Ghost recon combat OPS

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon #1

by David Michaels (House Author)

Les forces spéciales de l’armée américaine sont réputées pour leur entraînement extrême et leur bravoure devant l’ennemi. Mais il existe aussi un groupe d’élite que rien n’arrête et qui est le mieux préparé au monde. Son nom : l’unité Ghost Recon. Dans cette nouvelle aventure, le capitaine Scott Mitchell et son équipe sont envoyés en Afghanistan, dans une zone contrôlée par les Talibans. Leur objectif : le mollah Zahed, un redoutable chef terroriste. Après des années d’abus et de corruption des autorités, les afghans font plus confiance aux Talibans qu’aux promesses des Américains. Pour accomplir sa mission, Scott Mitchell va donc devoir manœuvrer en terrain miné, entre attentats sanglants et intrigues politiques. D’autant qu’une lourde décision pourrait bien coûter à Mitchell et à son équipe leur honneur… et leur vie. Aventure et action planétaire avec les forces d’élite de Ghost Recon ®.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Military Fiction, War, Action, Science Fiction, Novels

276 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 4, 2008

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitively reads like a video game. A series of missions loosely tied together around the main character with only a token plot with the major villain. However, the characters had more depth to them than I expected from book based on a shooter game. The author makes the elite soldiers seem to be pretty normal guys - almost too normal, which gives a slightly contrived feel at times. A good read for a long drive or flight.

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon as the literary equivalent of a one night stand - nothing serious, no commitments. This is not deep literature that requires a set of Cliff's Notes. I was looking for a change of pace.

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon fit the bill perfectly. Spotty character development, sci-fi weapons, lots of talk about honor and commitment (that works until it gets too syrupy towards the end). All of the good guys have big square jaws (or are pretty tomboys) and have wonderful biographies - a walking recruiting poster. The bad guys carry fetish swords and use prostitutes and plan to hijack China's foreign policy as part of their ill-defined personal vendettas.

Clunky writing and two-dimensional characters abound. But, the action scenes are intense and flow nicely. It is what it is - action-adventure writing without much else.

Read all of my reviews at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

But a good 3 stars, more like 3 1/2 stars. Is this Tom Clancy writing with all the tech speak and such? No, but it is an action packed story. Probably like a B action movie. But I like movies like that at times. Got this from my digital library and will pick up from the library as well one of these days.

[harlequin {Stephanie} · Rating 2 out of 5]

plotless. I like great action packed scenes, but this is above and beyond.

[itchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

the abu sayyaf has made its way to literary fiction after all.

this i had to finish while confined in gentrimed.

p16: was he back in one of the nepa huts, smoking a cigar, while men died out here in the jungle?

p129: when the general said "black tie," he meant black operation sans paper or electronic trials.

p219: but as the man came down for the kill shot with that sword whose tip was already familiar with mitchell's flesh, there was a moment of recognition in his eyes, as though maybe, just maybe, he realized who was behind the balaclava covering mitchell's face.

[Edward Furtak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was a good read, fast and easy. Loved how it was written and love the use of future or modern technology.

[Chris The Lizard from Planet X · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon By David Michaels is a video game tie-in novel based on Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter games.

Though the book is based on Mr. Clancy’s Ghost Recon game franchise, the story is entirely new. We begin with a long prologue following our hero Scott Mitchell prior to joining the Ghosts. On a covert joint operation in the jungles of the Philippines, American forces are ambushed. The heroism of one man saves the day and that man is recruited for the most special of the Special Forces, The Ghosts. This leads to a secret mission into mainland China to prevent something referred to as Pouncing Dragon, which could trigger world war III.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It is quite well done for the most part. I was glued to the pages. One of those books where I would be annoyed when I had to quit reading, telling myself ‘just one more chapter’. The combat scenes are very well written. Tense and gripping and they will keep you turning the pages.

The non-combat, personal time stuff and characterization is not nearly as well written. Some of it is even clumsy. Diaz, the female sniper, joined the military to prove she could do anything as well as a man. Really? It came off as sexist and insulting to the writer’s own character.

The other characters were also pretty two dimensional. I appreciate the token attempt to flesh out the Ghosts I guess, though perhaps summing up their background as dossiers would have worked just as well and maybe been less clumsy.

Luckily, the bulk of the novel is made up of that well written tension, action and combat and as such it was a thrilling read.

