The Bear and the Dragon

Tom Clancy

G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2000 - Fiction - 1028 pages

Time and again, Tom Clancy's novels have been praised, not only for their big-scale drama and propulsive narrative drive, but for their cutting-edge prescience in predicting future events. In The Bear and the Dragon, the future is very near at hand indeed. Newly elected in his own right, Jack Ryan has found that being President has gotten no easier: domestic pitfalls await him at every turn; the Asian economy is going down the tubes; and now, in Moscow, someone may have tried to take out the chairman of the SVR-the former KGB-with a rocket-propelled grenade. Things are unstable enough in Russia without high-level assassination, but even more disturbing may be the identities of the potential assassins. Were they political enemies, the Russian Mafia, disaffected former KGB? Or, Ryan wonders, is something far more dangerous at work here? Ryan is right to wonder. For even while Russian investigators pursue the case, and some of his most trusted eyes and ears, including antiterrorism specialist John Clark, head to Moscow, forces in China are moving forward with a plan of truly audacious proportions. Tired of what they view as the presumption of the West, eager to fulfill their destiny, they are taking matters into their own hands. If they succeed, the world as we know it will never look the same. If they fail ... the consequences may be unspeakable. Blending the exceptional realism and authenticity that are his hallmarks with intricate plotting, razor-sharp suspense, and a remarkable cast of characters, this is Clancy at his best-and there is none better.

About the author

Tom Clancy was born in Baltimore, Maryland on April 12, 1947. He graduated with a degree in English from Loyola College in 1969, became an insurance agent, and in 1973 became the owner of an insurance agency. It was not until 1980 that he started writing novels. His works include Red Storm Rising, The Cardinal of the Kremlin, The Sum of All Fears, Rainbow Six, Dead or Alive, and Threat Vector. His books The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, and Clear and Present Danger were adapted into major motion pictures. He also wrote nonfiction books including Into the Storm: A Study in Command, Submarine, Armored Cav, Fighter Wing, Airborne, and Reality Check: What's Going on Out There? He died on October 2, 2013 at the age of 66. His last book, Command Authority, co-authored with Mark Greaney, was published posthumously in December 2013 and made the New York Times bestseller list.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Bear and the Dragon; Jack Ryan : Book 10; Book 8 of Jack Ryan novel; Jack Ryan; Book 3 of John Clark
• Author: Tom Clancy
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2000
• ISBN: 039914563X, 9780399145636
• Length: 1028 pages
• Subjects: Fiction / Action & Adventure; Fiction / General; Fiction / Political; Fiction / Thrillers / Espionage; Fiction / Thrillers / General; Fiction / War & Military