The Sum of All Fears

By: Tom Clancy

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 37 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

Against all odds we have made it into the last half of the 1990s. The Cold War looks solved, Arabs and Jews are talking, confrontation is on the wane. In this new harmony, one discord - what becomes of unemployed terrorists?

You can bet they aren't going to retire quietly. Shunned by the Soviets, isolated by Middle Eastern realignment, one cadre hits on a scheme to jump-start the war machine. It's brilliant in its simplicity. With a single act they bring the world to nuclear boil. Jack Ryan and Dan Murray sweat to defuse a cataclysmic response.

©1992 Tom Clancy (P)2011 Random House

Critic reviews

“A whiz-bang page-turner!” (The New York Times Book Review)

“The Sum of All Fears delivers!” (People)

“A nonstop roller coaster ride to a nail-biting climax...ingenious.” (Publishers Weekly)

Got better as the story developed.

Given that we had a massive terrorist attack in this country since this boom was written, this hits different and a little too close. But it’s a good story. I do wish however that Clancy weren’t so predictable in his female characters. They are one dimensional and often, with the exception of Cathy, portrayed as manipulative shrews.

Long-winded but good

A good book but long-winded, way to much detail about every little thing that could be described.

Not my favorite Tom Clancy, but quite good!

What did you love best about The Sum of All Fears?

The involved and realistic plot and characters

What other book might you compare The Sum of All Fears to and why?

Several other Tom Clancy Novels, particularly "Clear and Present Danger" and "Debt of Honor". Ryan is still an outsider on the inside rather than the primary player, but he does play a major role.

Epic story.

Clancy handles the interpersonal relationships better than in any other book, and the story brings its complex narrative to a smooth crescendo, tying disparate regional elements into a potential global catastrophe. The time he takes to develop the major AND minor characters creates a powerful context for the climax, as the tensions that percolated throughout the early and middle stages of the story add to the emotional intensity of the dramatic political and military events of the final crisis. It makes for a deeply-rewarding denouement.

The only issue I have is with the narration. Scott Brick has terrific inflection and diction, and conveys the feelings of the characters well. His accents are quite good, but there's just something about the sound of his voice that leaves me feeling like he's trying too hard. I am not smart enough to explain why, and it doesn't affect the overall enjoyment, but I've noticed it with the Cotton Malone books that he does as well. I'd never avoid a book he reads, but I don't get excited about it when I see his name. I feel bad about it.

One accent for all

It would have been far better had the narrator been able to develop a different accent/voice for the separate characters. As it was while overall he reads well, the different national accents are all the same. Scott had some difficulty with developing a realistic feminine voice for the few female characters in this work. One could at times miss the change to one of them.

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Would you consider the audio edition of The Sum of All Fears to be better than the print version?

since there is no way to mark books as read in the library I thought this might be a way to mark them

Holy Smokes

Absolutely packed with thrill, terror, and quality. i highly reccomend reading this series in order.

Repeat listen

Ive listened to this book many times over the years and it always impresses me the detail and draw into the book. Thanks again Tom.

Outstanding, powerful story!

I've been reading the Jack Ryan series in sequence. This is my favorite so far. It's very believable. What I love about Clancy's books are the high level of detail and depth of research. Reading his books are decidedly educational in regards to modern history, how the government works, and how the military works. He has inspired me to study history. I look forward to the next in the series. Another note is how terrific the narration is. I'm amazed at this narrator's collection of accents. He seemed to effortlessly bounce around between different accents convincingly.

Detailed Plot Fascinates

I found myself wondering how and when the many plot strings would come together. I appreciated the character development along with touching emotional moments made part of the plot.