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Jack Ryan #7
Debt of Honor
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 aDebt 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.
990 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 17, 1994
2844 people are currently reading
12585 people want to read
About the author
Tom Clancy
911 books8,787 followersThomas Leo Clancy Jr. was an American novelist and military-political thriller pioneer. Raised in a middle-class Irish-American family, he developed an early fascination with military history. Despite initially studying physics at Loyola College, he switched to English literature, graduating in 1969 with a modest GPA. His aspirations of serving in the military were dashed due to severe myopia, leading him instead to a career in the insurance business.
While working at a small insurance agency, Clancy spent his spare time writing what would become The Hunt for Red October (1984). Published by the Naval Institute Press for an advance of $5,000, the book received an unexpected boost when President Ronald Reagan praised it as “the best yarn.” This propelled Clancy to national fame, selling millions of copies and establishing his reputation for technical accuracy in military and intelligence matters. His meticulous research and storytelling ability granted him access to high-ranking U.S. military officials, further enriching his novels.
Clancy’s works often featured heroic protagonists such as Jack Ryan and John Clark, emphasizing themes of patriotism, military expertise, and political intrigue. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, he became one of the best-selling authors in America, with titles like Red Storm Rising (1986), Patriot Games (1987), Clear and Present Danger (1989), and The Sum of All Fears (1991) dominating bestseller lists. Several of these were adapted into commercially successful films.
In addition to novels, Clancy co-authored nonfiction works on military topics and lent his name to numerous book series and video game franchises, including Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell. His influence extended beyond literature, as he became a part-owner of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team and was involved in various business ventures, including a failed attempt to purchase the Minnesota Vikings.
Politically, Clancy was a staunch conservative, often weaving his views into his books and publicly criticizing left-leaning policies. He gained further attention after the September 11 attacks, discussing intelligence failures and counterterrorism strategies on news platforms.
Clancy’s financial success was immense. By the late 1990s, his publishing deals were worth tens of millions of dollars. He lived on an expansive Maryland estate featuring a World War II Sherman tank and later purchased a luxury penthouse in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
He was married twice, first to Wanda Thomas King, with whom he had four children, and later to journalist Alexandra Marie Llewellyn, with whom he had one daughter.
Tom Clancy passed away on October 1, 2013, at the age of 66 due to heart failure. His legacy endures through his novels, their adaptations, and the continuation of the Jack Ryan series by other writers.
While working at a small insurance agency, Clancy spent his spare time writing what would become The Hunt for Red October (1984). Published by the Naval Institute Press for an advance of $5,000, the book received an unexpected boost when President Ronald Reagan praised it as “the best yarn.” This propelled Clancy to national fame, selling millions of copies and establishing his reputation for technical accuracy in military and intelligence matters. His meticulous research and storytelling ability granted him access to high-ranking U.S. military officials, further enriching his novels.
Clancy’s works often featured heroic protagonists such as Jack Ryan and John Clark, emphasizing themes of patriotism, military expertise, and political intrigue. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, he became one of the best-selling authors in America, with titles like Red Storm Rising (1986), Patriot Games (1987), Clear and Present Danger (1989), and The Sum of All Fears (1991) dominating bestseller lists. Several of these were adapted into commercially successful films.
In addition to novels, Clancy co-authored nonfiction works on military topics and lent his name to numerous book series and video game franchises, including Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell. His influence extended beyond literature, as he became a part-owner of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team and was involved in various business ventures, including a failed attempt to purchase the Minnesota Vikings.
Politically, Clancy was a staunch conservative, often weaving his views into his books and publicly criticizing left-leaning policies. He gained further attention after the September 11 attacks, discussing intelligence failures and counterterrorism strategies on news platforms.
Clancy’s financial success was immense. By the late 1990s, his publishing deals were worth tens of millions of dollars. He lived on an expansive Maryland estate featuring a World War II Sherman tank and later purchased a luxury penthouse in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
He was married twice, first to Wanda Thomas King, with whom he had four children, and later to journalist Alexandra Marie Llewellyn, with whom he had one daughter.
Tom Clancy passed away on October 1, 2013, at the age of 66 due to heart failure. His legacy endures through his novels, their adaptations, and the continuation of the Jack Ryan series by other writers.
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June 20, 2021
Christopher Buckley, book reviewer par excellence
This Christopher Buckley review just might qualify as my favorite book review ever. Notice how Christopher skewers a popular writer, a very bad writer, who is racist, sexist, superficial and just plain silly. I've enjoyed reading this review over and over and over.
By the way, science fiction author Norman Spinrad wrote a satirical novel, The Iron Dream, modeled on comic book superheros forever battling the forces of evil. After reading (a quick read I must admit) this Tom Clancy, I repeatedly imagined a comic strip based on Debt of Honor. But unlike Norman Spinrad, Tom Clancy never intended his book to be satire - he actually wrote this novel as serious fiction.
I hope you enjoy Christopher Buckley's review as much a I did.
CHRISTOPHER BUCKLEY'S REVIEW OF DEBT OF HONOR
Somewhere, if memory serves, Mark Twain said of one of Henry James's books, "Once you put it down, you can't pick it up." "Debt of Honor," the eighth novel in Tom Clancy's oeuvre, is, at 766 pages, a herniating experience. Things don't really start to happen until about halfway through this book, by which time most authors, including even some turgid Russian novelists, are finished with theirs. But Tom Clancy must be understood in a broader context, not as a mere writer of gizmo-thrillers, destroyer of forests, but as an economic phenomenon. What are his editors -- assuming they even exist; his books feel as if they go by modem from Mr. Clancy's computer directly to the printers -- supposed to do? Tell him to cut? "You tell him it's too long." "No, you tell him."
Someone, on the other hand -- friend, relative, spiritual adviser, I don't know -- really ought to have taken him aside and said, "Uh, Tom, isn't this book kind of racist?" I bow to no one in my disapproval of certain Japanese trade practices, and I worked for a man who once conspicuously barfed into the lap of the Japanese Prime Minister, but this book is as subtle as a World War II anti-Japanese poster showing a mustachioed Tojo bayoneting Caucasian babies. If you thought Michael Crichton was a bit paranoid, "Rising Sun"-wise, well then, to quote Mr. Clancy's favorite President and original literary booster, Ronald Reagan, "You ain't seen nothing yet." His Japanese aren't one-dimensional, they're half-dimensional. They spend most of their time grunting in bathhouses. And yet, to echo "Dr. Strangelove" 's Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, "the strange thing is, they make such bloody good cameras."
The plot: Japan craftily sabotages the United States financial markets, occupies the Mariana Islands, sinks two American submarines, killing 250 sailors, and threatens us with nuclear weapons. Why, you ask, don't we just throw up on their laps and give them a countdown to a few toasty reruns of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Because, fools that we are, we have got rid of all our nukes in a mad disarmament pact with the Russkies. (Plausible? Never mind.)
For a while it looks like sayonara for Western civ, until Jack Ryan, now White House national security adviser, masterminds such a brilliant response to the crisis that he ends up Vice President. To make way, the current V.P. must resign because of charges of -- sexual harassment. I won't be ruining it for you by saying that Ryan's ascendancy does not stop there; the President and the entire Congress must be eliminated in an inadvertently comic deus ex machina piloted by a sullen Japanese airman who miraculously does not grunt "Banzai!" as he plows his Boeing 747 into the Capitol. Former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman has recently had the arguable taste to remark, apropos this episode in "Debt of Honor," that this particular fantasy has long been his own. I don't like Congress either, but Abraham Lincoln, Lehman's fellow Republican and mine, did go to some pains to keep the Capitol's construction going during the Civil War as a symbol of the Union's continuity. Oh, well.
To be sure, the war enacted here is not the fruit of national Japanese will, but rather a manipulation of events by a zaibatsu businessman whose mother, father and siblings had jumped off a cliff in Saipan back in 1944 rather than be captured by evil American marines, and by a corrupt, America-hating politician. But that hardly lets Mr. Clancy off the hook, for the nasty characteristics ascribed to Yamata (the former) and Goto (the latter) are straightforwardly racial. To heat our blood further, Goto keeps a lovely American blonde as his geisha and does unspeakable naughties to her. When she threatens to become a political hot tomato, Yamata has the poor thing killed. It all plays into the crudest kind of cultural paranoia, namely, that what these beastly yellow inscrutables are really after is -- our women. (A similar crime, recall, was at the heart of Mr. Crichton's novel "Rising Sun." Well, archetypes do do the job.) Her name, for these purposes, is perfect: Kimberly Norton. "Yamata had seen breasts before, even large Caucasian breasts." To judge from the number of mentions of them, it is fair to conclude that Caucasian breasts are at the very heart of Goto-san's Weltanschauung. Farther down that same page, he expresses his carnal delight to Yamata "coarsely" (naturally) in -- shall we say -- cavorting with American girls. Jack Ryan is therefore striking a blow for more than the American way of life: he is knight-defender of nothing less than American bimbohood.
