tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1758815004886180861.post273560553066486420..comments2024-03-29T10:09:36.736+01:00Comments on The Nerdstream Era: An obituary on Tom ClancyStefan Sassehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03504751435668017553noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1758815004886180861.post-90082849203105387932013-10-04T13:27:24.668+02:002013-10-04T13:27:24.668+02:00I absolutely agree. I found the revenge fantasy th...I absolutely agree. I found the revenge fantasy the most unsettling novel, though. Complete and utter bullshit, and the morales of it really unsettling. Don't remember the on-top critique. Stefan Sassehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03504751435668017553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1758815004886180861.post-46619411861931823392013-10-04T13:26:37.713+02:002013-10-04T13:26:37.713+02:00Set the scope to ADWD.Set the scope to ADWD.Stefan Sassehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03504751435668017553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1758815004886180861.post-38281414312073348562013-10-03T23:57:52.081+02:002013-10-03T23:57:52.081+02:00Like many others, I devoured his books as an adole...Like many others, I devoured his books as an adolescent. While I've only read them once, both <i>The Hunt for Red October</i> and <i>The Cardinal of the Kremlin</i> were excellent (and <i>Red October</i> was adopted into a fantastic movie, despite the obviously-Scottish Red Navy captain). But Clancy, more than almost any other author I've read, suffered from success. We talk a lot here and elsewhere about whether Martin's books have grown unwieldy as he's become too successful for editors to critique. But with Clancy the bloat was enormous. I can't tell you how many plot lines <i>Executive Orders</i> had that literally led nowhere. <br /><br />Worse was his politics. Clancy was always best when writing about Soviet antagonists, who he clearly respected. In <i>The Bear and the Dragon</i> his sympathy for Russia goes so far that it ruins the story's credibility (Russia joining NATO, with no objections!) and characters' descriptions of the Chinese go far beyond what's acceptable within the narrative context - the book is very uncomfortable to read. The post-9/11 <i>Teeth of the Tiger</i> is even worse, with an unaccountable anti-terror unit so secret even the president doesn't know about it depicted as a good thing, rather than an American Los Zetas. <br /><br />But I'll always remember Clancy most for, in the revenge fantasy <i>Without Remorse</i>, explicitly criticizing women being on top during sex. To me that will always be the gold standard of an author's conservative worldview ruining the narrative!Taylorhttp://smokeandstir.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1758815004886180861.post-55084338282625332902013-10-03T20:22:32.391+02:002013-10-03T20:22:32.391+02:00got it. had to put in last book I readgot it. had to put in last book I readUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10510557626270332666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1758815004886180861.post-21564419247858281492013-10-03T19:51:42.611+02:002013-10-03T19:51:42.611+02:00hey Stefan, that's the link I go to but all I ...hey Stefan, that's the link I go to but all I see is comments about it. Where is the articleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1758815004886180861.post-21924274699932652602013-10-03T18:27:00.883+02:002013-10-03T18:27:00.883+02:00You find it here: http://www.towerofthehand.com/bl...You find it here: http://www.towerofthehand.com/blog/2012/01/05-southron-ambitions/index.htmlStefan Sassehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03504751435668017553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1758815004886180861.post-67167013108904840492013-10-03T17:45:06.448+02:002013-10-03T17:45:06.448+02:00hey Stefan, I hate to contact this way but I want ...hey Stefan, I hate to contact this way but I want to read your southron ambitions article but none of the links to it actually work. they just take you to the comments section of it. What can I do to read it. ThanksUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10510557626270332666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1758815004886180861.post-20453631664460973212013-10-03T10:12:33.495+02:002013-10-03T10:12:33.495+02:00Great post - I had exactly the same relationship t...Great post - I had exactly the same relationship to Tom Clancy's books. I devoured them as a twelve to fourteen year old, but had a very hard time finishing Rainbow Six and never touched a book of his since. I think I didn't realized the deep seated Republicanism until later (it was more of an idealistic Will McAvoy republicanism and no tea party republicanism anyway), and having gotten politicised I really couldn't get back into his universe. Exactly when I got fed up with Clancy, the Wheel of Time got me, and I've been coming back to Fantasy ever since.<br /><br />I'd be interested in your Top 10 fantasy books by the way, if you ever feel like writing about that. Gotta do something with my reading time until winter has finally come!Saxelfurhttp://twitter.com/saxelfurnoreply@blogger.com