Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Returns in Full Force and Effect
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Plotting, writing style, and imagination can make a book successful, but it’s great characters who truly inspire readers. Some characters become so iconic, they outlive their creators. James Bond continues to star in new novels 50 years after the death of Ian Fleming. Jack Ryan, Tom Clancy’s legendary action hero, is one of these timeless creations: a character who belongs not to his creator, but to the readers. Full Force and Effect, the new Jack Ryan novel by erstwhile Clancy co-writer Mark Greaney, lives up to the Clancy name and reminds us why Jack Ryan deserves literary immortality.
{{ product: 9780399173356 }}He’s an icon.
Jack Ryan’s been with us for thirty years now. He’s been portrayed by the most famous actors in the world. The moment you hear his name, you know precisely the kind of story you’re about to enjoy—a status that very few characters ever achieve. Greaney manages to keep Ryan consistent with the character Clancy created while taking him into new territory without sacrificing the intricate detail and realism that made Clancy’s books some of the most popular in the world.
He’s as American as they come.
Jack Ryan is the Apple Pie of American literature—and that’s a great thing. He’s a good old-fashioned red-white-and-blue action hero who celebrates the things that make this country great: brains, ambition, and a commitment to doing the right thing against all odds.
He’s evolving.
The world has changed since we first met the gung-ho analyst back in The Hunt for Red October, and Clancy and Greaney haven’t hesitated to let Ryan change with it, making him feel and fresh and current without sacrificing the essential quirks that make him so compelling. In Full Force and Effect, he stares down villains ripped from the headlines: corrupt North Koreans, Mexican drug gangs, and rogue freelance spies. Meanwhile, his weapons, technology, and tactics have all evolved with the times, making this installment feel as fresh and fascinating as his 30-year-old debut.
He still packs a punch.
Part of the realism of the books is Ryan’s advancing age—he’s not a young man any more, and his son, Jack Junior, sees most of the action these days. But the old man still gets to shine in Full Force and Effect—notably during a crackerjack sequence involving an attempted assassination in Mexico City.
If you’ve enjoyed Jack Ryan before, Full Force and Effect will not disappoint. Let’s hope his adventures continue for many years to come.
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