Patriot Games by Tom Clancy
The Characters:
Jack Ryan
He's the main character of this book and many others by Tom Clancy. This is the first book in the "Ryanverse" series that centers around him. In this book, he is married to Cathy Ryan, and has one daughter.
Cathy Ryan
Jack Ryans wife. She is an eye surgeon, and in some ways, a better character than Jack.
Sally Ryan
Jack and Cathys daughter. She doesn't do a whole lot in this book, other than getting shot.
James Greer
He works for the CIA, and in a somewhat sneaky way, tries to get Ryan to join.
Robby Jackson
Ryans best friend, a fighter pilot.
Sean Miller
the main bad guy. He's in a terrorist group called the "Ulster Liberation Army". One of the best villians in any book I've read.
The plot:
The book starts with Ryan and his family on vacation in London. During this vacation, the royal family is attacked, and Ryan is there to save the day. In the act of saving them, he kills a member of the Ulster Liberation Army (ULA), a Irish terrorist group. Sean Miller is involved in the attack, and survives, swearing to get revenge on Ryan. The rest of the book is about Miller getting his revenge, and what Ryan has to do to defend his family.
What I liked about this book:
Almost everything. Tom Clancy has a way of describing so many different things, and is able to keep it interesting. I was partticularly fascinated by what he says about terrorism. This book was written 18 years ago, and is still extremely relevant today. In the book, he warns that if terrorists change any part of a civilized country, they have won a in a small but significant way.
He also gives an indepth look into everything from the CIA, to Irish terrorism, to eye surgery.
This is the kind of book I like. Not only is it a great story, but I learned a lot from it.
Cathy Ryan was also written very well. A strong female lead who never went over the line into feminism.
The final scene between Ryan and Miller. Very different from the movie, and much much better. It gives me chills everytime I read it.
Its a smart action book. It deals with the consequences of the attacks. This made Ryan a much more believable character. One of the best parts of Patriot Games is how Ryan deals with the emotional side of everything that happened.
What I didn't like:
Too many coincedences, especially near the end of the book.
How Ryan acted in some parts. Sometimes he was too unrealistic, and sometimes it was jarring the way he acted. The scene between him and the prince in the hospital is a great example.
I've read this book twice, and its already one of my favorite books.
Four and a half stars out of five.
