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Net Force: Cybernation by Tom Clancy

Reviewed by Cian Perez. 08.25.02.

A band of high-tech business-types-turned-thugs attempt to make it big on the ISP business model, but they want to take it one step further by claiming their netizens collectively are a separate and legal nation by themselves with rights of their own. A U.S. government agency named Net Force sets out to thwart their world disrupting scheme.

I read this book in the summer of 2002, and it was my second Tom Clancy novel; my first being Rainbow Six. The purists will claim that Cybernation isn't really a Clancy novel. It's actually written by Steve Perry and "created" by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik. Additionally, those purists will claim that you should read the Clancy series in the order that was intended - by first picking up The Hunt For Red October and progressing from there (a rule I had already broken since I read Rainbow Six first- shame on me twice over). However, this book does have enough material that I did not at all feel like I was missing something by not having read any of the other Net Force books (apparently Cybernation is book five of the five book series).

So, did I like the book? Indeed.

I found it odd, though, that one other Clancy fan in close orbit to my life (namely my father-in-law) didn't like this book at all, stating that it was junk. But I did surmise why my Clancy counterpart didn't like it. This book's plot is based around some key advanced technologies - internet accessibility, virtual reality, and high powered remote computing. So if you're not a Gen Xer or a computer junkie, then you may not grasp some sections of the book which rely heavily on these concepts to make its point. Furthermore, in 2012 when this story takes place, we can assume computing in general is more than just a new way of accomplishing business or everyday tasks, it's a heavily ingrained part of culture - even more so than it is today.

For example, data gathering in today's world may require entering key words on a Google search line, searching the archives at a university's online reources, or, should I lose the ability to type, taking a short walk down to the local library (I personally admit that I can't recall the last time I stepped foot in a library). But data gathering (and also spying) in 2012, means stepping into a virtual world via a mind-link tapped right into your PC and having conversations and near-life experiences with other "entities." Getting electronic documents from another spy online isn't as mundane as opening up your morning email; it means stepping into a VR session where you find yourself in the year 1868 as you receive a wax sealed envelope from your liaison as you sip your luke warm red wine in a café in Madrid, Spain.

I enjoyed this novel. The fact that it wasn't actually written by Clancy himself did not at all phase me either. In fact, having only read Rainbow Six prior, I felt that Steve Perry does well in capturing Tom Clancy's writing style. A few more Clancy novels under my belt, and I may look back to see if Perry nailed it right on or not, but at this point, I really don't care - I liked it. And if you live and breathe technobabble or have a fair interest in the internet and all the wonders it can provide, then I feel you'll enjoy this book too.

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