Red Rabbit

By: Tom Clancy

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 26 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

In the early 1980s, long before he was President or head of the CIA, even before a submarine named Red October crossed the Atlantic, Jack Ryan was an historian, teacher, and recent ex-Marine temporarily living in England. A series of deadly encounters with an IRA splinter group had brought him to the attention of the CIA's Deputy Director, Vice Admiral James Greer - and when Greer asked him to come aboard Jack was quick to accept. The opportunity was irresistible.

Then Jack forgot about the rest of his work, because on his first day, an extraordinary document crossed his desk. The new Pope had just delivered a private ultimatum to Warsaw: If the government persisted in its repression, he would feel compelled to resign the papacy and return to Poland.

That was going to have consequences.

In Moscow, another man was contemplating those very same consequences. Yuri Andropov, the chairman of the KGB, did not like what this meant for him or for his nation. All it took was one man to cause everything he had worked for to crumble...and all it took was one man to stop him. The Pope was very powerful - but he was also mortal.

And so it begins, an almost unthinkable plot - a plan to bring down not just leaders, but nations. Ryan will find himself in the middle of a chain reaction, a high-stakes game meant to shake the world...and in which a novice CIA analyst might just be out of his depth.

©2002 Rubicon Inc. (P)2002 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Smart and likable, Jack Ryan has become one of the best-known characters in contemporary American fiction." (Washington Post)
"The daily games [Clancy's] spies play are fascinating." (USA Today)

You have to like Tom Clancy

It is true that you have to get through 8 hours of characters fretting about the world and what they believe in before you get to some action. Then you think that would wrap up quickly, but that consumes the next 10 hours. The last 6 go more quickly and you are left wishing that John Clark had been more involved. Good book for those who have read the others as you see how the characters got to where they were in the other books.

Red Rabbit

Very well done. Family aspects show human qualities in both sides of the fence. Only regret is lack of more unabridged works by this author. And from what i have reviewed Tom Clancy has many books to his credit,

Red Rabbit

Awesome listening pleasure. It was great how the reader used British and Russian accents. I was intrigued by Tom Clancy's usual talent for keeping his reader spellbound. Great book. Since I didn't have time to read it myself, listening to it, I think, was even better.

From an Infantryman

Scott Brick is an excellent reader - i will buy anything he will read. Red Rabbit is a good book.

Good story but too long

This is good story that takes too long to get started and too long to get to the meat of the story. Many too many details about the characters that didn't help drive the story. Half as long would be twice as good.

Good Idea -- Very Poor Execution

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Somewhere among the rants about how horrible the Soviet Union was (is) and how great the US is (was?) was a germ of an idea that would have been a good book had the author spent more time on it and forgotten the political agenda. I am not suggesting that the old soviet union was some paradise, but neither do I think the US (as much as I love it) is perfect, and I'm reminded of glass houses and throwing stones. I suspect even those with extreme right wing politics won't find much enjoyment in this book however. The characters are one dimensional, the plot is thin (at best) and once it is finally over, you left wondering why you bothered. I do not recommend.

What could Tom Clancy have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Develop the characters and the plot and forget the political screed.

Was Red Rabbit worth the listening time?

Unfortunately, no.

" Outstandingly brilliant"

This is definitely number 2 next to the hunt forRed October. rest in peace Tom Clancy.

A bit slow.

The main plot took a while to get going... A bit slow in my opinion. I did like it overall. Characters were well developed. Many details thoroughly elaborated upon, in typical Clancy fashion. Scott Brick did a great job narrating.

Born after 1980? You won't understand references

The historical references and the technology will be foreign to anyone born after 1980. Even to someone born before that , parts of this were difficult to slog through.

Fits very well

Love this time in the Ryan story. Wish we had more stories from this great author about this great character before things got out of control in the story line. This era in world history was Clancy's forte.