Share this
Act of Defiance
By Brian Andrews & Jeffrey Wilson on behalf of the late Tom Clancy
Published by Hachette Australia
ISBN 9781408727881
Although I have been aware of Clancy's books, I had not read one before reading "Act of Defiance".After being handed this book, I decided to investigate the author.
On researching Tom Clancy, I found that he had written thirteen books, plus five books as co-author. There are a further twenty-two 'Tom Clancy' books written by other authors.
Tom Clancy died in 2013. Act of Defiance is the twenty-fourth instalment of Tom Clancy's groundbreaking, international bestselling 'Jack Ryan' series.
Act of Defiance was co-authored by Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson in the same Clancy style and including the same characters as some of his previous books. Both these authors have a US Naval and Submarine background, which gives authenticity, as this book is based on that genre.
Jack Ryan is the President of the United States of America and the 'Act of Defiance' revolves around him, his history as a CIA operative and his youngest twin daughter, who is Lieutenant Ryan of Naval Intelligence. It appears Jack Ryan was introduced in Tom Clancy's 1984 book and subsequent 1990 film, "Hunt for Red October", which I have not seen, but understand it is a gripping thriller.
The book starts with a back story of a Russian naval engineer, hoping to swap his detailed plans of the revolutionary new Russian submarine "Red October" for a new life in the USA, with his wife and 10 year old son.
His plan is thwarted when the CIA operative with whom he negotiated in Leningrad, has other 'irons in the fire' and reneged on his offer of the swap, because the Red October Captain has defected with his submarine. The USA no longer needs the Russian naval engineer's plans.
The story then reels forward to the present day. The aforementioned engineer's 10 year old son is now an adult. He is a Submarine Captain First Class in charge of the most recent iteration of Russia's most deadly nuclear-powered submarines, the "Belgorod".
The unexpected launch of the Belgorod is picked up by US Naval Intelligence spy satellite images and Lieutenant Ryan is shown several aspects of the submarine's image, which appears to have a deeply concerning modified design. She starts to investigate, leading to the story in this book which is very difficult to put down.
The plot is quite believable. The pace is fast, the tension is high, the web of intrigue is chilling and the action is thrilling. Although the story is high drama, there are several times where the atmosphere cuts to several very humorous situations. The submarine camaraderie is often quite jovial.
This action takes place within a naval environment, as I mentioned earlier, and there are many instances where naval shorthand, code and acronyms are used, but these are explained. However, they may slow your reading. There is a part in the story where Lieutenant Ryan is flown to meet an aircraft carrier and the authors name the model of the plane that is used. I had to take time out to google it. On the positive side, I found out what a Grumman C-2A Greyhound turboprop looks like.
Be aware that it is written in American English and some of the vocabulary and grammar may be a bit annoying. However, I persevered, due to the intriguing intensity of the story and finished the book in a state of breathlessness. When I closed the back cover, I let out a "WOW! What an exciting story"
Certainly, a must-read and now I can understand why Tom Clancy's books are best sellers.
The authors
Tom Clancy was America's, and the world's, favourite international thriller author. Starting with The Hunt for Red October, all of his books have hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Seven of his novels were made into major motion pictures and Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, is now a hit Amazon TV show. Clancy died in 2013.
Navy veterans Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson (Andrews & Wilson) are the writing team behind the bestselling Tier One, Sons of Valor, and Shepherds book series. Brian is a nuclear engineer and Park Leadership Fellow who served as an officer on a fast-attack submarine. Jeff is a vascular surgeon and jet pilot who conducted combat operations with an East Coast-based SEAL team. In addition to writing books, they have multiple film & television projects under development with partners at Skydance, Walden Media, Picturestart, Sony, Endeavor Content, and Imagine Entertainment.
Book review by Ken
This is an independent review, I am not paid by the book publishers, so.If you Liked this review - please Buy me a coffee
BUY THIS BOOK FROM