IT must be said that the hapless Kimberly Norton is a glaring exception among Clancy women: so much so that you wonder if he's been reading Susan Faludi under the covers at night. With this book, Mr. Clancy stakes his claim to being the most politically correct popular author in America, which is somewhat remarkable in such an outspoken, if not fire-breathing, right winger as himself. Practically everyone is either black, Hispanic, a woman or, at a minimum, ethnic. The Vice President is hauled off on charges of sexual harassment; the Japanese Prime Minister is a rapist; the deputy director of operations at the C.I.A. is a woman; there is Comdr. Roberta Peach (Peach? honestly) of the Navy; Ryan's wife receives a Lasker Award for her breakthroughs in ophthalmic surgery; one of the C.I.A. assassins is informed, practically in the middle of dispatching slanty-eyed despoilers of American women, that his own daughter has made dean's list and will probably get into medical school; secretaries, we are told again and again, are the real heroes, etc., etc.
All this would be more convincing were it not for the superseding macho that permeates each page like dried sweat. Ryan's Secret Service code name is, I kid you not, "Swordsman." And there's something a bit gamey about this description of the C.I.A.'s deputy director of operations: "Mary Pat entered the room, looking about normal for an American female on a Sunday morning." His feminism, if it can be called that, is pretty smarmy, like a big guy getting a woman in a choke hold and giving her a knuckly noogie on the top of her head by way of showing her she's "O.K." (Preferable, I admit, to the entertainments offered by the officers and gentlemen of the Tailhook Association.) And there is this hilarious description of Ryan's saintly wife saving someone's sight with laser surgery: "She lined up the crosshairs as carefully as a man taking down a Rocky Mountain sheep from half a mile, and thumbed the control." You've got to admire a man who can find the sheep-hunting metaphor in retinal surgery.
Tom Clancy is the James Fenimore Cooper of his day, which is to say, the most successful bad writer of his generation. This is no mean feat, for there are many, many more rich bad writers today than there were in Cooper's time. If Twain were alive now, he would surely be writing an essay entitled, "The Literary Crimes of Clancy." He would have loved "Debt of Honor," the culmination, thus far, of Mr. Clancy's almost endearing Hardy Boys-"Jane's Fighting Ships" prose style:
"The Indians were indeed getting frisky."
"More surprisingly, people made way for him, especially women, and children positively shrank from his presence as though Godzilla had returned to crush their city."
" 'I will not become Prime Minister of my country,' Hiroshi Goto announced in a manner worthy of a stage actor, 'in order to become executor of its economic ruin.' "
September 11, 2010
5.5 to 6.0 stars. This is my favorite Tom Clancy book. I don't want to give away any spoilers but the scope of the plot and the multi-pronged attack on the U.S. was amazing. Add to that the superb way in which the good guys fight back and an "over the top" ending and you have a memorable piece of fiction by one of the masters of the genre.
October 13, 2016
The last of the Clancy/Ryan books I liked and I'm very happy I put that 4-star rating for it there way before writing this review. Because trying to remember it now, it kind of blends, not surprisingly, with Executive Orders - the first one I really disliked. My gut tells me 4 stars is probably way generous, but I'll stand by them I guess. I will, however, say that if you ask me, this is as far as you should venture...
November 11, 2018
A pretty solid book. It's got a lot of good stuff, and it's reminiscent of the earlier works.
It's probably the most colorful of all Tom's works, including a Pearl Harbor like event, B-2 bombers, nukes, why not to draw your pistol from an armpit holster, lasers, Chavez and Clark are back, we get a new fast-track promoted president (hint hint), and a whole bunch more. I read this about twenty years ago, once, and I still remember it quite vividly. A textbook [sic] guide to political techno-thriller fun. Or the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Presidency. Or something.
