A sophisticated story badly narrated.

The story is constructed on several different layers and by itself needs a lot of concentration.
Cut over between mini chapters are hard to recognize as the narrator speaks in a very boring tone. I had to rewind very often to catch the change of scenes. When reading a book you have a visible break whereas in an audiobook the narrator should ensure this.

24 people found this helpful

Jack Ryan: the thinking person's James Bond

Preface: I have been a fan of Tom Clancy novels long before I started audiobooks. I love the jargon, the level of detail, the technology described so completely. I like the military, political and even the personal intrigue. Also, as you might guess from the review headline, I think Jack Ryan makes a great hero character.

This is a fine story about America's attempt to use a covert military operation to stem the drug trade from Columbia, an action sanctioned by the president during an election year. The political infighting is fascinating - a study in personal gain, leverage, and back-stabbing. The operation itself is described with an enormous amount of detail, from the planning, supplies, strategy, tactics, and of course, weapons. Great stuff, if you're into it.

The narrator, Michael Prichard, was competent, but undistinguished. Many of his "voices" sound very similar, and at times it's difficult to keep track of which character is speaking, especially in a 3-way "conversation". Still, he is easy to understand and his pacing and pronunciation were very good. Still he's not as good as some other narrators.

15 people found this helpful

Overall a failure

I've enjoyed reading the Ryan series by Clancy. I'm listening now to most of the books. I have listened to Michael Prichard's narrations before and thought well of them. I don't know why it didn't go well in this instance.

The narration did not carry the intensity of the novel well. He's done far better and hopefully this is just a fluke.

Perhaps the story doesn't lend itself to a single narrator. Regardless of the why it simply didn't gel.

12 people found this helpful

Michael prichard doesn't do different voices

Michael prichard doesn't or can't change the voices for the different characters. this makes it hard to follow who's who and what is going on. the story itself is great though.

8 people found this helpful

Started Slow but got there in the end

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

I can't put my finger on why this story seems to start slow. The narration at the beginning did not grab, but by the end the narration was more on point.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

The story started slow, but I was determined to continue. I can remember reading the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and almost stopped listening because of the minutiae at the start; and if I had stopped, I would not had the pleasure of that great masterpiece. In about the 2 hour mark, the story did get more intriguing and the character development of Mr. Clark and Chavez started to take shape. Jack Ryan is not the main character in this book and his role is more Inspector Clouseau than Jack Ryan.

Any additional comments?

I decided to start the Jack Ryan series from the start and listen to them in order. As an Audible member since 2001, I had purchased a few of the books early in the series that were abridged, and found the stories disjointed. So I had stopped listening to Clancy. I have since upgraded all books to unabridged and what a difference it makes to the stories.

3 people found this helpful

Terrific Book. Much better Narrator

Tom Clancy does it again. The book kept my attention throughout and was hard to put down. Michael Prichard does a great job on this reproduction of the book. Unlike the other reading by J. Charles, Prichard is easy to understand and reads at an understandable rate. I can only hope that he narrates some of the other books.

15 people found this helpful

Great but not 5 stars.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. It set up and covered alot of really ugly issues. I love the intricate chess game.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Tie between Clarke and Cortez. Both were hyper intelligent and thought quickly and effectively when things were going crazy. Both were professional and true to what they were.

Have you listened to any of Michael Prichard’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes i have. About the same. Hes terrible for voices, especially women and or accents. But he can narrate and convey a mood like no other.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

For every action...

Any additional comments?

Another fantastic character driven plot by Clancy. This one didn't feel quite as intimate as some others but the story had a very cause and effect / domino sort of feel to it. The writing does a very good job of convincing you that the situation is dire and ugly. It gives you an intimate picture of what something is. It never felt like the author just said "because is said so".

2 people found this helpful

Sitting on th the Edge of your seat!

Would you listen to Clear and Present Danger again? Why?

Yes and the reason is, it is so detailed there are so many things you can miss the first time through.

What did you like best about this story?

In the Jack Ryan series I always likeJack Ryan, but I also liked Mr.Clark and Mr. Chavez. the parts they play are very intense.

Have you listened to any of Michael Prichard’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, Much the same. He is a very fitting narrator for the Jack Ryan series.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When the helicopter landed on the small boat out in the middle of the ocean during the hurricane to bring the surviving men to safety.

Any additional comments?

I always enjoy the Tom Clancy books and especially the Jack Ryan series. I just really enjoy his personality.

4 people found this helpful

Terrible narrator

Okay, so he is not the worst narrator but he cannot do any accents or distinguish voices, which in a Jack Ryan Novel is imperative. He does not even try, so if you are encountering characters from oh, Russia for example, forget it. I am not sure why Prichard got the gig for Clancy books because he absolutely is nothing like listening to Scott Brick. Listen to Hunt for Red October with one accent after another. Then try this book, and hear him butcher Spanish accents and give an Aussie accent by saying one word "mate" in his own voice. Very disappointing even for the biggest Ryan novel fan.

1 person found this helpful

Narrator is a snooooooze

The story is very slow and dreadfully boring. The narrator is horrible. His different voices foe each character are laughable. His Spanish accent is pathetic.
It’s so poorly performed. Story may have been ok otherwise. Hard to say. Unless you just need the story to put you to sleep.... skip

1 person found this helpful