I have to say, even though the action was very well written, towards the end it felt like the writer was really piling it on. All sorts of stuff that was never mentioned before shows up and the last fifty pages or so become an extended battle. Since the main plot points have been wrapped up by this time, the last slog really felt tacked on to me.

I’ll keep picking up the series (I’m assuming it will be one) so long as they keep them to this caliber. It wasn't perfect, but it was fun Military techno thriller.

[Cory Embers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very action filled, there wasn't a whole lot of filler in this heifer. Was an easy read that kept me engaged, but was tough to follow at times considering the amount of names crammed into the last half of the book. Overall was an interesting read.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book is full of inaccuracies concerning military hardware and tactics. From Black Hawk helicopter with skids, (they have wheels), to sudden promotions of rank from Master Sergeant to Captain and then back to Master Sergeant, all within the same fire fight, a mission briefing for a super secret military unit in a partially remodeled warehouse instead of a secured military facility. Come on! I find these inaccuracies reduce the creditability of the writer and thus the story. The book does not provide the reader any real depth into the advance technologies that the Ghost could use. You could learn more from a good episode of Future Weapons.

Spotty character development, sci-fi weapons, lots of talk about honor and commitment (that works until it gets too syrupy towards the end). All of the good guys have big square jaws (or are pretty tomboys) and have wonderful biographies - a walking recruiting poster. The bad guys carry fetish swords and use prostitutes and plan to hijack China's foreign policy as part of their ill-defined personal vendettas.

One thing the reader may find annoying is the shameless and sort of funny Blackhawk tactical knife advertisements scattered throughout the book. I'm not talking about just one or two lines, these things go on and on. Here's an example;

"Brown unsheathed his Blackhawk Masters of Defense Nightwing and took it into his left hand in a reverse grip. He wasn't expecting to use it, but you never knew. The fixed blade had a fiberglass nylon handle with wing-walk inserts, a black tungsten diamondlike carbon (DLC) finish, and a serrated spine, giving him a secondary edge for back cuts and draw cuts. The blade was 5.9 inches of pure death, and he considered it the American Express Card of knives- because he never deployed without it."

This chestnut is truly gruesome, especially that Schwarzeneggar one liner at the end. Thankfully these deviations from the course of the story are not frequent and I think we should refrain from blaming the writer for them.

It has the same problems as books based on movies or TV series, how to make the extremely visual work in a non-visual format, and everyone seems to use the same ideas; extreme detail about any weapons used ... no one ever just draws his gun but draws his 1923 Match Grade Browning Designed High Power with the special 5.75 inch barrel with super duper rifling for additional spin and accuracy with the super new titanium shelled yadda yadda yadda at the same time as his enemy draws his yadda yadda yadda gun; action scenes resemble old Batman movies (OK, so it's not quite that bad), and the amount of time spent on character development (the usual sign of a decent or above series) is minimal ... this one is only for the terminally addicted to this format, usually a young adult male; if you need to read Clancy look somewhere else in his bibliography, even some of his non-fiction is good.

[Branden · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I bout this book. I was excited. For the first 75 pages or so, it was going really well. I didn’t wannu put it down. But then things got…boring. I really struggled to finish this one because it was boring a majority of the time. The only page turning parts within this book was the first battle at the beginning, the second battle in the middle, and the final battle at the end. But all three events only held about 60 pages combined. That leaves 300 pages of just blahhh. It was just chalk full of events that had nothing to do with the plot, and didn’t add to the story at all. Not to mention the dialogue of the military members were not realistic at all. You don’t call your superiors “bro” you just don’t. Very unrealistic, and very boring. The last 50 pages was an event that was supposed to be one last big HOORAH fight, that didn’t have to be there. It was just extended from a mission that was already completed. This book could have been at least 100 pages less. I gave it the benefit of the doubt with two stars because it had a promising start, but honestly I would t recommend. We’ll see if I continue with the series. Hopefully it gets better.

[Ethan McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome. I loved it. From the action to the family part of the book. The literature was great and an all-around great book. I would read it again anytime.
The strengths of this text are just the action-packed sequence of events. From the start of the book to the end. Like in the beginning when Scott Mitchell was in the jungle with his squad or end in China with Captian Fang Zi. This book did not stop with the action.
There is one part of the story I wish we had more information on and that is on the reason they are in China. I know it is because of a Submarine, but what is the huge upset on the Sub. Is it because it posed a threat to the US or because they just didn't want China to have it. I just wish it gave more context on that conflict.
I would recommend this book to any reader. If you want an action-packed book, get this one. This book is probably one of the best books I have ever read. 5 stars no doubt. I would read again any day.

