Tom Clancy
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- This article is about Tom Clancy the novelist; for the member of the Irish folk band The Clancy Brothers, see Tom Clancy (singer)
| Born: | April 12, 1947 Baltimore County, Maryland, United States |
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| Occupation(s): | Novelist
<tr><th style="text-align: right;">Genre(s):</th><td>Political thriller</td></tr> |
Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (born April 12 1947), better known as Tom Clancy, is an American author of bestselling political thrillers, best known for his technically detailed espionage and military science story-lines set during the Cold War. His name is also a brand for similar books written by ghost writers.
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[edit] Biography
Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. was born April 12, 1947 in Baltimore County, Maryland. He attended Loyola Blakefield in Towson, Maryland, graduating with the class of 1965. He went on to study English Literature at Loyola College in Baltimore, graduating with the class of 1969. He remarked that he studied English because he was not smart enough to do physics. Before making his literary debut, he spent some time running an independent insurance business.
Clancy married his first wife, Wanda, in the 1970s. After having several children together, they divorced in 1998.
In 1998, Tom Clancy attempted to purchase the Minnesota Vikings and had a purchase agreement in place, but the deal fell through after his divorce settlement decreased his net worth significantly.
In 1999, Clancy, at age 52, married 32-year-old fellow writer Alexandra Marie Llewellyn, on June 26.
Tom Clancy was an early, and to many, surprising defender of Islam after the September 11, 2001, attacks. He was interviewed on CNN later that day. Clancy has also associated himself with General Anthony Zinni, a critic of the war in Iraq and former U.S. secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld. The two have worked together on two books.
[edit] Bibliography
The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, and The Sum of All Fears have been turned into commercially successful films with actors Alec Baldwin, Ben Affleck, and Harrison Ford as Clancy's most famous fictional character Jack Ryan.
With the release of The Teeth of the Tiger, Clancy introduced Jack Ryan's son and two nephews as main characters. Presumably, he has retired Jack Ryan as a central character. Many fans have expressed disappointment in Clancy's recent fiction works and sales of his books have reflected the growing trend of readers turning away from Clancy.
Clancy has written several nonfiction books about various branches of the U.S. armed forces (see non-fiction listing, below). Clancy has also branded several lines of books with his name that are written by other authors, following premises or storylines generally in keeping with Clancy's works:
- Tom Clancy's Op-Center
- Tom Clancy's Power Plays
- Tom Clancy's Net Force
- Tom Clancy's Net Force Explorers
- Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
These are sometimes referred to by fans as "apostrophe" books; Clancy did not initially acknowledge that these series were being authored by others, only thanking the actual authors in the headnotes for their "invaluable contribution to the manuscript".
In 1997 Tom Clancy signed a book deal with Penguin Putnam Inc. (both part of Pearson Education), that paid him US$50 million for the world-English rights to two new books. He then signed a second agreement for another US$25 million for a four-year book/multimedia deal. Clancy followed this up with an agreement with Berkley Books for 24 paperbacks to tie in with the ABC television miniseries Tom Clancy's Net Force aired in the fall/winter of 1998. The OP-Centre universe has laid the ground for the series of books written by Jeff Rovin, which was in an agreement worth US $22 million bringing the total value of the package to US$97 million.
All but two of Clancy's novels feature Jack Ryan and/or John Clark.
[edit] By publication date
- The Hunt for Red October (1984)
- Clancy's first novel. Jack Ryan assists in the defection of a respected Soviet naval captain, along with the most advanced missile sub of the Soviet fleet. The movie (1990) stars Alec Baldwin as Ryan and Sean Connery as Captain Ramius.
- Red Storm Rising (1986)
- War between NATO and USSR. The basis of the submarine combat game of the same name, this is one of two Clancy novels to date not set in his Ryaniverse. He co-wrote it with Larry Bond.
- Patriot Games (1987)
- Ryan saves the Prince of Wales from terrorists, who go after Ryan and his family. The 1992 movie stars Harrison Ford as Ryan, and has a fictional lord instead of the Prince of Wales. (John Clark later tells Jack Ryan in Clear and Present Danger that he was on the helicopter that had to turn back when attacking the terrorist camps in northern Africa.)
- The Cardinal of the Kremlin (1988)
- Clear and Present Danger (1989)
- Drug war in Colombia. Ryan and Clark finally meet; first appearance of "Ding" Chavez. The movie (1994) stars Harrison Ford as Ryan and Willem Dafoe as Clark.
