Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Operation Barracuda (Paperback)

~ (Author) "THE OPSAT's mechanical alarm wakes me at eleven o'clock sharp..." (more)
Key Phrases: diversion camera, thermal vision, submarine pens, Hong Kong, Third Echelon, Lucky Dragons (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

As part of a top-secret initiative called Third Echelon, National Security Agency special operative Sam Fisher has been given license to spy, steal, destroy, and assassinate to protect America. And he does...

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425204227
• ISBN-13: 978-0425204221
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #35,770 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It works for what it is..., December 8, 2005

By	Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Operation Barracuda is a success!, November 2, 2005

By	Jacqueline A. Fiest "Jackie Fiest" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Smooth writing style, but one recurring flaw..., December 12, 2005

By	Steven Grogan (Troy, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.