I need to vent for a second. I host a horror podcast. I read Shirley Jackson for fun. I listen to audiobooks in the dark because I enjoy being unsettled. So why am I reviewing a Tom Clancy military thriller? Because sometimes you need a palate cleanser, and sometimes that palate cleanser involves neo-Nazis in Germany and enough military acronyms to make your head spin.
Here's the thing about Games of State—it's the third book in the Op-Center series, and I went in completely blind. No context. No previous books. Just vibes and Michael Kramer's voice in my ears during a particularly long drive through rural Oregon. (Shirley the cat was not invited on this trip. She would've judged my genre choices.)
The Acronym Problem Nobody Warned Me About
The elephant in the room. This book throws military jargon at you like confetti at a parade you didn't ask to attend. SIGINT, HUMINT, Op-Center, NCMC—I'm pretty sure I missed entire plot points because I was too busy trying to decode what felt like a government fever dream. And look, I get it. This is Clancy's whole deal. The man built an empire on making readers feel like they had security clearance. But in audio format? Without the ability to flip back and check what that acronym meant three chapters ago? It's rough.
The plot jumps between locations constantly—Germany, the US, back to Germany, some other European locale I'd already forgotten. I rewound more times than I'd like to admit. At one point I was folding laundry and realized I had absolutely no idea who was talking or why they were in a bunker. That's on me, partially. This isn't a casual listening experience. It demands attention.
Why Michael Kramer Almost Saves It
Here's where it gets interesting. Michael Kramer—you probably know him from Stormlight Archive or Wheel of Time—brings his A-game to material that could've been dry as toast. His delivery is clear, dramatic without being theatrical, and he handles the technical military speak like he's been briefing generals his whole life. The man commits. That's rare.
Does he do distinct character voices? Honestly, not really. This isn't that kind of book. It's more about conveying authority, tension, and the kind of bureaucratic dread that comes with watching international crises unfold in real-time. Kramer nails that vibe. When Paul Hood and his team are piecing together the conspiracy, there's genuine urgency in the narration. The pacing works even when the plot meanders.
But—and this is a real but—some listeners apparently bounced hard off his style. I can see it. If you want warmth or character intimacy, this isn't your narrator. He's clinical. Professional. Which fits the material perfectly but might feel cold if you're coming from cozier audiobook experiences.
The Slow Burn That... Kind of Pays Off?
I'm used to slow burns. Horror is all about the dread, the waiting, the mounting tension before everything goes sideways. Games of State tries for something similar—it's building toward chaos, literally called "Chaos Days" in the book—but the execution is uneven. The first few hours drag. There's a lot of setup, a lot of characters being introduced, a lot of political maneuvering that felt more like homework than entertainment.
When it finally clicks, though? There's something satisfying about watching all these threads come together. The neo-Nazi groups, the technology angle, the Op-Center team scrambling to prevent disaster—it works. It's not scary in the way I usually crave, but there's a different kind of dread here. That grounded, real-world menace is what I appreciated in Good Girl too—different packaging, same unsettling "this could happen" energy. The "what if this actually happened" kind. The "this was written in the 90s and feels uncomfortably relevant" kind.
The horror here isn't supernatural. It's political. It's watching hate groups leverage cutting-edge technology. It's the banality of evil dressed up in thriller packaging. My podcast listeners probably won't care about this one, but I found myself thinking about it more than I expected.
Who's In, Who's Out
If you're already invested in the Op-Center series, you know what you're getting. If you love military thrillers with detailed technical accuracy, this is your jam. If you're a Kramer completionist—and I know you exist—add it to the list.
But if you want fast-paced action? Skip. If military jargon makes your eyes glaze over? Definitely skip. If you need distinct character voices and emotional depth? This isn't it.
I listened at 1.25x speed after the first few hours and it helped enormously. The production is clean, no audio issues, just a very dense book that benefits from slightly faster delivery.
Final Transmission from Outside My Genre
Would I listen again? Probably not. But I don't regret the experience. Sometimes you need to step outside your genre comfort zone. Sometimes that means neo-Nazis instead of ghosts. Shirley Jackson walked so Tom Clancy could... do whatever this is. Different energy entirely, but not without its merits.
