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Power Plays is a series of spy novels written by Jerome Preisler. The concept of the series was created by Tom Clancy and Martin Greenberg. As such, one can more or less figure out the trajectory of many of the books from the synopsis.
Order of Tom Clancy's Power Play Series By: Tom Clancy, Martin H. Greenberg, Jerome Preisler
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Politika | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | ruthless.com | 1998 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | Shadow Watch | 1999 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | Bio-Strike | 2000 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | Cold War | 2001 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | Cutting Edge | 2002 | Description / Buy | |
| 7 | Zero Hour | 2003 | Description / Buy | |
| 8 | Wild Card | 2004 | Description / Buy |
When Clancy isn’t writing military fiction, he is producing spy thrillers. The Power Play Series is promoted as being a little different from the norm. Roger Gordian takes center stage as the head of a multinational technology company.
Roger’s company is at the forefront of nearly every field of technological innovation. When he isn’t laying fiber optic cables in Africa, he is taking his brand to space by developing new shuttles for a different kind of space exploration.
Roger has a passion for progress and nothing will stop him from delivering to humanity all the benefits that his work brings to the table. However, despite his best intentions, the world is a harsh and unforgiving place and it can never give Roger a break.
For all the money and manpower he throws into moving the world into the future, there is always a force out there working hard to stomp on his dreams. Sometimes it is terrorists who have a grudge to settle with the United States and that forces Roger to take action to protect his homeland, both for the sake of his personal and business interests.
Other times, you have entities that have set their sights on the billionaire’s operations and who deliberately work to either cripple his businesses or to use his technological advancements to cause harm.
Chief amongst Roger’s antagonists is Harlan Devane. Harlan is like a cockroach. He is always working to infiltrate and destabilize Roger Gordian’s operations. And even when he seems defeated, Harlan always finds a way to rise from the ashes and to become a never ending thorn in Roger’s side.
Fortunately for Roger Gordian, he isn’t alone in his fight against Harlan. A lot of the action in the Power Plays series revolves around a Crisis Control Team that works for Roger and which is typically tasked with using the skills and tools of its members to either protect Roger’s interests or to carry out deadly assaults on his enemies.
The Power Plays series is supposed to explore the spy games that can sometimes erupt between organizations. However, most of the time the Power Plays books play out just like any other Spy thriller from Tom Clancy.
You have a lot of bad guys with nefarious plans designed to bring harm to the masses, and many an everyday man or woman who rises up to do the impossible and save the day.
The Power Play series has been criticized for being badly written and clichéd. Most Tom Clancy fans do not believe that the books bring anything new to Clancy’s bibliography. While the Power Play series can sometimes get by with its delivery of action and adventure, it typically falls apart when it tries to build the personal relationships of the characters.
Power Plays Books into Movies/TV
The Power Plays novels have never been translated into movies or television shows. However, some of the earlier books became video games.
Best Power Plays Books
Tom Clancy’s military novels are usually hit and miss, though the author still has a massive fanbase, with some of the best novels in this series including:
Politika: The unexpected passing of the Russian President leaves the country in a state of chaos. Matters are not helped by the fact that millions of Russians are in the grip of a famine. An attempt to reach out to the United States falls flat when the nation falls prey to a terrorist attack that is linked to the Russian Government.
Roger Gordian is a wealthy businessman who deploys his crisis control team to determine the source of the attack.
Cutting Edge: Roger Gordian’s firm is leading the charge to lay fiber optic cable in Africa. One of his most expensive endeavors yet, Roger’s operations are upended by Harlan Devane, his nemesis who infiltrates the network in hopes of gaining unlimited access to vital information and selling it to the highest bidder. When Harlan kidnaps Harlan’s daughter as part of his plans, Roger turns to his crisis control team for help.
Other Book Series You May Like
Fans of Power Plays also enjoy the “Covert-One” Series by Robert Ludlum. These books tell the stories of the members of Covert-One, an American Agency operated by political and technical experts that keep the nation safe from everything from corruption to bioweapons.
“Splinter Cell” by David Michaels is another great series. Sam Fisher is a member of a section of the NSA called Third Echelon’. His specialty is stealth. Sam works to infiltrate the operations of the enemy to eliminate threats to the United States.
What Is The Next Book in The Tom Clancy's Power Play Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Tom Clancy's Power Play Series. The newest book is Wild Card and was released on November, 2nd 2004.