Clancy also drew a lot of flak for "inspiring" the terror attacks of 2001, because something rather similar to the 9/11 events happens in this book. Whatever the case - prophetic brilliance, coicindence or pure physical limitation on what you can do with a plane, Debt of Honor is a solid work, ever so slightly cliche with an over-dramatized ending (cue in confused Harrison Ford with his crooked half-grin), with lots of goodies for the aspiring weapons encyclopedia lover.
Let's a-sing-song, shall we:
Winter's cityside
Crystal bits of snowflakes
All around my head and in the wind
I had no illusions
That I'd ever find a glimpse
Of torpedo's waves in your hull
You did what you did to me
Now it's history, I see
Here's my comeback on the road again
Things will happen while they can
I will wait here for my man tonight
It's easy when you're CIA in Japan
Igor
It's probably the most colorful of all Tom's works, including a Pearl Harbor like event, B-2 bombers, nukes, why not to draw your pistol from an armpit holster, lasers, Chavez and Clark are back, we get a new fast-track promoted president (hint hint), and a whole bunch more. I read this about twenty years ago, once, and I still remember it quite vividly. A textbook [sic] guide to political techno-thriller fun. Or the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Presidency. Or something.
Clancy also drew a lot of flak for "inspiring" the terror attacks of 2001, because something rather similar to the 9/11 events happens in this book. Whatever the case - prophetic brilliance, coicindence or pure physical limitation on what you can do with a plane, Debt of Honor is a solid work, ever so slightly cliche with an over-dramatized ending (cue in confused Harrison Ford with his crooked half-grin), with lots of goodies for the aspiring weapons encyclopedia lover.
Let's a-sing-song, shall we:
Winter's cityside
Crystal bits of snowflakes
All around my head and in the wind
I had no illusions
That I'd ever find a glimpse
Of torpedo's waves in your hull
You did what you did to me
Now it's history, I see
Here's my comeback on the road again
Things will happen while they can
I will wait here for my man tonight
It's easy when you're CIA in Japan
Igor
October 29, 2014
I enjoyed this book - but for how long it is, not a whole lot really happened. When I was done, I though "It really took 990 pages to tell that story"? There was a lot of really intricate military information that was not as interesting to me, but showed that Clancy put a lot of thought into that sort of thing - at times it felt like he had been working on this great idea for a military engagement, and somehow he was going to fit it into a novel somewhere. These parts greatly contrasted with the plot lines (of which there were several) so there was a lot of jumping back and forth from story to military stuff. Also, some of the plots lines came and went without me realizing they were over or that they were coming back. There is one major storyline that was suddenly over about halfway through the book. Another one was a major part early on in the book but then disappeared until the very end until it came back in a single paragraph.
February 26, 2019
audio book with ebook
Great detail.....things that came to my mind:
-- Technology producers are business. Therefore, they need to make a profit. They are then allowed to sell said technology to nations at a time when nations are not hostile to the home nation which paid for the technology development. The receiving nations may become hostile and use said technology against those who paid for it.
-- Those employed in the government political swamp have a full range of ethics
-- News reporters are concerned first with what is beneficial to them thereby skewing their mores to fit.
Great detail.....things that came to my mind:
-- Technology producers are business. Therefore, they need to make a profit. They are then allowed to sell said technology to nations at a time when nations are not hostile to the home nation which paid for the technology development. The receiving nations may become hostile and use said technology against those who paid for it.
-- Those employed in the government political swamp have a full range of ethics
-- News reporters are concerned first with what is beneficial to them thereby skewing their mores to fit.
May 18, 2023
There are a few out there that have written decent geopolitical thrillers, but in this reread, there aren't any that can top Tom Clancy...While many Social Justice Warriors slammed this book because, GASP, there are villains who aren't patriotic Americans, I enjoyed the story...Except for "Young Jack," most of the "Ryan Universe” is here in the mega geopolitical thriller involving conflict between Japan and the US...Pretty hefty tome that shows Jack's path to the White House...Good Stuff!
May 28, 2018
Debt of Honor is a lengthy 990 page book written by Tom Clancy and published by Berkley Books. Its title refers to the debt of honour Mr. Yamata owed his family after they died escaping US capture in World War 2. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and give it a rating of 3.7/4.0 stars.
This novel would appeal to an audience of above average to high reading and literacy abilities, and to people who don’t mind pushing through almost 1000 pages. If you match the mentioned criteria, and you enjoy action/military novels, then I recommend this book for you!
