The Cardinal of the Kremlin - Tom Clancy

== THE AUTHOR ==
Tom Leo Clancy Jr. was born on 12th April, 1947 in Maryland, United States. He is famous for his espionage and military science writings, not solely that, but the technical details he uses throughout his works. The majority - if not all - of Clancy's work is set during the Cold War and its aftermath. Interestingly, he co-owns Baltimore Orioles, a major US Baseball team!

He studied English Literature though his ...
...above, his keen interest in the military can be seen in all of his novels.

His name may sound familiar to you: the video game "Rainbow Six/6" was actually a novel by Clancy. In 2008, Ubisoft bought the right to use his name in video games, and so on.


== BRIEF INTRODUCTION ==
The Cardinal of the Kremlin is a novel, first published in 1988, featuring Jack Ryan who is a CIA member. His full name ... more

THE AUTHOR

Tom Leo Clancy Jr. was born on 12th April, 1947 in Maryland, United States. He is famous for his espionage and military science writings, not solely that, but the technical details he uses throughout his works. The majority - if not all - of Clancy's work is set during the Cold War and its aftermath. Interestingly, he co-owns Baltimore Orioles, a major US Baseball team!

He studied English Literature though his chief ambition was to serve in the US military, however, he failed an eye exam. As mentioned above, his keen interest in the military can be seen in all of his novels.

His name may sound familiar to you: the video game "Rainbow Six/6" was actually a novel by Clancy. In 2008, Ubisoft bought the right to use his name in video games, and so on.

BRIEF INTRODUCTION

The Cardinal of the Kremlin is a novel, first published in 1988, featuring Jack Ryan who is a CIA member. His full name is President Sir John Patrick Ryan, Sr., Ph.D., CPA, KCVO (what a mouthful!): he worked in Accountancy, etc. before the CIA and had received a Royal Victorian Order.

The Cardinal of the Kremlin is a sequel to The Hunt for Red October; they are based around Strategic Defensive Initiative and the Soviet's equivalent. The Cardinal novel is known for its quite "crazy" and outrageous conclusion.

The novel demonstrates how the CIA works with their field agents in obtaining information. Mary Pat Foley and Ed Foley are introduced as the joint heads of the Moscow operation. The main plot is the race between the two superpowers in developing a ground based anti-missile weapon.

The Soviets develop a laser projector which is capable of destroying a satellite in orbit and even an aeroplane anywhere in the world. When the United States find out, they become extremely worried, not solely for safety issues but also because the Soviets are seemingly much further ahead of the US in their technological efforts.

In an attempt to determine the details of this Soviet achievement the CIA asks its top agent in Moscow, code name CARDINAL, to find out the details of and surrounding the laser. CARDINAL has been the top US agent in Moscow for over 20 years and Soviet counter-intelligence never suspected his existence.

However, all is not great for long! The KGB catch its first clue that CARDINAL exists and refuse to give up until they catch him! The spy's existence isn't the only realisation that they make: the project to develop an American laser has also come to the KGB's attention and they begin an operation to discover how far the US have so far gotten.

As these technological developments for new lasers are progressing, there are actually nuclear missile reduction talks going on. However, the laser projects could cause both superpowers to ruin the negotiations completely.

The novel is set in a number of places - the mountains of Afghanistan, the deserts of New Mexico, the White House in Washington, DC., and the halls of the Kremlin. Regardless, world peace may rest in the hands of the CARDINAL!

PLOT

*Type of novel*
The Cardinal of the Kremlin is a Thriller revolving around spying and terrorism.

I found that this novel was rather suspenseful.

*Tone of novel*
As mentioned above, I found the tone to be suspenseful and created feelings of fear.

*Time/Era*
The Cardinal of the Kremlin is set within the 1980s - 1999 period.

*Composition of book*
With regard to the description of violence and 'chases', there is approximately 20% included in the novel.

Being a story majorly about a CIA member rescuing a fellow undercover spy,there is a lot detail concentrating on Jack Ryan (the rescuer) planning and preparing his evidence, figuring out events that may have occurred, discussing puzzles and motives; all in all, there is around 60% - 70% of such description in the entire book.

The development of characters and their 'biographies', feelings/emotions, in addition to relationships, takes up about 10% - 15% of the novel.

The physical description of people, places and objects along with how society operates in general, is also covered by 10% - 15% of the book.

*Plotlets*
There are a couple of what I would call "Cloak and Dagger" mini plots/plotlets, primarily related to the main character, spying and sabotage.

*Search for something?*
Undercover spy in need of rescue after being found and currently in the middle of an interrogation. There is also a search for some sophisticated war technology.

*Type of investigator*
CIA/spy

*Target age group*
Definitely an adult book, potentially suitable for the older and/or "more mature" teenagers.

MAIN CHARACTER

*Gender*
Male

*Age*
20s - 30s
60s - 90s (certain sections of the book, switching between characters, etc.)

*Profession/status*
Spy / CIA

*Ethnicity/Nationality*
White/American

*Intelligence*
High intelligence, much more intelligent than other characters.

*Physique*
Average - somewhat athletic physique.

*Sense of humour*
Usually serious with occasional humour.

Violence used?*
None at all.

MAIN ADVERSARY

*Identity*
An organisation

*Profession/status*
Spy/spies

*Age*
40s - 50s

*Intelligence*
Average - high intelligence.

*Sense of humour*
Serious, very little humour.

*Antagonists*
The KGB / Russians

*Present in book*
As the main antagonist(s) they are present in a moderate amount of the novel.

*Motive*
As the main antagonist(s), their motive is power.

SETTING

The surroundings are described a sufficient amount in The Cardinal of the Kremlin and, if I had to rate on a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate the story a 7 for descriptions. A good explanantion of the setting and scenery though not as much as most novels. However, it is typical of thriller/spy/terrorism books.

There are various settings and countries used in The Cardinal of the Kremlin. The United States of America, Europe, in addition to Asia and the Pacific areas, are all used. The European country used is Russia. The Asian areas used are what are collectively known as "The Stans": Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and so forth. These are actually related to the Soviet Union and so have Russian ties in the novel.

Two other, miscellaneous settings in the book are a fort/military installation unit, and a scientific laboratory.

STYLE

The Cardinal of the Kremlin is part of a series by Tom Clancy.

He primarily uses the 3rd person in this book and with regards to dialogue, there is an equal amount of dialogue as there is description.

There are quite 'unusual' forms of death, i.e. not an everyday or typical cause. The cause in the book is perforation through the use of guns and bullets. There are eight deaths in total throughout the novel. With regard to the accounts of torture and death, there are several very gorey and detailed references to death and punishment.

No sexual references have been made in this Clancy novel.

Clancy uses a lot of technological and possibly confusing jargon, mainly that related to military technology.

Thanks for reading! 

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