Threat Vector

A Jack Ryan Novel

By: Mark Greaney, Tom Clancy

Narrated by: Lou Diamond Phillips

Length: 18 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

For President Jack Ryan, his son Jack Ryan, Jr., and the covert organization known as The Campus, the fight against America’s enemies is never over. But the danger has just hit home in a way they never expected in this #1 New York Times bestselling Tom Clancy thriller....

The Campus has been discovered. And whoever knows they exist knows they can be destroyed. Meanwhile, President Jack Ryan has been swept back into the Oval Office - and his wisdom and courage are needed more desperately than ever.

Internal political and economic strife has pushed the leadership of China to the edge of disaster. And those who wish to consolidate their power are using the opportunity to strike at long-desired Taiwan, as well as the Americans who have protected the tiny nation.

Now, as two of the world’s superpowers move ever closer to a final confrontation, President Ryan must use the only wild card he has left - The Campus. But with their existence about to be revealed, they might not even have a chance to enter the battle before the world is consumed by war.

©2012 by Rubicon, Inc. (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Story taken right out of future headlines

Great performances and the story line was so current! Jake Ryan is one of my favorite characters and this book introduces his grown son!! Great suspense-I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Sometimes too believable.

Spies and a counter espionage

This book is packed with suspense and action including sea, land and air battles. The major part of the book is based on cyber warfare. Even though this is fiction it should act as a warning of what could happen. Lou Diamond Phillips did a great job narrating this story. Jack Ryan Sr is back as President and Jack Jr is off chasing the cyber spy "center". His girlfriend is spying on him for the FBI. War heats up in the South China Sea as China tries to increase it's territory. Great air battles--felt like I was in the plane with the pilot. Clancy sure can write a good suspense military story. Looking forward to his next one.

Great Story, Narration Issues

What didn’t you like about Lou Diamond Phillips’s performance?

Lou Diamond Phillips is a great actor. He also did a fantastic job playing the various roles in this book. The problem is he gasps for air constantly. Hey.. all of us have to breath, but once I noticed the quick puffs of air every few words, I couldn't enjoy the performance. You could even tell where the director/editor spliced in voice sections (because the gasp went away for twice as long). Make sure you listen to a sample on iTunes or Audible before buying this.

If I heard gasping for air (small ones but loud) on any of the other 50 or so books I have listened to (back to the old Brilliance days and cassettes), I wouldn't care.

Sorry Lou. Hope you don't read this. I love your work otherwise.

Any additional comments?

A bit far fetched as far as what Presiden't son was up to -- but classic Clancy all the way so I went ahead and bought in.

Phenomenal – Then Anti-Climatic

Once I got used to Clancy’s writing style I became deeply engrossed in this story’s universe. The characters are cardboard thin, but stand as reminders of a Cold War American point-of-view in action. The good guys are tough, no-nonsense, risk-taking, and politically righteous. In fact, listening to these characters troubleshoot international threats made me realize how different America is today.

Despite that, the middle of this novel is just PACKED with shocking and compelling strategies used by the Chinese to truly threaten our comfortable modern society. There is serious (and scary) creativity here….the kind that makes you wonder just how vulnerable the U.S. may be against cyber warfare. From corporate espionage in Silicon Valley, to dogfights above the South China Sea, to action in the neon backstreets of Hong Kong, the book truly goes all in. I felt the sensation of being convinced that the bad guys had finally figured out how to beat America. They had us. The escalation of events teased me with a peak at an epic digital war that threatened to engage all branches of the U.S. Military in a desperate fight for survival. The largest fighting force in the history of world, the American Military, seemed on the verge of actually becoming obsolete….

Then, the nightmare just ends. Right when the gloves are about the come off, the book folds up into a neat ‘Mission Accomplished.’ This should have been Book 1 to what would have been a breathtaking series.

International intrigue and adventurr

A hard to put down story filled with adventure, excitement, and more, Clancy is a master storyteller with a depth of knowledge about those things of which he writes.

What a Team

These are some pretty heavy hitting authors, along with an excellent reader. Chinese cyber warfare is the backdrop for this cyber terror novel…though the US doesn't mind some good old fashioned bombs in the end, either.

Lots of action. I'd definitely put this into the category of a good read for a long car trip as the action won't have you daydreaming or dozing off.

Excellent

China is always the naughty one and this book doesn't disappoint. Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney is excellent.

Another great story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have in the past recommend Tom Clancy's books and the audiobooks and I do not see that changing

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Fast moving and so descriptive

Have you listened to any of Lou Diamond Phillips’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was in fact my first reading by Lou Diamond Phillips and I was very happy with the performance. He tries different voices without sounding silly. His performance and thinking of Mr Phillips as an actor in a film version makes the story more fun. I have since started listening to his other Clancy (Ryan) readings and finding that very enjoyable. Wish I had listened to them in order however.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

None really.

Very good

As this was my first Audible by Clancy it was very good. very believable.

Le

I recommend it for sure.

The best Tom Clancy book in some time!

Where does Threat Vector rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I would definitely put this in the Top 5 of all the books I've listened to in the past few years.

What about Lou Diamond Phillips’s performance did you like?

This is the first time I have heard Lou Diamond Phillips narrate and I was pleasantly surprised. He does an excellent job keeping the dialogue flowing and varies the voices just enough so you know who's talking without it being overly dramatic or distracting.