This is a long story that takes its time developing characters and plot. If you want a high-speed, action-packed, easy read, this is not for you. There are several high-adrenalin sections, but the story takes its time building up to these in satisfying detail. A military novel, there is violence and weaponry (lots of weaponry). One dubious high-tech gadget is utilized to bring it to a quick end, which you may find disappointing, but it's still a good read.

This is a terribly lazy book. It is 900 pages and should be about 200. And while there are long descriptions of gun cleaning and men's showers, the thing that got me most was the repetition. Every time Clancy comes back to a character, he gives us the same details about him. "Tim Noonan had come to Rainbow from the FBI. He was a tech guy but he wanted to get in the field and he spent a lot of time at the range. He was as good with a handgun as any of the other men." (x4!) This tremendous repetition isn't limited to characters, either. It is as if he designed the book to be skimmed: "Don't worry if you miss anything, you'll have four or five more shots at it." Rainbow Six needed an editor.

Then there is the dialogue. British characters have been known to say more than "Quite". The characterization of the terrorists is laughably thin. There are lots of true believers out there, and it would have been fairly easy to craft some authentic seeming terrorists, but he couldn't be bothered. Seemingly every line of terrorist dogma is appended with a wink as the they constantly contradict themselves. It seemed as if his anti-environmentalist message got in the way of his characterization. And there is no need for that - it is possible to write believable ecoterrorists. Then again, the military people I've known don't talk like Clancy's characters either. "Who's running that?" "Johnson out of Fort Bragg." "Good man." "Sure is."

The set pieces are engaging however, but they are just too few and far between. Someone should really release an abridged version of Rainbow Six.

I plan to read one of the earlier books -- Hunt For Red October or Red Storm Rising -- before I write him off entirely. This one is not recommended.

Tom Clancy has written another big hit that has readers all over the world on the edge of their seat. When terrorists in Europe are aroused there is only one team that can stop them quickly, and efficiently. Rainbow 6. They are a team comprised of the best soldiers that every country has to offer. They got the most and best high tech equipment in the world. They have a great commander, John Clark. They have everything you can imagine.
When some extremist tree huggers come to kill all the people who threaten Mother Nature, Somebody has to stop them. They rile up the terrorists in Europe to act as a distraction for their diabolical plan to destroy the human race. Rainbow 6 defeats the terrorists every time without a loss of a man. The race is on to find out who is trying to kill the whole world.
There is lots of figurative language in this book. There is also a lot of foreshadowing that gives the book a sense of suspense. The book is really nicely written and there is lots of simile’s and metaphors. Clancy has great finesse when he writes this book. It is a great book that I hope you will love. t

I really enjoyed this one, but it's an almost completely different kind of story from all of the other Clancy that I've read. Those are all, in essence, espionage stories (spies!). This is a different kind of beast.

John Clark (Mr. Clark, Mr. C) decides that someone should set up a counter-terrorist unit that isn't beholden to just one country. It's a sort of "team of experts" idea. He talks to the CIA, and up the ladder, and is given approval. What he forms, together with a member of British Intelligence, is essentially a NATO team, Code Name: Rainbow. That gives John a new title, as it's commander: Rainbow Six. He brings along Ding Chavez, now his son-in-law and about to be a first time daddy, with him as one of the two team leaders within Rainbow and they relocate to the SAS base in Hereford, England.

Just as they set up shop, a new threat starts to unfold. It will culminate in an attack meant to be centered at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. It's a big plot, and very well thought out by the author. He uses his characters within skill sets we know they have, even though neither John nor Ding has been military for quite a while.

I won't tell how the plot unravels...I'm sure there are enough reviewers willing to do that. I will tell you that I like Clancy's plotting. I like his characters, who have great internal consistency over a series of books. I like that his characters have realistic and maintained relationships. I like that things don't always work out well. I like that that is handled realistically, too.

I'm reading this now, because it comes before The Bear and the Dragon. Goodreads says that's the next chronological book in the Jack Ryan series AND in the John Clark series. So, I'm set, and I've got that for '21. My next long book is already queued up, so this will come after that one.

This is okay, very fun bursts of excitement toned down by a lot of repetition and downtime. This narrative did not need to be 700+ pages.

Clancy uses the ample downtime to read factoids off of the back of his character’s action figure box, but i don’t feel like I got to know any of these people.

Villains are dopey and go down like mooks, the feeling of the missions was like watching a bobcat play with their food before devouring them bones and all.

Extrajudicial murder for fun and profit. I've been a longtime fan of Tom Clancy, even though he never met an adjective or adverb that he didn't like. Each of his books is exactly 1/3 too long. In some respects this is the best written book of the Clancy canon. On the other hand, the resolution of this story turned my stomach. The resolution of the plot left a tricky legal problem to deal with. Rather then solve the issue, Clancy uses his characters to murder everyone involved. This one has put me off Clancy for good. Good riddance.

DNF. Just wasn't my thing.