[Azarel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book’s way of storytelling is pretty intriguing - with detailed but fun to read action scenes. The book has decent worldbuilding, but some characters lack depth and are often make decisions that are out of character. The book was interesting at first but became boring rather quickly.
The “stopping World War 3” plan seemed a little unrealistic: They literally sent nine people to take down a whole organization that has hundreds - and maybe even thousands - of soldiers. They don’t have any backup, reinforcement squad, literally nothing.

The book was boring and pretty boring. Some parts are very bad. The only interesting part I found in this book was the battle in the first few chapters. Other than that, the book was pretty bland.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story starts with an ambush in the forest which leads to many deaths of his comrades. Mitchell is surrounded by guns, traps and terror. Even with his frantic calls for help, no one answers. What has happened to the backup he was supposed to receive? Will he make it out alive? I chose this book because I bought it long time ago when I was a kid but didn't read it because it was thick. But now I read it and I LOVE it to bits. I finished it because, like I said, I LOVE IT. I think people who like some action would love this book and I specifically recommend this to Daniel. (if you know Daniel, you know he loves some action)

[May · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Tom Clancy's novels, and I took a chance on this one, which is a spinoff of his by another author. The plot was interesting, and the action fast-paced. Maybe it was the mood I was in, but despite those factors, the book just did not grab me. The characters were flat (which is a common problem in a military thriller, even Clancy's), and there wasn't enough oomph to make up for it. There was an attempt at dealing with mental health issues, but it was done in such a cursory way that it felt unauthentic.
It was an easy and fast read and entertaining enough, but it certainly didn't make me rush out to buy the next installment.

[Johnny G. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read all of the Splinter Cell books by the pseudonym "David Michaels" and liked them, so in my mind I thought that Ghost Recon would be similar to that series. Sure, there is nonstop action, but I was disappointed in the cast of characters. There are so many of them and they're all running around it was hard for me to keep track - on the US side and the Chinese side. I guess I really liked the Sam Fisher character, out there in hostile territory, taking care of business on his own. Unfortunately, I don't think I am going to continue on in this series.

[Daniel · Rating 1 out of 5]

A book based on a video game I played as a kid. And the source material shows in all the worst ways.

It plays like a videogame where you skipped most of the cutscenes.. Quickly jumping from mission to mission with characters whos personalities are set from defaults for their skillset. It was a shallow mindless romp with nothing to really draw you in or hold you there.

Ive read some wonderful military fiction. This isnt remotely it.

[Samuel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning of the book in the Philippines and the Kazakhstan mission were the only good parts in the book. The rest is either corny or boring. Mitchell and Diaz were the only interesting characters. The others are flat or massively egotistic (I don't believe in the toxic masculinity myth, but many of the characters would come very close to fitting the bill).

Might be a decent read for some, but for me it was mediocre at best. Can't even remember most of what happened.

[Manna_Sue · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good for those who want he-man hero action without the bother of a substantial plot.

Personal Note:
Read this in a trade with my 14yo nephew after I asked if he had read any Tom Clancy books. Silly me. I made myself finish his version of Tom Clancy, and he gave Rainbow Six a good try:) We are not deterred and have swapped more books. That's a win, even if this book wasn't for me!

[Joe · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had potential, but it did not capture on the subject. It seemed like every other book in is genera, so much out there tohope for in the many directions it could have gone. It failed to leave me wanting more, and failed be hard to put down.

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like to play the Ghost Recon video games on my PS2, I own a couple of them. I was out at a bookstore one day and I just happened to see this book, and I bought it. It has a good storyline and some interesting characters.

[Oskar Leijon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea.

[Danny Whatmough · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I finished it in a night, and well... I'm whelmed.

I don't know if it's because I came from Rainbow Six to this or what, but the first few chapters throw you straight into it with little time to get your bearings on the situations which I wish I'd enjoyed, I really do... But I didn't.

As for the story in general I grew to like the book more as it went on, it was kinda cool and some of the characters had things that made them interesting to me, however don't be expecting a personal story here at all.

