Threat Vector

By: Tom Clancy, Mark Greaney

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.

The Clancy that gave us Clear & Present...

This was the most intriguing Clancy novel in a long time. The very real threat of the Chinese, (see yesterday's headlines of Japan and China) and cyber warfare is as fascinating as it is threatening. No one researches better than Clancy and few know military operations and capabilities more than him.

Better still, the suspense in this novel is top rate, on the same level as his earlier novels. Lou Diamond Phillips is the perfect choice for this work. His characterizations are spot on.

In his recent works, Clancy has been criticized for his politics. This is not the case with this book at all.

Too much of everythinbg

Is there anything you would change about this book?

remove unnecessary characters, remove unnecessary scenes, shrink the scope and complexity in general. And while your at it, make it a little more believable

Would you be willing to try another book from Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney ? Why or why not?

I have enjoyed their work individually, but I may not try another collaboration. I was a bit shocked at how much this story jumped around with shallow lines that were distractingly contrived and unbelievable.

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

I actually was quite comfortable with his reading.

Any additional comments?

Deus ex machina comes to mind, how else could so many US intrusions into China and Chinese intrusions into neighboring countries resolve so easily, insane missions, unbelievable plots... I barely got through this one and will not following the series any further.

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.

If you like action, you can do no better!

Would you consider the audio edition of Threat Vector to be better than the print version?

Absolutely, Lou Diamond Philips is a masterful narrator, his performances never disappoint. The material within these pages is so action packed and the stakes are so high that listening to the story from someone with directed intention elevates the material to an amazing height.

Who was your favorite character and why?

This is a silly question, Jack Jr. Is the perfect American hero. He is a perfect melding of Jack Ryan, Mitch Rap, and the Gray Man (Mark Greaney's breakout action character). He is a selfless hero that is willing to risk everything in order to protect his country and he doesn't leave men behind.

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

Everything, LDP is an amazing actor (See Southland for a recent role) and he is able to turn his skill into amazing narration.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book is adrenaline pumping, I felt excited! I finished this book 12/5/12, 24hrs after it was released. I couldn't put it down!

Any additional comments?

If you are on the fence about this book, let me explain my tastes so that you can gauge if we share common literary tastes for this genre.

I love:
Mitch Rap (Vince Flynn)
Dewey Andreas (Ben Coes)
Court Gentry (Mark Greaney)
Jack Reacher (Lee Child)
Tommy Carmellini (Stephen Coonts)
Carlos Guillermo Castillo (W. E. B. Griffin)

Ok, so those are some of my favorite action series that are in this similar espionage action genre. I found this book in particular to really mirror some of W. E. B. Griffin's early work melded with Flynn. That said, there is the signature Clancy storytelling in this book that jumps between several stories. I do not particularly enjoy the earlier Clancy novels that pertain to the elder Ryan, I found them amazingly slow and complicated with relatively low reward. This book mimics the same storytelling style but doesn't pull any punches when it comes to action.

I found myself wanting to spend more time with particular portions of the story and characters but the pacing was well thought out and I was never disappointed when prospective shifted. I have detected some of the Stephen Coont's syndrome, the seeming inability to set aside older characters and allow new ones to flourish but I think that Greaney's influence on this new series is helping breathe valuable life into the Clancy novels.

Jack Jr. is an amazing character, more lovable that Mitch Rapp and far more whole than Greaney's earlier two dimensional characters. This new younger Ryan is deposited brilliantly in a deep and rich fiction that creates a vivid backdrop.

I would strongly recommend that you start this cycle of the Jack Ryan Junior novels at their beginning, this story moves at a swift pace and you will love all of the returning characters so much more for your previous experiences with them!

On a side note, I want to tell you that I try to consume media that is character driven, not story driven! This particular genre has a tenancy to be heavily story driven but I think that this novel and series does a wonderful job of focusing on the characters! If you are looking for a quick action read this can satisfy you but it it is heavily enriched by knowledge of the characters. For example, if you aren't familiar with Tom Clancy's earlier "The Teeth of the Tiger" you might not have the richest or fullest appreciation for Haney and Associates and its remaining founders. Not a major issue but one that clearly supports a rich character development that honors faithful readers.

This is one of the good ones, they are few and far between and you should not hesitate to read this book immediately, or place it in your wishlist for your next credit!

where is the other half?

Debt of Honor, Executive Orders, the Bear and the Dragon, and Rainbow Six are all over what 36hrs long, with EO being 51. This is book 3? in Greaney's series and all of these books have been 17-19hrs long. Paying new book price, for 1/3rd to 1/2 of the content...

The story is good, but you signed on to a franchise with spoiled fans that had long books. It is written well, and I want more of it, but in the old format...

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.

Best Effort in Quite Some Time

I don't know how much Mark Greaney actually had to do with this book but I suspect quite a bit. This is by far the best Tom Clancy in many, many years. I've been disappointed with the last couple of Clancy efforts and was torn as to whether or not to read this book. But having read The Gray Man series by Greaney (which is terrific!) I gave this one a chance... and am GLAD I did! Excellent story and Excellent performance by Lou Diamond Phillips!