- The Sum of All Fears (1991)
- Israel loses a nuclear weapon, which terrorists use to foment war between U.S. and Soviets, which is averted by Ryan in a cliffhanger. The 2002 movie stars Ben Affleck as Ryan, Liev Schreiber as Clark, and changes the identity and motivation of the terrorists.
- Without Remorse (1993)
- Chronologically the first book featuring John Kelly/John Clark, detailing Clark's life before the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Set during the Vietnam War, it tells about the past of John Kelly, how he assumed the Clark mantle, and tells how Clark became a CIA officer. Jack Ryan's father (Emmett Ryan) has a key role; Jack Ryan has a tiny cameo.
- Debt of Honor (1994)
- Ryan as National Security Advisor, and John Clark and Domingo Chavez as agents with Russian cover, help win a military and economic war with a nuclear-armed Japan. Golovko makes a cameo here.
- Executive Orders (1996)
- Sequel to Debt of Honor. Ryan, propelled into presidency as a result of events in Debt of Honor, survives press hazing, assassination attempts and biological warfare—Clark and Ding trace the virus to a Middle Eastern madman, and the U.S. military goes to work.
- SSN (1996)
- Follows the missions of USS Cheyenne in a future war with China precipitated by their invasion of the disputed Spratly Islands. Also not a Ryaniverse book, SSN is actually a loosely connected collection of "scenario" chapters in support of the eponymous computer game.
- Rainbow Six (1998)
- Released to tie in with the computer game of the same name. John Clark leads an elite anti-terrorist unit and averts worldwide genocide attempt by terrorists who are motivated by radical environmentalism. (Jack Ryan is mentioned, but not by name and does not appear.)
- The Bear and the Dragon (2000)
- War between Russia and China. Ryan recognizes the independence of Taiwan and the U.S. Air Force helps Russia defeat the Chinese invasion.
- Red Rabbit (2002)
- Back when he was a humble CIA analyst, Ryan aids in the defection of a Soviet officer who knows of a plan to assassinate the Pope.
- The Teeth of the Tiger (2003)
- Features the rise of Jack Ryan's son, Jack Ryan Jr., as an intelligence analyst, and then a field consultant, for The Campus, an off-the-books intelligence agency with the freedom to discreetly assassinate individuals "who threaten national security", following the retirement of Jack Sr. from the Presidency. Note: This is the latest book of the Jack Ryan series by Tom Clancy, introducing his son and his two nephews as heirs to his spook-legacy.
- Barnes & Noble lists an untitled Clancy work scheduled for a June 2006 release B&N Clancy
[edit] By series plot chronology
[edit] Jack Ryan/John Clark universe
- Without Remorse (1993) *
- Patriot Games (1987)
- Red Rabbit (2002)
- The Hunt for Red October (1984)
- The Cardinal of the Kremlin (1988)
- Clear and Present Danger (1989)
- The Sum of All Fears (1991)
- Debt of Honor (1994)
- Executive Orders (1996)
- Rainbow Six (1998) *
- The Bear and the Dragon (2000)
- The Teeth of the Tiger (2003) **
* These books feature John Clark only, although Jack Ryan has a short conversation with his father in Without Remorse
** This book features Ryan's son (Jack Junior).
Listed chronologically in order of date of setting, e.g. Without Remorse is set in the 1970s.
