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Tom Clancy's Power Plays #6
Cutting Edge
WIRED.
Africa becomes the battle ground in 21st-century war. As fiberoptic cable is laid down around the continent, two entities fight to control it. One is UpLink Communications, headed by Roger Gordian. The pan-African fiberoptic ring is his most ambitious—and expensive—endeavor to date. His nemesis, Harlan Devane, is penetrating the network. Trading in black market commodities with terrorists and rogue states, the cable offers him unlimited access to a most valuable product: information. To ensure his success, Devane makes his move halfway around the world. He hits Gordian where it hurts—and kidnaps his daughter. Now, Gordian must trust his UpLink team as never before, as they fight on land and sea to turn the tables against Devane…once and for all.
Africa becomes the battle ground in 21st-century war. As fiberoptic cable is laid down around the continent, two entities fight to control it. One is UpLink Communications, headed by Roger Gordian. The pan-African fiberoptic ring is his most ambitious—and expensive—endeavor to date. His nemesis, Harlan Devane, is penetrating the network. Trading in black market commodities with terrorists and rogue states, the cable offers him unlimited access to a most valuable product: information. To ensure his success, Devane makes his move halfway around the world. He hits Gordian where it hurts—and kidnaps his daughter. Now, Gordian must trust his UpLink team as never before, as they fight on land and sea to turn the tables against Devane…once and for all.
432 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 5, 2002
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925 people want to read
About the author
Jerome Preisler
64 books109 followersJerome Preisler is the prolific author of almost forty books of fiction and narrative nonfiction, including all eight novels in the New York Times bestselling TOM CLANCY'S POWER PLAYS series.
His latest book is NET FORCE:DARK WEB (November 2019), the first novel in a relaunch of the New York Times bestselling series co-created by Tom Clancy. Forthcoming in May 2020 is the enovella NET FORCE: EYE OF THE DRONE.
Among Jerome's recent works of narrative history are CODE NAME CAESAR: The Secret Hunt for U-boat 864 During World War Two, and FIRST TO JUMP: How the Band of Brothers Was Aided by the Brave Paratroopers of Pathfinders Company. His next book of nonfiction, CIVIL WAR COMMANDO: William Cushing's Daring Raid to Sink the Invincible Ironclad C.S.S. Albemarle,will be published by Regnery Books in October 2020.
Jerome lives in New York City and coastal Maine.
His latest book is NET FORCE:DARK WEB (November 2019), the first novel in a relaunch of the New York Times bestselling series co-created by Tom Clancy. Forthcoming in May 2020 is the enovella NET FORCE: EYE OF THE DRONE.
Among Jerome's recent works of narrative history are CODE NAME CAESAR: The Secret Hunt for U-boat 864 During World War Two, and FIRST TO JUMP: How the Band of Brothers Was Aided by the Brave Paratroopers of Pathfinders Company. His next book of nonfiction, CIVIL WAR COMMANDO: William Cushing's Daring Raid to Sink the Invincible Ironclad C.S.S. Albemarle,will be published by Regnery Books in October 2020.
Jerome lives in New York City and coastal Maine.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 9, 2020
In equatorial Africa as a small nation attempts to become a leader in the region through its offshore resources and becoming headquarters to information revolution for all of Africa, but who is in charge is suddenly up in the air. Cutting Edge is the sixth book of Tom Clancy’s Power Plays series written by Jerome Preisler, as Roger Gordian’s UpLink International takes over a pan-African fiberoptic network he unexpectedly finds himself against Harlan DeVane who’s attacked his company and tried to kill him already.
Offshore of Gabon two divers for a French technology company die after sabotaged by Harlan DeVane’s associates which leads to the company selling their fiberoptic network to UpLink and getting government approval even though DeVane bribed numerous politicians to stop it. Pete Nimec leads the Sword team as UpLink moves into the country as DeVane plans to strike at UpLink and Gordian himself. DeVane begins to harass UpLink’s buildup including an assault on a convoy, but as a distraction for his main strike against Gordian. DeVane activates his mercenary agent who activates his sleeper sell in the United States that stalks the Gordian family before finding a target, his daughter Julia. The DeVane’s crew abducts Julia from the greyhound rescue shelter she’s been volunteering at, killing one of the owners and her infant daughter in the process. After the police visit UpLink headquarters, Tom Ricci begins investigating her kidnapping skirting around the police to get evidence that quickly leads to the conclusion it’s the same man who he faced off in Ukraine and Ontario. DeVane sends Gordian a ransom message to dissolve his company immediately or his daughter dies, however before Gordian decides to do so Ricci finds where Julia is being kept and leads a Sword team that rescues her and kills the mercenary that’s trouble them for years. In the end, DeVane slinks away from Gabon.
Preisler emphasize characters and technology throughout the book, not at the expense the plot but the narrative was quickly transitioned from one time period to another until towards the end during Julia’s kidnapping. Though Preisler does a great job at exploring DeVane’s, Nimec’s, Ricci’s, and the mercenary’s characters in this book and keeps the reader hooked; yet the departures into technological explanations bogged the book down at times. This book was longer than the previous installment which resulted in a overall better book.