Tom Clancy put his fantastic storytelling experience to work, and made this fantastic novel to add to his list of top-selling ones. He is the author of many other best-selling books such as The Hunt for Red October and The Sum of All Fears. The former was even praised by then-president Ronald Reagan, who called the book “the best yarn”. The books Clancy has written were praised by many for their technical accuracy, leading to Clancy meeting high-ranking US military officers. His books were also made into movies, and have had an entire video game series based on them.
Debt of Honor is a fantastic book. It is very detailed when it comes to the workings of government, military and machine operations. There is a lot of dialogue in this book, and a good bit of it is humorous. I really enjoy how descriptive Clancy is when talking about absolutely everything. While reading, I always had a clear idea of everything that was going on. I absolutely loved how the book was structured, an incredibly slow buildup of tension up towards the climax. I adored how the different stories eventually melded into one large one that made sense, and the separate stories kept my curiosity, as I was constantly wondering how they would fit together.
However, as much as I enjoyed Clancy’s descriptiveness and story length, I feel that there were a couple of long parts that seemed to stretch the story, without adding much to it. I feel that is the reason some people may dislike this book; at times it seems to drag, in a way. It is the only reason the book is not 4/4.
Overall, Debt of Honor is a great read. Clancy used all of his storytelling experience to create another very descriptive and accurate book. The only downside is that the novel can drag on at times. If you persevere past the stretched points, you will enjoy the novel!
This novel would appeal to an audience of above average to high reading and literacy abilities, and to people who don’t mind pushing through almost 1000 pages. If you match the mentioned criteria, and you enjoy action/military novels, then I recommend this book for you!
Tom Clancy put his fantastic storytelling experience to work, and made this fantastic novel to add to his list of top-selling ones. He is the author of many other best-selling books such as The Hunt for Red October and The Sum of All Fears. The former was even praised by then-president Ronald Reagan, who called the book “the best yarn”. The books Clancy has written were praised by many for their technical accuracy, leading to Clancy meeting high-ranking US military officers. His books were also made into movies, and have had an entire video game series based on them.
Debt of Honor is a fantastic book. It is very detailed when it comes to the workings of government, military and machine operations. There is a lot of dialogue in this book, and a good bit of it is humorous. I really enjoy how descriptive Clancy is when talking about absolutely everything. While reading, I always had a clear idea of everything that was going on. I absolutely loved how the book was structured, an incredibly slow buildup of tension up towards the climax. I adored how the different stories eventually melded into one large one that made sense, and the separate stories kept my curiosity, as I was constantly wondering how they would fit together.
However, as much as I enjoyed Clancy’s descriptiveness and story length, I feel that there were a couple of long parts that seemed to stretch the story, without adding much to it. I feel that is the reason some people may dislike this book; at times it seems to drag, in a way. It is the only reason the book is not 4/4.
Overall, Debt of Honor is a great read. Clancy used all of his storytelling experience to create another very descriptive and accurate book. The only downside is that the novel can drag on at times. If you persevere past the stretched points, you will enjoy the novel!
August 22, 2013
The very first Tom Clancy book I ever bought, and by mistake as well. (Through a book club in case you were wondering. I was too lazy to send it back) After reading this, I had to go back and get all of his previous books. Having reread this recently, I marvelled at the complexity of everything going on, and how wonderfully well it all comes together at the end. It's hard to fathom how the author can write in some much detail, with so much knowledge, combining it all in an intricate plot. Great imagination, wonderful characters. While I like Ryan.....he has a lot of qualities to admire, I always find myself intrigued by John Clark and Domingo Chavez. Having gone back and read the books before this, you get a real sense of what drives Clark on, while the relationship between Clark and Chavez is almost father to son, rather than two soldiers working together, one outranking the other. A relationship that changes further into the series.......particularly in my favourite book of his...............Rainbow Six. Great book, fab read. But perhaps you should start with one of the others further back to really get into the story.
November 23, 2011
Perhaps 1 star is a bit harsh; maybe I should give it 1.5 instead. Clancy remains a skilled writer, in terms of dialogue, character development, and the build-up of suspense. If you've gotten this far in the Jack Ryan series, Debt of Honor will be an easy and enjoyable read for you.
