Patriot Games is the first book in author Tom Clancy’s series following Jack Ryan. It doesn’t always feel like it, though. The Hunt for Red October was actually published first. This was supposedly a prequel to that story, but it conflicts with a few things about Jack’s background that were in that book. If you can ignore that, Patriot Games is an excellent book.

Jack Ryan is in London with his family. He’s a historian at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, and sometimes does side work for the CIA. When he sees Irish terrorists in action, he jumps in to try and stop them and is shot. When he wakes up in the hospital, he learns he saved the Prince and Princess of Wales, as well as their new baby, from being kidnapped by a rogue element of the IRA.

He is heralded with great fanfare by the British press, which unknowingly puts him and his family in danger. One of the leaders of this rogue faction is Sean Miller, who is hell-bent on revenge for the killing of his friends during the failed kidnapping attempt. Although all intelligence believes they are safe from reprisals, that’s not the case. When an attempt is made on the life of Jack and his family in the United States, everyone realizes they are dealing with a madman who doesn’t play by the usual rules.

I enjoyed listening to Patriot Games again all these years later. It’s hard not to have the movie in mind while listening, and I have to say that I think this was the best book adapted to a film. Of course, some of the characters had to be changed, but the details here, as Jack, his wife Cathy, and daughter Sally become great friends with the Royal family in England, are very entertaining. There are some interesting conversations between them, which show that Jack has a reverence for Royalty but isn’t as intimidated by them as others would be. This makes it easy to see all of them as people just like the rest of us, rather than as some elusive people I couldn’t connect to.

The details behind the kidnapping caper and the other plans devised to make a statement on behalf of the Irish people are quite good. I lived through this time, but other than the bombings, which seemed to occur on a regular basis, I didn’t know much about the IRA and the history between Ireland and England besides some basics. Clancy manages to present that history in a way that is entertaining and informative. His characters are depicted quite well, as all have a depth to them that keeps them from being cardboard cutouts. This is especially hard to do with figures like the Royal family and others high up in government. Yes, they have lives that are different than most of us, yet Clancy connects us to them. The head of the CIA is a human being and not someone depicted as either evil or angelic. He’s doing what he has to do because it’s his job, and he’s a human being besides, with misgivings many of us would have about the decisions he makes.

Scott Brick narrates the audiobook and does a great job. I don’t necessarily like it when narrators try to act out the roles vocally. There’s a way to bring a character to life without having to alter a voice to a fake feminine side or a child-like tone, in the case of Sally. Brick doesn’t try to become the character; he tries to tell us about the character, and I find that much more enjoyable overall.

As in other books by Clancy, many of the military details go over my head, although I thought Patriot Games was more accessible than most. There are talks of arms and military weaponry, but it doesn’t get bogged down in it. This is more of a game of cat-and-mouse that details how a very reluctant Jack Ryan ends up deeply involved with the CIA. The audiobook is definitely worth listening to. IF you have viewed the film adaptation, I don’t think the changes take away from the overall story. As usual, the book is better than the film, and if you’re only familiar with that story, I believe you’ll enjoy this one as well.

Next book in the series: