Book Note: Jeff Rovin, Line of Control

This note contains spoilers for the book.

This is one of the Tom Clancy's Op-Center books, and from the copyright it looks like it was written as work-for-hire, too. At least Mr. Rovin got clear credit on the cover for writing it.

I'm starting to get annoyed. On the very first page the Brown Widow spider is asserted to be a significant danger to human life in India (its bite is mildly irritating to humans). Now on page 55 they've got people driving on the right in India, which doesn't appear to be the case (www.travel-library.com says they drive on the left). Oh, and then there's the reference to the "giant" C-130 transport aircraft (p. 112; perhaps earlier as well).

This satellite is alleged to spend most of its time listening to submarine sonar signals!

Then on p. 130 there's a satellite ("Omnicom") in geosync orbit that they reposition {!} over the India / Pakistan border to take a better look at things. This satellite is alleged to spend most of its time listening to submarine sonar signals!!!! On page 139, "The resolution was three meters, sufficient to show footprints." (and the resolution was described as 13" earlier; and they were previously able to recognize the shoulder patch of a particular unit.)

Somehwere in there there's the bit where the guy jumps out of the airplane at 10,000 feet and a while later thinks that he's been airborne for 50 minutes, too. No, he's not considering the whole time in the plane; that's been many hours already.

The writing is mediocre at best, the thinking is thin, and this was generally not very good.

Have I made myself clear?