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Jack Ryan #4
The Cardinal of the Kremlin
Two men possess vital data on Russia’s Star Wars missile defense system. One of them is CARDINAL—America's highest agent in the Kremlin—and he's about to be terminated by the KGB. The other is the one American who can save CARDINAL and lead the world to the brink of peace…or war. Here is author Tom Clancy’s heart-stopping masterpiece. A riveting novel of the most important issue of our time.
554 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 28, 1988
3363 people are currently reading
14003 people want to read
About the author
Tom Clancy
977 books9,060 followersThomas Leo Clancy Jr. was an American novelist and military-political thriller pioneer. Raised in a middle-class Irish-American family, he developed an early fascination with military history. Despite initially studying physics at Loyola College, he switched to English literature, graduating in 1969 with a modest GPA. His aspirations of serving in the military were dashed due to severe myopia, leading him instead to a career in the insurance business.
While working at a small insurance agency, Clancy spent his spare time writing what would become The Hunt for Red October (1984). Published by the Naval Institute Press for an advance of $5,000, the book received an unexpected boost when President Ronald Reagan praised it as “the best yarn.” This propelled Clancy to national fame, selling millions of copies and establishing his reputation for technical accuracy in military and intelligence matters. His meticulous research and storytelling ability granted him access to high-ranking U.S. military officials, further enriching his novels.
Clancy’s works often featured heroic protagonists such as Jack Ryan and John Clark, emphasizing themes of patriotism, military expertise, and political intrigue. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, he became one of the best-selling authors in America, with titles like Red Storm Rising (1986), Patriot Games (1987), Clear and Present Danger (1989), and The Sum of All Fears (1991) dominating bestseller lists. Several of these were adapted into commercially successful films.
In addition to novels, Clancy co-authored nonfiction works on military topics and lent his name to numerous book series and video game franchises, including Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell. His influence extended beyond literature, as he became a part-owner of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team and was involved in various business ventures, including a failed attempt to purchase the Minnesota Vikings.
Politically, Clancy was a staunch conservative, often weaving his views into his books and publicly criticizing left-leaning policies. He gained further attention after the September 11 attacks, discussing intelligence failures and counterterrorism strategies on news platforms.
Clancy’s financial success was immense. By the late 1990s, his publishing deals were worth tens of millions of dollars. He lived on an expansive Maryland estate featuring a World War II Sherman tank and later purchased a luxury penthouse in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
He was married twice, first to Wanda Thomas King, with whom he had four children, and later to journalist Alexandra Marie Llewellyn, with whom he had one daughter.
Tom Clancy passed away on October 1, 2013, at the age of 66 due to heart failure. His legacy endures through his novels, their adaptations, and the continuation of the Jack Ryan series by other writers.
While working at a small insurance agency, Clancy spent his spare time writing what would become The Hunt for Red October (1984). Published by the Naval Institute Press for an advance of $5,000, the book received an unexpected boost when President Ronald Reagan praised it as “the best yarn.” This propelled Clancy to national fame, selling millions of copies and establishing his reputation for technical accuracy in military and intelligence matters. His meticulous research and storytelling ability granted him access to high-ranking U.S. military officials, further enriching his novels.
Clancy’s works often featured heroic protagonists such as Jack Ryan and John Clark, emphasizing themes of patriotism, military expertise, and political intrigue. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, he became one of the best-selling authors in America, with titles like Red Storm Rising (1986), Patriot Games (1987), Clear and Present Danger (1989), and The Sum of All Fears (1991) dominating bestseller lists. Several of these were adapted into commercially successful films.
In addition to novels, Clancy co-authored nonfiction works on military topics and lent his name to numerous book series and video game franchises, including Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell. His influence extended beyond literature, as he became a part-owner of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team and was involved in various business ventures, including a failed attempt to purchase the Minnesota Vikings.
Politically, Clancy was a staunch conservative, often weaving his views into his books and publicly criticizing left-leaning policies. He gained further attention after the September 11 attacks, discussing intelligence failures and counterterrorism strategies on news platforms.
Clancy’s financial success was immense. By the late 1990s, his publishing deals were worth tens of millions of dollars. He lived on an expansive Maryland estate featuring a World War II Sherman tank and later purchased a luxury penthouse in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
He was married twice, first to Wanda Thomas King, with whom he had four children, and later to journalist Alexandra Marie Llewellyn, with whom he had one daughter.
Tom Clancy passed away on October 1, 2013, at the age of 66 due to heart failure. His legacy endures through his novels, their adaptations, and the continuation of the Jack Ryan series by other writers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,109 reviews
October 12, 2016
After writing my Clear and Present Danger review, I decided I ought to add a few more Clancy opinionaires. So let's continue with this one. A very solid, entertaining book. Le classique, as the French would say. It's got the right dose of technology, warfare, sci-fi hi-tech stuff, espionage, bad Russians, good Russians, noble Russians, Afghanistan, satellites, LASERS, friggin' lasers, narrate that Dr. Evil style, everything you can expect from an 80s cocktail of Texas Ranger meets MIT postgrad meets someone who's read about Soviet interrogation methods and how women think on USENET.
The book is quite good in that it lacks the later taint of too much White House politics that became Clancy's calling card, making him the favorite reading slash fapping material among politicians, ahead of Playboy and Good Housewives. You enjoy the Janes' Monthly expose plus John Wayne western-like attitude to problem solving plus lesbians. YES! Clancy had a dirty mind once.
We do need a limerick, now:
With cliche names as sharp as razor,
Ryan wore a Navy blazer,
Russian spies,
Lesbians and lies,
In the end, 'twas a friggin' laser.
Have much funski,
Igor
The book is quite good in that it lacks the later taint of too much White House politics that became Clancy's calling card, making him the favorite reading slash fapping material among politicians, ahead of Playboy and Good Housewives. You enjoy the Janes' Monthly expose plus John Wayne western-like attitude to problem solving plus lesbians. YES! Clancy had a dirty mind once.
We do need a limerick, now:
With cliche names as sharp as razor,
Ryan wore a Navy blazer,
Russian spies,
Lesbians and lies,
In the end, 'twas a friggin' laser.
Have much funski,
Igor
April 26, 2021
I'm still really enjoying delving back into the early Clancy Jack Ryan novel.
The tail end of the Cold War has always interested me, I was around the age where as a child you start to become more aware of world events on the news.
One thing that Clancy brilliantly achieves in his gigantic gripping thrillers is a real evocative sense of the era.
Some of the elements of this novel feels really dated (the homophobia as a prime example), though the reader really gets a greater understanding of the tension between the two super powers.
The two things I really took away from this entry in the series was the Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars program) that serves as one of the main plot elments was actually something that Regan had proposed.
Whilst the ongoing war been Afghanistan and the Soviet Union showed how quickly events can change.
This entry is also noticable for the first appearance of John Clarke to the series, though I find it odd that 'Without Remorse' (that's just been turned into a movie) is really hard to find a copy.
These early novels are so engaging, it's easy to see why these characters have continued to be popular 30+ years later.
The tail end of the Cold War has always interested me, I was around the age where as a child you start to become more aware of world events on the news.
One thing that Clancy brilliantly achieves in his gigantic gripping thrillers is a real evocative sense of the era.
Some of the elements of this novel feels really dated (the homophobia as a prime example), though the reader really gets a greater understanding of the tension between the two super powers.
The two things I really took away from this entry in the series was the Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars program) that serves as one of the main plot elments was actually something that Regan had proposed.
Whilst the ongoing war been Afghanistan and the Soviet Union showed how quickly events can change.
This entry is also noticable for the first appearance of John Clarke to the series, though I find it odd that 'Without Remorse' (that's just been turned into a movie) is really hard to find a copy.
These early novels are so engaging, it's easy to see why these characters have continued to be popular 30+ years later.
June 23, 2020
Comrades, this was much better the second time around. I got choked up at the end, a tear nearly escaped. Complex, tense, and insightful, this story sees Ryan making bold moves.
I did speed through the Afghan parts because it was bitter and depressing. That entire situation was, in hindsight, perhaps a facepalm in American foreign manipulation. You can almost hear the Russians laughing. How do like your Afghan comrades now?
*Audible note: the narrator was irredeemably bad. I read the ebook instead.
May 22, 2010
3.0 to 3.5 stars. This was the first Tom Clancy book that I ever read and it turned out to be my least favorite. On the good side, I loved the introduction of "Mr. Clark" who is my favorite character of the Clancy novels. However, the novel seemed to drag in places and I just found myself wanting the plot to move along. Overall, it was still a god read and by other author's standards would have been a 4 star effort at least. However, I hold Clancy to a higher standard based on his later efforts so he has to live with 3 to 3.5 stars for this one.
December 20, 2011
As an author, Clancy brings a workman like approach to The Cardinal of the Kremlin. There is little in the way of fanciful prose, or endearing characters and the story is choppy, however this is far from unusual for him. He relies a good deal on the technical aspects of cutting edge weaponry and good old fashioned spy vs spy action to keep readers turning the page.
