Customer Reviews

Rainbow Six

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

 

 

This was a simply written and enjoyable book. I enjoyed the easy nature of the read, the intrigue of the secrecy of the unit involved, and the concepts Tom Clancy puts down.

I love this book, and looking back, I appreciate it even more as it was written before 9/11 and yet has the same "feel". This, and Without Remorse, are my two favorite Clancy novels. Okay, Red Storm Rising too. This book has intelligent and realistic scenarios that keep the reader interested and excited cover to cover. Definitely a keeper.

Tom Clancy is my son's favoirte author and he will add it to his Tom Clancy collection to enjoy the book for many years.

I have read several Clancy books. This is probably my favorite. If you like books on spec ops this is the one for you. The book is a little long at 895 pgs for the paperback. Definately worth it.

This gift hooked its' new owner the first time he read it. Adventure, well written espionage and keeping the attention are just some of his mentions. Obviously a plot and book to enjoy.

If you've read any of Tom's books, you would know that he can sure write a good thriller. In fact, he's considered one of the best thriller novelists in the modern era, often mentioned alongside names such as John Grisham and Michael Crichton.

Rainbow Six is a great testament to that.

Rarely did I stop turning the pages in this one. The prose was flowing, the action was fast and the plot was engaging. Being someone who had served in the army before, I was attracted by the details of the mechanics surrounding the anti-terrorist team named RAINBOW. It's clear Tom knows his stuff. All the facts on the weapons were spot on, and the plot was very believable; with the US government being a part of a bio-terrorism scheme to exterminate the world's population, holocaust style. The multi-national team RAINBOW takes center stage, and for much of the book we learn about their members, their individual roles in the team and their many characteristics. Which is good; having the members of RAINBOW drive the book was a good move by Clancy.

The plot moves on in many threads, much like Ted Bell's SPY where we see many threads moving on in a chronological sequence. It has a very gradual build-up that many thrillers typically employ. RAINBOW started off being formed in the first few chapters to being a serious threat to the main problem (the bio-terrorism problem) in the end. The book moves in and out between the team, the bad guys (Popov and the terrorists), the US government and the many external forces influencing the situation itself. And the plot threads move at a very fast pace, making it very enagaging and urgent.

All in all, I found it a very exciting read. And I recommend it to all looking for a good thriller to plunge into.

Tom Clancy is at his best when describing military weapons systems and tactics. He does less well with his human characters who seem real enough during their missions, but become two dimensional when the action stops. The magic of a good book is that the characters come to life. Unfortunately, in Rainbow Six they never really do, and so I never really cared what happened to them. More disturbing is the amoral tone of the book. Tom Clancy takes the position that counter-terrorism teams have to crossover to the dark side in the service of the good. This seemed supportable until the final mission where I felt the "good guys" lost their humanity. If you give up the moral high ground and sink to the level of terrorists are you really any better then they are?