals with the IRA as terrorists, and with the lack of terrorist attacks on US soil.
I watched the movie right after finishing the book. Contrasts with the movie were numerous. Especially the end. I thought the book flowed better at the end. It was more complicated, because there were a lot of terrorists, instead of just four in the movie, and they actually captured Jack and the prince for a bit in the book, until they were rescued by Jack's bud, Robby. The neat wrap up in the movie where all the bad guys die (surprise, surprise) was annoying after reading the book, where the terrorists are captured on their get-away freighter, and there's a good moment where the gun sergeant says that before they feel too lucky to be alive, to consider that they committed a capital crime in a state that has the gas chamber.
Plus the essential moment where Jack has the opportunity to murder the terrorist Miller, and pulls a trigger on a gun that's not cocked. So he's not a cold-blooded killer, but he almost is. Missing from the movie, essential for the book and the continuing adventures of Jack Ryan.
Both a still lots of fun, action, suspense, and all that. I'm glad Clancy is out there.
Patriot Games at PBSwap
Patriot Games is gripping, fast paced, and written before editors were afraid to tell him to cut stuff. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's dated, because it deals with the IRA as terrorists, and with the lack of terrorist attacks on US soil.
I watched the movie right after finishing the book. Contrasts with the movie were numerous. Especially the end. I thought the book flowed better at the end. It was more complicated, because there were a lot of terrorists, instead of just four in the movie, and they actually captured Jack and the prince for a bit in the book, until they were rescued by Jack's bud, Robby. The neat wrap up in the movie where all the bad guys die (surprise, surprise) was annoying after reading the book, where the terrorists are captured on their get-away freighter, and there's a good moment where the gun sergeant says that before they feel too lucky to be alive, to consider that they committed a capital crime in a state that has the gas chamber.
Plus the essential moment where Jack has the opportunity to murder the terrorist Miller, and pulls a trigger on a gun that's not cocked. So he's not a cold-blooded killer, but he almost is. Missing from the movie, essential for the book and the continuing adventures of Jack Ryan.
Both a still lots of fun, action, suspense, and all that. I'm glad Clancy is out there.
Patriot Games at PBSwap
Comments