I’ve never felt the need to read any military-themed action adventures before - I’m not even interested in shooting games or things like that - but my father and brother both read Tom Clancy, and they aren’t gun fanatics or bodybuilders (which I’d always stereotyped as Clancy’s main demographic for some reason - maybe because of the videogame); and I recently found out one of my coworkers (who also isn’t into shooting things or pumping iron) also reads a lot of Clancy, so I decided I should stop being presumptuous and give him a try.

While there is some of that overly-macho, testosterone-filled “bro” talk, that personality trait of the Rainbow Six members was actually really toned down. In fact, they’re all family men, and very professional about their work. It also turns out that Tom Clancy is actually a huge history and military buff (I might have been the only person who didn’t know that - don’t judge me), so instead of just being a lot of shooting and blowing things up, the apparent research he put into the book really makes it seem it was written by someone on the inside. I obviously don’t know much about covert operations and combat tactics, but it all seemed very realistic and accurate.

Let’s talk a little more about all the research and details in the book, though. Clancy makes a point to include the model of everything from guns to aircrafts - and that’s fine; I’m sure there are weapons buffs who care about that - but I have to draw the line at making a point to tell me what kind of laptop the tech guy uses. Does anyone really need to know that the Noonan uses an Apple PowerBook? Sometimes it feels like Clancy put more time and thought into describing the hardware than the crew.

Sure we get a little bit of insight on characters like John Clark and Domingo Chavez, but even a lot of that is just the same thing repeated over and over again. Clancy tells you more than once that John Clark is getting a little too old to be out in the field, but is uncomfortable being a “suit,” and that “Ding” Chavez is a competent squad leader but a little self-conscious about his skills compared to his troops. And the redundancy isn’t limited to characters either, there are several instances of recycled phrases…
(e.g. “…squeezing off the burst as routinely as zipping his pants after taking a leak,” p. 91; “He’d zapped a guy the previous night, just as fast and automatic an action as zipping his zipper,” p 107; “He’d killed men with his own hand, and done it as casually as zipping his fly,” p. 238. <- Really? Is that the standard for nonchalant behavior?)

…and reiterations and recaps
(e.g. “It was somewhat unsatisfying that others got the credit for his successful mission, but that was the whole point of Rainbow…,” p. 88; “The front page had a story on the previous day’s events in Bern… The Telegraph’s correspondent must have had good contacts with the cops…whom he gave credit for the takedown. Well, that was okay. Rainbow was supposed to remain black,” p. 108)

… which make a lot of sentences/paragraphs just seem like filler. I mean, seriously, how many times does the reader need to be reminded that the crew is "perfect" and that they actually can’t get any better but have to keep it up just so they don’t lose their edge?

Not that the first 15 chapters are “boring,” but they are a fairly formulaic series of terrorist attacks foiled by the Rainbow Six counterterrorist team, as the more mysterious laboratory tests sections haven’t been that developed quite yet. Then, in chapter 16, the novel becomes less shooting and more sneaking. The espionage element is far more interesting, and the book as a whole becomes much more suspenseful as a result, but it also yields some less-than-believable moments.

First off, how plausible is it that Popov would only have to wait less than the length of a football game in the first bar he tried before he heard someone talking about a top secret military base? And wouldn’t the guy, plumber or not, have been briefed on not discussing these things with civilians? Or bringing them onto the actual base? Even if the guy is going to sell you some real swell Rigid wrenches? And then the offered explanation for how Popov gets on the base without so much as a glance from any of the security guards is that… they’re British? Isn’t this supposed be a “blacker than black” organization?

And it’s not only the good guys! These scientists didn’t think to password-protect their computers until after one of their patients moseyed on out of her unlocked room and sent an email from the unmonitored desktop? I password protect my laptop, and I’m not even manufacturing a super virus to wipe out most of the human race.

And then, later, Popov absent-mindedly tosses his fake passport and credit cards into a trashcan at the airport? What about all that “The KGB knew how to train its people” (p. 654) talk? Hm? What? He was jet-lagged? Oh, okay, that makes sense.

I get it, people slip up, even professionals like FBI anti-terrorist specialists and intelligence officers. But Clancy spends so much time making everyone sound so professional, skilled, and competent… but the nature and number of things that everyone overlooked (password-protecting computers, a helicopter, a siren for Noonan’s car, etc.) seem like a stretch. What’s more, the plot only moves ahead because of just how big of a group of blundering idiots these administrations appear to be.

And this is a really small gripe, but why include the sentence, “It was amazing how large America was, Dmitriy Arkadyevich thought.”?? In all of his research did Clancy overlook the fact that Russia (Arkadyevich’s homeland) is nearly twice as big as America (17.1 million km2, compared to 9.857 million km2)?

I’d be lying, though, if I said I wasn’t thoroughly entertained nearly the whole time. I just think more time could have been spent on developing the characters and/or figuring out a better way to come to the same ending without relying entirely on obvious mistakes that seem pretty unlikely to have been made by professionals of this caliber.