Yes, Jack Ryan is back, but even in his second book he is starting to wear thin and thankfully plays only a small, yet important role. But there is a new hero in town. We are introduced to one of my favorite characters ever(and far from endearing) it is the shadowy, "Mr Clark". As the ultimate anti-James Bond spy, he makes the book worth it all by himself.
Obviously, I recommend this to all Clancy fans. If you haven't read him yet, start with The Hunt for Red October and then Red Storm Rising.
Yes, Jack Ryan is back, but even in his second book he is starting to wear thin and thankfully plays only a small, yet important role. But there is a new hero in town. We are introduced to one of my favorite characters ever(and far from endearing) it is the shadowy, "Mr Clark". As the ultimate anti-James Bond spy, he makes the book worth it all by himself.
Obviously, I recommend this to all Clancy fans. If you haven't read him yet, start with The Hunt for Red October and then Red Storm Rising.
October 12, 2016
Following the disappointing Patriot Games, Clancy redeemed himself (in my eyes) with a spy thriller with classical ingredients, i.e. the extrication of a Soviet double agent by the Americans. It's been a long while since I've read any Clancy, so caveat lector is in place here. But I would say that should I re-read any of the books, it is this one (and The Sum of All Fears).
October 30, 2020
Enjoyed this one! Hard to beat Clancy and Jack Ryan!
August 9, 2021
One of my favorite Clancy novels. It seems that nearly every book in the Jack Ryan series has introduced us to some new technology which is either being designed or (most likely) has already been secretly created. Many have speculated that Clancy had insiders at the DoD who would feed him stuff that the rest of us were clueless about. In the case of this book, which was published over 30 years ago, the cutting edge technology discussed is a complex laser array capable of shooting down enemy satellites that are meant to provide pinpoint accuracy to nuclear missiles. Keep in mind, this was WAY before we all had built-in GPS on our cellphones!
The other key element of this story plot is how the US and Russian spy operations have infiltrated positions within our respective countries, in order to steal technological info and stay one step ahead of our adversaries. But what happens when the Russians discover that a highly-placed government official has been providing intel to the US for years? And, how will we rescue this spy before the Russians have taken action to eliminate him and his family?
Even today, long after when The Cardinal of the Kremlin first hit the book store shelves, it remains one the best spy thrillers ever written.
The other key element of this story plot is how the US and Russian spy operations have infiltrated positions within our respective countries, in order to steal technological info and stay one step ahead of our adversaries. But what happens when the Russians discover that a highly-placed government official has been providing intel to the US for years? And, how will we rescue this spy before the Russians have taken action to eliminate him and his family?
Even today, long after when The Cardinal of the Kremlin first hit the book store shelves, it remains one the best spy thrillers ever written.
March 16, 2023
The short-short version of what became my review: A gripping spy thriller that brings back all that Cold War Nostalgia; but Tom Clancy has obviously never met a lesbian before in his life.
---
Perhaps it goes without saying, but Tom Clancy's work is not high literature. He will never rank up there with Ernest Hemingway [1] or David Foster Wallace or Angela Carter. He'll be published long after his death as an historical literary study, a snapshot of late-stage Cold War Paranoia--but those are elective seminars in the History annex, and not part of the upper-division English rubric. That is totally fine though; this is why we bother cracking the covers on a Tom Clancy novel--for the thrill ride that is his particular flavor of military/political techno-thriller. His schtick is to razzle-dazzle his readers [2] with the nitty-gritty details of this or that weapon (real or hypothetical) and to go on tangents that involve world history as told through the lens of the Military-Industrial complex and/or to speculate on (then) contemporary socio-political machinations as told through the lens of world history as told through the lens of the Military-Industrial complex. We're not in it for the metaphors, we're in it for the bombs. And the lasers.
My first exposure to Clancy was in the late-80s or early-90s, starting with Red Storm Rising and working my way through his books. At some point between ages 10 and 14, I read The Cardinal of the Kremlin. [3] Having re-read RSR back in 2006, I thought it might be worth re-reading another Tom Clancy book. A re-read 20 years in the making, I thought to myself. I had only two memories of this book, one vague [4] and one specific [5], and thought that, if nothing else, at least it would be like reading a book for the first time.
So I borrowed my Dad's paperback and queued it up for a January read. [6] My vague recollection (footnote #4, vide infra) turned out to be pretty close--so at least that much was memorable, but I'd forgotten some of the other depth. Though calling it "depth" is maybe too generous? What Clancy does with this book is go bonkers with the espionage and counterintelligence business. He goes out of his way to include every facet: the analysis and speculation, the field operations, agents, double-agents, counter agents, double counter agents, spy satellites, submarines, extractions, kidnapping, disguises, botched missions, and the kind of at-the-highest-levels manifestations of what can only be boiled down to extortion. It's all in there.
And/but I had completely forgotten about the whole sub-plot with "the Archer" and all the Afghan mujahideen stuff. The spy junk that makes up 70-80% of the book is great--but it would have been a completely two-dimensional arc. It helps to be reminded that the conflicts between the super-powers did not take place in a vacuum, and what was it that Archimedes said about long-enough levers?
But there was also a huge let-down here. The big Act Two climax that bridges us into those closing chapters had a bizarre and almost nonsensical setup. I'm sorry but I'm just having too tough a time making that leap with you there, Tom.
The whole Bea-Candi-Gregory not-quite-love-triangle bit aside, the novel was a fun read and full of every kind of semi-kinda/sorta-mostly realistics it-could-happen spy business you could want. It certainly tickled my Cold War Nostalgia.
---
[1] And I don't even particularly like Hemingway.
[2] Largely males ages 18-65? Largely white? Largely dudes who self-report their favorite movies as "Top Gun" and/or "Rambo" and/or "Red Dawn"?
[3] Yes, I was effectively a child.
[4] I knew it was about spies, and SDI lasers.
[5] I remembered the scene where Mary Pat Foley scribbled "Let's give these microphones a hard-on!!"
[6] I had to get through Neanderthal and The Untouchable before that, first.
[7] And/but/which would still not paint a picture of Bea as a lesbian, though that might have painted a picture of her as a lesbian as seen through the lens of the Conservative White Male. Maybe.
---
Perhaps it goes without saying, but Tom Clancy's work is not high literature. He will never rank up there with Ernest Hemingway [1] or David Foster Wallace or Angela Carter. He'll be published long after his death as an historical literary study, a snapshot of late-stage Cold War Paranoia--but those are elective seminars in the History annex, and not part of the upper-division English rubric. That is totally fine though; this is why we bother cracking the covers on a Tom Clancy novel--for the thrill ride that is his particular flavor of military/political techno-thriller. His schtick is to razzle-dazzle his readers [2] with the nitty-gritty details of this or that weapon (real or hypothetical) and to go on tangents that involve world history as told through the lens of the Military-Industrial complex and/or to speculate on (then) contemporary socio-political machinations as told through the lens of world history as told through the lens of the Military-Industrial complex. We're not in it for the metaphors, we're in it for the bombs. And the lasers.
My first exposure to Clancy was in the late-80s or early-90s, starting with Red Storm Rising and working my way through his books. At some point between ages 10 and 14, I read The Cardinal of the Kremlin. [3] Having re-read RSR back in 2006, I thought it might be worth re-reading another Tom Clancy book. A re-read 20 years in the making, I thought to myself. I had only two memories of this book, one vague [4] and one specific [5], and thought that, if nothing else, at least it would be like reading a book for the first time.
So I borrowed my Dad's paperback and queued it up for a January read. [6] My vague recollection (footnote #4, vide infra) turned out to be pretty close--so at least that much was memorable, but I'd forgotten some of the other depth. Though calling it "depth" is maybe too generous? What Clancy does with this book is go bonkers with the espionage and counterintelligence business. He goes out of his way to include every facet: the analysis and speculation, the field operations, agents, double-agents, counter agents, double counter agents, spy satellites, submarines, extractions, kidnapping, disguises, botched missions, and the kind of at-the-highest-levels manifestations of what can only be boiled down to extortion. It's all in there.
And/but I had completely forgotten about the whole sub-plot with "the Archer" and all the Afghan mujahideen stuff. The spy junk that makes up 70-80% of the book is great--but it would have been a completely two-dimensional arc. It helps to be reminded that the conflicts between the super-powers did not take place in a vacuum, and what was it that Archimedes said about long-enough levers?
But there was also a huge let-down here. The big Act Two climax that bridges us into those closing chapters had a bizarre and almost nonsensical setup. I'm sorry but I'm just having too tough a time making that leap with you there, Tom.
The whole Bea-Candi-Gregory not-quite-love-triangle bit aside, the novel was a fun read and full of every kind of semi-kinda/sorta-mostly realistics it-could-happen spy business you could want. It certainly tickled my Cold War Nostalgia.
---
[1] And I don't even particularly like Hemingway.
[2] Largely males ages 18-65? Largely white? Largely dudes who self-report their favorite movies as "Top Gun" and/or "Rambo" and/or "Red Dawn"?
[3] Yes, I was effectively a child.
[4] I knew it was about spies, and SDI lasers.
[5] I remembered the scene where Mary Pat Foley scribbled "Let's give these microphones a hard-on!!"
[6] I had to get through Neanderthal and The Untouchable before that, first.
[7] And/but/which would still not paint a picture of Bea as a lesbian, though that might have painted a picture of her as a lesbian as seen through the lens of the Conservative White Male. Maybe.
April 24, 2024
Libro rapido e godibile, senza grosse pretese.
Un ottimo modo per rimettermi in pace coi libri dopo l'esperienza fallimentare con Wallace.
Torna in scena per l'ultima volta il Cardinale, il militare russo di alto livello diventato da trent'anni spia per gli americani: scopriamo qui chi è, la sua storia e come alla fine si ritrovi in grande pericolo.
Ritroviamo Ed e Pat, la coppia di spie dell'ambasciata russa, Mancuso e il comandante dell'Ottobre Rosso, Clark e Jones, e assistiamo a colloqui di "pace" tra Usa e Russia mentre sullo sfondo si creano scudi spaziali e l'Afghanistan è terra di conquista.
Ryan compare sullo sfondo, eccezion fatta per la parte finale dove entra in scena con una sua idea finendo in prima linea.
Ecco, magari mi aspettavo una sua presenza un po' maggiore.
Comunque un buono svago
Un ottimo modo per rimettermi in pace coi libri dopo l'esperienza fallimentare con Wallace.
Torna in scena per l'ultima volta il Cardinale, il militare russo di alto livello diventato da trent'anni spia per gli americani: scopriamo qui chi è, la sua storia e come alla fine si ritrovi in grande pericolo.
Ritroviamo Ed e Pat, la coppia di spie dell'ambasciata russa, Mancuso e il comandante dell'Ottobre Rosso, Clark e Jones, e assistiamo a colloqui di "pace" tra Usa e Russia mentre sullo sfondo si creano scudi spaziali e l'Afghanistan è terra di conquista.
Ryan compare sullo sfondo, eccezion fatta per la parte finale dove entra in scena con una sua idea finendo in prima linea.
Ecco, magari mi aspettavo una sua presenza un po' maggiore.
Comunque un buono svago
December 18, 2019
The Cardinal of the Kremlin by Tom Clancy. Colonel Mikhail Semyonovich “Misha” 3 time winner of the medal Hero of the Soviet Union during WW2. By the 60s he had become disillusioned with everything incompetent leaders and wasteful loss of lives. CIA Recruited Misha after the deaths of his wife and 2 sons becoming its most valuable asset in the upper echelons of Soviet power. After a bungled effort to get information regarding USSR Star Wars program the much vaunted anti nuclear balĺistic missile program to shoot down missiles with lasers. Misha captured tortured but unbroken but for how long. Realising this the CIA go with Jack Ryan’s rescue plan. What follows is intrigue and dastardly acts sneaking behind and full on frontal attacks. What I thought were side stories like the Archer cleverly Clancy has intricately interwoven and meshed together several side plots. Battle tactics and best laid plans laid to waste and even believable if or unbelievable technologies were created however some fantastic ideas and possibilities abounds. Anyway a long story but very worthwhile
October 8, 2017
Executive Summary: I found this one a bit uneven. The start was pretty slow, but the pace picked up as it went on. Good, but not great.
Audiobook: Michael Prichard did a decent job narrating. He spoke clearly with good inflection and volume, but didn't really add anything to the book. Audio a good option, but definitely not a must listen.
Full Review
I mostly read SFF, so it's always nice to take a break with another genre. I hadn't exactly planned to listen to this one, but I had put a hold in for this awhile back because the wait list was pretty long. The timing on my hold worked out pretty well to fit this into my schedule.
When I was younger I probably read thrillers more than any other genre, but I never read and Tom Clancy apart from Net Force (and in writing this review I discovered he didn't even write that). I had watched all the Jack Ryan movies however. I'm still working my way slowly through the entire series in publication order, and this one was up next.
It certainly doesn't have the name recognition of several of the other Jack Ryan books, but it was a fairly solid entry. I found it slow in the early going, and wasn't really getting into it. There were a few different subplots, including a random Afghani mujahideen whose name we never learn, and is simply referred to as the Archer. I had no idea how that was supposed to tie in with everything else going on.
As someone who was born in the 80's, I didn't learn about our involvement with helping the mujahideen, until much later. I must admit it seemed a bit strange to me reading this after we've been fighting in Afghanistan ourselves for so many years. That aside, it took quite some time for the relevance of Archer's storyline to fit into the larger picture.
Jack Ryan is once again at the center of the story, but one could argue not the most important character. That may be the titular character the Cardinal himself, or possibly one of the other players in Russia. That doesn't mean he isn't a key player, but there is a lot of time spent away from Jack and his actions in this one.
This book certainly had a lot more espionage than the previous books. I liked how Mr. Clancy presented both the American and Soviet sides. At times I felt he was a bit too eager to paint the Americans as lagging behind the Soviets. This isn't from any sense of superiority as an American, but simply that it felt like he was doing it try to ratchet up the stakes a bit too much.
In the end though, I thought it was a pretty well balanced, with people on both sides of the conflict who simply wished to avoid further escalation of conflict between the US and the Soviet Union. Both sides made mistakes, and both sides took advantage of their adversaries mistakes.
There wasn't a whole lot of action in this one. Most of the tension comes from the various spy plots. Don't get me wrong, there are still a few gunfights, explosions and a car chase, but I felt like they aren't as prevalent as other Jack Ryan stories.
I thought the end of the book really picked up the pacing, likely because the early part spent so much time moving the pieces into place and setting up the stakes of the book.
I enjoyed the book, but I didn't love it. I'm glad my library seems to have the whole series in digital audio now, so I can simply borrow these books rather than buying any more of them. I suspect most of them will be in the fun, but not spectacular category that I'd place this book.
Audiobook: Michael Prichard did a decent job narrating. He spoke clearly with good inflection and volume, but didn't really add anything to the book. Audio a good option, but definitely not a must listen.
Full Review
I mostly read SFF, so it's always nice to take a break with another genre. I hadn't exactly planned to listen to this one, but I had put a hold in for this awhile back because the wait list was pretty long. The timing on my hold worked out pretty well to fit this into my schedule.
When I was younger I probably read thrillers more than any other genre, but I never read and Tom Clancy apart from Net Force (and in writing this review I discovered he didn't even write that). I had watched all the Jack Ryan movies however. I'm still working my way slowly through the entire series in publication order, and this one was up next.
It certainly doesn't have the name recognition of several of the other Jack Ryan books, but it was a fairly solid entry. I found it slow in the early going, and wasn't really getting into it. There were a few different subplots, including a random Afghani mujahideen whose name we never learn, and is simply referred to as the Archer. I had no idea how that was supposed to tie in with everything else going on.
As someone who was born in the 80's, I didn't learn about our involvement with helping the mujahideen, until much later. I must admit it seemed a bit strange to me reading this after we've been fighting in Afghanistan ourselves for so many years. That aside, it took quite some time for the relevance of Archer's storyline to fit into the larger picture.
Jack Ryan is once again at the center of the story, but one could argue not the most important character. That may be the titular character the Cardinal himself, or possibly one of the other players in Russia. That doesn't mean he isn't a key player, but there is a lot of time spent away from Jack and his actions in this one.
This book certainly had a lot more espionage than the previous books. I liked how Mr. Clancy presented both the American and Soviet sides. At times I felt he was a bit too eager to paint the Americans as lagging behind the Soviets. This isn't from any sense of superiority as an American, but simply that it felt like he was doing it try to ratchet up the stakes a bit too much.
In the end though, I thought it was a pretty well balanced, with people on both sides of the conflict who simply wished to avoid further escalation of conflict between the US and the Soviet Union. Both sides made mistakes, and both sides took advantage of their adversaries mistakes.
There wasn't a whole lot of action in this one. Most of the tension comes from the various spy plots. Don't get me wrong, there are still a few gunfights, explosions and a car chase, but I felt like they aren't as prevalent as other Jack Ryan stories.
I thought the end of the book really picked up the pacing, likely because the early part spent so much time moving the pieces into place and setting up the stakes of the book.
I enjoyed the book, but I didn't love it. I'm glad my library seems to have the whole series in digital audio now, so I can simply borrow these books rather than buying any more of them. I suspect most of them will be in the fun, but not spectacular category that I'd place this book.
