Robert Lekachman
Mr. Clancy keeps his readers well abreast of current politics and psychological theories as well as the latest technology. Part of the intrigue of the novel concerns the intricacies of power struggles within the Kremlin, where a character who resembles Mikhail Gorbachev does battle with an intractable ideologue modeled on Yegor Ligachev, the Soviet leader's second in command....I look forward to each one of the volumes yet to come, not least because their appearance will testify to Jack Ryan's continuing success in averting the next world war. -- New York times
Library Journal
In his fourth book, Clancy uses nuclear strategies to probe the ambiguities of fighting the good fightthe Americans vs. the Soviets. By the time familiar hero Jack Ryan steps in to investigate mysterious structures on the Soviet-Afghan border, the Soviets have struck again by zapping a satellite with a free electron laser. The title's cardinal, an elite, well-placed source in the Kremlin, leaks details of this secret activity to the United States. In the backdrop of technological bravura, spiced by artful espionage and all-too-human mistakes, intelligence is transferred back and forth and there are attacks and counterattacks. It is a mark of Clancy's growing maturity as a writer that he can bring these subtleties into highly entertaining form. Literary Guild Main. Barbara Conaty, Library of Congress
From the Publisher
Praise for The Cardinal of the Kremlin
“Clancy’s done it again!”—New York Daily News
“Cardinal excites, illuminates...a real page-turner.”—Los Angeles Daily News
“Fast and fascinating.”—Chicago Tribune
More Praise for Tom Clancy
“He constantly taps the current world situation for its imminent dangers and spins them into an engrossing tale.”—The New York Times Book Review
“A brilliant describer of events.”—The Washington Post
“No one can equal his talent for making military electronics and engineering intelligible and exciting...He remains the best!”—Houston Chronicle
FEB/MAR 04 - AudioFile
Narrating one of Tom Clancy's early novels is a tough job. They're long; filled with numerous heroes and villains, many of them foreign; switch abruptly from subplot to subplot; feature high-tech language; and usually reach nail-biting climaxes. This CD issue of Clancy’s 1989 work, which has all of these characteristics, richly rewards listeners eager to marvel at Clancy's favorite hero, CIA operative Jack Ryan, who must rescue a Russian colonel, a longtime U.S. spy code-named "Cardinal." Michael Prichard is highly competent, though his matter-of-fact delivery sometimes fails to match the ever-increasing suspense. On balance, however, this is a creditable performance sure to please Clancy's fans. T.H. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine
