SUBJECTIVE READER REVIEW FOLLOWS:

Okay, I give up; Tom Clancy is the universal genius of action adventure novels without parallel. The Bear and the Dragon is almost 'Sum of All Fears: Part II' in that it evolves from the sanctions and changes between the US and Russia following the Denver holocaust. I actually found Clancy's storyline believable, which helped me greatly sustain myself through 1028 pages of the hardback. I don't think an author has challenged my devotion since Clavell's 'Noble House' which took me a month to read. Regardless, it gave me something to look forward to after a day of intense writing (I'm working on novel number ten now), I truly believe that any action adventure junkie will feel whole again reading this book. As noted previously, I didn't care for Clancy's ego, but I'm beginning to realize there was a basis for it! Pick up this book and devolve yourself for a week; you won't regret it. I LOVED this book, and I think you will too.

SPOILER PLOT SUMMARY FOLLOWS:

The War of Greed: Spring Dragon. A dastardly hit gone bad in Moscow gets the Russian SVR Director Sergey Golovko nervous, as the RPG blasts an identical white limo as he had been riding in not fifty yards away. Following the fall of the USSR, the US is cooperating with the Russians, including assignment of a seasoned NYC detective Michael Reilly to the Moscow Police investigator Oleg Provalov. As the investigation proceeds--with the help of the Federal Security Police--it turns out that Golovko was the target and eventually it is determined that the Chinese Embassy had sanctioned the hit. As this unsettling news feeds back to DC, the Russians are exulting in the discovery of a massive oil field in the frozen north of Siberia as well as an immense gold vein in the same region. As bilateral trade talks between the US and the PRC break down, the Chinese see the oil and gold to their north as the manna sent from heaven; a hidden and vanishing trade balance threatening their very economy and more importantly, the will of the common Chinese citizens. Mirroring James Bond, CIA agent Chester Nomuri, masquerading as a Japanese computer salesman, makes contact with one of the secretaries of a Politburo member and enlists her via sex to upload a bug that transmits her diary notes taken with her boss after every Politburo meeting. Armed with insider information, Jack Ryan and his administration are able to begin defensive countermeasures against the Chinese. After directing their scape goat State rep to announce to the Chinese that it's no go on improved trade relations, Ryan and company observe the PRC switch to battle stations as their very livelihood is threatened, especially if the masses get an inkling that their leadership had allowed the country to go bankrupt. As the obvious fix is to invade Russia, with the gold and oil within easy reach of Chinese territory, the Politburo allows Defense Minister Luo to seduce them into believing that seizing the Russian oil and gold is the solution to their trade and cash imbalance. Unfortunately for the US and Russia, the detonation of the nuke in Denver during the Sum of All Fears scare has caused the two superpowers to agree to dismantle all ballistic missiles. Only the PRC has ballistic missiles left, even though there are only twelve of them. Although the US has incredible technical superiority over the Chinese, they invade Siberia anyway, but their every move is charted by the Dark Stars UABs transmitting signals of ground operations directly to satellites, making them invisible to any radar. Though the Russians have very thin defenses in the far East, they begin mobilization along with the US armored forces stationed in Germany. GEN Bondarenko, the far East commander, plots a strategy of watching but not engaging the enemy, knowing they must travel thousands of kilometers to reach the oil fields. Flashbacks of the same strategy that defeated Hitler fifty years prior resonate through his head. The US embraces a measured response, based largely on how quickly they can get assets into the region. The Navy is the first to strike, completely gutting the PRC Navy and setting the Politburo abuzz. As DefMin Luo continues to diffuse rumors of problems with the Siberian offensive, the Americans begin to arrive in force and completely gut the PRC Air Force. The elite Dark Horse unit arrives from Germany and immediately sets out to close off the PRC army's avenue of retreat. As the heat increases on Luo Cong, Ryan and his trusted associate Golovko in Moscow quickly realize that the PRCs remaining ICBMs are the wild card and quickly put together a joint Rainbow-Spetsnaz group to fly into the ICBM launch site to disable the missiles before they can be launched. They get all but one of the missiles disabled before Luo gives the order to launch, and the one missile is targeted for DC. After notification by the team that one ICBM got away, the NORAD comes on line and issue evacuation notices for the President and VP. Ryan sends his family away on Air Force One and his VP Robby Jackson on NEACP as he takes up position on an Aegis cruiser that has been recently upgraded with ICBM deterrent software. As the five megaton warhead approaches DC at 13 thousand mph, the cruiser shoots off all of its missiles, the last of which makes direct contact with the RV and explodes five thousand feet in the air, without a nuclear fission reaction. Ryan all but collapses on the cruiser positioned at the Washington Navy Yard and declares free drink night for the crew at the White House. As the CIA surreptitiously transmits CNN signals over the internet to all of the world, the Chinese college students once again arise against the dictators and flock to Tiananmen Square. This time their timing is good and they make it to the Politburo before the PLA--which is bogged down in Siberia--can come kill them. A moderate takes over and issues orders for an immediate standown and peace talks.
adventure mandatory-read military-action ...more1 Jaume Ayala276 1 follower

