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Patriot Games | 
 enlarge | Author: Tom Clancy
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Category: Book
New (6) Used (422) Collectible (44) from $0.01
Rating:  172 reviews
Sales Rank: 184055
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st Edition
Pages: 544
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.7
ISBN: 0399132414
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780399132414
ASIN: 0399132414
Publication Date: August 4, 1987
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Amazon.com Review
The bestselling author of Red Storm Rising and The Sum of All Fears brings Jack Ryan back in his to fight his deadliest battle yet. From England to Ireland to America, an explosive wave of violence sweeps a CIA analyst and his family into the deadliest game of our time: international terrorism. An ultra-left-wing faction fo the IRA has targeted the CIA man for his act of salvation in an assasination attempt. And now he must pay ... with his life.
Product Description
Filled with exceptional realism and authenticity, Patriot Games puts readers on the cutting edge of a different type of war but one no less deadly: the international battle against terrorism. From the author of The Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 25 more reviews...
 Another best novel by Clancy October 9, 2008
Paul J. Evans
I watched the movie for this one when I was younger and I read the novel for it a few years ago. This novel is different from his others, this one does not focus on Russia or the middle east, but on Ireland and the war between Northern Ireland and the UK.
Ryan gets caught up in the war, when he saves the life of an English Lord, who is the target of an Irish separatist group. The plot thickens when this group decides to go after Ryan, here in the US.
This is a straightforward action novel, and Clancy does an excellent job! Read the book and watch the movie!
Still my favorite Clancy novel April 4, 2008
J. SHARP (Alabama - United States)
This is still my favorite Clancy book ever. It's the most personal Jack Ryan story and is very, very emotional (and thus very gripping) for that reason. The only time I've ever cheered at a novel was while reading this! This book has much less technical and military minutiae than any of his other books and I actually prefered that. If I want all the specs on a pistol or mortar round, I'll look it up in a Jane's.
There are other stylistic differences and some have speculated that Clancy was playing with the character internally and giving him more depth. I've always felt like that 'Patriot Games' was his "real" first Ryan novel - actually written (or at least sketched out) before 'The Hunt for Red October.' It precedes that book 'chronologically' and its basic plot is mentioned in 'Red October'.
I read the book first and while I love 90% of the film version of 'Patriot Games', the book is better to me. The movie is more faithful to the book than just about any movie adaptation I've seen - except for the ending. I utterly despise the movie's ending, having read the book first.
SPOILERS: The whole point of the story is that Jack is a better man than Sean Miller. That he doesn't kill Miller at the end of the book and instead turns him over to the authorities is extremely important. Now, the movie may kill off Miller "accidentally" (and clumsily) during the boat chase but it robs Jack of that important moral choice. And I HATE THAT.
What a flick! December 24, 2007
MB Futures & Options Newsletter (Chicago, IL USA Think You)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
we the british we have ruled this planet since we have been around and we will continue to rule it for as long as we are around
 Not Free SF Reader November 1, 2007
Blue Tyson
IRA attack.
Jack Ryan accidentally gets involved with the IRA when he saves one of their targets from being killed because he just happens to be around and that is the sort of thing he does.
This has serious reprecussions for him when he is minding his own business with his family and they come calling with an attack team.
A decent, fairly intense personal level thriller.
3.5 out of 5
 As opposed to the movie... September 14, 2007
S. Murphy (Brooklyn, NY)
Having seen the movie many times I decided to read Patriot Games and see how the novel compared to the film. Unfortunately, as with other reviewers, I was disappointed by the novel but regard the film as well done. Both adhere to the same story line with the novel going more in depth into the characters and technical details of the intelligence, military, and law enforcement communities. Honestly, I felt it was a bit much and could have done without it.
The best example is the Ryan character. I just could not sympathize with him, even though he is portrayed as a great family man. He did not seem human at all and the actions of the characters at the end just seem plain ridiculous, as well as Tom Clancy's justification for those actions. By the end of the book, I did not care about his fate at all. In fact, no character was crafted well enough to not seem ridiculous.
The dialogue between the characters also seemed simplistic and childish. It can be hard to convey the feelings and expressions of characters in a novel without having to resort to plain, simplistic dialogue where every character says what they normally wouldn't if one could see their expressions and emotions. However, Clancy takes this to the extreme. The dialogue almost seemed Victorian in nature. Everyone needed to voice the reasons for their actions, and continue to do so even when the reader has gotten their fill. For example, a state trooper who only appears on one page of the novel. Based on events that happened before his arrival I could derive his emotions and feelings clearly without being explicitly told. However, Clancy goes on and on describing this trooper's ruminations ad nauseum.
Overall, it seems like this was a very early work for Clancy and it shows. Perhaps he was honing his craft, but that is surprising seeing how well I regarded his previous novels. I think he was having fun with the Ryan character as a family man, the beauty of childbirth, morality etc. and he just got carried away. Unfortunately, that translates to a very slow story with many long drawn out parts.
I cannot recommended this book when there are much better Clancy novels out there. If you are new to Clancy I would suggest The Hunt for Red October or Red Storm Rising over Patriot Games. I would have liked to have been able to have read the book before seeing the film. Perhaps that would change my view. However, the movie does a good job of trimming the fat, which is what Clancy should have done with Patriot Games.
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