The Bear and the Dragon

By: Tom Clancy

Narrated by: Michael Prichard

Newly elected, Jack Ryan has found that being President is not easy: domestic pitfalls await him at every turn; there's a revolution in Liberia; the Asian economy is going down the tubes; and now, in Moscow, someone may have tried to assassinate the chairman of the SVR - the former KGB - with a rocket-propelled grenade. Were the potential assassins political enemies, the Russian Mafia, or disaffected former KGB? Or is something far more dangerous at work here? While Ryan dispatches his most trusted eyes and ears, including black ops specialist John Clark, to find out the truth of the matter, forces in China are moving ahead with a plan of truly audacious proportions. If they succeed, the world will never look the same again.

Critic reviews

"When the door blows open and the shooting starts, nobody does it better than Tom Clancy." --The Dallas Morning News

Good story - Narrator tries hard to kill it...

Any additional comments?

This is a very good Clancy story. Lots of intriguing inside baseball detail about the inner workings of the CIA. However, the narration made it almost unlistenable. It sounds like every sentence in the book - no, every phrase - was recorded seperately and spliced together. It is so disjointed and emotionless that it took me the entire first part to get used to it. It is comically bad, especially when compared to the Clancy stuff done by Lou Diamond Phillps. I don't regret buying it because it is a good story, but it is painful to listen to...Buyer beware...

Good Clancy Book and Enjoyable Audio

Would you consider the audio edition of The Bear and the Dragon to be better than the print version?

No, just more convenient.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, though I feel

What does Michael Prichard bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Since he reads slower than others (an advantage to me !): better focus on the story.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There are humorous moments and even a sense of irony !

Any additional comments?

I find Tom Clancy espionage and political stories enjoyable, though I feel more inclined towards Robert Littell, Frederick Forsyth, and John le Carre.
Contrary to several opinions expressed here, I find Michael Pritchard read good. Others, like Scott Brick may read faster and, perhaps, involve themselves more into the story, but I personally am satisfied with Michael's narration. There is enough voice modulation and intonation to provide for an enjoyable listening experience. Pronouncing foreign (non-English) names (different accent !) is not often easy for English readers, but Michael's effort is commendable.

Great story

The production has some problems with sentences being clipped, but well worth the listening to.

Another sensational book from the pen of Tom Clancy

Once again Tom Clancy has brought President Jack Ryan, special operations specialist John Clark, his son in law Domingo Chavez and some of the regular players into a multi national war setting. The swim centers around the arrogance of the lawmakers in Communist China and puts do United States into a unique alliance with the Russian government. President Jack Ryan plays a large role in doing what can be done to maintain peace with his CIA, FBI and even a Japanese spy working with Software in the typewriter

Long But Good

Great story! I love how previous books are interwoven into the next. But it was quite long. Thankfully, I had a few long drives to make, so it worked out fine.