You've finally made it to the big leagues. Your CEO of BigCorp and one of the perks is the latest computer gadget on the market, HardWear, a suitlike vest that gives you the latest in computing power tapped right into your brain.

But something is amiss in the world. It seems that company secrets are being leaked with alarming frequency. And only those companies using HardWear vests are being hit. Is this corporate espionage, or something worse?

This Tom Clancy sponsored book is an easy book to read and kept me entertained throughout. This Net Force book is aimed at the younger reader, although even an adult will find it enjoyable. It revolves around a group of Net Force explorers, kids really, who seem to always stumble into some sort of high tech adventure.

This book is worth the money, buy it today, you won't be disappointed.

Tom Clancy's Net Force Cyberspy is an excellent book if you enjoy books with high-tech stuff. With the new technology being developed, computers are being made to allow its user to wear the computer. Net Force explorer David Gray finds a "hole" in the system. The "hole" allows cyber spies to tune into the wearer's thoughts. Reading this book may make you wonder if this could come true, and if it does, watch out. I enjoyed this book very much and I would recommend it to all readers.

From the very end of the first chapter, I was already couldn't stop reading the book. The technology that is used in that period of time I think might even be used in our future. It demonstrates technology that sounds like what we would use in the future. Tom Clancy did an excellent job writing this book. An overall 5 stars!

I usually am a fond reader of Tom Clancy's works, may they be fictional or factual. But this thing shows a rare lack of knowledge, which I find annoying.

I am german, a citizen of Hanover, where Clancy set much of his plot - and the connection between real events and the story plot would make SOME research neccessary, I guess. But all the research found in this novel is reading a roadmap of Germany, and even that is done badly. Anything else is pure fiction, and the relation to real events is only in the name.

Where is the author that takes up so much time researching things BEFORE writing? THIS thing is just making money...

Year 2054: Xanadu, the world's most exclusive (...) resort, is under suspicion to be a possible base for some devastating and harmful thefts done through the Net. Meg O'Malley, a Net Force Explorer, is more than willing to go undercover to discover the identity of the illusive thief. Since her father, a renowned writer, has already been asked to host a writing workshop at Xanadu, Meg is given the perfect opportunity to conduct an investigation. But the beautiful resort with its gourmet food, entertainment, and high tech virtual sites may also be one of the most deadly places to be for Meg. For without any aide from other Net Force investigators, she's on her own to track down the thief.

The Net Force Explorers is a great Young Adult fiction series, especially those with a love for computers and the Internet. Since the Net presented in the books have no boundaries, you will never know what to expect next. With a well-thought out plot, this story has plenty of twists and turns, having the whole plot well balanced with mystery, excitement, and adventure. The end as usual becomes a bit technical and hard to follow as most of the books in the series but you still have a general idea what's going on. But I can't really say any more or I would ruin the story! :)

The characters of the book is what really makes the book more fun to read. Meg O'Malley is a terrific Net Force Explorer with her quick wits, sharp tongue, and martial arts talents. I especially found her very cool and I loved the part where she jokes about her brothers. Mark Gridley, who appears briefly towards the end of the book, is also a fun character. I wish there was more of him in the story. My only complaint for the story is that there's no Leif Anderson! I really loved him in "The Deadliest Game" (book #3 of the Net Force Explorer's series) and I wished he was here. Wim Dorfladen was a poor substitute to be put in as Meg's 'ally'. I really hope we get another story with the teaming up of Meg and Leif!

The series is for Young Adults and I strongly recommend only older kids read it since there are many occasions where a few bad words are sprinkled here and there. Not that bad but still in a way a bit annoying to have them in the book. But I still highly recommend it for older kids for I'm sure you'll love it!

im getting tired of tom clancy showing me these brillant worlds that i cannot venture into. hence: Xanadu, i want Xanadu!!! who wouldnt like to have a dip into "net forces" version of full bandwith i do, and the all inspiring pavilions. when megan was in that virtual sim, i felt like i was there, and it scared the hell out of me. and it inticed me. this is a book you have t read, just for the shear coolness of it. you gotta love the virtual sims

You join the Net Force Explorers on their latest high tech adventure when it appears that Andy Moore's father massacred thousands of innocent people in the war.

