Debt of Honor

Debt of Honor is the next book in the Jack Ryan series, after The Sum of All Fears, and it was so much better. The book has a faster pace and the suspense builds up nicely from the beginning. The book is pretty long, more than 900 pages, but the story moves along quickly and it was very hard to put down.

In this book, a wealthy Japanese industrialist decides it's time for Japan to be a superpower and bring America to her knees. He convinces a small group of his peers to his scheme for dominance and power for Japan, takes control of the Japanese government, and goes on the offensive, first economically and then militarily. For this man, crippling the United States as a superpower is a personal revenge (that goes back to World War II and show more his family's death on the Mariana Islands), and it's this debt of honor he feels obligated to deliver payment by sowing chaos in America.

I read some of the negative reviews and some complained about going into too much detail on the financial side of things, how Wall Street operates, and using Japan as the main (although not the only one, India and China play minor roles) enemy was incredulous.

I didn't find reading about the financial markets and how they worked to be tedious and dull, it was quite fascinating to read how complex and intertwined the global markets were and how a disaster in one country, in this case America, could lead to a snowball effect in Europe and elsewhere. That is all very realistic and Clancy being the type of writer he is, he goes into meticulous detail about how the financial markets work. I thought the background information was necessary, because it makes more sense when you later learn about how the Japanese were able to intentionally hurt the American economy.

Then there was Clancy's decision to use Japan as the enemy in this book. Of course, if one were to compare this fictional world to our own real world, it does sound pretty crazy that a staunch U.S. ally such as Japan, a major trading partner, would suddenly become America's number one enemy. Well, if we look at a few of America's allies today, Germany and Japan are good examples of how not too long ago both countries were enemies. So while I'll admit Clancy's premise sounds outrageous, a strong U.S. ally becoming an enemy later, it's naive thinking to think it could never happen. I thought Clancy did a superb job of showing a "what if" scenario. Something that could happen as the world is always changing, leaders come and go, and no one can accurately predict who will be an enemy or an ally tomorrow.

This was a highly entertaining political thriller and Clancy sets up the story for the next book, Executive Orders, very well (there are certain parts where I could see some minor players that were introduced in Debt of Honor playing a key role in the next book). The ending of Debt of Honor ends on a major cliff-hanger so you best have the next book handy. show less

Not sure how to rate this. The last 100 pages or so, when the battle with Japan happens, totally rocks. The fall of Wall Street and the 700 pages of build up, to allow Japan to attack the US, totally overkill that dampened my enjoyment of the book.

In this novel, Jack Ryan is serving as the National Security Adviser to the President. Meanwhile, tensions are brewing overseas, specifically with Japan. In this case, economics seem to be as important to the story as military might. A Japanese financier, whose parents were killed in World War 2 vows revenge against the United States, which is a bit of a silly premise. Meanwhile, defective gas tanks in Japanese cars cause accidents, sparking tension between Japan and the US, another silly premise. We have had issues with Japanese cars, and whatever occurs as a result is between the manufacturer and the buying public, not the respective countries. All of this is leading toward war.

This is perhaps the worst Jack Ryan novel I have read. I show more read Clancy’s books because they are filled with action and thrills, with political intrigue mixed in. This novel stretches the realm of believability. The plot holes in this novel are massive. The political premises are almost laughable. This is a Tom Clancy novel that I would advise to skip. There are better ones out there.

Carl Alves – author of Blood Street show less

Once again, Tom Clancy describes the world as if he has been briefed by the military and intelligence branches of countries as widely diverse as the U.S., Japan, and India. He presents the world of tomorrow in a frighteningly plausible manner; a Japan restless after over half a century of losing face by not having its own military, and sensing its growing economic and political power; an India emerging from Third World status to become one of the 21st century's superpowers, and a United States that has drifted along too long assuming its own superpower. An all too plausible series of events culminates in a tragedy that predicts a shadow of actual current events. A fascinating view of how totally separate series of events could lead to show more the same ends. show less

2965 Debt of Honor, by Tom Clancy (read 16 Mar 1997) I finished reading this book in a four-hour stint ending at 9 AM. The ending had me in total hyper-shock! Maybe because it was so unexpected till about 50 pages from the end. when there was just a phrase --to be exact, on page 729 (there are 766 pages) when a Navy officer fails to shoot down Captain Sato and this sentence appears; "Sanchez would never know the magnitude of his error." That was the clue that there was more to come, that the next 34 pages were not simply wrapping up the fantastic events that had dominated the book: the Japs taking over Saipan, bringing the American financial system to a halt, putting nuclear weapons in place, etc. Talk about a thriller!! This book made show more a high impact on my psyche. show less

This book, and Executive Orders that follows it, are Clancy's best two, I reckon. His detail makes the whole far more believable than most thriller writers.

The choice of unusual combatants, and unusual techniques, has turned out to be a more accurate indicator of important world events than the Cold War thinking most Governments have planned for. The financial meltdown is similar to what has happened in 2008-09 (a different starting cause, but close outcomes), and of course the 9/11-like event too. One of my first reactions on 9/11 was "Tom Clancy wrote about this years ago".

A must read for any thriller lovers.

Clancy is Clancy. I don't know why I like the right-wing militant cheerleader but I do. Or did. Eventually, and well before the franchising began, I faded away. Still, this is probably worth a Summer read.