The problem is the plot. The gymnastics that Clancy needs to go through to set up a half-way plausible explanation for a war between the United States and Japan--not to mention a reason why Japan has half a chance against a country with a larger military, better military technology, and a larger population and economy--are gargantuan.
And then there is the politics of the book; Clancy's personal beliefs about the need for a strong and independent military capable of global domination increasingly assert themselves. Finally, there is the problem of the Ryan character, who in this book is vaulted from a skilled technocrat to... well, I won't spoil anything, but let's just say this series of events also defies belief. In my opinion, this is clearly where the Jack Ryan series jumps the shark.
The problem is the plot. The gymnastics that Clancy needs to go through to set up a half-way plausible explanation for a war between the United States and Japan--not to mention a reason why Japan has half a chance against a country with a larger military, better military technology, and a larger population and economy--are gargantuan.
And then there is the politics of the book; Clancy's personal beliefs about the need for a strong and independent military capable of global domination increasingly assert themselves. Finally, there is the problem of the Ryan character, who in this book is vaulted from a skilled technocrat to... well, I won't spoil anything, but let's just say this series of events also defies belief. In my opinion, this is clearly where the Jack Ryan series jumps the shark.
April 25, 2017
OK, maybe two stars looks harsh, but the book was OK and that is the best I can say about it.
The spy plot thread, with underground operatives in Japan was actually pretty good. I liked the air war thread. But the long, long, LOOONG, parts about financial double dealing left me cold.
I will say this, it had a slam-bang ending that caught me by surprise.
The spy plot thread, with underground operatives in Japan was actually pretty good. I liked the air war thread. But the long, long, LOOONG, parts about financial double dealing left me cold.
I will say this, it had a slam-bang ending that caught me by surprise.
February 5, 2022
Re-occurring themes but still enough action and suspense.
Read
January 21, 2010Debt of Honor, among other things, is the story of Jack Ryan and his role in a conflict between the Japan and the United States that eventually leads to war between the two countries. Personally, I found this book to be very boring because of the fact that it was overly long. Throughout the book, I saw multiple parts where the author, Tom Clancy could have just ended the book, but he kept going on and on. Eventually, I just found that he dragged out the events to the point where I was, instead of being excited and on the edge of my seat, was just waiting for the book to end.
Prior to reading this book, I had read the series, Net Force, which is also by Tom Clancy. I found that series of books to be quite entertaining. They also were just the right length, not too long and not too short. I thought this book would be almost like it in terms of length. Alas, I was wrong.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys LONG books or anyone who likes Tom Clancy or the Jack Ryan series in general.
Prior to reading this book, I had read the series, Net Force, which is also by Tom Clancy. I found that series of books to be quite entertaining. They also were just the right length, not too long and not too short. I thought this book would be almost like it in terms of length. Alas, I was wrong.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys LONG books or anyone who likes Tom Clancy or the Jack Ryan series in general.
January 28, 2020
Well. I'm sure there are people, even those who like Clancy, that were disappointed by this novel. I am not one of them. I never saw this one coming. Without getting two spoiler-y...Clancy sets up a believable convergence of events and political pressure to cause a war between the US and an important ally. I'm not saying which, though it won't be hard for you to find if you choose to do so. I found the machinations behind the scene fascinating, as the ally-turned-enemy country tries to take out the economy and the military at the same time. Jack, in his new role as National Security Advisor to the President, is right in the middle of things again. That also gives us an opportunity to see many of our old friends again, including Robbie Jackson, Dan Murray of the FBI, Ed and Mary Pat Foley, Bart Mancuso, and, of course, John Clark and Ding Chavez. So, the gang's all here and there's lots for them to do. Unfortunately, the ending surprise got accidentally spoiled for me. Don't look at anything for "Executive Orders" before reading this book or it'll happen to you, too. It's still pretty impressive. I enjoyed this one immensely.
April 16, 2009
A more enjoyable outing than The Sum of All Fears or the lamentable Without Remorse; Clancy managed here to get it up one last time following the CCCP's dissolution, and I've got to admit that one of my first thoughts on 2001-09-11 was "holy gawd some Montana nutcase has brought his Debt of Honor recreation society to a horrible climax". Everything fell apart in the followup effort Executive Orders, which was to close the door on my teenage fascination with Old Man Clancy.
One of the best essays in 2008's War Nerd (derivative of exile.ru, which we all sadly miss :/) is the absolute threshing of Tom Clancy -- well worth the price of admission.