Needs an Editor

Went on vacation with my wife. We both like to listen to books, but have different tastes. She is a huge Clancy fan and I am ok with him. She has read all the Clancy books written, I have just read "Hunt For Red October". She said this was not Clancy's best, but she would give it four stars. I found it a little too long, sometimes boring, but very informative. we both agreed that an editor was needed.

Once a writer gets as famous as Clancy if he writes about pigs farting then an editor is scared to say anything and pigs farting gets published and probably becomes a best seller. In this book are some scenes that just go on and on and on. For instance there is a scene that involves a gun fight in a strip bar. It takes up about 2 hours of listening and four or five chapters. Some Clancy fans may love this, but I thought it went on too long.

As someone who easily gets confused by different characters, who they are and what they are doing in the story, I found I had none of that as a problem. Clancy builds his characters well enough that you know who they are even if you don't hear from them for hours or chapters. I enjoyed the China politics where my wife thought that was boring. I am more of a political junkie then she is. Some may think this story of computer hacking by different countries may not be realistic, while I believe it is happening as we speak. I seem to remember stories about it during the Clinton Presidency.

While I had no problem knowing who the different characters were, I did get a little confused on the whole story and all the in's and out's of all the back stabbing, spying, twist and turns, while my wife had no problem keeping up, even though she fell asleep during some of it. She was tired, and does not travel well.

I don't believe you must read any of the other books to follow this story, but my wife enjoyed knowing what certain characters did in previous books. Unless this is on sale, I would suggest you read them in order for a slightly more pleasurable experience.

LDP is a good narrator, I was surprised.

An easy to read book for Clancy

Lou Diamond Phillips is getting better with each book he nararates. He does an excellent job with this one. It must have been quite difficult, especially with all the Chinese names and voices. He did it very well. The story was very believable and scary, because I think what Clancy portrays, is Very close to how this scenario would actually play out. It is not as complicated with multiple stories as most Clancy novels. If you like espionage and clancy novels, you will love this one.

Clancy does it again....

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

Yes, this book is easily recommended for any of Clancy's fans. I have enjoyed the next chapter in the Jack Ryan and Jack Ryan Jr. books. I wouldn't recommend this book for anyone who doesn't know any of Clancy's previous book, but instead would recommend they start with either the book just before this or at least with "No Remorse" or "Rainbow Six" in order to know some of the back story.

What did you like best about this story?

I like the way Clancy has taken some of the recent history of our nation and still been able to create a other universe in which his characters can blossom without running into issue of political or historical events. By creating a slightly altered universe allows Clancy to bring important events into the story without the story following along with history, ie readers already knowing the outcome of what has or will happen in the story because they know what has happened alreay in real life.

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

I love Lou Diamond Phillips narratoring books. I have listened to several and I think he rocks as a narrator. I will pick up and listen to any book in a normally read genre of mine that he narrators because he brings so much to the story beyond the words being spoken.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Too many areas to remember - Clancy does a great job of putting in laughter in the middle of his suspense related story.

Excellent

Would you consider the audio edition of Threat Vector to be better than the print version?

Not read the printed version, but then again why would I, when the audio is so good. Lou Diamond Philips does an excellent job.

What other book might you compare Threat Vector to, and why?

This is classic Tom Clancey, even if it was probably written by Mark Greaney. All the usual characters appear , Ryan, Clarke, Ding etc. along with some new additions. The storyline is fast paced and exciting. As you would expect from a Tom Clancey novel the technical data is spot on.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

The scene when the American pilots go up against the Chinese is fantastic real edge of the seat stuff.

Any additional comments?

Overall I would recommend Vector Threat to any Tom Clancey fan.

A great Tom Clancy!

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

This book is very easy to listen to - so perfect for doing two things at once, in my case listening and crafting. If you have seen any of the Tom Clancy films with different actors playing Jack Ryan it is simply a case of picking your favourite 'Jack' and then imagining his son in action.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Threat Vector?

There is an action scene where a key character realises that there are more than two parties involved in an event and he is the only person who has oversight of the actions of the different groups and what is about to take place.

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

Good, clear narration - not too slow but well enunciated.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Jack's Back!

Any additional comments?

Have purchased several of the Tom Clancy books, all ready by Lou Diamond Phillips as preferred his narration from the samples, and was not disappointed.

Locked on part 2

Yes! Tom Clancy has done it again! Narrator pulls of an excellent Chinese speaking accent which makes the story even more immersive. It's quite interesting that I had just finished Mark Russinovich's Trojan Horse which also points a finger to China and their cyber-tech. I guess it's no secret though.



A very exciting yarn with just the right balance of action to tech. I really want to see this and Locked on at the movies. It would be awesome.

Great book

I really enjoyed this book. It's fast paced contains a few twists

Well worth listening too.

bloody brilliant

loved lou diamond as always. the whole campus storyline has me gripped from start to finish

one of the better narrations for a while...

Brilliant narration and a half believable story/plot which makes a huge difference... one of the better Clancy novels....

Another Great Read

Another awesome narration by Lou Diamond Philips. really engaging. Will listen again. really liking this series.

Average

Usual detailred tale but too boring in parts , narrator not good for this book.

Totally believable and impossible to put down.

I couldn't put it down, it is well written, exceptionally well read. Really amazing book.

Typical Tom Clancy!

loved the whole espionage, technical, cold and hot war scenario. An easy listen and great topic, shame it wasn't a bit longer.