The Prologue chapter to the book was posted by Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com.   Only the Amazon.com page is still available: here.

The following summary was written by Jack Stone, a 15 year old in England.  It is one of the better I have seen particularly for Jack being 15.  Because Jack was a minor at the time he wrote this, I have not included his email address in the FAQ.

'Rainbow Six' is the ninth book in Tom Clancy's series known as 'ryanverse' (Books which directly or indirectly involve the character 'Jack Ryan'). 'Rainbow Six' was first published in 1998 and is Clancy's latest bestseller. Clancy is regarded as one of the world's best techno-thriller writers due to his gripping narrative ability and his advanced knowledge of his subject matter. The book describes the actions of a new multi-national, anti-terrorist group set up by a coalition of governments to fight against the threat of international terrorism. The name of this group was 'Rainbow' , chosen by John Clark the head of the organisation, due to its international nature. Rainbow was a 'black' organisation, meaning it officially did not exist, the controlling governments would deny any knowledge of it. Rainbow was formed to deal with the ever-increasing threat of terrorism. Formed from the top anti-terrorist operatives from the organisations around the world making the élite unit known as Rainbow. Based in Hereford, England, the home of the British Army's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment. 

John Clark, head of Rainbow, a simulated Brigadier was now entering his fifties after serving in the Navy Seals in the Vietnam War, and several years working on deniable operations for the CIA. He was now living with his wife on the base at Hereford; the rest of the team had similar living arrangements. For most of his life Clark was on the front line, always in the middle of the action, now he considered himself, with regret, a 'suit', a 'REMF' (A derogatory term used to describe someone who is in a rear echelon of a military hierarchy). He was dismayed that he would no longer 'run with the dogs'. Clark's son-in-law Ding Chavez was a simulated captain and was the leader of Team Two. He was married to Clark's daughter who was pregnant with their first child. Chavez was of Spanish descent and was born in a poor part of Los Angeles. 

Clancy's books are unique in that they follow on from each other, not directly but Clancy has created an entire history through his books. Events in his earlier books directly affect what happens in his most recent books, characters reappear and events from previous works are mentioned in other books. John Clark was the star of the first book and since then it has 'evolved' through several other books into the character in 'Rainbow Six'. Several other characters from earlier books reappear to join Rainbow along with a few new characters. As mentioned before Clancy's books known as 'ryanverse' directly or indirectly involve Jack Ryan. In 'Rainbow Six' he is mentioned only indirectly as the president of the USA. 

Clancy is known as a 'techno-thriller' writer for a specific reason, he is meticulously detailed in his description of the weapons, equipment and tactics of the team. His description shows his vast knowledge of the running of military organisations and special weapons and tactics. His style of writing appeals not only to those who are interested in the technical side of modern espionage and warfare but it also appeals to those who enjoy reading a good thriller. " "Okay, let's do it," Pierce called in a raspy voice, and with that he tightened his grip on the MP-10, centered the target on the sights, and squeezed the trigger gently. The immediate result was the gentle puff-puff-puff sound of the three shots, the somewhat louder metallic sound of the cycling of the submachine gun's action, and then the impact of all three rounds on the target." Clancy's attention to detail is an important part in creating the air of authenticity that surrounds his books. 

The story line is multi-stranded and each strand seems totally unrelated at first but as the book continues the reader begins to see connections between each strand until they eventually come together. Throughout the book there was excitement and also a will to read on and learn more about the characters. There were points in the book where there was a build up of tension followed by an exciting scene but the ending of the book lacked the excitement and tension found in the rest of the book, the climax almost let the rest of the book down. However the gripping realism of the book made up for the somewhat disappointing ending. The realistic and gripping description of the action scenes in 'Rainbow Six ' stayed in my mind. Learning about the characters was another part of the book that I enjoyed, as always in Clancy's books the description of characters makes you want to read on and discover more about these people. 'Rainbow Six' was compelling reading as it was authentic and full of suspense. 

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