Observing from different perspectives how perceived slights on one side can be the gravest insult, where as the other side is completely unaware they have done anything wrong, and the fates of nations rests of these mis-interpretations due to cultural differences.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting? Yes, because it's a brilliantly detailed and twisting scenario that builds from small acts and unlinked conversations and espionage into huge mobilisations of national armies and tank battles and missiles and jet figher battles! A rip-roaring military adventure! Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why? The ending had my heart pounding in my chest! I'll have to take their word for it but if that's the case then collapse the first bit into a short into and go straight for the last few chapters! Other reviews say that the last few chapters are great. If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Bear and the Dragon? He should get a job making destination recordings for a train company. Would you be willing to try another one of Michael PrichardвЂ™s performances? Would you ever listen to anything by Tom Clancy again? For example, two characters speaking about president Mao's penchant for raping young girls, and one of them guffaws 'Well at least it wasn't a boy'.

Even if you are characterising an unpleasant person, there are some places you just don't go. At first I thought it was just the dreadful narrator that made this book so disappointing, but its racism and sexism got to me too, though I can't speak for more than the first 8 hours when I gave up on it. I'm quickly becoming a Tom Clancy fan and have been enjoying his stories. What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The bear and the dragon audiobook