All the reviews talking about how it reads like a video game are spot on, it's light and easy to read and can be thoroughly entertaining at times.

But it also touches on a lot of deeper topics; PTSD, relationships in the military, family relationships and so on.
But by touch I mean touch, it kinda goes "okay that's mentioned back to the action" similar to how this things might appear in a cutscene but then the gameplay starts again.

In all its a decent read, it's light as I said and easy to get through.
I just wish it had been wrote for its own merits rather than as a game tie in, there's entire stories within this one that are skipped over and they would have made good reads had they been developed even remotely

[Raul Gonzales · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a Marine with several combat tours, I approached "Ghost Recon" by Tom Clancy with high expectations, but I was ultimately disappointed. The book's way of storytelling is initially intriguing, with detailed yet fun-to-read action scenes. However, it quickly became unrealistic and repetitive. The plan to stop World War 3 by sending just nine people to take down a massive organization with hundreds, if not thousands, of soldiers is far-fetched. They have no backup or reinforcement, which is simply not credible.

While the worldbuilding is decent, many characters lack depth and often make decisions that feel out of character. And would get your boys killed in real combat. The book was interesting at first, but it became boring rather quickly. The only part I found genuinely engaging was the battle in the first few chapters; after that, the narrative fell flat. Overall, I would rate it two stars for its implausibility and lackluster execution.

[bill cosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty common theme found throughout this book is teamwork. The main plot of the book is that a special forces group known as Ghost Recon have to stop Operation Pouncing Dragon. Operation Pouncing Dragon was started because a group of rich Chinese men wanted to take over Taiwan. To counter this, the Americans stage their own operation, Operation War Wraith. America sends the Ghost Recon team to go in, assassinate the Chinese men, and go out undetected.

I would recommend this book to anyone who plays lots of video games or likes Tom Clancy books, so maybe people ages 12+. I gave it a 4 because it is a really exciting book, with very few dull parts. The author is really good and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

[William Lydon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ghost Recon is based off the game Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, and serves in a way, both as a prequel, and as a link between the original GR games from the early 2000s, and the newer Ubisoft titles. It tells the tale of Captain Scout Mitchell, a Green Beret in the secretive 5th Special Forces Group, D-Company "Ghost Recon". A force of secret warriors who undertake the most dangerous missions the Army has to offer. From Filipino jungles and Afghan mountains to Chinese coasts the novel takes us along with Mitchell as he and his team (returning from GR 2 and its expansion "Summit Strike" try and halt a Chinese plot to invade Taiwan and run afoul of an old rival...

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This books is not that great.

Although I am totally into action movies being put into books, I found the latent prejudice in this book very hard to deal with. Of course the one female character always doubts herself and is haunted by the teasing voices of her brothers, despite being an incredibly accomplished soldier. Of course the villain is a caricature of a foreigner. Of course there are gendered double standards in every romantic relationship.

Supposedly this is pretty standard of Clancy novels. It bored me.

I did like the action sequences, though. Two stars for guns and stuff.

[Marc Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghost Recon should make every reader appreciate the bravery, combat skills, and patriotic attention to duty displayed by special operators within all covert units of the armed forces and intelligence agencies.

The book is a solid and exciting read bringing back memories of this readers time in Vietnam. The characters were so well developed and "real" that I could put names of those I served with on each. A good read for combat vets. Usually such vets will know exactly why life has a flavor the protected will never know .

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coming from a video game that's based on the same title, which I've not played, is a military action, that's kind of a thriller. It has military themes, it has action scenes. There's a touch of domestic life at home, and a collection of battleground action scenes. It's never quite a thriller because the Ghost Recon team are mostly unhindered throughout their mission. But the action is kind of fun, and also there's cool gear, weaponry, and tech.

[Loskit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, half of the book...okay, maybe three fourth of the book, tastes like a dried up piece of toast... but the ending part, the part where the Ghosts carried out their operations, and the exfiltration, as well as the post-operation epilogue, really struck me with tension, thrill, passion, and, weirdly, a sense of patriotism (but why, I am a Chinese, not an American, but I do feel US patriotism and the strength of those warriors).

[Jack Stubblefield · Rating 3 out of 5]

The military action thriller is the new home for action packed shoot'em ups. This novel is no different. It's not exactly rocket science (it's based on a videogame) but it has characters I care about (enough) and a plot that holds together to make this an enjoyable read. Not bad, not bad at all, Maynard.