Follow along with Andy and the crew as they search for the truth.

This series of books is aimed at the younger reader and as such tend to be easy books to read. Even so they keep you coming back for more and it's hard to put them down once you start.

Buy this book today, you won't be disappointed.

Well i thought that it was really good and i read alot of tom clancy he really knows how to make a good story. I hope to read more of his books in the future!

Recommendation- I recommend this book to anyone who is 13 years old and up because it is a great Sci-fi book mixed in with an action book. An example of great action is "The older man turned around and brought out a blued 9mm pistol. Without hesitation he pointed it at Matt's face. Another example is The younger man exploded pushing matt against the shelf in the backroom hard enough to make matt see black spots in his vision. Here is a example of a great sci-fi is book" Blinking up at the fluorescent lights on the ceiling, Andy stay up in the computer link chair in strategic analysis, feeling the gentle buzz of disconnection.' So if you enjoy action and sci-fi book this is the book for you.

The copy I purchased was missing pages 59 thru 90, a critical part, and had 91 thru 122 twice. I tried to just forget the missing pages and continue, but it was impossible, to much was missing from the story. Other than the aformentioned problem, the book was very good, what I could read of it.

Madeleine Green, called Maj, has spent a year perfecting one of her latest virtual sims. She decides to present it to her friends who calls themselves the Group of Seven, seven teens who are all computer whiz kids. But all it took was a few moments for one of the Group, Roddy L'Officer, to sabotage her sim program! Since Roddy has done plenty of damaging 'pranks' before, the rest of the Group decides to exile Roddy, meaning no virtmails and no sims between the friends and him. But Roddy has something up his sleeve, a new 'playroom' he has recently created. But the 'playroom' is not all he's done, he's also discovered something of pure genius, something that can be used for good... or for evil.

The Net Force Explorers is a great Young Adult fiction series, especially those with a love for computers and the Internet. Since the Net presented in the books have no boundaries, you will never know what to expect next. With well-thought out plots, the stories have plenty of twists and turns, having the whole plot well balanced with mystery, excitement, and adventure.

Unfortunately for me, "One is the Loneliest Number" isn't one of my favorite Net Force Explorer's books. The reason is because the back of the book did not explain what the story was about very well so the first half of the book was very slow and a bit dull for me. I think the reason is because though in the back it says that the Group of Seven are Net Force Explorers, it's not necessarily true. Only Maj is an Explorer so Net Force doesn't appear for a while in the story. But as soon as things began to pick up, I must admit that the story was incredibly exciting! My tip is, though maybe a bit slow at first, keep reading. The last few chapters are EXTREMELY exciting!

The character of Maj Green is pretty average, has a temper that flairs up occasionally but soon simmers down. But for me my favorite character was Mark Grideley, who appears later in the book. He is fairly young, thirteen years old, but since he is the Net Force director's son, he's very smart. As stubborn as a rock, he is in a way a good leader. I LOVE the part where he, Maj, and Charlie (another Explorer) confront Roddy. But of course I can't say too much!

The series is for Young Adults and I strongly recommend only older kids read it since there are many occasions where a few bad words are sprinkled here and there. Not that bad but still in a way a bit annoying to have them in the book. But I still highly recommend it for older kids for I'm sure you'll love it!

I believe that this book is a really good book, and I would certainly want to buy the whole series after just this first book. I really want to go out and buy the rest of these books. Two Thumbs Up! :-))

Although I have read all of the Ryan Saga in print, from (in Ryan chronological order) Patriot Games to Executive Orders, I feel that the Companion gives an honest account of the Ryan lifetime. A question exists: in Red Storm, what has happened to the major characters since the events of the (thank God, unfought on our timeline) WW3? Assuming the line exists, I'd like to know what has happened since.

