Debt of Honor (Jack Ryan) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Tom Clancy (Author) "There was a university somewhere in the Midwest, Jack had once heard on the radio, which had an instrument package designed to go inside a..." (more)
Key Phrases: catenary towers, overhaul status, sonar chief, United States, New York, National Security Advisor (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Razio Yamata is one of Japan's most influential industrialists, and part of a relatively small group of authority who wield tremendous authority in the Pacific Rim's economic powerhouse. He has devised a plan to cripple the American greatness, humble the U.S. military, and elevate Japan to a position of dominance on the world stage. Yamata's motivation lies in his desire to pay off a Debt of Honor to his parents and to the country he feels is responsible for their deaths: America. All he needs is a catalyst to set his plan in motion. When the faulty gas tank on one Tennessee family's car leads to their fiery death, an opportunistic U.S. congressman uses the occasion to rush a new trade law through the system. The law is designed to squeeze Japan economically. Instead, it provides Yamata with the leverage he needs to put his plan into action. As Yamata's plan begins to unfold, it becomes clear to the world that someone is launching a fully integrated operation against the United States. There's only one man to find out who the culprit is: Jack Ryan, the new president's National Security Advisor. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly
Jack Ryan, now the President's National Security Adviser, finds himself embroiled in the buildup to a new world war-one in which the stock market and national economic policy are as critical as advanced weaponry. A power-hungry Japanese financier, still blaming America for his parents' deaths in WWII, plans to use his immense wealth to purchase his revenge. A fatal auto accident in the U.S., caused by faulty gas tanks in two Japanese cars, leads to the breakdown of U.S.-Japanese trade agreements. Spies track each other; nuclear weapons are built and hidden; Ryan and an assortment of his old colleagues maneuver ships, planes and spies into harm's way. As always, the author of Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger spins out story threads in a rich but bewildering tangle of plot and setting, then vigorously weaves them together. Here, the heart-stopping climax is unexpected, but oddly appropriate. As always, Clancy instructs (sometimes didactically) as he entertains, teaching us about currency trading, Asian business etiquette and the daily life of an American politician. Without taking up Japan-bashing, as Michael Crichton did in Rising Sun, or partisan politics, Clancy warns that recent downsizing in the defense establishment has so depleted our military resources that the country is vulnerable to aggression that can arise anywhere, anytime. 2 million first printing; BOMC selection.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 1008 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; First edition (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425147584
• ISBN-13: 978-0425147580
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (205 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #15,192 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 6 in The Jack Ryan Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Debt of Honor Brings Realistic Action and Espionage, December 6, 1999

By	Danny Wilson (Denver, Colorado) - See all my reviews

Debt of Honor is a book by Tom Clancy about a war between Japan and the United States that starts over a trade disagreement. The turn of events that triggers the war are creatively thought out and frighteningly realistic. The book follows Jack Ryan as the President's National Security Advisor as well as his colleagues John Clark and Ding Chavez in the CIA. The novel covers all aspects of the war with great detail and wit including the diplomacy, espionage, technology, politics, and military usage of a war. The book pulled me in from the rising action in the beginning to the explosive ending that leads into Executive Orders, the next book in the Ryan saga. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed any of the Jack Ryan novels or movies.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ryan Saves us...AGAIN!!, October 30, 2000

By	Jeff Edwards "RadioJeff" (Twin Falls, Idaho) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Talk about your cliff-hangers...it doesn't get much better than 'Debt of Honor' my friends. I honestly can't think of ANY book I have EVER read that leaves you with such an amazing, but frustraing ending. I echo one of the reviews of that book: The last chapter alone is worth the cost of the book. But please do NOT spoil the surprise by reading it. From a subtle but increasingly hostile Japanese agressive act on everything from the military to Wall Street, Clancy has given us a nail

biter, and one of his best, too (I STILL liked 'Sum Of All Fears' the most...). Run, don't walk to the nearest book store and grab this large book and lock yourself away for a good weekend filled with a huge adrenaline rush. How it all comes about, and what America does about the Japanese threat is truly enlightening, especially the thought that since the 'Gulf War' Mother Hubbard's Cupboard has become pretty bare of Military might. Nevertheless Clancy has given us reason to rejoice in that he has given us a FANTASTIC story with probably THE BEST (and most fustrating) ending I have ever read--you simply HAVE to read it to understand what I'm talking about...and while you do, enjoy!

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tom Clancy's best since Red Storm Rising!, February 23, 1999

By A Customer

The Jack Ryan saga continues! You thought he finished his career by averting a nuclear war in "Sum of All Fears" didn't you? But President Durling convinces him to come back, and not a moment too soon. It seems trouble follows Jack wherever he goes. "Debt of Honor" is an action packed thrill ride that will grab you right from the start and keep holding onto you at the end when you expect a resolution to the conflict, but one doesn't come. "Executive Orders" certainly finished up this two-parter nicely, but that's another story.

To me, an avid fan of "Red Storm Rising", I yearned for another bonanza of military technology with things blowing up and cutting edge weapons. DOH delivered the best battle scenes since RSR, featuring the B-2 Spirit, Comanche Attack Chopper, and F-22 Raptor kicking some major butt. The light weapon used by "Klerk" and "Chekov" was also very interesting. I just wish that the Americans could have taken out the Indians and Chinese too, but maybe Clancy's saving that for another day...

I won't say if "Debt of Honor" is the best of the Clancy series because I loved every single one of his books (except perhaps for his Power Plays, Op-Centers, and Netforces). DOH is about five to three hundred pages longer than any of Clancy's other masterpieces, but that just gives him more room to add excitement and plot twists. I only wish that the relative I originally borrowed "Debt of Honor" from hadn't revealed the shocking conclusion to me before I had a chance to read it myself.