The Teeth of the Tiger discussion

Teeth of the tiger is the first post Ryan presidency book. It seems that Clancy wanted to begin to chronicle the life of Jack's son as the new Jack Ryan.

My complaint with Clancy's books since Rainbow Six (excluding Red Rabbit) is that the good guys kick too much butt. They suffer almost no losses, which makes the stories less than realistic.

In short I guess that Clancy is getting lazy.

it gets even worse in "Dead or Alive." it is the last Clancy book I will ever read. He absolutely has gotten lazy and is just writing from a formula.

I'd agree, except I disagree with Gordon when he says, "He absolutely has gotten lazy and is just writing from a formula."

His GHOST WRITER is writing from a formula, Clancy has gotten so lazy I wouldn't even bet he has read these books much less contributed to their writing. . . .

I don't want to use the word "lazy." Maybe complacent is a better choice. It's become run of mill, without the excitement and originality of his earlier works. I've noticed this in other writers as well. It seems the demands of publishers is just give me something we can put out with your name on it. I.E. J Patterson. Problem I feel is publishers won't take chances on unknown authors. There is so much good work out there, but like anything else you must pay your way to get noticed.

I agree with most of what everyone is saying here. I am a huge Jack Ryan fan...and to what Namfan said...since Rainbow 6, it seems that his books have lost that edge that Clancy was so famous for. I did read Dead or Alive and found it to be a good read but not in the same realm as other Clancy classics...Hunt for Red October etc.
I also read Against All Enemies, I found that one a grind to read...it was ok, which is something I thought I'd never say about a Clancy book. As Michael had stated the "GHOST WRITER" could be the issue here. TC has to come out and slam us with a Clancy original...on HIS own.
Anyone read Locked On or Vector Threat ?...both about Ryan I am conflicted about them

I was saying exactly the same thing in my review of the book. They will keep making books like this because people will keep buying them. It's pretty disappointing.

Greg wrote: "I agree with most of what everyone is saying here. I am a huge Jack Ryan fan...and to what Namfan said...since Rainbow 6, it seems that his books have lost that edge that Clancy was so famous for. ..."

I've read them both, ghost written. Okay, but like an echo of the real Clancy not like real Clancy,

I agree with some of the comments. I was avid fan of Clancy however lately I find his books are getting boring. Dead or Alive I just bought it but will be some time before I read it. May be when I have run out of books will give a shot at his book.

Dead or Alive was a disappointment, but Locked On is much closer in feel to the old Clancy. It is not perfect, but is much more satisfying. I am looking forward to Threat Vector, which I have not picked up yet, but which uses the same coauthor (Greaney) as Locked On. Dead or Alive had a different coauthor

Threat Vector is fantastic, interesting technology and geopolitical fun. Due to the talented author Mark Grengary. Teeth Of The Tiger in contrast is bad, one of the reasons being it screws with the continuity...

agree with Avwriter, Dead or alive was disappointing but mainly because the political beliefs got in the way of the plot.

Michael wrote: "I'd agree, except I disagree with Gordon when he says, "He absolutely has gotten lazy and is just writing from a formula."

His GHOST WRITER is writing from a formula, Clancy has gotten so lazy I..."

Michael's right: Clancy isn't even touching the manuscript, just the checks.

Sheila wrote: "I agree with some of the comments. I was avid fan of Clancy however lately I find his books are getting boring. Dead or Alive I just bought it but will be some time before I read it. May be when ..."

If you haven't read it yet. Do yourself a favor and skip it. It really is that bad.

He's gotten better. He has a competent collaborator writer to do the heavy lifting.

If you view Clancy as a course in creative writing like I do, he's a genius even though you do have to wade through the epic proportions. A long book of mine is 250,000 words; Clancy seems comfortable at the 340,000 word limit--which is a chore for almost anyone. Just for comparisons, the average novel is around 75,000 words, and that's mostly due to economics. At that length, the variable costs of publishing are low enough to charge a reasonable price and still get a decent royalty from it. Long books tend to be profit neutral because of the printing costs added to the retailers cut, so it's almost a labor of love. I'm an Irishman, so I made a decision up front to read Clancy's entire catalogue. I've almost made it, and it's almost killed me. But I've learned a lot that I don't pick up in Google searches and Wikipedia. Just a view from an author's perspective. I actually observed and reacted to almost all of the comments above. For me, give me a Robert Crais kick ass book that I can read in two nights!