Intermafia

Tom Clancy's Net Force #1

by Steve Perry, Tom Clancy (Series Creator), Steve Pieczenik (Series Creator)

Wir schreiben das Jahr 2010. Aus den einst bescheidenen Anfängen hat sich das Internet zu einer virtuellen, dreidimensionalen Welt entwickelt. Den Wünschen der Anwender sind so gut wie keine Grenzen mehr gesetzt. Doch die grenzenlose Freiheit dient auch als magischer Anziehungspunkt für dunkle Gestalten, die das Netz für ihre kriminellen Machenschaften mißbrauchen. Ihr Gegenspieler, die "Net Force", ist eine spezielle Unterabteilung des FBI und für die Verbrechensbekämpfung im Netz zuständig. In Net Force I verknüpft das prominente Autorenteam die Faszination Internet mit den bewährten Zutaten eines packenden Thrillers: Mafia, Auftragsmord, der Einsatz von Sonderkommandos und ein, allerdings platonisches, Liebesverhältnis.

Wie häufig in diesem Genre anzutreffen, fällt die Rolle des Bösewichts einem Russen zu. Wladimir Plechanow steht kurz vor seinem großen Ziel. Um die "Net Force" von seinen Manipulationen im World Wide Web abzulenken, läßt er den Chef der Netzpolizei ermorden. Nach seinem teuflischen Plan will er den Mordanschlag dem New Yorker Mafiaboss Ray Genaloni in die Schuhe schieben, mit dem Kalkül, damit genügend Verwirrung zu stiften, um sein Projekt ungestört vollenden zu können. Ein Wettlauf mit der Zeit beginnt.

Schnelle Szenenwechsel sorgen dafür, daß beim Leser nie Langeweile aufkommt und Glaubwürdigkeit wird dadurch geschaffen, daß die handelnden Charaktere, ihre Beweggründe und Motive sehr ausführlich dargestellt werden. Düster, drohend und voller Spannung: ein gelungener Roman.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Science Fiction, Action, Espionage, Mystery, Adventure

379 pages, Paperback

First published August 10, 1998

About the author

Librarians note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Steven Carl Perry has written over fifty novels and numerous short stories, which have appeared in various magazines and anthologies. Perry is perhaps best known for the Matador series. He has written books in the Star Wars, Alien and Conan universes. He was a collaborator on all of the Tom Clancy's Net Force series, seven of which have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller list. Two of his novelizations, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire and Men in Black have also been bestsellers. Other writing credits include articles, reviews, and essays, animated teleplays, and some unproduced movie scripts. One of his scripts for Batman: The Animated Series was an Emmy Award nominee for Outstanding Writing.

Perry is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, The Animation Guild, and the Writers Guild of America, West

Reviews

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are two primary reasons people read Tom Clancy: (1.) for his hyper-realistic storytelling, and (2.) for his ingeniously complicated plot lines. NET FORCE is a tremendous letdown on both these fronts.
Written back in 1998, NET FORCE attempts to predict what life might be like in 2010. And, in terms of getting things right, it fails utterly. Just as BACK TO THE FUTURE 2 was overly optimistic in portraying 2016 America as a land of flying cars and hoverboards, NET FORCE goes overboard in positing a near-future in which people surf the internet via customizable virtual reality "skins" rather than Google or Firefox. This whole virtual reality thing might have seemed cool in 1998, back when relatively few people were computer literate, but these days even a child can readily see how nonsensical and technologically impossible it all is. Not only is Clancy's idea of VR not even remotely feasible, in all practicality it would be more cumbersome and time-consuming than actually useful. What would be the work of a few minutes on Windows 10 seems to take half an hour in VR Land. I get the aesthetic appeal, but come on.
The book also features a young, beautiful female assassin who will greatly strain your suspension of disbelief. In a pulp novel or a comic book I wouldn't have any problem with her, but she's way too over-the-top to be inhabiting a Tom Clancy novel. Did I mention she does her ninja training in the nude?
In all fairness, though, being unrealistic doesn't necessarily qualify a book as "bad." Those willing to accept NET FORCE as mere techno-fantasy will be rewarded with a pretty decent story. Is it one of the great Tom Clancy (the credited writer) novels? No. Is it one of the better Steve Perry (the actual writer) novels? Yes. So you see, it all depends on how you look at it.
Overall NET FORCE is no great shakes, but it did manage to keep me engaged all the way through. That's more than I can say for a lot of Steve Perry's work. I appreciate the amount of effort and creativity Perry put into trying to make his notion of VR believable. Unfortunately, that whole aspect of the book still comes across as ridiculous. Putting that aside, I found the rest of the book quite enjoyable, apart from the weak way in which it ended. I remember, many years ago, watching the NET FORCE miniseries (starring Scott Bakula) on network TV. My memories of that show are hazy, but I seem to recall that the plot was totally different than that of this novel. I remember that this book came out around the same time as the similarly produced OP CENTER, which was a far cry better.

