From "The Hunt for Red October" to "Rainbow Six," Tom Clancy has impressed readers with his strikingly realistic, page-turner plots. It comes as no surprise that Clancy's new novel, "The Bear and the Dragon," does not disappoint, blending his trademark suspense with post-Cold War politics.
For those who aren't familiar with Clancy's writing, his novels, starting with "The Hunt for Red October," and leading up to his most recent novel, "The Bear and the Dragon," follow the progression of world affairs, mainly as they relate to one man, Jack Ryan. The novels follow Ryan as he progresses from civilian life, to the CIA, and, eventually, to the presidency.
Using the same core cast in each novel, Clancy develops his characters to the point that they are comfortably familiar to his readers. He does so while incorporating an impressive understanding of current events, a spectacular knowledge of history and an uncanny ability to predict the future of world events in his novels. "Bear" is no exception.
In "Bear," Jack Ryan, the new President of the United States, wins the hearts and the trust of his fellow citizens with his down-to-earth, no-nonsense attitude toward politics. Having disarmed Russia and the United Sates of their nuclear capabilities, readers may think Ryan is playing in a safer world. But that of course is not the case. While the last threats from the Cold War have been all but eliminated, there still exist countries incapable of rational action. One such country is the Communist People's Republic of China.
The novel opens with great turmoil in the government of the still fairly new democracy of Russia. The scene then seamlessly shifts to Washington, where the American government is preparing for trade negotiations with China. There is tension between the two countries due to Chinese acts against free trade and the American recognition of Taiwan as an independent nation. These talks are not going well as it is, but soon China commits another transgression against the world that brings negotiations to a halt.
In Communist China no beliefs, other than those of Mao, are tolerated, especially religious beliefs. However, there are several Christian churches that dare to worship. One day, as a local Baptist leader is meeting with the Catholic ambassador from the Vatican, they receive a call from one of the Baptist's parishioners. She is pregnant, but because of China's strict population control laws, is having an illegal baby. When she suddenly goes into labor while at work, she is rushed to the hospital.
As the doctors prepare to perform a very late-term abortion, the two pastors arrive to save the child. When the call arrives at the embassy, they are in the process of being interviewed by a CNN news crew. Meanwhile, the news crew bears witness to a terrible tragedy. The two clergymen are murdered by the hotheaded police officers called in to control the situation. Because CNN captures the martyrdom of these two men on tape, the world is outraged. Then to further matters, the same CNN crew is present at the outdoor memorial service for the Baptist minister when all of a sudden the police intercede and proceed to violently break up the peaceful worshipers. When China does nothing to apologize or otherwise make amends for its actions, people begin boycotting stores that deal with China.
Facing heavy economic pressure, many of these stores pull out of their labor contracts with China. So between the breakdown in negotiations and the loss of business, China is standing to lose billions upon billions of dollars. Chinese purses, already tightened from military expenditures, are now forced to look elsewhere for money, else the country face economic ruin.
Russia has found enormous gold and oil deposits in Siberia, and is hoping that these will be its economic savior. However, China also has its eyes cast toward this prize. As China mobilizes her armies to claim it, Russia is unexpectedly invited into NATO. Thus, as the world hurtles down the path toward war, so the book hurtles toward its climatic ending.
Clancy makes no secret of his political leanings throughout the book. He has spent much of his life as a writer using Russia, or rather the Soviet Union, as his bad guy. But now he allies Russia with the United States and seeks out new enemies. Having always had an immense dislike for Communists, the natural choice is China. He does not, however, limit his commentary to foreign affairs. Through many subtleties he comments rather disapprovingly on the current administration in the White House. Clancy's political leanings, while occasionally an interjection of humor, do not particularly add or detract from the overall spectacular tone of his book.
Clancy is at his best as he employs his full range of technical skills in applying his vast understanding of politics and governmental procedure to eerily realistic events. His knowledge of the inner workings of Washington and the military allow him to interact his characters in ways that other writers can only hope to imitate. And his knowledge of history allows him to realistically depict the world as it might be in the very near future. Aside from the obviously realistic nature of this novel, there is no better author than Clancy at incorporating so many subplots into one story line.
His transitions between scenes are so smooth it is nearly impossible to get lost in the action. But he weaves the plot so intricately that it moves along at a rapid pace. Again he creates realism in his novel because nothing in this world happens alone; multiple occurrences always influence each other. The characters are flawlessly developed. Because of his ability to take characters' personalities and place them directly into factual government roles, he allows them to develop their own conflicts with their given roles, also allowing them to conform to the demands of those roles.
In short, Clancy gets better with each novel. This time he is in top form. "The Bear and the Dragon" truly combines the visions of one man with the facts of the world today, to create an intricate, suspenseful and realistic plot. Because it is such a quick read, the many pages fly by as if they were nothing. For readers unfamiliar with Clancy's earlier works, "Bear" will lose much of its value, as it is a continuation of earlier novels. However, it is a must read for any Clancy fan.
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