Elizabeth R. (esjro) - , reviewed on 5/15/2009 + 948 more book reviews

This was the longest book I've read in my entire life, literally...... and it felt like it.

I had not read any of Tom Clancy's book, though I have seen and enjoyed the Jack Ryan movies. Executive Orders finds Ryan as a reluctant president, after a terrorist act destroyed much of the government. There are many plot threads which Clancy cuts back and forth between throughout the book. Unfortunately, some (like the China sub-plot) are boring, and others (such as the story involving a right-wing militia group) end up being irrelevant to the rest of the book.

Many of the early pages are spent on Ryan's words and thoughts about how the government should be run, aka putting forth Clancy's political ideas. The pace does pick up considerably at around page 900, but 899 is a lot of pages to slog through to get to that point! Those like myself who do not have an encyclopedic knowledge of military terms and weaponry will likely find the big climax of the book confusing.

With a lot of editing, this book could have been suspenseful. However, it is about 900 pages longer than it needs to be. I am just glad its over!

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