Debt of Honor (Jack Ryan)
by Tom Clancy
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Book Summary Information
Author: Tom ClancyEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1995-08-01
ISBN: 0425147584
Number of pages: 1008
Publisher: Berkley
Book Reviews of Debt of Honor (Jack Ryan)
Book Review: A foreshadowing of a national disaster?
Summary: 4 Stars
Like most Americans, I sat transfixed before my TV set on September 11, 2001, completely transfixed by the unfolding disaster on our shores. Time and time again, I watched that relentless tattoo of images cross my TV screen: hijacked passenger jets flying at full speed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center; the twin towers of that magnificent structure collapsing to the ground, one right after the other, with thousands of people inside them; and a new generation of heroes -- firefighters and police officers -- working round the clock to find survivors of these horrific events.
As I watched events unfold on that fateful day, I kept getting this nagging feeling that this story all seemed too familiar. Where had I heard it before? Was it a movie I had seen? A book I had read?
Then I remembered. Tom Clancy's novel, "Debt of Honor." At the time of its publication in 1994, it was the latest in the continuing saga of Jack Ryan, that fictional Central Intelligence Agency operative in several of Clancy's previous novels.
By the time I read "Debt of Honor" in 1994, I had found myself growing tired of Clancy's books. Each one seemed infinitely longer than its predecessor, filled with more complex twists and turns of plot; laced with more of Clancy's tiresome personal political philosophy; and filled with plots and subplots that seemed progressively more far-fetched.
When I finished "Debt of Honor," I thought Clancy had really out-done himself by creating a plot that was so unrealistic that it bordered on the ludicrous. In his usual highly charged, "grab 'em by the throat and don't let 'em go 'til the last page" fashion, Clancy took me on quite a journey. In retrospect, it was a journey I should have paid more attention to!
For me, "Debt of Honor" was vintage Clancy: lots of interesting "techno-war" stuff, but not much else. Despite being unrealistic to the point of absurdity, the plot is indeed well crafted and quite exciting. It's pretty easy to get caught up in the chain of events that Clancy creates, even though you, the reader, will probably have a pretty fair idea of where the book is headed by the halfway point...
...Or will you?
One of the major reasons for the tremendous popularity of Tom Clancy's novels over the years has been their almost uncanny ability to foreshadow future events, as well as future trends in military technology and geopolitical thinking. One of Clancy's greatest strengths as a writer of fiction is the meticulous research he does before ever setting pen to paper (or, in modern parlance, before cranking up the ol' word processor and "inputting data.") Even with their frequently fantastic plots and subplots, Clancy's novels always have a realistic "feel" to them. I suppose that's why I continue reading them, even though their plots are wearing thin and seem to reach further and further into the realm of impossibility, thereby rendering the impossible distinctly possible.
"Rendering the impossible distinctly possible" is exactly what happened with "Debt of Honor;" for this seemingly incredible plot foreshadowed last September's terrorist attacks in a truly chilling fashion.
Last September, life really did tragically imitate art. And, in light of those catastrophic events, the plot of "Debt of Honor" doesn't seem quite so far-fetched after all.
Give Tom Clancy his due. He did his homework, drew some pretty somber conclusions about what just might happen from his research, and concocted a plot that really should have served as a warning to all of us: "America, let's get our act together... the next time we're attacked, it will be in the least expected ways. It will involve what our government now calls rather euphemistically "asymmetrical warfare." And we, as a nation, are not prepared to defend ourselves for what is surely coming."
Because I pooh-poohed "Debt of Honor," as so much "Clancy fancy," judging it "too outrageous," I dismissed the author's vitally important message. I suspect a lot of people who read this book might've done the same.
In hindsight, it's scary just how accurate a prediction Clancy made in "Debt of Honor." What's even scarier is that he continued sounding the same message in the sequel to this book, entitled "Executive Orders." Its premise: biological weapons in the hands of state-sponsored middle eastern terrorists.
Summary of Debt of Honor (Jack Ryan)
Razio Yamata is one of Japan's most influential industrialists, and part of a relatively small group of authority who wield tremendous authority in the Pacific Rim's economic powerhouse.
He has devised a plan to cripple the American greatness, humble the US military, and elevate Japan to a position of dominance on the world stage.
Yamata's motivation lies in his desire to pay off a Debt of Honor to his parents and to the country he feels is responsible for their deaths?America. All he needs is a catalyst to set his plan in motion.
When the faulty gas tank on one Tennessee family's car leads to their fiery death, an opportunistic U. S. congressman uses the occasion to rush a new trade law through the system. The law is designed to squeeze Japan economically. Instead, it provides Yamata with the leverage he needs to put his plan into action.
As Yamata's plan begins to unfold, it becomes clear to the world that someone is launching a fully-integrated operation against the United States. There's only one man to find out who the culprit is?Jack Ryan, the new President's National Security Advisor.
He has devised a plan to cripple the American greatness, humble the US military, and elevate Japan to a position of dominance on the world stage.
Yamata's motivation lies in his desire to pay off a Debt of Honor to his parents and to the country he feels is responsible for their deaths?America. All he needs is a catalyst to set his plan in motion.
When the faulty gas tank on one Tennessee family's car leads to their fiery death, an opportunistic U. S. congressman uses the occasion to rush a new trade law through the system. The law is designed to squeeze Japan economically. Instead, it provides Yamata with the leverage he needs to put his plan into action.
As Yamata's plan begins to unfold, it becomes clear to the world that someone is launching a fully-integrated operation against the United States. There's only one man to find out who the culprit is?Jack Ryan, the new President's National Security Advisor.
Razio Yamata is one of Japan's most influential industrialists, and part of a relatively small group of authority who wield tremendous authority in the Pacific Rim's economic powerhouse. He has devised a plan to cripple the American greatness, humble the U.S. military, and elevate Japan to a position of dominance on the world stage. Yamata's motivation lies in his desire to pay off a Debt of Honor to his parents and to the country he feels is responsible for their deaths: America. All he needs is a catalyst to set his plan in motion. When the faulty gas tank on one Tennessee family's car leads to their fiery death, an opportunistic U.S. congressman uses the occasion to rush a new trade law through the system. The law is designed to squeeze Japan economically. Instead, it provides Yamata with the leverage he needs to put his plan into action. As Yamata's plan begins to unfold, it becomes clear to the world that someone is launching a fully integrated operation against the United States. There's only one man to find out who the culprit is: Jack Ryan, the new president's National Security Advisor.
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