May 10, 2012
One of the best stories by one of my favorite authors, which I first read in 1992. Whenever one of Tom Clancy's novels deals with any subject I know a little something about, it always strikes me as being well-written and true-to-life. This novel deals with spies and counter-intelligence, subjects about which I know very little; however, based upon what Clancy has written about on other topics, I am left with the strong impression that this story rings true to life, as well. It is based upon the premise that the American CIA has had a deep-cover agent operating in the Soviet Union's Ministry of Defense for thirty years. The spy, code named "Cardinal," has recently come under suspicion by the KGB, but his high position in the ministry, as well as his status as a war hero, makes him as near to "untouchable" as it is possible to be in the U.S.S.R. As the KGB agent works to develop his evidence into the airtight case that he needs in order to arrest and expose Cardinal, the CIA learns of the investigation, and it becomes a race against time as the Americans develop a plan to rescue Cardinal and get him out before the KGB can arrest him, and very likely execute him. This story is a sequel to "The Hunt for Red October" and features Jack Ryan, the CIA analyst who spearheaded the Red October mission. It is Clancy at his very best!
September 7, 2021
Auf Tolstojs Spuren im Starwars-Zeitalter
Drei der vier ersten Abenteuer von Jack Ryan wurden verfilmt, mit enormem Mut zur Lücke und allerlei Veränderungen, die sogar Atze Brauners Karl-May-Streifen mit Pierre Briece, Lex Barker und Stewart Granger als werkgetreu erscheinen lassen.
Um den Kardinal, der im Zyklus um den Aufstieg eines Laien ins Amt des US-Präsidenten, eine wesentliche Brückenfunktion einnimmt, hat Hollywood stets einen Bogen gemacht. Dafür gibt es durchaus nachvollziehbare Gründe: zu viele Handlungsstränge und eine zu kleine Rolle für den Haupthelden, dem der Verfasser allerlei Fehler zubilligt, die einem Zivilisten ohne Agentenausbildung früher oder später unterlaufen müssen. Ziemlich viele Szenen in den Star-Wars-Laboratorien der beiden Supermächte, - aber immerhin gibt es einen ganz gewaltigen Showdown zwischen einer Mudschaheddin-Truppe und der auf asymetrische Kriegsführung ganz und gar nicht eingestellten Schutztruppe des KGB. Die Geheimwaffe der Russen ist eine frustrierte Lesbierin, die an der Entführung des wesentlichen US-Technikers beteiligt ist, - in der Hoffnung, dass die Entfernung des Ärgernisses für freie Fahrt bei der College-Freundin sorgt. Der Titelheld ist ein Agent auf höchster Ebene, der als Held der Sowjetunion über jeden Zweifel erhaben scheint, aber seit bald 30 Jahren zuverlässig liefert, auch entscheidende Informationen zu Zeiten der Kuba-Krise und aktuell über das Laserprojekt. Dazu kommt noch ein Strang, der die Fans von Roter Oktober bei der Stange halten soll, sich aber als ziemlich übler Ballast erweist. Auch wenn die Dallas mit Außenagent Clark, auch noch eine Rolle bei der Evakuierung der Familie des prominenten Beifangs spielt.
Die Kapitel mit dem führenden Mudjaheddin, dem Archer, der mit Stinger-Raketen sowjetische Hind-Helis vom Himmel holt, bilden einen leichten Einstieg, sind aber, wie man inzwischen weiß, zeitgenössischer Propaganda-Kitsch, die Dialoge der regulären afghanischen Truppen über die Russen und ihre Loyalität zu den Besatzern, dürften auch unter amerikanischer Führung kaum anders abgelaufen sein. Die restliche Handlung kommt nicht ganz so schnell in Gang, die Vorgeschichte des Kardinals geht bis in den zweiten Weltkrieg zurück und wird in zahlreichen Selbstgesprächen immer wieder durchgekaut. Außerdem besucht der 70jährige Held der Sowjetunion die Star-Wars-Basis seines Landes in Tadschikisten, während Jack Ryan seinerseits eine Lehre in Sachen militärischer Lasertechnik absolvieren muss. Dann werden noch die Fowleys eingeführt, das erfolgreiche Agentenpaar, das den Wanzen ein dauergeiles amerikanisches Durchschnittspaar vorspielt.
Der Mittelteil gerät zum Duell zwischen Jack Ryan und dem KGB-Chef, der die Perestroika-Clique ausschalten will und nach allerlei US-Pannen im Umfeld der Übermittlungskette des Kardinals, sogar gute Chancen dazu hat, da die Hausmacht von Naramanov (=Gorbi) danach massiv angeschlagen ist. Dass Jack Ryan, der meint, die Russen seinen auch im wirklichen Leben Schachspieler, die sich auf die üblichen Felder und klassische Züge beschränken, verkompliziert die Lage weiter. Doch auch die schnelle Eingreiftruppe hat so ihre Probleme mit dem amerikanischen Alltag und seinen Tücken.
In dieser Phase, die den Gipfelpunkt der qualitativen Achterbahnfahrt darstellt, war ich nahe dran, den schleppenden Start zu verdrängen oder allzu viele Erzählstränge, dem Versuch zuzubilligen, ein zeitgemäßes Krieg und Frieden zu schreiben. Denn immerhin schickt Clancy auf beiden Seiten keine Zerrbilder ins Rennen und erweist sich so weit als fairer Sportsmann, dass er die KGB-Ermittler 2:0 in Führung gehen lässt. Da bricht sein Patriotismus oder die Fan-Seele doch durch, samt einer gewissen Schadenfreude. Zwar sorgt ein weiterer Patzer Ryans dafür, dass die zweite Reihe wittert, dass etwas nicht stimmt und das 3:4 landet, was die finale Spannung noch einmal erhöht, da Ryan auf feindlichem Territorium zurück bleiben muss, damit die wertvolle-Überläufer-Fracht schon mal abhaben kann. Mehr Nervenkitzel will der Autor sich und seinen Lesern dann doch nicht zumuten, das letzte Gefecht zwischen dem guten Sowjet und der Truppe des Archers, die das sowjetische Starwars-Programm um zwei Jahre zurück wirft, hat mich ziemlich kalt gelassen. Wie alle anderen großen Schusswechsel dieses Autors, der Massenszenen einfach nicht spannend inszenieren kann.
Fazit: Schade, die Konfliktlage hatte mehr Potenzial, aber der Autor nicht die Disziplin den Spannungsbogen lange genug durchzuhalten, dass ein großer Wurf daraus wird. Zudem erwies sich das Bonusprogramm für die Leserschaft des Roten Oktober als ziemlicher Ballast. Das Personal ist, auch wenn Clancy die Aktionen ausreichend motiviert, insgesamt zu flach geraten, von daher drei Sterne.
Drei der vier ersten Abenteuer von Jack Ryan wurden verfilmt, mit enormem Mut zur Lücke und allerlei Veränderungen, die sogar Atze Brauners Karl-May-Streifen mit Pierre Briece, Lex Barker und Stewart Granger als werkgetreu erscheinen lassen.
Um den Kardinal, der im Zyklus um den Aufstieg eines Laien ins Amt des US-Präsidenten, eine wesentliche Brückenfunktion einnimmt, hat Hollywood stets einen Bogen gemacht. Dafür gibt es durchaus nachvollziehbare Gründe: zu viele Handlungsstränge und eine zu kleine Rolle für den Haupthelden, dem der Verfasser allerlei Fehler zubilligt, die einem Zivilisten ohne Agentenausbildung früher oder später unterlaufen müssen. Ziemlich viele Szenen in den Star-Wars-Laboratorien der beiden Supermächte, - aber immerhin gibt es einen ganz gewaltigen Showdown zwischen einer Mudschaheddin-Truppe und der auf asymetrische Kriegsführung ganz und gar nicht eingestellten Schutztruppe des KGB. Die Geheimwaffe der Russen ist eine frustrierte Lesbierin, die an der Entführung des wesentlichen US-Technikers beteiligt ist, - in der Hoffnung, dass die Entfernung des Ärgernisses für freie Fahrt bei der College-Freundin sorgt. Der Titelheld ist ein Agent auf höchster Ebene, der als Held der Sowjetunion über jeden Zweifel erhaben scheint, aber seit bald 30 Jahren zuverlässig liefert, auch entscheidende Informationen zu Zeiten der Kuba-Krise und aktuell über das Laserprojekt. Dazu kommt noch ein Strang, der die Fans von Roter Oktober bei der Stange halten soll, sich aber als ziemlich übler Ballast erweist. Auch wenn die Dallas mit Außenagent Clark, auch noch eine Rolle bei der Evakuierung der Familie des prominenten Beifangs spielt.
