Customer Reviews

Fallout (Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is a good addition to the series. It is well written and action packed. The climax is great and keeps you guessing right up until the last page.

We get more insight into Fisher as a person and his past. It has plenty of nods to the games, which makes it easy to picture. Hopefully this will be followed by more action-packed espisodes.

Updated 1/28/2008

There are some things that need to be cleared up about this book immediately. First, echoing other reviews, this was not written by the same author as Splinter Cell and Op. Barracuda, so anyone whining about continuity should read the proverbial fine print. "It seemed like it was written by a totally different person." Congraulations, Sherlock. It was!

Second, in any mass market paperback, there will be some typos or math errors (i.e. size of mansion/land). He is an author, not a mathmatician and it they weren't so glaring that a simple "Oh, he must have meant 30,000" pause wouldn't fix that mental picture. I've read the book twice because the story is quite good and very topical in the world today, and honestly, I didn't even notice. This book was very enjoyable and taken as the mass market thriller and not as the next great American novel, it is a good read. If you can't get past errors, this is not a book for you

Let me clarify that the Splinter Cell books are not written by Tom Clancy, they are just an idea of his.

Be careful, spoilers are listed.

This book was well written in my opinion and the author of the book portrayed Sam Fisher's personality well. The book starts out with Sam being tested for a new type of spy work, one that would put him out in the open, in daylight. Of course Sam passes the training phase with flying colors. Shortly after his graduation he finds out that his brother has contracted a deadly chemical, from which there is no cure. Sam's brother dies within days of being exposed to the deadly chemical.

With Sam's brother dying at the hands of a very rare and very deadly chemical, the development of this chemical has just become very personal to him. He, Sam, sets out to find who developed the new chemical and for what. During his search for the chemical he comes across a much larger scheme. He, Sam, discovers that the chemical allows a fungas to enhance its ability to absorb the minerals around it, rendering them useless. Sam finds out that this fungas is soon to be released on a large portion of the worlds oil supply.
The production of the new chemical, and its potential enhancement of a particular fungas can send the planet back to the dark ages within just a few weeks time.

First of all, I find it very sad that some people don't do their homework before writing a review.

The fact that someone who claims to be a "fan" of "David Michaels" is hilarious since "David Michaels" is a pseudonym. It's also sad that someone would give a book as good as this a bad review for differing styles between the books when they were written by different people.

Get a clue, please.

I want to start by giving this David large amount of credit for being interactive with the Splinter Cell fan community. Three characters, Robert Robertson, Aly Wallace and Jackie Fiest are all named after real Splinter Cell fans. Very few authors are that interactive with their readers and "David" should be commended.

Second of all, the books situation with oil is something I have yet seen done in any entertainment medium. While I don't read a lot of military fiction, this is the first time I've seen that and enjoyed the idea. I don't know if something of that nature really exists, but if it did it would surely cause a world wide panic, especially if it ended up in the wrong hands. "David" did a good job of telling an exciting story and bringing back Sam's sense of humor and wit that has made him the fascinating character that he is.

Good work, Sir.

I've been a long time fan of the Splinter Cell games but this was the first book I've read relating to the character. It was really an exciting and gripping storyline full of interesting twists and exotic locations. You could imagine playing as the character, sneaking into highly secure residences and playing with new cutting edge electronic toys while at the same time invisibly saving the world. You feel right in the scene when five North Koreans are walking towards your flipped Jeep with assault rifles at the ready and you have to act. It was great to combine my love of the games (not Double Agent) with the enjoyment of reading.

It was a very good book, anyone who enjoys the Ryanverse/Splinter Cell books would enjoy it.

I love the Splinter Cell games and was reluctant to try the books because I was afraid they wouldn't even come close to how much I enjoyed the games. But I decided to give it a try and *I'm so glad I did*. Theres cover to cover action, and the hero, Sam Fisher, is a blast to follow. If you're a fan of the games and you love fiction, you'll love this.

** And even if you haven't played the games, it's just a great action-adventure book all by itself.**

A good addition to the series. I'm glad this particular author (DM is a pen-name) dropped the first person narrative for the traditional third person, which started in the third book. The action flows nicely and there is more than the previous three novels. I content this book is strongly reflects the video game in pace and character development. The plot is typical fare about a virus used by an upcoming dictator with intentions to overthrow "Western" ideals and religion, and perhaps the entire world. I enjoy the book because I'm a fan of the series and I think Fisher is a strong character. My only concern is that we find out about a certain relationship, which is never mentioned in print or in-game (at least I don't recall of this particular relationship). However said item does not detract from the book. I score higher because of the "comfort reading" aspect, but maybe not as exciting for the casual or non-fan of the series.

Finally, the book is physically designed like the third book and is much easier to read. I hope they print paperback books in a elongated fashion. Finally, the average reader can finish the book in 3-5 settings.

A new book doesnt matter where you buy it from, it all about price and I found the best price here.

It's a shame that the first author of the 1st two books decided to stop writing the series and Clancy turned to another author. While I understand each author has their way of writing style, I would have hoped Grant Blackwood would have continued where Raymond Benson left off. I wish he would have even kept some of the continuity between Checkmate and Fallout.
Why would you stop using a subdermal receiver and go to a satellite phone and bluetooth headset. That is like stepping backwards. I didn't mind switching characters assisting Fisher from a female to Redding, but then he played a lesser role in Fallout by staying behind at third echleon instead of in the plane with Bird and Sandy (hmm a female?) Still worked, but not as smooth as it could have been. Still 2 books to go, so we will see if these bumps are smoothed out

The first Splinter Cell book was really great, with a clear plot and fast understandable action.
This book and the other Splinter Cell books have been a great disappointment. I bought all of them and began reading them in order. Except for the first one, the rest had Splinter Cell teams going in many different directions with no clear goal. It became so tedious that I lost interest and would not recommend them to anyone. I wish I could get a refund from Amazon.