Rainbow Six
by Tom Clancy
★ Top 25 book of 1998 · #11 on Best Books of 1998
John Clark, the ex-Navy SEAL who handles secret missions Jack Ryan cannot touch, faces his gravest test yet. A band of unprecedented extremists threatens life on earth as we know it.
Best for: Fans of Clancy's realistic, suspenseful plots and covert operative John Clark
Rainbow Six is #11 on BookWard's Best Books of 1998, out of 36 1998 books that cleared our data bar.
What Rainbow Six is about
After the Cold War, terrorism begins to rise, and John Clark answers by building Rainbow, a secret international unit based in Hereford. He commands it under the call sign Rainbow Six, with SAS officer Alistair Stanley as his deputy. Two teams of elite soldiers from NATO countries do the fieldwork, one led by his son-in-law Domingo "Ding" Chavez and the other by SAS man Peter Covington.
The crises come quickly: a bank robbery in Bern, hostages held in a Vienna schloss, and a standoff at a Madrid amusement park. Behind the violence sits a larger conspiracy tied to a biotechnology company and its CEO, with a plan that reaches toward the Sydney Olympics and the fate of humanity. Clancy mixes procedural detail, strategy and a steady sense of pressure. Readers who enjoy military and security thrillers, and the world of Jack Ryan's darker colleague, will find plenty to chew on.
Rainbow Six on the Best Books of 1998
Rainbow Six came out in 1998. Of the 36 books first published in 1998 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #11 on our Best Books of 1998 list.
Why it made the list: 400 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.8 out of 5 (38 ratings); 20 are reading it right now. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 1998 list
- A Bad Case of Stripes David Shannon, #9
- The Art of Happiness His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso the XIV Dalai Lama, #10
- Skellig David Almond, #12
- The Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver, #13
See all Best Books of 1998 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 1997 Best Books of 1999.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 327 want to read it, 20 are reading it now and 53 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 3.8 out of 5 from 38 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 78 | 55% |
| Reader love | 42 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 69 | 20% |
Questions about Rainbow Six
When was Rainbow Six published?
Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy was first published in 1998.
Was Rainbow Six one of the best books of 1998?
Rainbow Six is #11 on BookWard's Best Books of 1998, out of 36 1998 books that cleared our data bar. 400 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.8 out of 5 (38 ratings); 20 are reading it right now.
Why is Rainbow Six on the Best Books of 1998 list?
400 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.8 out of 5 (38 ratings); 20 are reading it right now.
More of the best books of 1998
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets J. K. Rowling, #1
- Holes Louis Sachar, #2
- A Clash of Kings George R. R. Martin, #3
- Bag of Bones Stephen King, #4
- Among the Hidden Margaret Peterson Haddix, #5
- Who Moved My Cheese? Spencer Johnson, #6
See the full Best Books of 1998, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
Find your own best books
Add what you have read, rate it, and BookWard will recommend what to read next.
Free while in beta. No credit card needed.