Die Kapitel mit dem führenden Mudjaheddin, dem Archer, der mit Stinger-Raketen sowjetische Hind-Helis vom Himmel holt, bilden einen leichten Einstieg, sind aber, wie man inzwischen weiß, zeitgenössischer Propaganda-Kitsch, die Dialoge der regulären afghanischen Truppen über die Russen und ihre Loyalität zu den Besatzern, dürften auch unter amerikanischer Führung kaum anders abgelaufen sein. Die restliche Handlung kommt nicht ganz so schnell in Gang, die Vorgeschichte des Kardinals geht bis in den zweiten Weltkrieg zurück und wird in zahlreichen Selbstgesprächen immer wieder durchgekaut. Außerdem besucht der 70jährige Held der Sowjetunion die Star-Wars-Basis seines Landes in Tadschikisten, während Jack Ryan seinerseits eine Lehre in Sachen militärischer Lasertechnik absolvieren muss. Dann werden noch die Fowleys eingeführt, das erfolgreiche Agentenpaar, das den Wanzen ein dauergeiles amerikanisches Durchschnittspaar vorspielt.
Der Mittelteil gerät zum Duell zwischen Jack Ryan und dem KGB-Chef, der die Perestroika-Clique ausschalten will und nach allerlei US-Pannen im Umfeld der Übermittlungskette des Kardinals, sogar gute Chancen dazu hat, da die Hausmacht von Naramanov (=Gorbi) danach massiv angeschlagen ist. Dass Jack Ryan, der meint, die Russen seinen auch im wirklichen Leben Schachspieler, die sich auf die üblichen Felder und klassische Züge beschränken, verkompliziert die Lage weiter. Doch auch die schnelle Eingreiftruppe hat so ihre Probleme mit dem amerikanischen Alltag und seinen Tücken.
In dieser Phase, die den Gipfelpunkt der qualitativen Achterbahnfahrt darstellt, war ich nahe dran, den schleppenden Start zu verdrängen oder allzu viele Erzählstränge, dem Versuch zuzubilligen, ein zeitgemäßes Krieg und Frieden zu schreiben. Denn immerhin schickt Clancy auf beiden Seiten keine Zerrbilder ins Rennen und erweist sich so weit als fairer Sportsmann, dass er die KGB-Ermittler 2:0 in Führung gehen lässt. Da bricht sein Patriotismus oder die Fan-Seele doch durch, samt einer gewissen Schadenfreude. Zwar sorgt ein weiterer Patzer Ryans dafür, dass die zweite Reihe wittert, dass etwas nicht stimmt und das 3:4 landet, was die finale Spannung noch einmal erhöht, da Ryan auf feindlichem Territorium zurück bleiben muss, damit die wertvolle-Überläufer-Fracht schon mal abhaben kann. Mehr Nervenkitzel will der Autor sich und seinen Lesern dann doch nicht zumuten, das letzte Gefecht zwischen dem guten Sowjet und der Truppe des Archers, die das sowjetische Starwars-Programm um zwei Jahre zurück wirft, hat mich ziemlich kalt gelassen. Wie alle anderen großen Schusswechsel dieses Autors, der Massenszenen einfach nicht spannend inszenieren kann.
Fazit: Schade, die Konfliktlage hatte mehr Potenzial, aber der Autor nicht die Disziplin den Spannungsbogen lange genug durchzuhalten, dass ein großer Wurf daraus wird. Zudem erwies sich das Bonusprogramm für die Leserschaft des Roten Oktober als ziemlicher Ballast. Das Personal ist, auch wenn Clancy die Aktionen ausreichend motiviert, insgesamt zu flach geraten, von daher drei Sterne.
December 14, 2016
Man, one of the underrated casualties of the fall of the Soviet Union was Tom Clancy's career. The spy plot of this book is fun, if hokey, yoked as it is to the author's political agenda ("STAR WARS! It's how today's serious armchair generals stroke their chins and avow hatred for war.") and the demands of writing massive best sellers (CIA's eponymous, undetectable agent: a tough old Red Army superhero who blew up swathes of Nazis and loves his homeland, but who sees the evils of Communism when his family is killed by the needs of the many) . . . but what an agenda it is. CIA's not incompetent, they just want us to think so. President Whoever-it-is (nope, didn't call him Reagan, didn't say it) is a damned fine guy in person: sharp, humane, and behind his top men to the end. What gall! What fun!
And then the 80s throwback humor: KGB agents, marveling at the nutritional wonder of the BK Whopper. Mujahideen as valiant freedom fighters (!!!). SEC insider trading investigations falling willy-nilly on even the immaculate Jack Ryan. KGB agents, again, thankful for sugary American breakfast foods to power them through their days of kidnapping American antiballistic missile experts (albeit unsuccessfully -- huh. maybe Clancy's crack about sugar was wilier than it looked). If only the USSR had lived to provide a stage of Communist oppression and Western techno-spying for another thirty years.
And then the 80s throwback humor: KGB agents, marveling at the nutritional wonder of the BK Whopper. Mujahideen as valiant freedom fighters (!!!). SEC insider trading investigations falling willy-nilly on even the immaculate Jack Ryan. KGB agents, again, thankful for sugary American breakfast foods to power them through their days of kidnapping American antiballistic missile experts (albeit unsuccessfully -- huh. maybe Clancy's crack about sugar was wilier than it looked). If only the USSR had lived to provide a stage of Communist oppression and Western techno-spying for another thirty years.
January 1, 2021
Classic Clancy. Perhaps his best work. Gripping, insightful, exciting. He was truly a master storyteller, the likes of which we probably won't see again in the political/military/espionage world. The first appearance by John Clark, the first appearance of Sergey Golovko, a few cameos from 'The Hunt for Red October' and a stunning ending.
November 1, 2015
Could've told the story in 300 pgs instead of 700. Too many meaningless characters. Predictable ending. BORING meandering gibberish plot line. Jingoism at its worst. Complete waste of time. Clancy is the most overrated writer of words (can't call him an author) of our time.
May 21, 2015
Tom Clancy, is the man whose name is on the cover of some of the most popular games and movies of the military genre. Hunt for Red October, Clear and Present Danger, The Sum of All Fears, Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, and many more. He was one of the most famous military novel authors of all-time and naturally when I wanted to dip my toes into a military novel, Tom Clancy’s name was the first on my list.
Obviously I would be in for a treat that would blow my mind, right? Right?
WRONG!
The Cardinal of the Kremlin managed to turn what was supposed to be an exciting espionage thriller into a boring, dull, way too verbose, sleep inducing novel. This book is boring. It’s so boring that boring wouldn’t be enough to describe what an utter snooze-fest this novel is. As I read past the first couple of chapters that talked about absolutely nothing. I asked myself, “How the hell did this author become world famous with a book like this?”
Now I read the reviews ahead of time. Most of the reviewers said that this was a great and enjoyable book and that you finally get a peek into what it’s like to partake in CIA activities. Sounded promising, sounded like it would be exciting, but no. Instead we’re treated to uninteresting characters, a lackluster plot, and prose so dry and vacant that it felt like I was stranded in a desert.
Without further ado, let’s find out exactly what went wrong in Tom Clancy’s The Cardinal of the Kremlin. (Also for some reason I have an impossibly hard time remembering the title of this book. That’s a strike against it already.)
Plot. What is the plot? Well the plot revolves around the (now scuttled) Star Wars Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) defense program. For those of you who failed ninth grade history in the United States, it was a program designed to shoot down nuclear missiles. Both Russia and the United States are trying to create an SDI which would make their countries immune to nuclear attacks.
In order to keep tabs on enemy progress. The United States has a high level spy embedded within the Russian government, codename CARDINAL. Unfortunately members of the KGB have caught onto his scent. Whoa. Actually this sounds kind of cool. Let me read this! *Opens the book* NO! GOD NO! It’s still BORING! How do you screw this up so badly?
For starters, the characters felt stereotypical and uninteresting. Maybe it’s just me but the Russian characters didn’t feel authentic Russian to me. From reading the dialogue it felt like Clancy only picked up a few Russian words and then decided to inject them at random. It felt corny and made it feel like an American tourist was writing dialogue. I’m no expert on Russian culture or characters or whatever but I have played Metro2033 which was written and created by an authentic Russian team. The difference between characterization makes Clancy seem like a rank amateur.
Not only did the Russians feel fake but they were also extremely boring. Every time we switched POV to the Russians, I’d die a little on the inside. There was nothing on the Russian side that made me want to read the story from their perspective and yet that’s what half of this book is about. Actually you know what? It didn’t really matter what POV I was presented with because I thought all of the characters were boring. Someone mentioned in their review that they loved the character Clark and when I finally ran into him in the book I found myself asking how that was possible. Clark, is only in the novel for about four scenes and then you never hear from him again.
The whole CIA espionage and tactics bits were incredibly lame as well. They lacked pizzazz and cleverness and wasn’t the focus of the book which was sorely disappointing. Instead, Clancy decides to bore us with the excessively long details on how the SDI laser system works, what type of mirrors they use, how much power they need to generate and . . . *snores.*
Huh, what, what was I saying? Oh right. Clancy then continues the bore train by giving us pointless briefings with poster boy Jack Ryan, then decides to focus on Afghani rebels fighting Soviets, then throws in a minor CIA spycraft scene before returning to talk about the stupid ass lasers and then returns to characters you don’t give a sh** about.
