Clancy's 'Red Rabbit' weaves tale of intrigue, mystery

Tom Clancy has taken his devoted readers across the globe with his tales of military intrigue and political sparring. In most of his fictional works, we see the world through the eyes of Tom Clancy's answer to James Bond: Jack Ryan. Clancy once again weaves a torrid tale of ego, politics and religion in "Red Rabbit," deftly trapping his hero in the middle.\nFor those who are not avid Clancy readers, John Patrick Ryan is the every-man American hero who happens to be in the right -- or wrong, depending on your view -- place over and over again. Not only has Jack's character survived a helicopter accident as a marine, assisted the defection of a Russian submarine and been elevated to the office of president, but he has also managed to save several members of the British royal family, earning an honorary knighthood. Did I forget to mention that he is fabulously wealthy -- self-made, of course -- happily married and extremely well-connected?\n"Red Rabbit," the latest addition into the Jack Ryan saga, places him in the near-beginning of his long, illustrious career. For those who are diehard fans, "Red Rabbit" occurs squarely between "Patriot Games" and "The Hunt for Red October," or for those who aren't, somewhere in the late 80s. Ryan, who has been stationed in London by the CIA, stumbles upon a powder keg situation in the Soviet Bloc. \nThe Soviet government is having difficulty curtailing the dissent in Poland over labor disputes; the heavy-handedness of the Soviet response has created a new problem for the Russians. Pope John Paul II, himself a native of Poland, has threatened the Warsaw government with an unprecedented situation. The pope has threatened to resign his papacy, which will cause irreparable harm to the Russian communist cause.\nThe story hasn't even begun to get complicated yet. Enter the CIA and its Russian counterpart, the KGB. Both agencies are evaluating the situation, but the KGB has decided to act by assassinating the figurehead of the Catholic Church. The communications within the KGB are transferred through a man with a conscience, the "Red Rabbit."\nIn exchange for the information that could possibly save the life of the pope, he wants himself and his family to be extricated from the Soviet Union. Tricky operations ensue, and the plot becomes even more convoluted with the daring escape from behind the Iron Curtain. \nThough it sounds overly complicated, therein lays the true beauty of Clancy's novels. He has managed to take a bizarre, far-fetched story and make it a character-driven masterpiece. As you read the novel, you root for the Red Rabbit and his family, and Jack and his family. \nWhile "Red Rabbit" is an enjoyable addition to the Tom Clancy library for the devout fan, perhaps new readers cannot delve into "Red Rabbit" without being a little lost. Many of the novels build on recurring characters, and some are not adequately explained for new readers. Fans of Clancy should pick up "Red Rabbit." If you haven't been converted, I suggest you start with his first novel, "The Hunt for Red October"