Without Remorse by Tom Clancy Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Without Remorse
Book Review: A Must Read!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book employes an interesting technique to ensure its difference from others in the same genre: the main character is not a pure good guy. He does a lot of "bad" things and explains them away to himself in ways to justify his murders. The whole story cruises along at a brisk pace, giving us views of well-developed characters, many of which show up older in other of Clancy's books. For a good look at the past of the best of Clancy's characters, this book is a must read!Book Review: A Refreshing and Personal Change in Pace
Summary: 5 Stars
Most people associate Tom Clancy novels with huge, sweeping scenes, high-tech military operations, and a web of story lines that always weaves together perfectly in the end. This book is a little different from his norm. It is a different kind of Clancy book from a different perspective, and Clancy does it exceptionally well.
This book is a little different from what normal Clancy books are like -it is the personal story of one man that most Clancy fans are aware of, but actually know very little about. John Clark is a man of mystery and stoicism,a dark past full of tragedy - and this books is a personal recounting of what turned him into that man. Poignant and written with skills, this book is also an affirmation to the pain and ultimately the valor of the Vietnam generation. For a refreshing change of pace in the likable detail-oriented style of Clancy, I would highly recommend Without Remorse. By far, my favorite Clancy novel, and a fun yet emotional journey through the life of John Clark.
Book Review: A Work of Art
Summary: 5 Stars
Without Remorse was a brilliant book. It included my favorite character, John Kelly (codename: John Clark), and really put you into his mind. This book was filled with powerful emotion that had the potential to evoke tears or laughter. In previous Tom Clancy books he focuses too much on Ryan. Here he completely takes Ryan out of the picture and writes about another intriguing character from his ongoing list.In this book Clancy tells the story of a recent ex-Navy SEAL who picks up a hooker who has ran away from her life. When she is murdered he seeks revenge. He is able to kill off drug dealers and pimps, while saving life by helping other girls like Pam.
Tom Clancy is able to provide excellent detail in this book as always. He pulls a typical Clancy and writes spectacular action scenes that double your reading speed to see what is going to happen. They are so detailed, you feel as if you are there watching, being able to observe both sides. What is different about this book is the emotion that Clancy is able to bring out of Kelly. His triumph and happiness, and his darker side, anger and revenge. Kelly evolves from a lonely boatman to a perfect killer with a new wife.
This is the best book that Tom Clancy has ever written followed by Patriot Games. If you like this book also read other Tom Clancy's, Michael Crichton's, Robert Jordan's, and James Michener's. They all share mutual styles in different genre's. Pick up this book and indulge yourself in a wonderful reading experience.
Book Review: A Wounderful Explanation of John Clark
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an excellent story and an even better explanation of how John Clark came to be the man he is. This is my favorite Tom Clancy book and I've read all of them except The Teeth of the Tiger, which I hope to read soon.Book Review: A departure from Jack "Boy Scout" Ryan
Summary: 3 Stars
First, I have no real problem with Ryan's Boy Scout virtues. It's simply nice to see a counterbalance to that. From reading most of the Ryan books, I have a good idea of what makes him tick. I didn't really have much of a clue as to what made John Clark tick - until I read this book. Establishing some of his driving forces and telling how he wound up in the CIA seem to be the goals of this book, and those goals are accomplished. I didn't really see much of how he became a "CIA legend," though - I would very much like to see another book that covers some of his early ventures with the CIA, to better establish that.
The Vietnam segment seemed slightly out of place, but in order to achieve the goal of telling how he was recruited into the CIA, was necessary. It also seems to me to have been written the way it was (no pitched battle for the prisoners) because it would have detracted from the main story, and because it served to link to the involvement of the traitors, the elimination of which served as a sort of induction into the Company. At least, that's how I saw it.
I only have so much space, so there are a lot of reviews I can't address. However, I want to focus right in on the complaints of Kelly being able to kill so coldly, without remorse as it were.
If you read Dave Grossman's book On Killing, you will come upon a certain item - in combat, it's estimated that 2% of soldiers are what have been deemed "aggressive sociopaths." The label does not specifically mean that they're sociopaths in all aspects - but they are able to kill without hesitation, and without suffering the mental trauma that other soldiers often carry when they kill.
The character of John Kelly fits the characteristics of an aggressive sociopath. He can kill when he deems it necessary and feel no regrets about it, yet also feel compassion for others. It is paradoxical, but Kelly is such a man, and such men do not only exist in fiction. They exist in the real world as well, only in such a small percentage of the population that we basically don't know they're there.
I don't say killing drug dealers is right or wrong. Not my call to make. But I do feel that a man who can turn his attention from simple revenge to helping girls who are, to put it simply, in bad situations is not simply a stone cold murderer.
I don't think Kelly saw killing other drug dealers as excessive, either. I think he treated the whole thing as a military operation and acted accordingly. Right, wrong, I can't say, it's just what he did.
As for the mistake of bringing Pam to her home turf undisguised, with no real protection - he'd survived Nam, and so was probably a little cocky at the thought of dealing with what he considered basic thugs, and understandably so. And he had no idea how violent the streets had gotten in his time away. The jungles of Vietnam were what he was used to - he just wasn't ready for Baltimore to be a different kind of jungle.
Would I do the same thing Kelly did? No. I would cry out for punishment and vengeance, but I wouldn't have the skills to obtain it. Kelly did, as well as the mindset.
Ultimately...it's a book. A collection of pages with words on them, nothing more, nothing less. So I'm going to leave it at that.