andy's Full Review: Tom Clancy - Ssn: Strategies for Submarine Warfare
To say I'm disappointed with Tom Clancy's most recent offering, "SSN," a novel co-authored with Martin Greenberg would be misleading, for I'm well beyond disappointed. I'm shocked that he would put his name on something this bad.
As "SSN" begins, Chinese politicians are clamoring for control of the government following the death of Deng Xiaoping, a struggle that culminates in a coup by Chinese military leaders to overthrow Jiang Zemin, Deng's successor. We are also told that rich oil deposits have been discovered by an American fuel company in the Spratly Islands, where China, Vietnam, Taiwan and others all claim sovereignty. When China invades the Spratlys and seizes control of the oil company's ship, war ensues.
The realism of this rapid escalation to war is debatable. It's not hard to believe that China could easily take over the Spratly Islands; China is certainly the dominant military force in the region. Whether the U.S. would mobilize for war is another thing. We might fight Iraq over oil, but China? I'm not so sure.
Anyway, the U.S. war machine responds with Captain Mack Mackey, commander of the U.S. Navy submarine Cheyenne, and his one-sub wrecking crew. The book is based on Tom Clancy's CD-ROM game "SSN," so apparently, if you're playing the game, you're Mackey. Your mission: Single-handedly destroy China.
Rather than belabor the details of the plot, I'll say only that the naval combat descriptions and the decision-making exhibited by the warring parties are absurd. The Chinese are so overmatched that if Clancy were a sportswriter, this book would have followed a series between China's National Little League team and the New York Yankees. The Yankees won today, 109-0, but what would happen tomorrow?
While in older Clancy novels, a submarine chase might last several pages as each foe launched attacks and counterattacks, there is no such suspense to this writing. Rather, Mackey methodically blasts the Chinese navy out of the water, then you're on to the next level -- oops, I mean chapter -- when more Chinese commanders rush forward with bull's-eyes on their foreheads.
Whether Clancy actually wrote any of the words in this book, other than his name on the cover, is debatable. The events are too ludicrous, the writing too rhetorical and obvious, to believe that he did.
Rather than read this drivel, try "Blind Man's Bluff" instead. The true stories in this book are better than just about any fiction you'll find on the subject. Or, if you're looking for fiction, try Clancy's "Red Storm Rising" or "The Hunt for Red October." Both are excellent. However, "SSN" is clearly an excuse to promote Clancy's CD-ROM game and lacks any of the realism necessary to make it a worthwhile read.
China invades the oil-rich Spratly Islands, bringing swift retribution from the United States--and the start of World War III. A nuclear submarine is ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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