My Library

I have to admit a bit of an annoyance with this whole concept that's come up of late of putting Tom Clancy's name on a series of books by other authors. But it's a very mild annoyance because so far none of the other authors has failed to live up to the expectation. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell written by David Michaels is no exception.

This book is the story of Sam Fisher, a top secret agent or «Splinter Cell» for the ultrasecret Third Echelon of the National Security Agency. The First and Second Echelons were secret NSA communication surveillance projects. Strictly electronics and technology. No HUMINT. The premise of Splinter Cell is that NSA got caught up in the post-9/11 realization that no human intelligence just doesn't cut it. Third Echelon and the Splinter Cells are so secret that if Fisher is caught, the government will disavow him completely. On the other hand, as long as he isn't caught, he can pretty much do no wrong. License to kill, steal, blow up banks, get terrorists to shoot at each other...whatever. If you like the genre and especially if you like Tom Clancy's other recent series (Net Force and Power Plays) you'll love Splinter Cell.

Note on the Amazon reviewers: I'd give this book 4 stars out of 5, on the principle that maybe one really good book in a thousand really good books deserves a «perfect» 5. Most of the reviewers gave it 5 stars, but two gave it 1 or 2 and brought the average way down. One was upset by language in the book and clearly took it out in his review. So, if you expect soldiers and secret agents to speak like saints, don't read this book. Another thought the plot was too simplistic. I don't think he realized, despite the cover saying so, that the book is based on a video game. It's supposed to be a a fast read with a lot of action. Even so, it does have a good plot and a couple of subplots, predictable to a degree as the pieces come together but even so it has real «a-ha!» moments when the predictability comes together. In any case it's not War and Peace (Modern Library Classics). It's not even Executive Orders (Jack Ryan Novels). It is meant to be a quick exciting read for one or maybe two evenings and it is that.