Tom Clancy has always painted on a huge canvas, and, ably assisted by co-author Mark Greaney, he uses every inch of every page to great effect. Lately, Clancy has changed his focus from his iconic Jack Ryan (that would be President Jack Ryan) character to Ryan’s namesake. Jack Jr. is a member of The Campus, an off-the-books secret action squad that is financed entirely by its cover organisation, Hendley Associates, a public investment firm.
That person is code-named The Center, a cyber-warrior of remarkable and frightening talents and abilities who wages war via computer on behalf of The People’s Republic of China. At the same time, China is under the de facto joint rule of a weakened president and a strong, aggressive military leader who is bent on reclaiming disputed territory along the South China Sea. The Center is working at the latter’s behest, and makes a number of dramatic demonstrations of his ability to take over the cyber network of the United States and the powerful weapons tied into it. The Campus and its resident IT guy are all that stand between China and a major power grab.
If you thought that war in cyberspace would be boring, you would be wrong. Clancy and Greaney bring their “A” game to the book, nicely balancing plot and technological data with quirky characters and fast-moving situations that will keep you on the edge of your seats practically from beginning to end. Though a big book, it moves quickly and never seems to meander away from the multiple plot points that it presents. And while Ryan Sr. no longer has Clancy’s focus, he shows up in the narrative just often enough to demonstrate a strong, assured and steady hand on the ship of state, one who knows friend and foe and behaves accordingly.
The characters are drawn better in this novel, including a lone CIA asset in Hong Kong who’s gone radio-silent because of a suspected mole at the CIA. Not that everyone is three-dimensional. But there are interesting character developments going on, such as John Clark trying to figure out how to live outside of the Campus, thanks to age and injuries received in the previous novel. There are even a few surprising events and twists that affect the characters on a personal level.