Games of State (Tom Clancy's Op-Center, Book 3) [Mass Market Paperback]

Tom Clancy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 1996

The third volume in the bestselling series of high-tech, high-action thrillers created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik -- repackaged in a stunning new-look cover. In Tom Clancy's Op-Centre, bestselling author Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik, novelist and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, have created an astonishingly popular thriller series, which has already sold over 1 million HarperCollins paperbacks. Now the first three volumes are being repackaged to coincide with the publication of the latest volume in the series, Acts of War. The third volume takes us to the newly unified Germany during the Chaos Days, a time when neo-Nazi groups gather to spread violence and resurrect dead dreams. But this year Germany isn't the only target. Plans are afoot to destabilize Europe and cause turmoil throughout the USA. Paul Hood and his team, already in Germany to buy technology for the new Regional Op-Centre, become entangled in the crisis. They uncover a shocking force behind the chaos -- a group that uses cutting-edge technology to promote hate and influence world events.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Since the phenomenal worldwide success of "The Hunt for Red October', his controversial, ground-breaking first novel, Tom Clancy has become one of the world's fastest-selling thriller writers. Three of his novels have been made into highly successful films: 'The Hunt for Red October', 'Patriot Games' and 'Clear and Present Danger'. He is also the author of several non-fiction books on military subjects, and the co-creator of the 'Op-Centre' series. He lives in Maryland, USA.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins Publishers (June 10, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0006498442
• ISBN-13: 978-0006498445
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (165 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #774,373 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tom Clancy is America's, and the world's, favorite international thriller author. Starting with THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, all thirteen of his previous books have hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. His books, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, PATRIOT GAMES, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER and THE SUM OF ALL FEARS have been made into major motion pictures. He lives in Maryland where he is a co-owner of the Baltimore Orioles.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good read for "down time", October 1, 2003

By 

Nawfal "Q" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Op-Center (Tom Clancy's Op-Center, Book 1) (Paperback)

I'm a philosopher, so I read a lot of heavy books. Once in awhile I have some "down time" books which I like to read just to pass time reading something that I don't need to scrutinize with pencil and paper nearby. This is one of those books, and it really does fulfill that purpose well. This is not the 'Clancy Classic' of "Red Storm Rising" or "Without Remorse," so don't get your hopes set up for that.

I enjoyed the different characters and their role in problem solving. The authors do well in showing how people often have self-interest and fair-weathered natures. I also thought that the subplots (e.g. with Hood's son, with the diplomat's wife) were present enough to engage the reader, but not overdone.

I felt that it was somewhat difficult to keep track of the various foreign characters because of their names. Instead of picking just their surname or family name, often the characters are referred to in numerous ways - thus, making it tricky to keep up. Also, I feel that perhaps a few pages could have been spent on explaining the Op-Center itself, given that this book is the first in the series..... the reader is left only basic clues about the status and origin of the Op-Center.

All in all, an excellent book for waiting rooms, beach days, and/or lazy hours on the porch.....

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The best of the Op-Center series by far., April 2, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Birmingham, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Games of State (Tom Clancy's Op-Center, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

This entry in the just-about-above-average Op Center series is easily the best one to read out of the lot. The first one wasn`t bad, Mirror Image was passable, Acts Of War was a bit old hat and plain daft, but this beats the lot! The story of Neo-Nazis inciting race hate to change world events by means of right-wing propaganda computer games based on KKK cookouts and Nazi concentration camps may seem far-fetched to some readers, but the technology behind it is described in such a way to make it easy to understand and, frighteningly enough, feasible. The angle on the re-unification of Germany starting the resurgence of Nazism is also well put together. The characters are a lot better portrayed, especially Paul Hood`s first love paranoia. But the main criticisms which stopped this from being a ten out of ten were the co-incidence of Nancy just happening to work for the Neo-Nazi organisation trying to provoke hate(come on!) and Bob Herbert`s Dirk Pitt-style heroics in a wheelchair! That got a bit too silly, but on the whole the story and the politics behind it are the strengths here. Well worth a read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good Story----Lousy Details, July 21, 2000

By 

Phillip Walker (Snellville, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Op-Center (Tom Clancy's Op-Center, Book 1) (Paperback)

This was a good story, but obviously not written by Clancy. I'm surprised he let his name get put on the cover. The details concerning the characters and some of the events destroy the whole fabric of the story. For example, most of the enlisted personnel in the story are cited as being "Privates". In real life, guys with those kinds of knowledge and skills would be senior NCO's. This applies to both the North and South Korean forces and the the US military. Also the team leader would not be a 25-year old Lt. Col. Maybe a 35-year old, but not 25. The author also shows his general lack of knowledge of things military by indiscriminately labeling all military forces the Army. The Army does not operate C-9A Nightengale or C-141 aircraft. The author's lack of knowledge of his characters took the edge off the whole story.