Cutting Edge is a return to the very good standard that Preisler established in this series after the substandard previous installment. With DeVane exit at the end of the book, the best subplot of the three of the last four books is finished with a bit of satisfaction for the reader that’s invested in the reading the series.
Offshore of Gabon two divers for a French technology company die after sabotaged by Harlan DeVane’s associates which leads to the company selling their fiberoptic network to UpLink and getting government approval even though DeVane bribed numerous politicians to stop it. Pete Nimec leads the Sword team as UpLink moves into the country as DeVane plans to strike at UpLink and Gordian himself. DeVane begins to harass UpLink’s buildup including an assault on a convoy, but as a distraction for his main strike against Gordian. DeVane activates his mercenary agent who activates his sleeper sell in the United States that stalks the Gordian family before finding a target, his daughter Julia. The DeVane’s crew abducts Julia from the greyhound rescue shelter she’s been volunteering at, killing one of the owners and her infant daughter in the process. After the police visit UpLink headquarters, Tom Ricci begins investigating her kidnapping skirting around the police to get evidence that quickly leads to the conclusion it’s the same man who he faced off in Ukraine and Ontario. DeVane sends Gordian a ransom message to dissolve his company immediately or his daughter dies, however before Gordian decides to do so Ricci finds where Julia is being kept and leads a Sword team that rescues her and kills the mercenary that’s trouble them for years. In the end, DeVane slinks away from Gabon.
Preisler emphasize characters and technology throughout the book, not at the expense the plot but the narrative was quickly transitioned from one time period to another until towards the end during Julia’s kidnapping. Though Preisler does a great job at exploring DeVane’s, Nimec’s, Ricci’s, and the mercenary’s characters in this book and keeps the reader hooked; yet the departures into technological explanations bogged the book down at times. This book was longer than the previous installment which resulted in a overall better book.
Cutting Edge is a return to the very good standard that Preisler established in this series after the substandard previous installment. With DeVane exit at the end of the book, the best subplot of the three of the last four books is finished with a bit of satisfaction for the reader that’s invested in the reading the series.
October 7, 2010
One of the Clancy franchise but does not rate as escapist fiction. This one goes into the fireplace.
November 24, 2010
I almost put this down a few times. It jumps around too much.. makes it very difficult to identify the characters.
November 17, 2014
Only one star, and only because there was a dog rescue in the book.
March 9, 2014
Took to long to get into the storey. Jumped all over
December 8, 2025
⭐ A Dumpster Fire Disguised as a Novel
Cutting Edge is not just a bad book. It is an insult to the concept of reading. It is a hollow, sputtering mess that drags the Power Plays series to a level so low that calling it a thriller feels like an act of fraud. I did not read this novel so much as survive it. By the halfway point, I felt like I needed hazard pay. By the end, I regretted every decision that led me to turn the first page.
This book has no pulse and no reason to exist. The pacing is so slow and so bloated that entire chapters feel like the author was stuffing the manuscript with whatever came to mind simply to fill space. The plot is thinner than tissue paper and twice as fragile. Nothing builds. Nothing lands. Nothing matters. It is a thriller without suspense, a story without stakes, and a novel without a single moment worth remembering.
The kidnapping plot is outright stupidity disguised as drama. Demanding that Gordian dissolve UpLink is not only impossible but embarrassingly childish. It reveals a writer who has no understanding of corporations, law, or even basic logic. Harlan DeVane is presented as a mastermind but behaves like a clumsy cartoon villain, popping in long enough to wave his hands and then sprinting to a helicopter whenever the plot demands an exit. Gordian does not know him. They have no connection. Their supposed rivalry has all the depth and tension of two strangers standing in the same grocery store.
The characters are handled with the grace of a dropped anvil. Annie reappears for absolutely no reason and adds nothing. Her ridiculous story lasts for a few pages and is mentioned in passing a couple of other times. A completely unnecessary character. Ricci and Thibodeaux act like entitled wannabe federal agents and embarrass themselves in every scene. Dan Parker is resurrected from earlier books with no continuity, no purpose, and no logic. Even the Gabon plot simply evaporates halfway through because of the kidnapping plot. It's like the author forgot there was another part of the story so Gabon is forgotten about. This series cannot maintain a single character arc for more than a chapter, and this book proves it beyond doubt.
Every section of this novel is lifeless. The action scenes are dull. The conversations are dull. The “tension” is nonexistent. The villains are laughable. The heroes are robotic. The writing can best be described as printed noise. I fell asleep reading this book, and honestly, that was the most enjoyable part of the experience because unconsciousness spared me from the rest of the story.
By the time I finished, I felt nothing but frustration and regret. This book is a failure in every possible way. It wastes the reader’s time, insults their intelligence, and contributes nothing to the series except proof that it should have ended long ago. If this is the cutting edge, then the knife is not only dull but rusted and broken.
