Tom Clancy, Rainbow Six Review

Overall Rating

Reasonably good action descriptions and a widespread plot.

Clancy employs duex ex machina to extricate himself. Put the cart before the horse in having Dr. Brightling build an enormous survival enclave before completing medical tests.

Tom Clancy, Rainbow Six - I was enjoying the book and wanting to see how the evil characters would be unmasked. I was at the point of the IRA attacking Rainbow 6 when Clancy lost control of his book. He used the most artificial method to throw the spotlight on Popov. In literature terms it is called duex ex machina, which means an unexpected, artificial, or improbable character, device, or event introduced suddenly in a work of fiction or drama to resolve a situation or untangle a plot. Clearly Clancy could not figure out how to reveal Popov without employing a ridiculous scene where a wounded IRA man willingly responded to probing questions about Popov. At that point I tossed the book! But earlier, I noticed that Dr. Brightling had built the survival enclave in the Midwest and it was completed before the medical tests were. Seems to me that I would not have even started construction until I knew I could spread the virus and have a 99.999% kill.

Members' Comments onanthonyretford's Review

• ZackMan on 23rd Dec 2005

  You shouldn't write reviews on a book that you did not even read all the way through. The book came together very expertly in the end, and was well written. I enjoyed the book very much and would recommend it to anyone.