One of the best essays in 2008's War Nerd (derivative of exile.ru, which we all sadly miss :/) is the absolute threshing of Tom Clancy -- well worth the price of admission.
January 12, 2010
I like Mr. Clancy's Ryan books (well i like the Clark books to). Though they are somewhat dated now, as time moves and we get further and further from the cold war they are still fairly unflinching and to an extent insightful.
This one while indulging in a bit more fancy than a couple of the others, it still lays out an interesting story and leads into the following books.
I think many may find the "trade war" and the American government s reaction to things interesting here.
I like it. It's a good read.
This one while indulging in a bit more fancy than a couple of the others, it still lays out an interesting story and leads into the following books.
I think many may find the "trade war" and the American government s reaction to things interesting here.
I like it. It's a good read.
September 14, 2018
One of the most intense Tom Clancy novels I've read so far. An extremely intricate collection of plots are expertly tied together, and brought not to a satisfying conclusion, but rather a stunning end that picks up with the next book, 'Executive Orders'. My only criticism comes from personal preference: the details regarding global finance were extremely difficult to follow, and became quickly tedious. These can, however, be skimmed in order to get the gist that is necessary to continue following the rest of the storyline with ease.
January 27, 2019
I read about a book a week. I haven't read a Clancy book in years, since "Without Remorse ", which I thought was excellent. So I decided to tackle "Debt of Honor". It was loaded with background for the plot, character development, and historical detail. Very little dialog. It moved so slowly that it became a drudgery to read. I have no doubt, that it would eventually delivery a good story. Just not worth the wait. After several hundred pages, I decided enough was enough, and quit.
January 2, 2019
Book on CD, but I also own it in paperback. My family really found this one too hard to follow while driving. Kids put on head phones, wife was bored. I loved it. We finished it and I finally found out how Jack Ryan Sr became president.
December 11, 2021
7.5/10. I had forgotten how long it takes Clancy to start bringing the plot together in his books.
July 19, 2017
If not for the last 200 pages, this might've earned a one-star rating. It's just incredibly boring. The first 400 pages could've been 200 pages, and everything after that could've been heavily trimmed. This is a general complaint I've had with Clancy, but he usually overcame it with good plot, thrills, action, etc. He always included extraneous information and plot lines that could've been cut, but this was the worst example I've seen so far. As one reads through the first 400 pages (the story starts to move along after that), the general plot of the story and the important details are pretty clear. Dragging the reader through 400 pages of bloated story and description is just unnecessary. His descriptions of economic and banking maneuvers are hard to follow, and his attempts at humanity and internal dialogue are clunky. He is only redeemed by his outstanding ability to describe military action and technology with clarity and wit (including the ubiquitous submarine). I'm one novel away from having read all of Clancy's works prior to the year 2000, and some of them are very good yarns (Without Remorse is one of my all-time favorite books). Debt of Honor, however, is a poor piece of drama and a poor piece of writing.
March 11, 2012
This is by far my favorite of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan novels, in which Jack and the NSA 'discover' that Japan's business interests have coerced their government into launching a modern-day sneak attack on the US and get away with it almost without the US even being aware of it. Together with the usual supporting cast from the previous novels, Jack is able to restore the status-quo-ante by the end of the book, that is up to the surprise finish which leaves Jack 'in charge.'
My favorite scene is the surprize reunion between John Clark and "Portagee", a retired Chief Bosun's Mate who had once upon a time attended John's funeral - at the end of John's 'previous life' as a renegade vigilante in the novel "Without Remorse".
I also enjoyed having Captain Nick Mancuso get the opportunity to salvage his career as a sub driver aboard a down-graded 'boomer' that is to be pressed into service as a makeshift 'attack' submarine/aircraft carrier. His boomer ends up sinking 1 enemy sub, 1 enemy tin can, and even chalks up an air-to-air combat kill (trust me, read the book).
My favorite scene is the surprize reunion between John Clark and "Portagee", a retired Chief Bosun's Mate who had once upon a time attended John's funeral - at the end of John's 'previous life' as a renegade vigilante in the novel "Without Remorse".
