Customer Reviews

Mission of Honor (Tom Clancy's Op-Center, Book 9)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I've been a fan of Tom clancy ever since the release of 'The Hunt for Red October'. Its a shame to say that the works of his successor to the Op-Center series, Jeff Rovin, does not possess the magic of a true Clancy novel.
The first two novels of Rovin already disappointed me because it became more political and less thrilling. No strikes were made, all talk. His third book really let me down because through this book, Op-Centers Strike Team has been permanently dissolved. Yes, a covert non-military team was made to replace it but the Paladin could never measure up to the standards of the elite Striker.
Another thing that disappointed me was the fact that Rovin deviated from one of the most popular trademark of a Clancy novel, REALISM. All this about Vodun and its leader doing magic and prophesies just don't cut it.
If Clancy wants his and Mr. Pieczenic's creation to retain its good reputation, I suggest they either replace or train Rovin.

I found this book a complete waste of my time. I kept wondering when the story would begin. I oftened wondered why I continued turning pages.

I'll have to agree with an earlier reviewer (which I wish I had read before reading the book!) that questioned the the merit of this book being a bestseller. Mr. Clancy: quality, not quantity, please!

The story starts with Leon Seronga, one of the main characters, telling of his childhood on the then wild plains of Botswana. He is now a grown ex-military man from a group known as the Brush Vipers. This group was formed to aid a group of revolutionists in their successful attempt to overthrow foreign and oppressive rulers, and turn the country into an entirely independent, democratic nation.
After the revolution is complete, the new government, who no longer sees a use for them, abandons the group. Several years later, the group is called back together by its commander, Seronga. This time, they aren't aiding a political movement; it's an economic and religious movement being headed by Dhamballa, a man who believes he is the Vodun snake god incarnate. Vodun is the traditional name for what is commonly known as Voodoo.
The Brush Vipers are used as a defensive weapon, to aid and protect Dhamballa and the Vodunist movement. Their first move was to kidnap a Catholic priest in an attempt to force the missionaries and the church itself out of Africa in an effort to restore Botswana to its native religious roots.
Meanwhile, Op-Center, a group formed within the U.S. Government to intercept messages and thwart plots against the United States and avert international disasters, hears of the growing crisis from Mr. Kline, a Vatican Security Force officer. Mr. Kline calls in an attempt to get Op-Center to help.
Back in Botswana, Leon has taken Father Bradbury, his captive, to Dhamballa. The trek took them across the plains and into the swamplands to a compound manned by ex-Brush Vipers, and built to protect Dhamballa.
Dhamballa is a relatively young man, and very soft-spoken, but his voice is firm and he has an air of confidence that makes people a little uneasy. Dhamballa deprives Father Bradbury of sleep, food and water to try to get him to send the other field missionaries to Gaborone, Botswana's capitol.
Back at Op-Center, the team working there, Hood, Rodgers, Herb, and others, plus Mr. Kline, are trying to solve the problem, either politically or forcefully. They believe Albert Beaduin, a gun manufacturer and suspected international arms dealer, and Henry Genet, a diamond merchant, are funding and are behind the turmoil in Botswana in an effort to get rich. One is suspected of trying to supply arms to both sides, and the other will corner Botswana's diamond market during the infighting. They are both hoping to increase their global influence.
Their one minor problem in moving on Dhamballa forcefully, though: Op-Center had their military force cut by a Senate Oversight Committee, after a fiasco during a recent U.N. hostage crisis in NYC.
The Vatican has a force on call from the Spanish military, and the group is roughly the equivalent of Army Rangers or Navy SEALS. They're called into action. In a public show of support, the Vatican also sends an American bishop to take over Father Bradbury's position. The bishop is killed upon his arrival, forcing Op-Center to work outside their set parameters. They send in Aideen Marley, an Op-Center operative, to join the Spanish in the hunt to find Dhamballa and Leon. Unfortunately, the Spanish are killed after a botched raid on Dhamballa's compound.
Aideen meets Leon and goes with him, after gaining his trust and ensuring him she is their to aid him and his cause. The Botswanan military is going to forcefully put down any uprising that may threaten the new democracy. Aideen meets Dhamballa and tells him of the offensive forces that are pursuing him. Leon orders Dhamballa to leave, in an attempt to keep the religion alive. Father Bradbury, while food and sleep deprived, is able to move and leaves with Aideen while Dhamballa leaves in the opposite direction. Minutes later the Botswanan military arrives and Leon commits suicide, dying for their cause and giving the Botswanans someone to blame the uprising on. Father Bradbury and his missionaries return to their work, and another crisis is averted.