[Arnis · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's hard to read this book today with the dated and incorrect predictions about technology. It's not really the author's fault--who could know? But still: most civilians don't have cellphones, the idea of "travelling through a network in VR" is laughable, and the government agents have a device called a "virgil" which is similar to a Blackberry, but far less powerful.

The book also seems to have product placement throughout (Dodge Viper, Dodge Neon, Chrysler Prowler), something I thought was the domain of movies and TV. And if I'm wrong, and these products were not the result paid placement, then the author seriously has a Dodge fetish.

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a good book. I liked it a lot. I got it from a free book exchange at a store that I go to. It was full of action and adventure.

[Michael Chrobak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had read this book when it first came out. Not because it’s an amazing read, it’s decent and enjoyable, probably more so than some of the Clancy novels I’ve read. But because the advancements in technology that Clancy predicted didn’t happen, and probably won’t happen, at least not in the way he envisioned them. Sure, his idea of how technology would operate was creative, especially given that this book was released in 1999.
The setting of the story is the year 2010. The Director of Net Force, a sub-organization under the FBI whose mission is to find and stop internet terrorism, hackers and the like, has been assassinated. The newly appointed Director’s first task is to find out who did it. For the most part, this segment of the novel is very well done. The characters are genuine and fresh, and the storyline follows a very plausible chain of events.
What I liked most about this novel, is that it isn’t clogged with so many characters that it’s hard to remember who is who, which I have found is a theme among most of the Clancy novels that I’ve read. There are two main groups; the Net Force teams, which are broken into the Director and his second, the top computer/internet expert, and a team of ex-military commandos who execute the missions; and several entities within the ‘bad guys’ realm, including the mastermind behind the plots, his ‘strike force’, one of the New York mafia families, and a hired assassin. A few other minor roles pop up when needed, but that’s it.
The only part of the novel that I found the least enjoyable, and the most unlikely parts, is how the internet based scenes play out. Though it is a creative attempt, I don’t see how this would work in a real life situation. Let me explain. To ‘ride the net’ in this story, one has to put on Virtual Reality gear, and then enter the online world through either a commercially produced scenario, or a scenario that the individual wrote themselves. Cool concept. I just don’t get it.
First of all, the top computer guy always chooses a scenario where he is driving a car, and always on some really cool Swiss mountain road, or a section of the autobahn or something. The faster the speed of the vehicle being driven, the faster the speed at which one is surfing the net. When he encounters larger packets of data being transferred online, due to their size and speed, they show up as large cargo trucks. And since they require a larger amount of bandwidth, they stick to the ‘freeways’, which can get jammed up if too much data is moving at once. You got it – rush hour traffic in the virtual world.
Now, I get that writing five or six paragraphs about downshifting and upshifting through a sports cars gears as the vehicle hugs the road provides far more opportunity for the use of metaphors and other descriptive phrases. But I don’t see how it all connects. I’ll give an example. In one scene, the master villain diverts money from a small bank into his own funds. This plays out in VR as an actual bank heist. When the NetForce computer expert catches him, they have an elaborate car chase through the back alleys of New Orleans. Great visuals, but why does the villain need to be in a VR to do this? Again, this book was written nearly 20 years ago, and VR is just now making a serious push into modern society.
Anyway, I digress a bit. Bottom line, the VR scenarios are truly well crafted and thoroughly enjoyable parts of the story, and the rest of the book is also well done. Though, the reason for this may be that Clancy was only one of two ‘creators’, and Steve Perry is the author (though his name barely appears anywhere in the book, other than as an homage.
Overall, I give this book a solid 4 star rating.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Tom Clancy Net Force books are what I call “Beach Books.” They move quickly, are not very deep and have twisty waves of plot to draw one’s interest for a brief interval. I wouldn’t mind terribly if they got wet and were washed overboard. Clancy and friends wrote so many of these Net Force novels there’s always another one waiting to take its place. The local HPB has ‘em for a buck a piece. Surf’s up!