I also enjoyed having Captain Nick Mancuso get the opportunity to salvage his career as a sub driver aboard a down-graded 'boomer' that is to be pressed into service as a makeshift 'attack' submarine/aircraft carrier. His boomer ends up sinking 1 enemy sub, 1 enemy tin can, and even chalks up an air-to-air combat kill (trust me, read the book).
February 23, 2016
Published back in 1995, "Debt of Honor" has a storyline that seems dated in so many ways in 2016; Japan has been economically prostrate for over two decades and are no longer seen by the American public as the economic bogeyman and juggernaut that they were back in the 19902; our relations with Russia have deteriorated significantly in the last couple of years and no longer have the spirit of cooperation that existed back then; the commie regime in North Korea obviously has not collapsed yet; and neither the US nor Russia have completely dismantled their ICBM stockpile yet. Nonetheless, a highly engrossing, entertaining, and thrilling novel, as is true of all the classic Tom Clancy novels (may he Rest In Peace), and still well worth reading....especially for its bang-up ending (I'll avoid the spoiler, for the sake of readers new to the series) which proves to be a life-changing event for Clancy's most famous protagonist. Jack Ryan.
February 8, 2016
The first of a mini trilogy within the Ryanverse, this book sets of a chain of events that culminate in the end of "The Bear and the Dragon". Poorer than its sequel "Executive Orders" but better than "The Bear and the Dragon", it details a war between Japan and the United States, triggered by a revengefull political mastermind.
I'll cut straight to it: a lot of the events leading up to the war are, to say the least, highly unlikely, and without a doubt written with American patriotism as the driving factor. As such I found it very hard to actually embrace, as I felt that a lot of it was a bit too cheesy. On the other hand, the way Clancy details the Japanese attack on the US economy is hugely interesting, clearly showing that he has done his homework properly regarding global finance.
On the whole a good read, but a bit too coloured by blatant patriotism to be a five star
I'll cut straight to it: a lot of the events leading up to the war are, to say the least, highly unlikely, and without a doubt written with American patriotism as the driving factor. As such I found it very hard to actually embrace, as I felt that a lot of it was a bit too cheesy. On the other hand, the way Clancy details the Japanese attack on the US economy is hugely interesting, clearly showing that he has done his homework properly regarding global finance.
On the whole a good read, but a bit too coloured by blatant patriotism to be a five star
July 26, 2015
Another solid Clancy novel! A lot of parts in the book seemed to drag because Clancy would get into long and lengthy descriptions but the plot really held my interest. What I didn't see coming was the ending, I won't say what happens for those of you who like Tom Clancy and haven't read Debt of Honor yet, but I'll just say this, you'll never see it coming!
I'm guessing that the next book in the series, Executive Orders will pick right up where this book ended. I was gonna read it next but after how lengthy and descriptive Debt of Honor was, I'll have to wind down a bit, HAHA! But it's on my to read list.
I'm guessing that the next book in the series, Executive Orders will pick right up where this book ended. I was gonna read it next but after how lengthy and descriptive Debt of Honor was, I'll have to wind down a bit, HAHA! But it's on my to read list.
July 25, 2013
900 pages of waffle, very disappointing.
March 30, 2025
4/5. A burgeoning trade war. A tanking stock market. America's friends quickly becoming enemies. No, this isn't today's newspaper. It's a 1994 Tom Clancy masterpiece. I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that it wasn't until I got to page 600-something of this 766-page tome that I realized I had already read it. Give me a break -- it was 30 years ago. Not only that, but I, a young, gung ho journalist at the time, questioned Clancy in a CompuServe author chat room about the likelihood of a journalist cooperating with the government to create a fake Pearl Harbor broadcast to fool the Japanese. Journalists don't do that, I insisted. Clancy's reply came quickly: What, you think journalists don't lie? Boy, did I have a lot to learn! Clancy, who died in 2013 at age 66, was an English major, insurance executive and ROTC member, although he didn't serve in the military. Still, his novels feature a depth of detail about military maneuvers, spycraft and politics that defy his public background. And he was incredibly prescient.
July 17, 2024
990 pages! Whew. Really good read, lots of technical detail, surprise ending. Working through the original Tom Clancy books and enjoying each one.
OMG, the next one is 1358 pages!
OMG, the next one is 1358 pages!
March 2, 2025
Dus 9/11 was al een paar te verwachten maar dan vanuit een ander land.
February 1, 2025
Man får veta mycket om banksystemet i USA haha🤓
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