Debt of Honor | Tom Clancy | The Ending Verges on Prophesy

Debt of Honor | Tom Clancy | Tom Clancy writes about Strategy like Clive Cussler

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Debt of Honor

	Debt of Honor Tom Clancy, 1994 - 768 pages average customer review:based on 206 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The Ending Verges on Prophesy

Tom Clancy does it again. Driven by their own megalomania and a desire to even the score for World War II, a handful of powerful Japanese industrialists goad their government into war with the United States. The result is some of the best naval combat to hit the pages of fiction.

I've heard it said that this book is too long. I don't see how it could be shortened without chopping out the political arc of the story. That would leave us with two powerful nations butting heads, and no real idea of how the conflict came about. Some writers might be content with that. Tom Clancy is not. He knows that you cannot begin to understand any event or action until you understand the forces responsible for its creation. How do nations plunge, leap, stumble, or blunder into war? Mr. Clancy sheds light on the money, politics, ambition, and national pride that all factor into the equation. So, yes, this book could be shorter. But the story would suffer for it. (On a personal note, I didn't notice the length of the book anyway. I got so wrapped up that I burned through the book in no time.)

Other critics love to pick apart the shifts in political and military allegiance that form the heart of this novel. The unspoken assumption is obvious: `Everyone who is our ally today will also be our ally tomorrow.' It's a comforting mindset; quite easy to swallow, as long as you're prepared to utterly disregard history. The world changes. Sometimes slowly, and sometimes with frightening rapidity. As a retired Sailor and veteran of the Cold War, I can remember when everyone knew for a fact that the Soviet Union would never fall, short of nuclear annihilation. The Berlin wall would stand forever. Argentina would never be foolish enough to pick a fight with the United Kingdom. Middle Eastern terrorists would never find their way to American soil. Mr. Clancy built his story around a change in national alliances. The particular power structure he postulated, has not come to pass. Not yet, at least. But he wasn't trying to predict the future. He was trying to show that alliances can, and do shift, often with incredible consequences. Anyone who thinks otherwise isn't living in the same reality as the rest of us.

I've said that Tom Clancy wasn't trying to predict the future. In at least one aspect, this book predicted future events with chilling accuracy. If you've read the book, you know how it ends. If you haven't, you'll never be able to think of the 9/11 attacks without wondering how he knew.

Jeff Edwards, Author of "Torpedo: A Surface Warfare Thriller"

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Tom Clancy writes about Strategy like Clive Cussler

Debt of Honor by Tom Clancy is another successful Jack Ryan book. Inthis book a wealthy Japanese bussinessman out to avenge his parents deaths at the hands of the Americans makes an unlikely enemy for Ryan. The possibility of weapons of mass destruction being used against the United States is not a pleasant thought. Clancys writing shines as he describes Ryan as the US National Security Advisor.

Debt of Honor

This book is the first part of a mini trilogy. Tom Clancy is great in "thinking outside the box", a phrase that is over done. It is a good fast read and sets you up for the next two books.

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WWII all over again

Clancy revisits the attack on Pearl Harbor with a war between Japan and the U.S. which started due to faulty automobile parts and poorly executed trade negotiations. Using modern technology and strategy, the American military once again defeats the aggressive Japanese. The book ends with a jet-liner crashing into the Capitol building decimating congress and leaving the country leaderless. Ryan finds himself the almost sworn in Vice-President of a nation in the midst of a crisis and on the brink of catastrophe.

Good Author ... GREAT Book

This book is great, for many reasons. First, every line seems so real, it is like I am reading a history book from 2050 looking back on a real event. Also, the entire premise, with Japan and America going head to head, is obviously exciting and interesting. Finally, it is well written and, while as intense as any other Clancy book, it could be a much harder read than it actually turns out to be. The missing star is for one main reason: unnecessary length. The book breaks the 1,000 page mark. Many things, while exciting, are dragged on a bit. Also, many dialogues and events do nothing for the plot. Ultimately, this is a great book, even if it does have Clancy's characteristic length.

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