[Lojicholia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been reading both NetForce series, the new one and the original; they both start with a messy book. I think this one is the easier of the two, and much more coherent. Having said that, it’s also funny to see people complain about the VR aspects, and compare it with say Meta (there were VR setups even in the late 90s, but just like today they lead to clunky interactions in actual data processing and such)

[Jonathan Wormsbecher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beetje oud

[Guera · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book so far is enjoyable in terms of the story line. This is the first of 12 books in the Net Force series if I remember correctly. This book sets the tone, I assume, for the rest of the books to follow. Hence there is a lot of background and character introduction. It requires serious focus and concentration, which sort of defeats the purpose why I am reading fiction at the moment. I am working on a doctorate and would like switch off at night with something less intense! I do however find the clever integration of virtual reality (VR) and real world (RW) scenarios interesting....being a technology person myself. It is sort of futuristic with a good mix of romans, crime and suspense. It is just not a fast read......

What a difficult finish. Must be the longest I spent reading a book. There was just too much irrelevant information. It was not adding anything to the story. I saw this before in Patricia Cornwell as well. Tom Clancy's plot was just much better but I have to admit to skipping sections of "character thoughts"!

[Richard L. Haas III · Rating 3 out of 5]

My father had always spoken highly of Tom Clancy as a writer and "his" video games were becoming very popular so when I saw this novel at the Goodwill, I had to have it. It wasn't until I started reading it that I realized that Steve Perry actually wrote the novel and Clancy just came up with the concept. That being said, I was slightly disappointed but Perry is a decent writer which then, in turn, had me excited to read "Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire." As far as the first NetForce novel, I admittedly don't remember too much except that I largely liked the story, but then I saw the miniseries which had almost nothing to do with the novel so I was very confused and it had me doubting what I read. So if you plan to watch the miniseries, wait until you've read all the books or had your fill with the series.

[Edwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boek met gedateerde en onjuiste voorspellingen van de toekomst van de stand van de technologie. Mensen bezoeken het Internet in een soort Virtuel Reality, de meeste burgers hebben geen mobiele telefoons (mm, zou dat niet lekker rustig zijn), agenten in dienst van de overheid hebben een zogehten 'Virgil' (Virutel Global Interface Link), een communicatie-device met GPS ontvanger, computer etc. in een.

Dit soort boeken zijn ideaal voor op het strand, tijdens het reizen, of ergens waar je met een simpel boek rustig kunt zitten lezen, zonder dat het storend is als je even afgeleid wordt.

[Haiden Yacovella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to choose an outside ready book for English and my book is Tom clancy’s Net Force. This story takes us back to 2010 in the cyber world about race cars, gadgets and Gizmos. The Net Force is a Computer Security Agency, created by congress. The Net Force controls all of the technological etherworlds and the people that are hooked in to it. When the director of the Net Force was assassinated the main character Alex Michaels had to take his spot as the new director of Net Force. Alex michaels was diverted from the Checen in Russia, Michaels and his team set up a mission take down the New Mafia and the Irish assassin “The Selkie”.
The main character Alex Michaels had to take on a strong role at a young age and be very brave to attack the New Mafia in russia and the Irish assassin. I really thought was interesting and unique on how the way the author wrote the story and didn’t explain what happen, he expressed it. It was cool to read a book on how the cyber world can turn so quickly after one event. Some sections were difficult to understand because of the wording, but helped make the story flow and make character develop. I really enjoyed the way the plot was introduced because it showed the spark what happened and how it all started. The one thing i really liked was that felt like i was there in the moment when they wer fighting. I was neat to have feeling like where you think you are in the book.The only own side of the story was the lack of different characters because the other people were either generals or soldiers.
From a Critical Perspective i though the book was based off of power, reality, and control because the story is based on our time period where i can relate to some of things in the story like reality an control. The main point of the characters job was to get the cyber world under control and take power of the other countries that are trying to destroy them. The reality part was that it was the future and new inventions and technology equipment is new and has a high quality for it does.
The overall audience recommendations are to people of a high school age or above and/or to people who like wars or military. This book is good for someone you like or know that may want to read it. It has a great context an plot on the stroy from start to finish.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Clancy brings the world of justice and law into the light with this terrific novel. Through this story, we see as a large mystery unfolds through the course of this book. We see as Net Force deals with the largest problem to the planet the world has ever seen.
This book starts off with the murder of Net Force commander Steven Day. This rattles every government operation and puts everyone on assassination protocol because for all they know everyone is a potential target. The loss hits everyone in Net Force hard, but none so much as Alex Michaels. Day had been his mentor for a long time and had helped Alex get to the position that he is in now. With Day gone, Alex is thrown to Net Force commander in less than a day and is now responsible for tracking down Day’s killer. The investigation has little to nowhere to start with, so they start digging. They suddenly find out that there is a bigger plan than just killing Steven Day, and that that plan could destroy the modern governing system as we know it, and put the most dangerous man in the world on the top with unrivaled power. Will they avenge Steve Day and thwart the largest criminal plan to ever exist, or will the world fall, read Tom Clancy's Net Force to find out.
Anyone who likes a good thriller or mystery type book would absolutely love this book because it combines those two and does it so well. Clancy blends so many elements into creating a book that will keep you on your toes until the very end.

