[Review] — Tom Clancy's "ACT of DEFIANCE" is a Page-Turning Submarine Thriller

Earlier this summer, the newest "Jack Ryan" thriller, ACT of DEFIANCE, landed on bookstore shelves from G.P. Putnam's Sons. It's the 24th entry in the long-running series that began in 1984 with The Hunt for the Red October, written by the late bestselling author Tom Clancy. Following Clancy's death in October 2013, his estate has continued his legacy by hand-selecting other talented authors to write additional stories. Navy veterans Brian Andrews and Jeffery Wilson co-authored the bestselling Tier One, Sons of Valor, and Shepherds book series, and now they teamed up for ACT of DEFIANCE, giving us readers a modern-day sequel to The Hunt for the Red October.

In ACT of DEFIANCE, US intelligence reports upheaval in the Russian navy. Their deadliest submarine, the Belgorod, has yet to launch without warning, raising many unanswered questions. Who gave the go-ahead for the departure? What mission does it have? Most alarming of all—what weapons are hiding behind the enormous sub's bow doors? 

Forty years have passed since a comparable event involving the Soviet submarine Red October concluded amicably, owing to the efforts of a youthful CIA analyst—Jack Ryan. Now President of the United States, Jack Ryan commands fleets of ships, jet squadrons, and SEAL teams, but he is unaware of the commander of Belgorod's plans. It is up to the next generation of Ryans to take on the risky job necessary to uncover that knowledge. However, there's always a cost involved. Towards the end, will Jack Ryan have to decide between his daughter's safety and the safety of his nation?

The late great Tom Clancy was a one-of-a-kind author, and no one will ever replicate his details into military descriptions—though some have tried and succeeded to some degree—Mark Greaney—all of the non-Clancy novels have felt a bit off because of the lower "threat level" in the plots. ACT of DEFIANCE is the first to have a "bigger" threat, which heavily connects to The Hunt of Red October and "reboots" the same story for a new generation.

Brian Andrew and Jeffrey Wilson have written an edge-of-your-seat thriller, and they clearly have the knowhow to pen in the correct military details, especially with the submarines, but nearly broke the fourth wall on more than one occasion. There were too many references to Sean Connery and Harrison Ford. FWI: Sean Connery played Marko Aleksandrovich Ramius in the 1990 film adaptation of The Hunt for the Red October. Harrison Ford played Jack Ryan in the film adaptations of Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. Here's a fun fact: these actors played father and son in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. 

Overall, ACT of DEFIANCE is the best non-Clancy Jack Ryan novel. Even though it's the 24th entry in the series, it feels like a direct sequel to The Hunt for the Red October, which happens to be my favorite Tom Clancy novel, and I'm sure other readers probably feel the same way. In the beginning chapters, I was skeptical about Andrews & Wilson, but, minus some fourth wall nitpicking—they did a decent job—and I'm looking forward to reading their future contribution to the Jack Ryan universe. ╌★★★★✰

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