Three stars seems too low, but I wouldn't say I really liked it either, which means I can't exactly give it four either. Let's call it 3.5.

Rainbow Six is an action thriller of a global scale with multiple attention-grabbing plotlines, interesting and visualizable characters, and keen emphasis on the technical aspect of combat.
Rainbow Six follows a black (off the books) counterterrorism team comprised of the best operatives from different NATO countries, who are tasked with taking out terrorist plots that countries are under-prepared to deal with. The outfit is known as Rainbow. Tom Clancy spectacularly combines different plotlines to all fit together, with a vast global conspiracy at the heart of the plotlines. While it could have been a cumbersome mess to deal with, it turned out absolutely great to read. Each plotline added to the crux of the story in a way that completed the big picture without leaving any plot holes. The plotlines themselves displayed Rainbow’s expertise in handling counterterrorism missions in great tactical detail styled action sequences with heart-pounding intense moments that add to the gritty realistic vibe of the book.

It was interesting to read John Clark in a more paper-pushing style role rather than the boot on the ground. It definitely set up for a great torch-passing narrative between Clark and Domingo Chavez, a talented operative and leader of one of the Rainbow’s teams as well as Clark’s son-in-law. Clark and Ding make for a fantastic duo to read, taking on the role of mentor and mentee, as well as more of an emotional support for each other when the events of the book call for it.

Rainbow Six is a groundbreaking read, given its release in 1998, as it blurs the enmity of nations and focuses on the idea of private companies dominating governmental control. One of the major takeaways of Rainbow Six is the concept of extremism being applied to an unconventional ground; environmentalism. The way the characters are written superbly show how extremism exists not only in countries and religions, but also in concepts that may seem banal to many, such as protecting Planet Earth. The unpredictable nature of the threat, coupled with shady characters capable of gruesome acts in the name of protecting nature, push Rainbow against an unusual adversary with a truly horrifying endgame.

The action is technical and fast-paced, with a great and imperative focus on weapon systems, as Rainbow is a team of highly trained operatives. The action sequences are written in harmony with realistic team movements in the field as Rainbow takes out bad guys and look cool with their MP10s and Berettas while doing so. The training sequences, particularly those at the gun range, written so well that I could visualize even non-combat sequences in their technical authenticity.

Rainbow Six is a work of literature that transcends time, as it holds up just as well today as it did back in 1998. A fast-paced, interesting, story-driven action thriller with all the necessary elements to appease all action thriller fans. A memorable book with characters that are imbued with personalities that feel relatable, and action sequences that are sure to be remembered as some of the best ever written when it comes to tactics and cinematic balance.

The action scenes in Rainbow Six are excellent. Made up primarily of hostage-taking scenes, they are tense and exciting, and Clancy's writing conveys the urgency of the situation and the concerns of the protagonists well. They are spread evenly throughout the book, and they're all gripping and entertaining.

Outside of the action scenes, Clancy's prose is serviceable, for the most part, but marred by repetition, poor flow, and a tendency to ramble. One almost gets a feeling of deja vu at some points, when certain passages seem to be cut-and-pasted from one section of the book to another. His transitions between scenes are sometimes a bit rough, and he changes perspectives too abruptly, sometimes doing it in the middle of a paragraph.

The characters tend to be broad stereotypes, and they never display any character development or growth, but that's typical for this type of fiction.

The plot is interesting, but has a few technical holes in it. That wouldn't normally affect my enjoyment of a novel, but Clancy's reputation is built (in part) on the detail level of his books, so the errors I could recognize (specifically relating to the internet) are bothersome.

The finish of the story is a little disappointing. I don't want to spoil the ending, but after a steady build-up throughout the story, with each mission and encounter getting tougher and tougher, the last two missions that Rainbow completes are too easy and pat to be rewarding. After wading through nearly 900 pages, I would have appreciated a bigger payoff.

All in all, a nice action story, and a good bit of escapism, but it's too long, has too many dull spots, and lacks the big finish it needs to be really satisfying.

This one was full on bond villain time. Fun read from beginning to end. Like a lot of his books the good and bad guys circle each other until the very end. John Clark and Dominogo Chaves are fun literary characters. Both are deep and complex. Time to move away from Jack Ryan for a book or two. Note: Jack is only referenced in this book this story is all about the newly formed Rainbow Six. Read the book first kids, then play the video games.

This one was awesome. I really really enjoyed it. The story focuses on 'Team Rainbow' and international anti-terrorism take force based in England (I knew this one was gonna be a banger with that as the premise). Indeed it was, Clancy absolutely killed it with this classic. Team rainbow is badass and they get the job done. Throughout this story Rainbow is deployed around the world to combat different threats in varying locations. All the while a secret organization is pulling the string in the shadows. 99% of this book was killer. My only dislike was the ending, similarly to Chain of Command. But not for the same reasons. The finale isn't rushed in this one, it just left a bad taste in my mouth.