This is a very good summary of all of the books from The Hunt for Red October to The Sum of All Fears in publishing order. It gives a good summary of these books, and perhaps providing an easy to see link between events which may become lost in the actual book. It also has several short essays written by Tom Clancy, including one about the life of Kyle Haydock which was deeply moving. The Companion also includes a concordance of key words from the novels. I would hope that a revised version or a sequel would be in the works.

The Tom Clancy Companion is absolutely vital to any and all Tom Clancy fans, because it contains references to every character and weapon, every piece of equipment used in Clancy's novel, plus much more such as in-depth interviews with Tom Clancy ("TC"), and essays by TC on issues such as nuclear proliferation and gun control. The book also contains detailed summarires and cririques of TC's books. The only thing is that The TC Companion was written in 1991 so it only encompasses the Clancy universe up to and including The Sum of All Fears,which means there is obviously no reference to Without Remorse, Debt of Honor, Executive Orders, his non-fiction works or the Op-Center series. Which makes me ask: WHEN IS THE 2ND EDITION OF THE TOM CLANCY COMPANION GONNA BE WRITTEN

As a reader from Germany interested in history I already read a number of memoirs from German submariners and technical/historical literature on the topic. So in comparing this book with the above mentioned ones my mind just forms one question: How did this bunch win their war? And the answer: Because Japanese ASW-effectiveness was near to nonexistent. Facing an adversary as Great Britain it would have been doubtful if any of the submariners in US-boats would have survived. But this author as many others lament the high losses (about 50 boats with crew; for comparision:Germany about 700 boats, 30000 of 40000 men). At least he does not boast the 'welldeserved' victory as is typical for US-authors. And he even apologizes for his sometimes jingoistic diction being result of wartime mentality. Having said this I can admit that I enjoyed reading this book,for it is an interesting and first hand insight view of US sub warfare in WW2 and a counterweight to the standard literature centered on either technic or 'big picture' history.
I can recommend this book with the above mentioned restrictions.
But do read some similar books written by German submariners for balance (but not 'iron coffins', that is biased to say the least).

Capt. Ruhe captures the essence of the submarine officer. The frustrations, hardships and ultimate glory of the silent service are powerfully captured on every page. The patrol accounts make you feel as if you were there. Ruhe details all his daily concerns, both as a junior officer, and as the Executive officer. You get a good feel for his leadership style, and those of the other wardroom officers. I only wish he had included some of their accounts of different incidents to get a broader feel for the story. The prose is easy to read and spiced with homey wartime era ancedotes and subtle humor. I Recommend it to all Navy officers, especially Submariners and any WWII history buffs

This is a good book, and I'll tell you why I think so. Ruhe, the author, kept excellent notes on his first-hand experiences. These notes provide excellent detail on both the men, machines, and tactics of the American submarines in the Pacific in WWII. The foibles of the machines and men are well-told, and with a good deal of insight.

The story is organized into 8 chapters, with each chapter relating to one of his 8 missions or tours. The first of these tours begins on a S-boat, a post WWI clunker that is affectionately referred to as a "rusty old sewer pipe". The courage and skill of the men in these decrepit old machines stuns me. And on each mission, Ruhe critically analyzes his actions, feelings, emotions...as well as the tactics used, and the decisions and personalities of his commanders.

Like all first-hand accounts, you learn quite a bit about the author as his story unfolds. And Ruhe has quite an interesting personality. One, he is brave. Two, he is honest with both his own courage and fears. Three, he is exceptionally insightful and retrospective on the tactics that worked, and the tactics that didn't work. Four, and most interestingly, he is very sensitive, perceptive, and critical of his commanding officers.

This criticism of his commanding officer, while highly astute and insightful, borders on insubordination and mutiny. And it is his unique individualism in a military system where following orders is key that makes him, and this book, special. Let me say it flat-out...he is a rebel and troublemaker in addition to being a good officer. If you were commanding a submarine, you'd both want him on board for his skill and bravery...but he is a handful. And it is this handful that makes the book especially interesting.

