Tom Clancy Act of Defiance

By: Brian Andrews, Jeffrey Wilson

Narrated by: Scott Brick

A rogue nuclear Russian submarine is steaming toward the East Coast of the United States. For President Jack Ryan, memories of past events may seem stunningly vivid, but the dangers are terrifyingly real in the latest entry in this #1 New York Times bestselling series.

US intelligence is reporting turmoil in the Russian navy. Their deadliest submarine, the Belgorod, has unexpectedly launched, and taken along with it a long list of questions. Who authorized the departure? What mission is it on? And, most disturbing of all, what weapons do the giant doors on the sub’s bow hide?

It's been four decades since a similar incident with the Soviet sub, Red October, ended happily, thanks to a young CIA analyst named Jack Ryan.

Now, President Jack Ryan finds himself with fleets of ships, squadrons of jets, and teams of SEALs at his command, but what he doesn’t have is insight into the plans of the Belgorod’s commander. It falls to a younger generation of Ryans to do the dangerous work that will reveal that information.

But there’s always a price to be paid. When the final moments tick away, will Jack Ryan have to choose between the safety of his country and the safety of his child?

©2024 Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Forty years after Tom Clancy’s genre defining debut novel, The Hunt for Red October, a new Russian submarine is moving west… Gripping and powerful, Act of Defiance is Andrews and Wilson at their best! A fitting tribute to the master. Tom Clancy would be proud."—Jack Carr, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Only the Dead

"Welcome back to Tom Clancy's world, where familiar and new characters untangle a conspiracy that threatens to light the world on fire. Andrews and Wilson pack in enough action for three books."—Larry Bond, New York Times bestselling author of Arctic Gambit

“I expected a lot from Navy veterans Andrews and Wilson—and they exceeded every expectation! Tom Clancy Act of Defiance is a remarkable tale of political intrigue and high-seas adventure. Jack Ryan and friends are in capable hands.”—Marc Cameron, New York Times bestselling author of Tom Clancy Command and Control

WELL DONE, ANDREWS & WILSON

I also was disappointed with prior novels submitted by other ghost writers. When I learned that A&W would give it a shot, as I have read their Tier 1, Valor, and Shepherd series. I hope for the best, not disappointed. WELL DONE A&W…..LZ

Wow!! Just Wow!!

Astounding! what an enthralling, captivating story! new characters, as well as the old familiar ones, but the kicker, the most wonderful, suspenseful part, the tie in with the Hunt for the Red October!! This book is absolutely another great book in the Jack Ryan series, and honestly this could, and maybe should be the next Jack Ryan movie. Can you tell I loved it? it was well worth the wait!! I wish I could give it more than 5 🌟

Thrilling but ...

Overall this was a nice coda to The Hunt for Red October. The story felt like my favorite Jack Ryan books with one major exception.

The continuity issues were too great to handle. As other reviews have said, Katie and Kyle are not twins and are 4-5 years apart in age. Additionally, Ryan was initially in office for 5 years (a little less), out of office for 4 years and then could only serve 4 more years. So, Katie should be anywhere from 16-18 depending on how old she was when Jack first took office.

if the plan was to reboot the series with an alternate timeline then it would have been nice to say that at the outsrt.

It’s what you expect of a non-Clancy Clancy read by Scott Brick.

If you like the post Clancy (to me, they’re Clancy lite), then you’ll be pleased with this one. If you’re a naval guy/gal, you’ll love it. Brick gets typically overly dramatic in parts, but that has become like an old friend now. And you have to suspend the idea of Jack being president for like 8 terms now. Great to hear the old names of MP, Capt. Ramius, Adler, etc even though they don’t have any real contribution to the victory. It focuses mostly on his youngest daughter now. And if you care about women playing a big part in the Navy, this book makes it seem like it’s 50/50 throughout the Navy. Maybe it is, I don’t know and don’t care enough to look up, but current climate makes me sensitive for what seems like a need to push a gender equity theme. I’ll respect that more when the narrative becomes “she’s a garbage person, not a garbage man”. Nothing to do with the book but I thought it was an insight to the person writing this review so you can use it for what it’s worth.

Great story transitioning from Red October.

Loved the detail and characters this new writing team is excellent! Can’t wait for what’s next.

Someone better be working on the screenplay!

One of the best yet! I never review anything unless I love it or hate it. This needs to be a movie!

Everything Clancy

Fantastic Clancy Yarn, believable story,
Read everyone since it was produced by the Naval magazine( forgot the name)

Wow! I couldn't put it down!

A&W hit a home run with their first Clancy novel! Wow, I'm a big fan of The Hunt for Red October, and you did it justice. I enjoyed every moment, especially the connections you made. Thank you, and I am looking forward to your next read!

Loved the link to the past.

Masterfully written. Tim Clancy would be proud of this story. Loved the tie in to the past.

Hunt for Red October, Part II?

I don’t write reviews. I don’t read reviews. However, this book is worth the effort. I believe the Hunt for Red October was written in the 80s, so I had very low expectations for this book. I asked Myself, “How could anyone write a book involving the Red October and even come close to matching Tom Clancy‘s original work?” Well, I’m happy to report that this book exceeded all expectations. Genuinely, this book feels like the Hunt for Red October, part 2.