Patriot+Games

=Patriot Games - By Tom Clancy= <--Book Movie--> Patriot Games is an action packed suspense thriller that only Tom Clancy could write. There is also a [|movie] (trailer for movie optional youtube) of the same name where Harrison Ford stars as Dr. Jack Ryan

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__Background + Situation__
Patriot Games was published in 1987 and takes place in England, Ireland, and the United States in the 1980's. Patriot Games addresses a threat many people do not acknowledge: International Terrorism. In the book Jack Ryan is vacationing in London with his wife and daughter when a terrorist attack occurs before his eyes. As an ex-marine, he instinctively jumps in trying to break it up. After killing one gunman and injuring another, he gets shot in the shoulder only to see a third thug get away in a black SUV. The next thing he sees is the inside of a hospital room where he finds out to his amazement that he had just saved the Prince and Princess of Wales.

__Conflict__
In Patriot Games Jack Ryan is being chased by the ULA or Ulster Liberation Army, a terrorist organization most closely related to the PIRA or the Provisional wing of the Irish Republican Army, because he foiled their assassination attempt. Once Jack recovers from his injury, he flies home and begins to teach his classes again at Annapolis. A few weeks later Dan Murphy, the head of the FBI, sends someone to tell Jack he thinks that something bad is going to happen. Upon hearing this news, he finds Sergeant Major Breckenridge, an expert marksman, who gives Jack a firearms refresher course and shows him how to shoot more accurately. Also, he starts going to work each day a different way so he does not allow the ULA a chance at his life. He also takes Admiral Greer up on his offer and works part-time as a CIA analyst with access to all the top-secret files about the ULA. Once he has enough time to look over all of them, he decides that the ULA is a "professional" Irish terrorist organization and because of that they will not attack him onAmerican soil. He then lets down his guard and an attempt is made on the lives of his wife, his child, and him. After this he swears revenge and does everything he can to take down this bunch of low-life terrorist scum.

__Characters__
Dr. Jack Ryan - A history and battle tactics professor at Annapolis Dr. Cathy Ryan - An expert eye surgeon at Hopkins University hospital Dan Murphy - Head of the FBI Admiral Greer - Director of Intelligence at the CIA Kevin O'Donnel - Leader of the ULA Sgt Major Breckenridge - Expert marksman and training instructor Robby Jackson - F-14 pilot and one of Jack's closest friends

__About the Author__
Tom Clancy has had a private talk with the President of the United States, lectured at the CIA and been consulted by international intelligence experts, but he is neither a former intelligence officer nor a military man. To become the man he is today he extensively researched into Soviet-American military strategies, advanced technology and other military related subjects. For Patriot Games specifically, he had meetings with British secret antiterrorism specialists. Clancy has written dozens of books, many of which have become movies, and has lent his name to many video game series.



Some of Tom Clancy's many bestseller books include: 1. The Hunt For Red October (1984) 2. Red Storm Rising (1986) 3. The Cardinal of the Kremlin (1988) 4. Clear and Present Danger (1989) 5. The Sum of All Fears (1991) 6. Without Remorse (1993) 7. Debt of Honor (1994) 8. Executive Orders (1996) 9. SSN: Strategies for Submarine Warfare (1996) 10. Rainbow Six (1998) 11. The Bear and the Dragon (2000) 12. Red Rabbit (2002) 13. The Teeth of the Tiger (2003)

__Tom Clancy's Style__
Tom Clancy has a very unique way of writing. Because of his extensive military research, Tom Clancy is able to talk about tactics, specific weapons in detail, and the structure of military organizations. This allows for the book to be described in much more detail and sets it up for a better read-through. Also there was a lot of suspense in the book. Tom Clancy always keeps the reader guessing and never lets him or her down when it comes to surprises, especially surprises that are filled with action. The characters in Tom Clancy's book were fully developed to the point where the reader could guess the way the character was going to act.

__Recommendation__
Patriot Games is the best book I have read in a while. The intense action scenes, detailed descriptions, and suspense kept me turning the pages. I could seriously not put this book down, and I would highly recommend Patriot Games to anyone who even remotely enjoys action or investigative novels.