I give this book 5 stars, as it is on a par with what I would consider the best first-hand submarine book ever-written...Iron Coffins.

tom clancy has the uncanny ability of capturing the hypothetical (but very probable) situationat in its raw and unbridled form. This talent is not refrained in equilibrio de poder. This book was impossible to put down because of its break neck speed. I don't want to give the plot away to you, so you'll just have to read it yourself. Enjoy this especially exceptional piece of Suspense literature. P.S. I read this book for a foreign language project in college.

La saga de Jack Ryan, el analista de CIA, continúa en este libro. Creo que este personaje constituye el estereotipo del héroe moderno, que reúne los valores occidentales del hombre íntegro. Inteligente y sagaz, debe luchar contra las burocracias y las maquinaciones de círculos de poder, que han perdido la humanidad. Los recursos son simples fichas en un tablero de juego, que el protagonista no lo vé así. El está envuelto en el campo de la acción, por más que su especialidad sea analista. Por tanto, conoce que las fichas son hombres de carne y heuso, con familia, como uno mismo. Lucha para lograr la justicia, como lo ve. Es admirable como nos absorbe completamente esta obra, otra victoria de Tom Clancy.

Me guste este libro mucho. He leido un poco otras novelas de Tom Clancy, y este es el mejor! Recomendo que tu lo lees.
saludos.

This book describes General Fred Franks' life and especially his experiences during Desert Storm, the war in the Persian Gulf to kick Iraq out of Kuwait.

To really like this book you need to be a bit of a military fanatic. Fred Franks repeats so many times how wonderful it is to be a soldier, and how great the "warrior ethos" is, that you realize that for him the military is practically a religion.

The thing in this book that I found the most interesting are the descriptions of the magnitude of military might that was fielded during Desert Storm.

The VII Corps (commanded by Gen. Franks) included 146,000 soldiers, 50,000 vehicles (incl. 1,600 tanks) and 800 helicopters. Not only are these numbers huge, but the logistics involved are mind-boggling: the soldiers need food and water, and the vehicles and aircraft burned an incredible 3.2 million gallons of fuel each day. When fighting the VII Corps expended 2,500 tons of ammunition every day.

And VII Corps was only part of the military forces involved. There was another Army corps, there were Marine units, there was the Air Force and the Navy. An amazing marshalling of military forces, and all under the command of General Stormin' Norman Schwarzkopf (more about him later).

I found the book interesting, but it does have a lot of problems. It's way too long, mostly due to repetitiveness. With some editing it could have been cut down by at least 30% with no loss of information.

Another problem is that there are no useful maps. There are a lot of small maps, about 1/3 of a page each, but they simply don't show enough detail. Again and again you find the text referring to some town or road or river and they simply aren't on the maps.

Another major problem is the lack of a glossary with definitions for all the military abbreviations that are used.

And then we have General Schwarzkopf, who is not thanked in the acknowledgements. Gen. Franks is very careful to thank everyone from his parents to his family to all of his subordinates, and then goes on to thank Colin Powell, Sec. of Defense Dick Cheney and President Bush. But not Gen. Schwarzkopf.

It turns out that Gen. Schwarzkopf wrote an autobiography, "It Doesn't Take a Hero", and in that book he criticized Gen. Franks for the way he commanded VII Corps during Desert Storm.

Gen. Franks uses this book to return the favor. I won't go into extensive details (and Gen. Franks keeps his criticism fairly low-key), but Franks basically claims that Schwarzkopf liked having his butt kissed by his subordinates, was prone to throwing temper tantrums, wasn't competent to understand or command armored (tank) operations and made several tactical errors. In particular, not giving VII Corps more operational room to the north, not using the Air Force to prevent the Iraqi Republican Guards from escaping northwards and declaring "victory" a couple of days prematurely were big mistakes. The result was that Washington decreed a ceasefire and a large portion of the Republican Guards avoided destruction.

I actually found this dispute between Franks and Schwarzkopf to be quite interesting, and it's so very human to want to get back at someone who's done you dirt. So whether Franks or Schwarzkopf is right, the dispute does add flavor to Franks' story.

This book is part biography, part history and part modern combat command handbook. General Fred Franks commanded the US VII Corps during Desert Storm and therefore had direct operational responsibility for the success or failure of the ground offensive against Iraq. This book offers what I think is an insightful analysis of modern warfare and the mentality of some of those who wage it.
The book initially charts Franks' career in the army, including his tour in Vietnam where he suffered the loss of a leg. Turning to the Gulf war, we discover Franks' involvement in the planning and organization of the operation. His most difficult task initially involved the movement of VII Corps from Germany to Saudi Arabia and its change in doctrine from a defensive to an offensive role.
Through his own first-person accounts we quickly gain an appreciation of the complexity and difficulty of mounting an operation the scale of Desert Storm in a modern military context. The sheer size of the force involved and the logistics necessary are staggering. The book then presents an hour-by-hour account of the actual battle, which coherently describes Franks' decisions and influence on the outcome. Through all this he comes across as a thoughtful and dedicated professional, as committed to safeguarding the lives of the men under his command as much as achieving his objectives.
Desert Storm was controversial due to the feeling in some quarters that the ground operation was somewhat mishandled, leading to a partial rather than complete destruction of the Iraqi Republican Guard. Since he occupies a key position in this debate, Franks therefore clearly presents his reasons for conducting the offensive the way he did, i.e. to achieve the Coalition's stated aims and objectives without unnecessary casualties to his own forces. Time and again, Franks stresses that although it would have been possible to perhaps to push his command faster and harder, the higher risk of heavier casualties would not have been justified. Victory in a sense was inevitable, therefore in Franks' view it was his responsibility to ensure needless loss of life was averted. In pursuing this argument, Franks is also responding to certain accusations of hesitancy made by General Schwarzkopf in his own autobiography. It is hard to tell if this issue ever had any real substance as, like Schwarzkopf, there is an element of shadow boxing on Franks' part on paper.
As General Franks went on to command the US Army's Training and Doctrine Command after the war, the book therefore could be viewed as a unique insight into the mentality of the modern US Army, as well as a fascinating and enlightening portrait of modern technological warfare. Hence this poses some interesting questions in today's current events context. Has the complexity of modern full scale warfare, and the ethos of minimum casualties as propounded so graphically here, been significantly responsible for the preference for only using small, specialized, mobile forces or air power alone to decide campaigns, as in Kosovo and Afghanistan? What are the implications for a possible US invasion of Iraq? Will the logistics prove to be manageable? Will the casualties be acceptable? Will a reluctance to incur heavier losses inhibit the commanders? Perhaps we should ask General Franks.

With Into The Storm, Tom Clancy brings to the public a very necessary study of the unique qualities of Operation Desert Storm. As the First of an intended five books on the subject, Mr. Clancy decides on a successful format to tell the story of a war that surprised soldier and spectator alike.

By discussing the military career of General Franks, and having the general contribute to the book, Tom Clancy provides an effective picture of how the events of the Gulf War unfolded. Some may criticize the inclusion of General Franks' military career as filler, but I see it as an insightful and key element if we are to fully understand what really happened. What makes the man does contribute to what made this war.

I am a veteran of the Gulf War, and when I heard about this book being written I was truly excited. I saw a very small piece of what happened. I missed television coverage, the parades, and all of the speculation. With this book, I finally saw into the rationale of modern war craft from a commander's perspective. I knew what me and my unit was doing, and why, but not how we fit in to the larger plan. With this book I could see what I was missing at my level of operations.

This book may never be required reading at the Army War College, but who knows, it just might. Tom Clancy has succeeded in providing a practical view of command which anyone can understand. given the unique nature of the Gulf War, this series of books promises to help explain why the war happened the way it did.