Review: Against All Enemies (Audiobook)

- A Techno Thriller as We Have Come to Know

Tom Clancy has been around for many years and has written great action classics like The Hunt for Red October, Sum of All Fears and the Op-Center books just to mention a few. If you haven't been isolated for the last 25 years, chances are that you have probably run into at least one of his stories - be that either in the movie format and book format. Against All Enimies is his latest novel written with Peter Telep introducing a new powerful character, Max Moore.

I have read Tom Clancy novels for many years and even though the books haven't been great art, at least they have been very entertaining and one thing is for certain. Techno freaks will always enjoy his novels as Clancy has always been great at implementing the latest in new and future military technology. So, Tom Clancy's novels has always been a boys wet dream, always containing men made of steel, bad guys born from the inner circles of Hell and cliffhangers upon cliffhangers. The summer blockbuster of novels, only surpased by Australian author Mathew Reilly.

It is a surprise then, that Against All Enimies is a bit more laid back. I don't know if it's the influence of Peter Telep (I haven't read any of his previous works so I would not know) but as I'm getting a little older, I don't mind that much. And one human can only take so much when it comes to break neck action. I always seem to need a break after reading Reilly's books, as it was with some of Clancy's earlier novels.

Against All Enimies follow CIA operative Max Moore as well as ex. Navy Seal.. We find him in Afghanistan at the beginning of the story, hunting terrorrists. Soon he finds himself hunting drug cartels in Mexico. During the story line we get a mix-up of terrorist hunting with the bad guys planning a massive attack on American soil and as well as a massive hunt on the leaders of the cartels. As mentioned the story is a bit more laid back than his previous works with Ryan and Clark but it's still great fun. This combined with Clancy's convincing knowledge of CIA/Navy Seal operations as well as how drug trafficking works (or at least could work) we have a very convincing story that grab the reader (the listener as it will be here) and doesn't let go until the last page is turned.

It's all great fun in the boyish men-with-guns kind of way as we have come to know Clancy and read with grace by Stephen Webber, who reads the story in a straight manner which suits the cold universe of espionage and terrorist hunting very well. If I have to point fingers, it is in me not being quite able to spot where Peter Telep has made a contribution.

This minor quirk aside it is still a toned down Clancy novel and it is great fun all the way. When a book makes you want to be a spy or SEAL, the writer has done a proper job. And I want to be a spy.

Against All Enimies is available from Audible.com

Upcomming review:

• Masters of Doom by David Kushner

Currently reading:

• Masters of Doom by David Kusner
• The Preacher graphic novels by Garth Ennis & Steve Dillon
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins