buffoonery's Full Review: Tom Clancy - Without Remorse
Chronologically, "Without Remorse" is the seventh of Tom Clancy's novels but it lies first in the ongoing saga of Clancy's alter ego, Jack Ryan. Here, the action takes place primarily in Baltimore in 1970 or so, when Ryan is just a pup and the Vietnam War is still raging.
The protagonist is John Kelly, Marine recon and sniper, aka Mr. Clark of the later novels. He will be joined by Ritter, Adm. Greer, Ozera, and a few others including the traitor in "Hunt for Red October." (It's Ryan's dad who figures in this one.)
There are parallel plots. First is a US attempt to rescue POW's from NV captivity. This is clearly based on the unsuccessful Son Tay raid, in which a US chopper rescue operation found a deserted POW camp. (You have to wonder if a traitor blew that op, too.) This tale--planning, training, and execution--is narrated with Clancy's usual competent narrative. Clancy not only uses this as an opportunity to entertain but to vent his politics and disregard for the East Coast establishment. One can imagine how much time he has spent dreaming of giving his ideological enemies heroin overdoses.
But since his and my enemies are pretty much parallel, I guess that's OK.
The other is Kelly's personal vendetta against some Baltimore free-market entrepreneurs, also known as drug dealers. For me, this is the "fun" part of the novel--if cold-blooded murder, rape, and sadistic interrogations are your idea of fun. Kelly gets involved with woman who was a runner for some local drug lords. They find out she blew town, kill her, and get Kelly mad at them. Really mad. It's quite amusing in a twisted way to watch this professional killer wreak havoc amongst the recreational pharmaceutical industry.
The writing is competent. Thankfully, because Ryan is still a young kid, we don't have to listen to him say "Babe" to his wife, which is a relief. Also, this book does not have the technical jargon that fills so many of Clancy's novels. You'll learn a lot about small arms, but all that stuff about ECM and AARAAM's and the like is missing.
The plots are also compelling. Unlike the later books in the series, this is a tight, small-scale plot that is believable. It's a good page turner, a large step beyond airport reading. You don't have to be a number wonk to enjoy this book and, but for the gruesome killings, this has a potentially larger audience than the propeller heads that a lot of the other books are geared for.
The first time I read this, I thought it was too long and drawn out. I've changed my opinion since then. I think "Without Remorse" is an almost-excellent techno-thriller. With this one, Clancy is still yards ahead of competitors like Dale Brown and Larry Bond, and way ahead of the grist mill crowd like Poyer & Co.
Four stars for fans, three for every body else.
Here is a complete listing of my Jack Ryan reviews:
His work for the CIA is brilliant, cold-blooded and efficient, but who is he? In a harrowing tour de force, phenomenally bestselling author Tom Clancy...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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