David Atwell reviewed Patriot Games (Tom Clancy) by Tom Clancy (Jack Ryan (1))
Review of 'Patriot Games (Tom Clancy)' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
After a really fantastic introduction, the first two-thirds are a bit slow. Ryan is something of a Mary-Sue, always beloved, always listened-to, always right. He seems like an author insert if I've ever seen one. And the parts of the story which follow the villains seems somewhat self-indulgent; the obvious blackouts in the extreme detail of the story when the villains are revealing their plans to one another but we're not supposed to know are...well, obvious. Conspicuous, even. And the hardcore American attaboyism throughout certainly lives up to the title of the book in spades; not to mention Ryan's navel-gazing about not being "man enough" which walks up to the line of good character development but then steps well over it into stereotype and platitude.
But the building dread is palpable, and the last third when it all releases—that's when this book really slaps. The long chapters and meticulous detail …
After a really fantastic introduction, the first two-thirds are a bit slow. Ryan is something of a Mary-Sue, always beloved, always listened-to, always right. He seems like an author insert if I've ever seen one. And the parts of the story which follow the villains seems somewhat self-indulgent; the obvious blackouts in the extreme detail of the story when the villains are revealing their plans to one another but we're not supposed to know are...well, obvious. Conspicuous, even. And the hardcore American attaboyism throughout certainly lives up to the title of the book in spades; not to mention Ryan's navel-gazing about not being "man enough" which walks up to the line of good character development but then steps well over it into stereotype and platitude.
But the building dread is palpable, and the last third when it all releases—that's when this book really slaps. The long chapters and meticulous detail start to pay off, and the navel-gazing becomes good introspection. If the first two acts of the story had the same flow and power that the finale did, this thing would be a rock-solid five stars.