Op-Center

I've read this and many other Tom Clancy books multiple times and enjoy his work. He has faultless credentials and his works are accurate, believable and give all who read the impression the author knows every bit about what he's writing. I read 2/3 of this book in one sitting, but didn't get back to it until a month later. By then I'd forgotten where I left off and picked up again where the storyline seemed familiar. It's a very credible scenario, a cell of South Koreans using the conflict and world assumptions to their own ends. I've lived in Japan and yes, very many Koreans have a bad historical taste in their mouths as regards Japan, and the Japanese continually tussle with the American presence serving both as umbrella and magnet concerning potential hostilities. This story is exciting, it has us teetering on the brink of a nuclear shootout as elements from both sides scramble to find out exactly who's behind the bombing and susbequent escalation of tension, with a devious twist thrown in exposing faults in heretofore impregnable technical superiority. There are a couple of minor inaccuracies that should have been caught, though, in Chapter 62 there's mention of the "South Pacific" as the task force-carrying aircraft speeds from Hawaii to Midway Island. Sorry, wrong hemisphere, Hawaii's some 1300-1600 miles north of the Equator. The author's dating himself here as "South Pacific" was a common catch-all term for Pacific operations in WWII. Next, in Chapter 67, troops run across a rain-slickened Osaka taxiway into a waiting C-9 "chopper". Huh? The C-9 Nightingale is a four-engine medevac (medical evacuation) airplane, not a helicopter. Earlier in the chapter one of the characters mentioned he'd prefer flying into Korea on a Black Hawk versus an unarmed C-9, maybe the author made a mental slip. Who knows? I enjoyed reading this, and will likely read it again in the future. Characters were entertaining. Some of the technological prowess displayed at the end was a bit farfetched - reminded me of the extreme satellite zoom-in sequence to a woman tanning her bare breasts on Steven Seagal's *Under Siege 2" - but on the other hand quite unsettling in its implications. It will make you think twice about what you do by yourself outdoors in the open. Overall, a nice read.

The latest Op-Center sets its story in one of today's most dangerous places - the India Pakistani border. In fact in recent newspapers, the unfortunate terrorist activities described in the early chapters, actually happened. Talk about topical. The author's done his research. The plot moves along quickly, and deftly pulls Op Center into the conflict. Moral & diplomatic dilemmas abound. Op Center fans get to spend a little more time with Striker & Mike Rodgers in the field. Ron Friday, introduced in D & Conquer, provides an interesting foil. It's a great read.

If you've avoided buying this because you've been burnt in the past by Clancy and his cowriters, then give this a try. I have read every one in the Op Center series and find them to be excellent. You won't be disappointed with this selection. Try them all!

Tom Clancy's book Op Center is a wonderful display of how a book should be written. My father was the reason I read this book in th efirst place. It had so much description about the many characters Clancy involved in his book. A person may feel that they Know one of them just by what type of personality the author gives them. This book is written so well because the reader may be able to relate to someone in the book. I also liked how Clancy took the reader behind the scenes of the whole Intelligence world. What really grabbed my attention was how the special forces members were sent in to blow the missles up. If you did not already know I just a hunger for books that are filled with action and always having something going on. This book by far had all of those things and then some. Another thing I love is that the book was actually real, and could happen. I recommend this book to anyone, and if I ever have the chance to read it again I will.

This is possibly the best series I've read, and definatly the best book in it. Clancy really knows how to build suspence and create a real page-turner. It takes a surface look at Neo-Nazism in the 90's, but doesn't become an essay. Very real descriptions of all the "unimportant" details and makes them important. This is definatly a must-read, especially after reading the first two