I enjoyed this book; but not as much as Tom Clancy's other books. The plot, characters, and settings were all extremely vivid and colorful.
If I were to recommend this book to someone, it would be to anyone who has read other Tom Clancy books. It was extremely hard to put down. I would rate this book as a 7 out
of 10.

I was disapppointed. It felt like I kept waiting for the action to begin and it almost never did. I have always before been riveted by the action in Op-Center, but this is not up to the usual quality of suspense and "must-keep-reading". I wish I had saved my money. Maybe killing the Striker Team last time was the end of Op-Center?

I picked up this book for two reasons: Tom Clancy's name was writ large across the cover and the topic dealt with the Vatican in a covert "black ops" sort of way. On closer inspection this book was written by one Jeff Rovin. I was also intrigued with the setting in Botswana (if you want more on Botswana, read Alexander McCall Smith - different, but enjoyable).

The story plodded along and not a whole lot happened. The religious characters were believable - however the voodoo / vodun leader had some really supernatural passages. This is the first (and most likely last) Op-Center book I have read and the American operatives seemed there to have everybody make nice and shake hands. Once the action got started, the next chapter had you back in Washington DC and someone was sorting out their family life and/or troubles with the wife. No thank you.

If you want a good political thriller, stick to Tom Clancy proper - not the publisher making money off of Tom Clancy's name.

I typically love Tom Clancy books.. but this one has been a sleeper since I started it. I don't think I've ever taken this long to read any book, especially not one of his. I've been reading this book for about 9 months now, and my wife keeps asking me why I'm still reading it if it's so boring - my response is that I'm "hoping" it will redeem itself.. not to mention that I'm committed to finishing it. I am about 80% done with it, and still waiting for it to grab my attention.

It's probably unreasonable to expect a thriller to be evocative and to have believable characters who you could actually care about, but it surely is not unreasonable to expect it not to be mind-numbingly boring. I read the first 50 pages attentively and then paged through the rest in an effort to salvage my investment in this tedious book. It consists of an accretion of details without resonance and without feeling. Yet it's on the best-seller lists. I wonder why. Is it because the publisher is cynical enough to believe that anything with Tom Clancy's name on it will sell? Or is it because airport bookstores and supermarkets are blanketed with millions of copies, so these "Tom Clancy" books are guaranteed best sellers regardless of their merits? Save your money. Save a tree.

I'm a Clancy addict. I decided to try one of the op-center series. This was it. Don't waste your time. run and find another author in the genre. This aint clancy not even close.

Jeff Rovin is, unfortunately, not in the same league as Tom Clancy. The overlong descriptions of the landscape, the wildlife and the sunrise plus the private thoughts of the characters tend to obscure what could be a good story if written by Clancy himself.
I regret to say that advertising this book as a "Tom Clancy " book is, in my view, very misleading. One expects a tautly written action story with many twists in the plot typical of Clancy. Mr Rovin's style is far removed from this.

Book by book Clancy is slipping away from the "soul grabbing" action style of "The Hunt for Red October". Rather than being called a "techno thriller", it should be labelled a "red tape sleeper". The charactors are well designed but,we spend too much time listening to phone calls and reading E-mails. I look forward to the return of the "old" Tom Clancy.