Customer Reviews

Operation Barracuda (Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Took nine books with me on a cruise. Finished this tenth one on the way home... :) Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Operation Barracuda by David Michaels. Given what it is, it's an OK read...

Sam Fisher is a Splinter Cell operative, which means he's part of a deep undercover government group that has free reign to do pretty much anything to defend the interests of the US. In this episode, he's sent off to figure out why a Russian intel group is seemingly getting rather tight with some Chinese Triad groups. When he tracks down a few unexplained deaths, it all points to a stolen technology from the US that can park underwater "drones" just about anywhere, fully equipped with a variety of weapons based on the need. But when the Triad group finds out that selling to the Russians could mean that they are ultimately supporting the communist Chinese government (who they deeply oppose), things fall apart. And when the government *does* get the device anyway to use it as a deterrent against the US, Fisher is called in to save the day...

This is a straight-to-paperback series where Tom Clancy has franchised his name and it's written by someone else. I didn't expect Pulitzer material... just some diversion to kill a few hours on a plane. If that's the mindset going in, it's OK. The switching back and forth between first and third person narrative was a little annoying/disconcerting at first, and it took a bit to get used to it (as well as to transition when the perspective changed between chapters). Again, if you're not expecting blockbuster material, it's enjoyable mind candy. If you're expecting a 600 page Clancy blockbuster, this ain't it.

Review of David Michaels' "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Operation Barracuda"

David Michaels is back in champion form with another Splinter Cell novel, and this one has surpassed any and all of my expectations.

Alot of people were watching this book, not sure what to expect. The last SC book was the first one and as in most cases, there were alot of chances taken. Some were more appreciated than others by the Splinter Cell fans. With Operation Barracuda, the author jumped more into the immediate world of the game, bringing back Frances Coen and Anna Grimsdottir for example, which fimilairizes the reader with the characters, and makes it alot easier to immurse themselves in an action packed story line.

The character of Sam Fisher is a very different person by the end of the book, going on an up and down rollercoaster all through-out the plot. Sam has some very unexpected life expierences in this book that is likely to leave many fans very surprised. Sam is a person, human..made of flesh and bone, and I think the game developers show Sam more as a bad ass 24/7. Big ups to David Michaels for tearing the mystique of Sam Fisher down and showing him as the foulable man that he is. It improves the games I think, as it rounds out the character we see on our screens to a whole person.

Operation Barracuda is a job very well done and I am hopeful that Michaels will be writing a third book in this series very soon.

In the Splinter Cell video games, your objective is to make it through each mission without being seen. The less you are seen, the higher your mission is rated in the end. David Michaels should have kept that in mind when he wrote this book because it seems like every time Sam Fisher goes out to sneak around, he is always caught...yet within the context of this story, he is considered to be a great spy! What great spy gets caught every time he infiltrates an enemy's office or base? Another thing: the body count is far too high. Once again, in the game it's better to sneak around guards rather than blow them away. The amount of people Sam kills in this book would surely cause an incident in real life. The saddest thing about all this is that Michaels does indeed have an entertaining enough plot, and his writing style is very fluid and evokes Sam Fisher's world very well. Maybe next time around he'll realize that, if Sam were caught in real life as much as he is in this book, he sure as hell wouldn't be considered one of the top spies in the world. In fact, he'd probably be kicked out of Third Echelon for being such a ninny head.

I am a big fan of Splinter Cell. I have all the xbox games, so I decided to buy the books to see if there were any differences. I think I love the book just as much as I do the games.
So if you are a Splinter Cell fan, I highly recommend reading the books too. They will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page.

I had never been a big fan of espionage or war books, but then I received this book as a present. I started reading it and I could not put it down. It took me a while to get used to the style of writing. Most of it is in first person. This is a must read. I will be getting splinter cell and the video games.

When I got the first book, I thought it would be a one shot deal. Then I saw this book. I picked up, expecting a really bad sequel, and like a lot of books I've read was pleasantly surprised. Michaels actually tried bringing more life to Fisher by adding a relationship with his female Krav Maga instructer.Although it did serve as a major distraction for him

This is a great buy for fans of the game and Tom Clancy.

PARTY ON, DUDES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the Second book in the Splinter Cell Series, a series that is based off of the widely popular video game. I have never played the video game and was drawn to this series because of the Clancy name, and although Clancy's name is nearly 4 times the size of the actually writer (David Michaels aka Raymond Bensen) he did not write this book. Clancy created the idea of the video game which inevitably spawned a series of books.

The first book did a very good job of explaining the equipment that Splinter Cells use and this book draws upon the knowledge of the equipment gained from the first book and get directly into the story. For that reason I would recommend reading the first book before deciding to read this book, I made the mistake of reading this book before the first and was a bit lost at the beginning in regards to the lingo being used. This book, just like the first, is based on Third Echelon's best spy, Sam Fisher. The one thing that bothers be about this series and Sam Fisher, in general, is that he is regarded as the best spy in the world yet is always getting himself caught. When Fisher is caught it always seems to be in an absolutely ridiculous situation in which he always miraculously escapes nearly completely unharmed. The whole time I was reading the book I knew that Sam wasn't going to be dieing, thus ending the series, but that didn't really seem to take out all of the suspense, how he will manages to survive his near death encounters is always interesting.

The one thing that separates this book from the first is that it focuses more on Sam's personal life. Katia, Sam's Krav Maga instructor, in Maryland, is still around from the first book only she becomes more involved, much more involved near the end of the book (without giving anything away). Sam's daughter Sarah is also in this book, but not nearly as involved as she was in the first installment, which is probably a good thing!

With the exception of the more in depth personal life, this book delivers the same intensity and dangerous missions as the first. The book contains a lot of action and is overall very thrilling. I would have to say that I am hooked on the Splinter Cell series and will likely read any other Splinter Cell books; I just don't see myself playing the video game anytime soon.

Brian Bowen

If you liked the first Splinter Cell book, then chances are you will enjoy this one as well. The writing style for this book is essentially identical to the first Splinter Cell. The only thing I didn't like is that there seemed to be a lot of repeating of information from the first book. I guess that is needed in case someone is reading this book without reading the first Splinter Cell. In all, good book, I found it hard to put down without getting at least another chapter read.

Since I am not an officianado of video games, I wasn't sure how they would translate into books. Needless to say I was delighted. The plot is well thought out and the characters have some depth. My daughter plays the Splinter Cell series and loves them. Sam Fisher
reminds me of MacGvyer with real toys to play with. If this is to be a series like the other satellite Clancys, we will need some new bad guys and more extracirricuar activities for Sam. Keep up the good work and I look forward to any future additons.

A great novel on spy and action things. The plot is quite straightforward, but not-that-simple. Sam is the main spy agent of the Splinter Cell, who has the luxury to travel all over the world. Countering the Russian Mafia and Chinese Triads to prevent another world war started by the Chinese.

The main protagonist was depicted not only as an effective killing machine, but also a human. It is quite a good story without too much "impossible" actions. A recommended light read for any spy/ action/ thriller fans.