But what really hurts this book worse than the characters and the low stakes plot is the prose. Imagine taking a box of spaghetti or elbow macaroni, boiling it in water, then serving it without putting any seasoning, veggies, or flavor. That’s Tom Clancy’s prose in a nutshell.
It’s because of this dry prose that I constantly found myself falling asleep while reading this book. You can’t visualize the characters, the setting, or any of the things your brain craves when reading a good book. The world feels static and the only time the visuals come to life is when one of the action scenes come up. When the Afghani rebel known as “Archer” attempts to shoot down a Russian helicopter with a stinger. That’s when you can you can see the action. The world finally comes to life and you can easily visualize the giant, rotor spinning, tank killer machine coasting over the desert dunes.
And when that action sequence is over and we’re returned to the uninteresting characters, pointless dialogue, and excessively technical explanations. That’s when reading this book becomes a depressing chore. To quote a character from House of Cards, “It’s so boring you could put a crack addict to sleep.”
I honestly don’t know how this author became a best-seller. Clearly other people like it. Does that mean I’m not the target audience? How does that even make sense? I love things military and I love espionage and spycraft. I play all the top military games and am fascinated by CIA operations groups and Special Forces commandos. How could I not be the target demo?
The Cardinal in the Kremlin is a miserable first time exposure to a Tom Clancy novel. Some people might say that I should have started with the Hunt for Red October which was his best work. Yeah, I could have but I had already seen the movie. I didn’t want to read a book where I knew how it was going to end. I wanted to try something new and exciting. Surely, someone who was considered a best author should have a huge list of high quality novels to choose from. No, not the case here.
This wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read but it’s in third place of worst books I’ve ever read. Unfortunately, I also bought Red Storm Rising, so we’ll see if that book is any better. Either way, skip this novel if you’re planning on reading a military genre book.
Obviously I would be in for a treat that would blow my mind, right? Right?
WRONG!
The Cardinal of the Kremlin managed to turn what was supposed to be an exciting espionage thriller into a boring, dull, way too verbose, sleep inducing novel. This book is boring. It’s so boring that boring wouldn’t be enough to describe what an utter snooze-fest this novel is. As I read past the first couple of chapters that talked about absolutely nothing. I asked myself, “How the hell did this author become world famous with a book like this?”
Now I read the reviews ahead of time. Most of the reviewers said that this was a great and enjoyable book and that you finally get a peek into what it’s like to partake in CIA activities. Sounded promising, sounded like it would be exciting, but no. Instead we’re treated to uninteresting characters, a lackluster plot, and prose so dry and vacant that it felt like I was stranded in a desert.
Without further ado, let’s find out exactly what went wrong in Tom Clancy’s The Cardinal of the Kremlin. (Also for some reason I have an impossibly hard time remembering the title of this book. That’s a strike against it already.)
Plot. What is the plot? Well the plot revolves around the (now scuttled) Star Wars Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) defense program. For those of you who failed ninth grade history in the United States, it was a program designed to shoot down nuclear missiles. Both Russia and the United States are trying to create an SDI which would make their countries immune to nuclear attacks.
In order to keep tabs on enemy progress. The United States has a high level spy embedded within the Russian government, codename CARDINAL. Unfortunately members of the KGB have caught onto his scent. Whoa. Actually this sounds kind of cool. Let me read this! *Opens the book* NO! GOD NO! It’s still BORING! How do you screw this up so badly?
For starters, the characters felt stereotypical and uninteresting. Maybe it’s just me but the Russian characters didn’t feel authentic Russian to me. From reading the dialogue it felt like Clancy only picked up a few Russian words and then decided to inject them at random. It felt corny and made it feel like an American tourist was writing dialogue. I’m no expert on Russian culture or characters or whatever but I have played Metro2033 which was written and created by an authentic Russian team. The difference between characterization makes Clancy seem like a rank amateur.
Not only did the Russians feel fake but they were also extremely boring. Every time we switched POV to the Russians, I’d die a little on the inside. There was nothing on the Russian side that made me want to read the story from their perspective and yet that’s what half of this book is about. Actually you know what? It didn’t really matter what POV I was presented with because I thought all of the characters were boring. Someone mentioned in their review that they loved the character Clark and when I finally ran into him in the book I found myself asking how that was possible. Clark, is only in the novel for about four scenes and then you never hear from him again.
The whole CIA espionage and tactics bits were incredibly lame as well. They lacked pizzazz and cleverness and wasn’t the focus of the book which was sorely disappointing. Instead, Clancy decides to bore us with the excessively long details on how the SDI laser system works, what type of mirrors they use, how much power they need to generate and . . . *snores.*
Huh, what, what was I saying? Oh right. Clancy then continues the bore train by giving us pointless briefings with poster boy Jack Ryan, then decides to focus on Afghani rebels fighting Soviets, then throws in a minor CIA spycraft scene before returning to talk about the stupid ass lasers and then returns to characters you don’t give a sh** about.
But what really hurts this book worse than the characters and the low stakes plot is the prose. Imagine taking a box of spaghetti or elbow macaroni, boiling it in water, then serving it without putting any seasoning, veggies, or flavor. That’s Tom Clancy’s prose in a nutshell.
It’s because of this dry prose that I constantly found myself falling asleep while reading this book. You can’t visualize the characters, the setting, or any of the things your brain craves when reading a good book. The world feels static and the only time the visuals come to life is when one of the action scenes come up. When the Afghani rebel known as “Archer” attempts to shoot down a Russian helicopter with a stinger. That’s when you can you can see the action. The world finally comes to life and you can easily visualize the giant, rotor spinning, tank killer machine coasting over the desert dunes.
And when that action sequence is over and we’re returned to the uninteresting characters, pointless dialogue, and excessively technical explanations. That’s when reading this book becomes a depressing chore. To quote a character from House of Cards, “It’s so boring you could put a crack addict to sleep.”
I honestly don’t know how this author became a best-seller. Clearly other people like it. Does that mean I’m not the target audience? How does that even make sense? I love things military and I love espionage and spycraft. I play all the top military games and am fascinated by CIA operations groups and Special Forces commandos. How could I not be the target demo?
The Cardinal in the Kremlin is a miserable first time exposure to a Tom Clancy novel. Some people might say that I should have started with the Hunt for Red October which was his best work. Yeah, I could have but I had already seen the movie. I didn’t want to read a book where I knew how it was going to end. I wanted to try something new and exciting. Surely, someone who was considered a best author should have a huge list of high quality novels to choose from. No, not the case here.
This wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read but it’s in third place of worst books I’ve ever read. Unfortunately, I also bought Red Storm Rising, so we’ll see if that book is any better. Either way, skip this novel if you’re planning on reading a military genre book.
August 6, 2022
A great read. I usually enjoy Tom Clancy but now his older books are especially relevant.
It is very interesting to see how little Russian approach to warfare changed since the late 80’s. It is almost as if their war manuals haven’t changed in 40 years. Probably because they haven’t.
In this story Afghanistan war is, in an eerie parallel to a lot of what’s happening in Ukraine today. There are major differences, of course, but, I feel that Clancy captured spot on the spirit of autocratic society as well as the concept of Russian soul. Gloomy, dark thing that needs misery and misfortune to justify everything in life.
People who, instead of uplifting others around them, get jealous when others have more and work to bring them down cannot be reasoned with.
But they can be outsmarted, out politicked, and they respect brute force. That’s exactly what is happening in this novel. Ryan, as usual is very fun to follow around as he makes the best of tough situations.
Large chunk of the book focuses on spy-hood on both American and Soviet sides and was immensely interesting to read about and, I felt that Clancy maintained a good balance between sides.
Overall this is a great political thriller. I am definitely picking up more Clancy books!
Roman
It is very interesting to see how little Russian approach to warfare changed since the late 80’s. It is almost as if their war manuals haven’t changed in 40 years. Probably because they haven’t.
In this story Afghanistan war is, in an eerie parallel to a lot of what’s happening in Ukraine today. There are major differences, of course, but, I feel that Clancy captured spot on the spirit of autocratic society as well as the concept of Russian soul. Gloomy, dark thing that needs misery and misfortune to justify everything in life.
People who, instead of uplifting others around them, get jealous when others have more and work to bring them down cannot be reasoned with.
But they can be outsmarted, out politicked, and they respect brute force. That’s exactly what is happening in this novel. Ryan, as usual is very fun to follow around as he makes the best of tough situations.
Large chunk of the book focuses on spy-hood on both American and Soviet sides and was immensely interesting to read about and, I felt that Clancy maintained a good balance between sides.
Overall this is a great political thriller. I am definitely picking up more Clancy books!
Roman
September 11, 2013
One would not think the author could build an exciting story around something as predictable and scripted as an international summit, but when Tom Clancy's hero Jack Ryan is the aide charged with helping to write the script of the summit, the excitement will follow him. Indeed, international political currents co-mingle with individual rooting interests as those in high positions of the US government must decide how much risk repaying one man's loyalty is worth.