[Shawn Bigley · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Net Force," the first installment in the "Tom Clancy's Net Force" series by Steve Perry, presents a riveting and action-packed techno-thriller that delves into the world of cyber warfare. This book paints a compelling picture of a specialized FBI unit tasked with combating cybercrimes and safeguarding the digital realm.

Perry's storytelling skills shine through as he crafts a fast-paced narrative that combines elements of high-stakes suspense, intricate computer hacking, and strategic international intrigue. The intricate plot kept me engaged as the Net Force team navigates a treacherous landscape of virtual threats and real-world consequences, emphasizing the growing importance of cybersecurity in an increasingly interconnected world.

With a focus on technological innovation and its implications for national security, "Net Force" serves as a timely and prescient exploration of the dangers lurking in the digital domain. Perry's attention to detail and plausible depiction of advanced technological capabilities add a layer of authenticity to the story, allowing readers to immerse themselves in a world where the lines between virtual and physical threats blur.

In essence, "Net Force" is a compelling introduction to a series that masterfully blends the allure of espionage with the intricacies of cyber warfare. Perry's expertise in crafting gripping narratives and his insightful exploration of the implications of a digitally dependent society. An excellent read!!!

[Luke Crawford · Rating 1 out of 5]

Perhaps it is unfair of me to review at this distance, but I felt I needed to bring my average rating downward; I mean, I mostly only read classics and things that are recommended to me on good authority these days, and I have an excellent literary network at this point, so most of what I read is at least four stars. But this? I read this really, before I figured any of this out. Hell, I probably bought this book in an actual bookstore!

I remember reading this novel before the first dot-com crash. Curled up on the floor of my redwood city studio, I remember reading this novel, and thinking it was terrible. "That's thirty minutes of my life that I'm not getting back," I remember telling my friend, the one who enjoyed the first few Laurel K Hamilton novels but thought it "got weird after that"

Speaking as someone who was a contemporary, I mean, I was the sort of person who would have to clean up after "cyber attacks" during the time when the book was written, the whole thing just seemed so, well, terrible. I don't demand realism of my entertainment, but it has got to be entertaining, damnit.

[Tony Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can only give this book 3 stars. Not because I didn't enjoy it. Because I did enjoy it. But there were definitely some parts I could do without.
Let me begin by saying I tend to have a harder time reading a book that constantly jumps from one character's perspective to another's. And this did it often between probably half a dozen or more characters.
Maybe it's just me, but I struggled at times knowing who I was reading at certain times.
But my biggest complaint was the "Net" part of Net Force.
I understand that this is the past vision of a possible future, that is actually our past. Did that make sense? It was written in the past, about a future, that in 2023 is in the past.
Anyway, the "Net" parts were written like a badly conceived version of Ready Player One. It wasn't enjoyable for me.
But the rest of the book, the majority of the book (aside from the multiple character perspectives) was really interesting.
I won't be rushing to the next book in the series. But maybe some day, when nothing else sounds good, I'll give book 2 a try.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nach vielen, vielen Jahren habe ich das Buch erneut gelesen. Damals spielte.es in der Zukunft, jetzt in der Vergangenheit. Es spielt im Jahr 2010.

Die Net Force ist eine Untereinheit des FBI und ist dei Bedrohungen im Internet zuständig. Das Surfen im Netz wird dort wie eine Reise durch den virtuellen Raum dargestellt und auch sonst gibt es Sachen, die man heute so nicht kennt bzw die dann doch in einer vergleichbaren Version realisiert wurden. Man nennt sie jetzt nur anders.

Die Geschichte beginnt mit den Mord an dem Leiter der Net Force. Die Spuren führen in unterschiedliche Richtungen und es gibt zwei Auftragskiller, die für Unruhe sorgen. Hinter der Aufregung steckt ein Computerspezialist, der einen gewissen Hang zum Größenwahn hat.

Im großen und ganzen ist der Thriller nichts besonderes. Quasi ein durchschnittlicher Actionfilm zum Lesen.

