The Sum of All Fears

The Sum of All Fears is the best-selling thriller novel by Tom Clancy, and part of the Jack Ryan series. It was the fourth book of the series to be turned into a film. An interesting note is that this book was released just days before the Moscow uprising in 1991, which finally signaled the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Russian politics in the aftermath of the destruction of the Berlin Wall is a main element of the book. The plot begins in 197... more

The Sum of All Fears is the best-selling thriller novel by Tom Clancy, and part of the Jack Ryan series. It was the fourth book of the series to be turned into a film. An interesting note is that this book was released just days before the Moscow uprising in 1991, which finally signaled the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Russian politics in the aftermath of the destruction of the Berlin Wall is a main element of the book. The plot begins in 1973, during the Yom Kippur War; at its height the Israelis opt for a tactical nuclear strike, but this is changed at the last minute. Unfortunately, one Mark 12 nuclear weapon is not yet removed from an Israeli attack aircraft—piloted by Motti Zadin. That aircraft is shot down and crashes into mountains in Syria, and the nuclear weapon is lost (an empty quiver). The plot then moves to 1991. After the Palestinians start using non-violent protesting and one of the unarmed protesters is killed by Israeli police official Benny Zadin, the brother of... less