Clancy's storytelling continues to be engaging. This is true in part because he refuses to tip the scales in favor of the United States, portraying professionals on both sides of the Cold War making realistic decisions within the realm of the adjacent possible. Along the way, Clancy makes cogent observations about human character as played out in his cast and particularly engaging observations about American and Soviet character. Jack Ryan is clearly a man developing the set of experiences and the temperament for higher office, and getting to see that up close in fiction is enough to keep me reading at the times when Tom Clancy seems to get lost in his love for weapons and technology.
Clancy's storytelling continues to be engaging. This is true in part because he refuses to tip the scales in favor of the United States, portraying professionals on both sides of the Cold War making realistic decisions within the realm of the adjacent possible. Along the way, Clancy makes cogent observations about human character as played out in his cast and particularly engaging observations about American and Soviet character. Jack Ryan is clearly a man developing the set of experiences and the temperament for higher office, and getting to see that up close in fiction is enough to keep me reading at the times when Tom Clancy seems to get lost in his love for weapons and technology.
September 29, 2022
I read once that Steve Alten's Publisher made him rewrite 'The Meg' because there were too many characters. I wonder if this was the book that started the publisher's rule, because there were so many characters, i honestly couldn't remember who half of them were most of the time, that being said, very little in here endeared them to me either.
I suppose all i can say is this is a typical cold war era novel, very pro Regan America, but with little in the way of character growth, development or depth. Great for anyone looking to help put them to sleep at night.
I suppose all i can say is this is a typical cold war era novel, very pro Regan America, but with little in the way of character growth, development or depth. Great for anyone looking to help put them to sleep at night.
August 31, 2010
This is the book that turned me off to Tom Clancy once and for all. If you insist on braving it, here's a tip: skip the first third of the novel. It serves no purpose.
November 4, 2015
Once again there is a good story here buried in verbosity. I am surprised how popular Clancy's books are when so far half of them that I have read have been boring.
July 24, 2018
He leído una versión de la novela con mala traducción y con mala maquetación, así que la lectura no ha sido agradable.
La introducción al meollo de esta novela de espías, donde presenta el estado de la “guerra de las galaxias” me ha parecido demasiado larga.
Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford en las pelis) tiene un protagonismo discreto durante gran, gran parte de la novela. Vale, a partir de la mitad gana en protagonismo.
Lo siento, pero ver a los fedayines (al menos no son mujahidines) como “buenos” me ha costado mucho a la luz de lo que aconteció después. Se le nota que está escrita en el 1987…
Mucho espía pero un desarrollo un poco lento.
Y eso, que con todo lo anterior solo le aúpa a las tres estrellas el que me gusta el estilo directo, con mucho diálogo. no he tenido mucho éxito en mi estreno con Clancy, no.
La introducción al meollo de esta novela de espías, donde presenta el estado de la “guerra de las galaxias” me ha parecido demasiado larga.
Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford en las pelis) tiene un protagonismo discreto durante gran, gran parte de la novela. Vale, a partir de la mitad gana en protagonismo.
Lo siento, pero ver a los fedayines (al menos no son mujahidines) como “buenos” me ha costado mucho a la luz de lo que aconteció después. Se le nota que está escrita en el 1987…
Mucho espía pero un desarrollo un poco lento.
Y eso, que con todo lo anterior solo le aúpa a las tres estrellas el que me gusta el estilo directo, con mucho diálogo. no he tenido mucho éxito en mi estreno con Clancy, no.
July 21, 2024
Objectively. The Cardinal of the Kremlin is probably a 3 star book. The pacing is just too slow for a "thriller." However, I really love certain characters and certain story elements in this book, so much so that I'm giving it an extra star.
March 3, 2025
Was it the best book I ever read, no. Was it entertaining, yes.
March 5, 2012
The Cardinal of the Kremlin
The Cardinal of the Kremlin by Tom Clancy recounts a fictional story of political intrigue and espionage between the United States of America and the United Soviet Socialist Republic (U.S.S.R.) during the Cold War era. The book is 547 pages long, and was published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons in 1988. The plot revolves around the two nation’s development of a program akin to the Strategic Defense Initiative originally proposed by Ronald Reagan, which was devoted to serve as an aegis to the country in the event of nuclear war. The main characters are Jack Ryan, a United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) counter-espionage data analyst, and Colonel Mikhail Semyonovich Filitov also known as the Cardinal, a highly placed spy in the Soviet Defense Ministry. The Cardinal of the Kremlin is predominantly in the point of view of Jack Ryan, however it does change to encompass Colonel Filitov, the Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnasti (KGB) Chairman Gerasimov, and various lower stationed officials. Tom Clancy utilizes characterization, point of view, and setting to present the audience with the full story in a convoluted plot around the clandestine art known as espionage.
Tom Clancy breaks through the traditional “secret agent” archetype in order to present the audience with memorable and relatable characters. The main character, Jack Ryan, is not a clandestine, silver-tongued agent, but rather a wealthy ex-marine who spends most of his time analyzing data at a desk at the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Likewise, Colonel “Misha” Filitov is not a dapper young American sympathizer, instead he is an aged Soviet war hero that fulfills a role akin to secretary to the defense minister. With the plethora of spy novels available, Clancy’s characterization of these key figures sets his novel apart. As with any spy novel, The Cardinal of the Kremlin is full of unforeseen plot twists, many of them uncontrollable, and many of them facilitated by these characters themselves. Clancy’s deep and personal characterization allows the reader to understand why characters made the choices that they did.
The way of espionage is “to know” without allowing one’s enemies “to know”, therefore it would not be logical if one character with a single allegiance knows all of the facts. Tom Clancy expertly utilizes point of view to present readers with the full story in a realistic fashion. Usually, Jack Ryan or a lesser functionary is used to convey the United States’ plans and knowledge, while Misha Filitov or Chairman Gerasimov fulfills a similar role for the U.S.S.R. As is true in reality none of these characters, no matter rank, have the full picture. To remedy this, Clancy uses perspective changes to give the reader the entire story while still maintaining realism. Utilizing point of view in this fashion allows for dramatic irony, however given the context it is usually fairly somber.
The Cardinal of the Kremlin is set predominantly in the Soviet Union during the Cold War. However, Clancy also utilizes various locations in the United States and the Afghan-Pakistani border. Due to the sparsely populated nature of the U.S.S.R., the upper echelons of military and civilian society inhabit Moscow, the capital. This means that most of the state decisions are made in Moscow, therefore the majority of politics and intrigue occur there. At this time the Soviet Union is fighting a war against the United States-backed Muhajideen in Afghanistan and Pakistan. By incorporating this location Clancy is able to add action to the novel, without which he would lose many of his reader’s attention. While much of the political machinations take place in Moscow, the United States, particularly Washington D.C. and New Mexico are also settings. These places are where the United States agents and functionaries meet and voice their thoughts and plans. Whereas doing so in Moscow would be committing the unthinkable. Throughout the novel, Clancy maintains a sense of realism which is continued in the setting as all of the locations were important during the Cold War.
Tom Clancy masterfully manipulates characterization, point of view, and setting to present a realistic espionage novel that shatters typical archetypes. Rather than the common furtive, clandestine, spies who typically inhabit “spy” novels, Clancy’s characters are each unique and resemble an everyday person one may meet. Clancy also makes successful use of point of view in order to present the audience with the full story while still making the book believable. His choice of setting serves both to hold the reader’s attention while not detracting from the other facets of the story. The Cardinal of the Kremlin is an engaging espionage novel that breaks the usual boundaries while still maintaining the sense of realism that is eminent in all of his publications.
The Cardinal of the Kremlin by Tom Clancy recounts a fictional story of political intrigue and espionage between the United States of America and the United Soviet Socialist Republic (U.S.S.R.) during the Cold War era. The book is 547 pages long, and was published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons in 1988. The plot revolves around the two nation’s development of a program akin to the Strategic Defense Initiative originally proposed by Ronald Reagan, which was devoted to serve as an aegis to the country in the event of nuclear war. The main characters are Jack Ryan, a United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) counter-espionage data analyst, and Colonel Mikhail Semyonovich Filitov also known as the Cardinal, a highly placed spy in the Soviet Defense Ministry. The Cardinal of the Kremlin is predominantly in the point of view of Jack Ryan, however it does change to encompass Colonel Filitov, the Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnasti (KGB) Chairman Gerasimov, and various lower stationed officials. Tom Clancy utilizes characterization, point of view, and setting to present the audience with the full story in a convoluted plot around the clandestine art known as espionage.
Tom Clancy breaks through the traditional “secret agent” archetype in order to present the audience with memorable and relatable characters. The main character, Jack Ryan, is not a clandestine, silver-tongued agent, but rather a wealthy ex-marine who spends most of his time analyzing data at a desk at the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Likewise, Colonel “Misha” Filitov is not a dapper young American sympathizer, instead he is an aged Soviet war hero that fulfills a role akin to secretary to the defense minister. With the plethora of spy novels available, Clancy’s characterization of these key figures sets his novel apart. As with any spy novel, The Cardinal of the Kremlin is full of unforeseen plot twists, many of them uncontrollable, and many of them facilitated by these characters themselves. Clancy’s deep and personal characterization allows the reader to understand why characters made the choices that they did.
The way of espionage is “to know” without allowing one’s enemies “to know”, therefore it would not be logical if one character with a single allegiance knows all of the facts. Tom Clancy expertly utilizes point of view to present readers with the full story in a realistic fashion. Usually, Jack Ryan or a lesser functionary is used to convey the United States’ plans and knowledge, while Misha Filitov or Chairman Gerasimov fulfills a similar role for the U.S.S.R. As is true in reality none of these characters, no matter rank, have the full picture. To remedy this, Clancy uses perspective changes to give the reader the entire story while still maintaining realism. Utilizing point of view in this fashion allows for dramatic irony, however given the context it is usually fairly somber.
The Cardinal of the Kremlin is set predominantly in the Soviet Union during the Cold War. However, Clancy also utilizes various locations in the United States and the Afghan-Pakistani border. Due to the sparsely populated nature of the U.S.S.R., the upper echelons of military and civilian society inhabit Moscow, the capital. This means that most of the state decisions are made in Moscow, therefore the majority of politics and intrigue occur there. At this time the Soviet Union is fighting a war against the United States-backed Muhajideen in Afghanistan and Pakistan. By incorporating this location Clancy is able to add action to the novel, without which he would lose many of his reader’s attention. While much of the political machinations take place in Moscow, the United States, particularly Washington D.C. and New Mexico are also settings. These places are where the United States agents and functionaries meet and voice their thoughts and plans. Whereas doing so in Moscow would be committing the unthinkable. Throughout the novel, Clancy maintains a sense of realism which is continued in the setting as all of the locations were important during the Cold War.
Tom Clancy masterfully manipulates characterization, point of view, and setting to present a realistic espionage novel that shatters typical archetypes. Rather than the common furtive, clandestine, spies who typically inhabit “spy” novels, Clancy’s characters are each unique and resemble an everyday person one may meet. Clancy also makes successful use of point of view in order to present the audience with the full story while still making the book believable. His choice of setting serves both to hold the reader’s attention while not detracting from the other facets of the story. The Cardinal of the Kremlin is an engaging espionage novel that breaks the usual boundaries while still maintaining the sense of realism that is eminent in all of his publications.
May 7, 2012
I had been meaning to read "Cardinal of the Kremlin" now for several years. Published in 1988, it is one of the older Jack Ryan technothrillers, one that I had bypassed when I started reading Clancy's works, first "Red Storm Rising" and then beginning the Jack Ryan saga with "Clear and Present Danger." I had - with the exception of "Without Remorse" and the newly published "Red Rabbit"- read all of the other subsequent books, and those books that I did not read I had seen the movie version (namely "The Hunt For Red October" and "Patriot Games"). I had resisted reading this one, or perhaps I should say I hadn't placed a high priority on this one, as they never filmed it, and it was a book very much steeped in Cold War intrigue, much of the novel taking place in the Soviet Union and involving two staples of the last years of the Cold War; "Star Wars" or the Strategic Defense Initiative (or to be more precise, something equivalent to it in the novel, a high-tech antiballistic missile or ABM system) and the Soviet war in Afghanistan. I was worried it would be antiquated, or that it would depict a Soviet Union that didn't really exist, as the collapse of the USSR in the late 1980s/early 1990s showed that how little the West really understood what the reality of the Soviet Union actually was.
I decided to read the book recently, partially to say I had read all of the Jack Ryan novels, partially because I wanted to know more of Ryan's history (events in this novel were referenced several times in Clancy's later works), and partially because I had decided to treat it as a period piece (and I have in the past enjoyed good tales of Cold War intrigue). I figured it would show an interesting, early Ryan, quite a bit different from the powerful and experienced one who eventually becomes President of the United States later on in the "Ryanverse" series.
I must say I enjoyed it. It wasn't my favorite of the Ryan series but it certainly held my interest and I found it a fast read. It was actually a rather enlightened novel, as it showed the Russians as real people; some were good, some were bad. The Soviets depicted were for the most part fairly well rounded individuals, who just like Americans simply wanted more or less the same thing out of life; basically success and happiness. Some were not good people but even they weren't depicted as moustache-twirling, cackling Cold War villains, though to be sure there were bad guys in the piece. While it is not surprising that the title character of the book - the Cardinal, Colonel Mikhail Filitov, a highly placed spy in the Soviet military - is shown as a good person, it was somewhat surprising that many of those opposed to his actions were not shown as evil or vile but simply as often good people doing their job. In essence, Clancy showed that while the Soviet regime was bad, its people weren't necessarily so. His view of governments versus people - particularly with regards to the Russians - holds true in his later works as well, showing a good deal of consistency in his writing. Perhaps I didn't give Clancy enough credit in this regard, I don't know. In any event I found myself occasionally rooting for characters in the novel who were actually opposed to Filitov, Ryan, and the other protagonists.
The novel itself was as some have said more of a straightforward spy novel than some of the other volumes in the Jack Ryan series, with many classic espionage scenes taking place in Moscow and involving the KGB. Five major plotlines are followed in the novel, with four of these plotlines tightly interwoven; the Soviet Union is pursuing a largely ground-based ABM system (Bright Star), the United States is also pursuing one named Tea Clipper (these plots also involved those in one program trying to spy on the other nation's efforts), Colonel Filitov is spying for the Americans (and related to that plotline, there are Russians trying to uncover him), and Jack Ryan and others in the American government are conducting arms reduction negotiations in Moscow (ultimately the latter storyline becomes subservient to the others) The fifth plotline revolves around an Afghan mudjaheddin named the "Archer" and his actions in Afghanistan against Soviet forces and doesn't tie in hardly at all at first though it does in the end (more or less I think).
Action-wise the book was middle of the road (if anything fairly light) until the end when several plotlines end in some violence (particularly the Archer plot). The storyline with Filitov ended with some surprise for me, though it was an ending hinted at in the later Ryan books I had read.
I decided to read the book recently, partially to say I had read all of the Jack Ryan novels, partially because I wanted to know more of Ryan's history (events in this novel were referenced several times in Clancy's later works), and partially because I had decided to treat it as a period piece (and I have in the past enjoyed good tales of Cold War intrigue). I figured it would show an interesting, early Ryan, quite a bit different from the powerful and experienced one who eventually becomes President of the United States later on in the "Ryanverse" series.
I must say I enjoyed it. It wasn't my favorite of the Ryan series but it certainly held my interest and I found it a fast read. It was actually a rather enlightened novel, as it showed the Russians as real people; some were good, some were bad. The Soviets depicted were for the most part fairly well rounded individuals, who just like Americans simply wanted more or less the same thing out of life; basically success and happiness. Some were not good people but even they weren't depicted as moustache-twirling, cackling Cold War villains, though to be sure there were bad guys in the piece. While it is not surprising that the title character of the book - the Cardinal, Colonel Mikhail Filitov, a highly placed spy in the Soviet military - is shown as a good person, it was somewhat surprising that many of those opposed to his actions were not shown as evil or vile but simply as often good people doing their job. In essence, Clancy showed that while the Soviet regime was bad, its people weren't necessarily so. His view of governments versus people - particularly with regards to the Russians - holds true in his later works as well, showing a good deal of consistency in his writing. Perhaps I didn't give Clancy enough credit in this regard, I don't know. In any event I found myself occasionally rooting for characters in the novel who were actually opposed to Filitov, Ryan, and the other protagonists.
The novel itself was as some have said more of a straightforward spy novel than some of the other volumes in the Jack Ryan series, with many classic espionage scenes taking place in Moscow and involving the KGB. Five major plotlines are followed in the novel, with four of these plotlines tightly interwoven; the Soviet Union is pursuing a largely ground-based ABM system (Bright Star), the United States is also pursuing one named Tea Clipper (these plots also involved those in one program trying to spy on the other nation's efforts), Colonel Filitov is spying for the Americans (and related to that plotline, there are Russians trying to uncover him), and Jack Ryan and others in the American government are conducting arms reduction negotiations in Moscow (ultimately the latter storyline becomes subservient to the others) The fifth plotline revolves around an Afghan mudjaheddin named the "Archer" and his actions in Afghanistan against Soviet forces and doesn't tie in hardly at all at first though it does in the end (more or less I think).
Action-wise the book was middle of the road (if anything fairly light) until the end when several plotlines end in some violence (particularly the Archer plot). The storyline with Filitov ended with some surprise for me, though it was an ending hinted at in the later Ryan books I had read.
July 22, 2025
Maybe Reagan wasn’t talking out of his ass about the space lasers
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