I picked up this book as my first attempt to delve into the whole Jack Ryan universe. I have to say, it was a disappointing beginning. It was bland and anticlimactic, with a bit too much of chauvinism for my taste. I found Kelly to be overrating himself most of the time, only to prove to be somewhat mediocre in situations where he was supposed to shine. I'm not sure if this was intentional on Clancy's part. After all, it's the origin story of the the supposedly legendary Jack Ryan. Even Jack Ryan had to start somewhere, right? Well, I don't know. But I'll give the second book a chance to prove me wrong.