The Sum of All Fears
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| First edition cover art | |
| Author | Tom Clancy |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Ryaniverse |
| Genre(s) | Novel, Thriller |
| Publisher | Putnam |
| Released | 1991 (1st edition) |
| Media Type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 798 p. (hardback edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-399-13615-0 (hardback edition) |
| Preceded by | Clear and Present Danger |
| Followed by | Debt of Honor |
The Sum of All Fears is a best-selling thriller novel by Tom Clancy, and part of the Jack Ryan series. It was the fourth book of the series to be turned into a film.
An interesting note is that this book was released just days before the Moscow uprising in 1991, which finally signaled the dissolving of the Soviet Union (in the book, Russian politics in the aftermath of the destruction of the Berlin Wall is a main element of the book).
[edit] Plot summary
The plot begins during the Yom Kippur War; at its height the Israelis opt for a tactical nuclear strike, but this is changed at the last minute. Unfortunately, one Mark 12 nuclear weapon is not yet removed from an Israeli attack aircraft. That aircraft is shot down and crashes into the mountains, and the nuclear weapon is lost.
The plot then moves to the present day. After the Palestinians start using non-violent protesting and the killing of a protester by an Israeli soldier, the U.S finds that they can no longer support Israel. But the U.S. also cannot leave Israel without this support since it would risk destabilizing the region. A clever plan to accelerate the peace process is put into action, and to everyone's surprise it seems to work.
A small group of Muslim extremist terrorists are not pleased though. With a lasting peace looming around the corner and the state of Israel still in existence, they are looking at a failure in their campaign. Their anger is directed towards the U.S which has supported Israel throughout the years and now is instrumental in creating a lasting peace that makes it impossible to eradicate the Jewish state.
When the terrorists come across the lost Israeli bomb, they manage to recover it and construct their own version using the plutonium as fissile material. They are also able to enhance the weapon and turn it into a thermonuclear device. The terrorists decide to use the weapon at the Super Bowl in Denver, Colorado. The goal of the terrorists is to start a nuclear war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
The bomb explodes and destroys the stadium. The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State are both killed. Through a series of coincidences, misunderstandings and further terrorist activities, (including an attack on American forces in Berlin) the plan is almost a success and for a brief moment the U.S. assumes DEFCON-1. The crisis is averted when Jack Ryan, after receiving evidence that the bomb originates from the U.S., gains access to the Hot Line and manages to defuse the situation by communicating directly with the Soviet president.
A curious twist is that the terrorists devise a backup plan in the event of failure. When this indeed happens and they are captured, they put it in the works by implicating the Iranian Ayatollah as responsible for the attack. The American President, Bob Fowler, is enraged and orders the city of Qom destroyed through a nuclear attack. After Ryan averts the attack by enforcing the two-man rule, the terrorists accidentally reveal the ruse and that they devised it in order to discredit and shame the U.S. in the eyes of the world. The upshot of this would be that the delicate peace process is destroyed and that the campaign against Israel thereby could continue. The plan can be seen as employing the commonly used terrorist tactic called "Agent provocateur", the provoking agent.
The book ends with the terrorists being executed by beheading in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
[edit] Themes
The book revolves around several themes.
- The ease with which nuclear weapons can be built. The book several times stresses that this process which was high science during World War II when the first nuclear weapons were created, is today a question of resources and mechanics if one manages to gain access to suitable fissile material.
- The importance of accurate and timely intelligence in a crisis. This is a central theme in most of Tom Clancy's books.
- Leadership. In the book, the crisis is escalated and nearly turns into disaster twice when the leadership and the president fail to function properly. Also in a side plot, the book explores the actions of a submarine captain that does not work to gain respect by his crew.
[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
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