Una vez tenemos a todos los actores en sus puestos tras "El Oso y el Dragón I" es el momento de acelarar la acción de la historia.
A pesar de contar con fuentes de inteligencia dentro del mismo Politburó con lo que pueden anticipar sus acciones, finalmente no es posible impedir el inicio de las hostilidades aunque si que permite a Jack Ryan el planificar algunas acciones para paliar los planes de China.
La amistad entre Jack Ryan y Golovko fraguada años atrás permite una comunicación fluida y que no se dé ningún impedimento cuando a Rusia se le ofrece, como única alternativa, el apoyo de EEUU en su conflicto con China.
En esta historia encontramos personajes que han ido apareciendo desde el inicio de la saga de Jack Ryan: desde Robby Jackson hasta Robert Mancuso, pasando por John Clark, Ding Chavez, Golovko, Marion Diggs....
La segunda mitad de esta segunda parte de la historia se convierte en una descripción detallada de como se llevaría a cabo un conflicto bélico con la tecnología actual; Tom Clancy se encarga de hacernos comprender como interactuan todas y cada una de las diferentes partes del ejercito, lo importante que es la planificación de la logística.....
Gabriella534 3

This book got such high ratings but I hate to say that I skimmed most of it! Just couldn’t get into it. Maybe because it’s part of a series and this isn’t the first one... Matthew LaMotte2

Long boring, PERFECT FOR OUT LOUD READING Miles33

Exceptional book. Interesting how the political undertones can draw real life comparisons. Highly recommended Loraine Lewis20 1 follower

Could not finish Hubert 59

3,5 4Buffo A4

In the book The Bear and the Dragon by Tom Clancy we see the early struggles that the new President of the United States, Jack Ryan, is facing in the time he has been in office. When Jack Ryan is elected president he doesn’t really know why he was elected the President of the United States, but continues to show signs that he doesn’t want anything to change. This is evident when his Secretary of Treasury starts to call him “Mr. Pres-“, but is cutoff by the POTUS “Goddammit George”. It was hard for the POTUS’ staff to not call him “Mr. President” (45), but by Jack. As the book starts out, President Ryan is informed of a newly discovered oil patch in northern Siberia that is bigger than the one in the Persian Gulf. Russia is not making this public yet, but the Russian government is interviewing different oil fracking companies from America. “Any idea why they are sitting on the news?” (70). The President starts to wonder why Russia is not making this public yet. Jeff G47 3

I started this book after having read Executive Orders, which I also really enjoyed. Executive orders being my first Clancy book, I immediately was blown away by the amount of technical detail that he puts into his books.

I loved the political drama of this book and how everything wraps together. I also really the character of Jack Ryan! The pages of technical detail that build up to actual action scenes to me are worth it and add
To the authenticity. In some moments you really feel you're there with the characters. Can't wait to read more. Joseph563 5

I'm writing this review couple years after reading this book. I absolutely love Tom Clancy especially the jack Ryan series. This is one of the jack Ryan books that have stuck with me throughout the years. I'm really surprised I haven't made this into a movie yet. Great insight into Russia and China relations. John440

Last Clancy I'll read. A very jingoistic book used as a basis to spout far right positions and to display a vast knowledge of armaments. The 1000 page book could have easily been 500 pages with the above taken out. In spite of all that it was an interesting plot of Chinese against Russia and our alliance with the Russians. Craig153 3

Good story, Jack Ryan is faced with a war between Russia and China. They get a great link into the Chineese Government, through a secretary. But, it is clancy long.imported William Lepretre31

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