I would not recommend this book to anyone.
Cutting Edge is not just a bad book. It is an insult to the concept of reading. It is a hollow, sputtering mess that drags the Power Plays series to a level so low that calling it a thriller feels like an act of fraud. I did not read this novel so much as survive it. By the halfway point, I felt like I needed hazard pay. By the end, I regretted every decision that led me to turn the first page.
This book has no pulse and no reason to exist. The pacing is so slow and so bloated that entire chapters feel like the author was stuffing the manuscript with whatever came to mind simply to fill space. The plot is thinner than tissue paper and twice as fragile. Nothing builds. Nothing lands. Nothing matters. It is a thriller without suspense, a story without stakes, and a novel without a single moment worth remembering.
The kidnapping plot is outright stupidity disguised as drama. Demanding that Gordian dissolve UpLink is not only impossible but embarrassingly childish. It reveals a writer who has no understanding of corporations, law, or even basic logic. Harlan DeVane is presented as a mastermind but behaves like a clumsy cartoon villain, popping in long enough to wave his hands and then sprinting to a helicopter whenever the plot demands an exit. Gordian does not know him. They have no connection. Their supposed rivalry has all the depth and tension of two strangers standing in the same grocery store.
The characters are handled with the grace of a dropped anvil. Annie reappears for absolutely no reason and adds nothing. Her ridiculous story lasts for a few pages and is mentioned in passing a couple of other times. A completely unnecessary character. Ricci and Thibodeaux act like entitled wannabe federal agents and embarrass themselves in every scene. Dan Parker is resurrected from earlier books with no continuity, no purpose, and no logic. Even the Gabon plot simply evaporates halfway through because of the kidnapping plot. It's like the author forgot there was another part of the story so Gabon is forgotten about. This series cannot maintain a single character arc for more than a chapter, and this book proves it beyond doubt.
Every section of this novel is lifeless. The action scenes are dull. The conversations are dull. The “tension” is nonexistent. The villains are laughable. The heroes are robotic. The writing can best be described as printed noise. I fell asleep reading this book, and honestly, that was the most enjoyable part of the experience because unconsciousness spared me from the rest of the story.
By the time I finished, I felt nothing but frustration and regret. This book is a failure in every possible way. It wastes the reader’s time, insults their intelligence, and contributes nothing to the series except proof that it should have ended long ago. If this is the cutting edge, then the knife is not only dull but rusted and broken.
I would not recommend this book to anyone.
February 27, 2021
Another solid book with some closure for key story lines and yet open questions remain for so many others. It takes a while to get going and once again does close storylines that is raised in the book but yet there is enough her to keep you going. Will plow onto the next book in the series.
August 12, 2023
There are elements of a good story here, but not the execution of one.
The kidnapping takes forever to set up and then is resolved so easily. The Africa-Gabon plot line is really irrelevant given how it only exists for Gordian to have to go somewhere to give a speech.
The kidnapping takes forever to set up and then is resolved so easily. The Africa-Gabon plot line is really irrelevant given how it only exists for Gordian to have to go somewhere to give a speech.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2020
Power Plays OK
March 25, 2024
It’s nothing special. Read it if you have nothing else. That’s what I did.
August 21, 2021
Personally, I did not at all like the book. It was boring (it felt like nothing happened), so I put it down after 100 pages. However, if you want to give it a try, start with the first book of the series. Maybe you are then able to connect to the characters (I was not).
Read
November 2, 2011I didn't realize this book was the 6th in a series. It didn't feel like I missed much starting from the beginning. I picked this up in Arizona at a used bookstore to have something interesting to read on the flight. I finished the book and I really though it was pretty anti-climactic. It had a big fight then suddenly ended. It could have used a bit longer wrap-up instead of like 4 pages or so.
July 12, 2010
4 of 5 Stars for the audio book version of Tom Clancy's Power Plays #6, Cutting Edge. Another novel focusing on our friends at Uplink International in Palo Alto CA. A good story though not a compelling or as well structured as earlier books in this series. The abridgement left the story choppy and a bit hard to follow. Though for a quick abridged book, I do recommend it.
July 29, 2013
This was a decent beach read, but the pacing was slow and although generally good, it was obvious that while this is a part of the Clancy "franchise" the author was not Tom Clancy. It was not necessary to have read other books in the series for this to make sense (for which I am grateful) but if your time is limited, I would look for something better. Not recommended.
February 28, 2015
Pitting the head of a international communications giant against an international arms dealer and all around bad guy as they compete for the communications rights in the African Country of Gabon. Ambushes, kidnappings and the vagaries of Gabonese government officals keep the communication giant's security forces busy both in Africa and at home in the US. A fast paced quick and read.
Read
February 17, 2009Awesome book! nothing like I expected.
December 29, 2014
Predictable and enjoyable. A bit rushed at the end.
January 28, 2016
421 pages
September 11, 2025
4/5: Great well written corporate espionage book that fits the expectations of a Tom Clancy franchise extremely well. Very enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews