Tom Clancy's Power Plays: Ruthless.com » (Abridged, 2 cassettes, 3 hrs.)

Known for originating the techno-thriller genre, Tom Clancy writes complex novels dense with hardware and international intrigue. Perhaps the strongest indication of his power as a writer is the fact that he is often treated by the media like a character in one of his books, asked for opinions about military readiness and the subject of rumors about being debriefed by the Pentagon. Not bad for a former salesman who was rejected for service because of bad eyesight.

Set just after the turn of the millennium, this second audiobook in Clancy's Power Plays series is a technothriller lover's dream come true. It's a wickedly sharp tale of encryption technology -- keeper of the codes for the world's security and communication systems -- and what could happen if it falls into the wrong hands. Computer terrorism isn't the newest of subjects, but with Clancy at the helm it makes for breathtaking suspense. Ruthless.com is a focused, explosive example of what for some is the best aspect of Clancy's writing, unfolding with non stop action and rampant with the details of advanced technology that give his stories such an authentic edge. This abridged audiobook is performed by Jay O. Saunders, who has read several other Clancy books as well as works by Steve Martini, Dean Koontz, and Faye Kellerman.

Publishers Weekly

Intrigues are afoot to wrest UpLink Communications and its encryption program away from its owner, Roger Gordian. So good-guy Gordian assembles a maelstrom of operatives, congressmen and writers to fight back. According to the publishers, this novel is "created" by Clancy and Greenberg, who press the viewpoint that not all information is useful and that encryption technology in the wrong hands could jeopardize national and world security. The action sequences are strong and well paced; one only wishes the creators had spent some time on the one-dimensional characters. Gordian is as plain as they come, and most of the secondary characters are interchangeable. The book will be of most interest to those who are knowledgeable in encryption-technology issues and who have read the first in the Power Plays series, Politika. It's worth noting that the Power Plays series began with a computer game. (Nov.)