[Huub · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pfff.. weer zo'n Clancy waarbij je van tevoren hoopt op spanning maar die van onwaarschijnlijkheden aan elkaar hangt. Bij lange na geen Red October of een van die anderen die hij in zijn eentje schreef.
Raar plot, platte karakters en zinloze seks. Waarbij in die zin ieder bijwoord voor ieder zelfstandig naamwoord past.
Een half punt extra voor het feit dat het in 1998 geschreven is en in 2010 zou moeten spelen, dat geeft een leuk histori-futuristisch inzicht.
Af en toe nog erbarmelijk vertaald ook: 'primaire getallen' ipv priemgetallen? Hmmmm.

[Lydia Kass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alex Michaels is by default the new Director of Net Force - a cyber policing unit set up in the US to keep tabs on the bad guys. Although this was written a while ago, it still had some of the awe one would expect from a 'not to far into the future' kind of book with regards to the technology envisioned in the book. I'll probably keep on with the series as the lead character is likeable enough, but I'd forgotten how many characters a 'Clancy' book has.

[Evan J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always been a huge fan of Tom Clancy books and loved how hyper realistic war can be even if the book was written 12 years before when the book takes place. The author using cyber warfare as its main plot adds to the story since in 2010 cyber warfare became popular and many wars were being fought half way across the world without deploying solders. All in all I think Net Force is a very futurist warfare book which is what appeals to me.

[Jeremy O’Donoghue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tom Clancy can write action, and there is a decent (if standard issue Tom Clancy) action story behind this book.

However it is really obvious that the authors have absolutely no idea about software and technology. Some have said that the tech is dated, which is true (and the first iPhone predates this book), but the virtual reality is the product of someone who has read and misunderstood Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, and just reads to this technologist as plain wrong.

[Jaysen Hippensteel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I typically enjoy novels from Clancy, however it was clear he was out of his element for this one. The way he imagines "The Net" reminds me of Spy Kids 3 (a quality no man, woman, or otherwise should ever aspire for their creative work). Typically, Clancy novels have two major draws: explosive action and political/strategic analysis. Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik fail to effectively carry either one to this series.

[William Crosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Russian Chechen computer expert is causing problems: hiring people to kill the Net Force boss and then his successor, killing others to distract the FBI & Net Force, messing with programming in the Virtual Reality world to disconnect or send instructions to assorted subroutines in various computers to cause problems (such as making traffic and railroad lights go green to cause accidents).

Many of the characters enjoy going to the VR world and do research there.

[Iowa mention)

[Nicola · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for the first time when I was a teenager and I'm pretty sure I enjoyed it more then; the book isn't bad, exactly, but it falls into the category of what I would call an airport thriller and it hasn't - with all the focus on technology - aged particularly well.

Still. An able distraction this afternoon, but I won't be hunting down any of the others.

A #hotellibrary read!

[Fernando · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been some eight years since the last time I read Tom Clancy, but he still got it. Some Net Force elements mentioned in the book are kind of far-fetched, reading it in 2020, but overall the story is really engrossing and the characters are well constructed. Kept me hooked up beginning to end! I definitely recommend, and looking forward to reading the sequels.

[Joel Hawkins]

DNF @ page 150. Book holds not one trace of accuracy in regards to technology. I appreciate that this book was written in 1999 and set in 2010, but I was expecting a book based on a technology premise to actually have at least some sort of grounding, however faint. That, and the Clancy-esqe writing is chocker with clichés and stereotypes that I just got booooooored.

[Marty Acks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tend to enjoy all the Clancy universe books. This book blended what seemed to be more of a Sci Fi feel with a virtual reality thread throughout the book. It took me a while to warm up that part of the story, but by the time I was two thirds through it became a page turner that I had trouble putting down.

[Andreu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aquesta sèrie de Net Force, sembla que pinta na mica més be que Op Center, com a mínim sembla una mica més treballat i una mica més creible. De totes maneres, m’está costant acabar de llegir tots els llibres d’aquest autor. Clarament ha anat de més a menys. A veure si atura aquesta tendència amb els dos llibres que queden d’aquesta sèrie.

[Allyn Nichols · Rating 2 out of 5]

When oh when will i realise that Tom Clancy adaptations ( games or movies usually ) are far better than his books. As usual a great idea poorly executed. Maybe some of the other books in this series are better than the job done by Steve Perry.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit pathetic considering there were only three things that had detailed descriptions: cars, weapons and women's bodies. But still, cool idea. It's always interesting to read books written in the past and set in the present.