I chose this book because the blurb seemed interesting and I have heard of Tom Clancy before so I thought I should give one of his books a go.
- Fear of Indian Invasion of Sri Lanka
SOLUTION SO FAR
- Because the stock market crashed, the computer systems failed and no records were made. Jack Ryan comes up with the idea to restart trading as if it had never happened.
Main Characters
Jack Ryan - US President's National Security Advisor -
Raizo Yamata - Japanese Businessman - bought a big investment company and practically crewed it over to cause the stock market crash - dislikes USA - family killed in WW II
President Durling - President of the USA - Under stress with all of the problems
Mr Goto - Prime Minister of Japan - dislikes USA
Mr Burroughs - US citizen trapped on Marianas
Mr Oreza - Ex Coast Guard - also on Marianas - sending information to US coast guard
Ding Chavez and John Clark - CIA Operatives in Japan
Chet Nomuri - Japanese-American CIA operative in Japan
CONTEXT
I don't think the author, Tom Clancy has had any experiences similar to those in the book. Although, it does have similarity to the Battle of the Pacific in WW II. He obviously does a lot of research and many sequences display proficient knowledge of economics, military organisation and equipmant, politics and diplomacy. These parts of the book are so complex they often leave me confused.
INTERPRETATION
I havn't read the whole story so I would like to ask Yamata why he is invading and attacking the Americans. It had not been revealed yet and many other characters is the story are thinking the same thing. A lot of the complicated paragraphs explaining Wall street and money were sonfusing and I wish I could understand them more. I would like to ask Tom Clancy for hints about writing novels and how he does it. I want to write a novel one day, unlikely as it is. It would be cool to ask him about how he made it and how he managed to be so thourough with his research and language skills.
SYNTHESIS
Tom Clancy has purposely not included any real people in his book to avoid "insulting" them by making them do certain things in the book. All of the characters are made up, even the president has a different name and character. All of the locations are real but he is never racist in his writings. A lot of the events mirror the Battle for the Pacific in World War 2 with the sudden Japanese attack.
EVALUATION
The story is very complex and I actual feel mature and smart when I read it because it's not a silly childish book, it's a serious, intelligent book written by and adult for adults. I haven't read the whole book yet but the plot is developing well and I can't wait to see any twists Tom Clancy can make. I don't really relate to any characters fully but I think I have a similar determination to get the job done like Jack Ryan. I have learnt a lot by reading this book. I kind of understand shares, trading and the economy now, but I've still got a while to go. I understand how complex politics are and that war isn't as simple as I used to think it was. I haven't really changed my opinion on anything in the book, I still want the war to really start, not because I'm sadistic or anything, but because it would be really interesting to read, especially with Tom Clancy at the helm. One particular part of the story that stood out to me was when the Japanese started attacking the US ships in the Pacific. He really displayed the feeling of confusion by the US sailors and this was the point in the book when it started to get more interesting and the pace started to get faster. Overall, I am enjoying reading this book because i have never read something quite so mature and complex. I can't wait to see what happens next.
CREATIVE
Beause the book is so long, there are probably a lot of scenes that could be and would have to be removed to make it an appropraite length. One scene that introduces Chavez and Clark taking down an African drug runner seems a bit random because the drug runner seems to have nothing to do with anything in the rest of the story. This book probably isn't directed to young readers. It is too complex and the topics within it are more adult in nature.
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