[edit] Op-Center universe
- Op-Center (1995) by Jeff Rovin
- Mirror Image (1996) by Jeff Rovin
- Games of State (1996) by Jeff Rovin
- Acts of War (1997) by Jeff Rovin
- Balance of Power (1998) by Jeff Rovin
- State of Siege (1999) by Jeff Rovin
- Divide and Conquer (2000) by Jeff Rovin
- Line of Control (2001) by Jeff Rovin
- Mission of Honor (2002) by Jeff Rovin
- Sea of Fire (2003) by Jeff Rovin
- Call to Treason (2004) by Jeff Rovin
- War of Eagles (2005) by Jeff Rovin
[edit] NetForce universe
Adult
- Net Force (1998) by Steve Perry
- Hidden Agendas (1999) by Steve Perry
- Night Moves (1999) by Steve Perry
- Breaking Point (1999) by Steve Perry
- Point of Impact (2001) by Steve Perry
- CyberNation (2001) by Steve Perry
- State of War (2003) by Steve Perry and Larry Segriff
- Changing of the Guard (2003) by Steve Perry and Larry Segriff
- Springboard (2004) by Steve Perry and Larry Segriff
- The Archimedes Effect (2006) by Steve Perry and Larry Segriff
Young Adult
- Virtual Vandals (1999)
- The Deadliest Game (1999)
- One Is the Loneliest Number (1999)
- The Ultimate Escape (1999)
- The Great Race (1999)
- End Game (1999)
- Cyberspy (1999)
- Shadow of Honor (2000)
- Private Lives (2000)
- Safe House (2000)
- Gameprey (2000)
- Duel Identity (2000)
- Deathworld (2000)
- High Wire (2001)
- Cold Case (2001)
- Runaways (2001)
- Cloak and Dagger (2003)
- Death Match (in the UK released in 2002 as "Own Goal") (2003)
[edit] Power Plays universe
- Politika (novel, 1997) by Jerome Preisler
- Politika (computer game, 1997) by Red Storm Entertainment
- ruthless.com (novel, 1998) by Jerome Preisler
- ruthless.com (computer game, 1998) by Red Storm Entertainment
- Shadow Watch (novel, 1999) by Jerome Preisler
- Shadow Watch (computer game, 1999) by Red Storm Entertainment
- Bio-Strike (novel, 2000) by Jerome Preisler
- Cold War (novel, 2001) by Jerome Preisler
- Cutting Edge (novel, 2002) by Jerome Preisler
- Zero Hour (novel, 2003) by Jerome Preisler
- Wild Card (novel, 2004) by Jerome Preisler
[edit] Splinter Cell
- Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (2004) by Raymond Benson as David Michaels
- Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Operation Barracuda (2005) by Raymond Benson as David Michaels
- Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Checkmate (2006) by unknown author as David Michaels
[edit] Novels not in a series
- Red Storm Rising (1986)
- SSN (1996)
[edit] Non-fiction
- Submarine (1993)
- Armored Cav (1994)
- Fighter Wing (1995)
- Marine (1996)
- Into the Storm (1997)
- Airborne (1997)
- Carrier (1999)
- Every Man a Tiger (1999)
- Special Forces (2001)
- Shadow Warriors (2002)
- Battle Ready (with Anthony Zinni, 2004, ISBN 0-399-15176-1)
[edit] Video games
In 1996, Clancy co-founded the computer game developer Red Storm Entertainment and ever since he had his name on several of Red Storm's most successful games. Red Storm was later bought by publisher Ubisoft Entertainment who continues to use the Clancy name. This game series includes
- Rainbow Six: based on the novel of the same name.
- Ghost Recon: squad-based first-person/TS shooter.
- Splinter Cell: third person stealth game, recently spawned a line of books written by a series of different authors, all writing under the pseudonym David Michaels.
- The Sum of All Fears: based on the novel of the same name.
- SSN: based on the novel of the same name.
- Shadow Watch: turn based strategy based on the Power Play novel [1].
Many of the games bearing the Clancy name have been very successful spawning several sequels and expansions.
[edit] Board games
- The Hunt for Red October (1988)
- Naval wargame published by TSR, Inc., based on the novel of the same name. It covered modern naval warfare between NATO and the Warsaw Pact.
- Red Storm Rising (1989)
- Ground warfare wargame published by TSR, Inc., based on the novel of the same name. It covered an attack on NATO forces in western Europe by the Warsaw Pact. It included rules for integration with The Hunt for Red October game of the year before. The publisher reused the system for Europe Aflame (1989), a strategic World War II game, and A Line in the Sand, a strategic game about the First Gulf War.
[edit] Trivia
- Clancy is one of only two authors to have sold two million copies on a first printing in the 1990s. (John Grisham is the other author.) Clancy's 1989 novel Clear and Present Danger sold 1,625,544 hardcover copies, making it the #1 bestselling novel of the 1980s.[2]
- Clancy received an honorary doctorate in humane letters and delivered the commencement address at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1992, and has since worked a reference to the school into many of his main works. [3]
- Clancy has donated over $200,000 to various Republican political candidates. [4]
[edit] See also
- List of bestselling novels in the United States
- List of other novelists
- Dale Brown
- Stephen Coonts
- John le Carré
- Robert Ludlum
- Frederick Forsyth
[edit] External links
- Transcript of interview with Deborah Norville on the War in Iraq - April 2004
- Detailed Tom Clancy Book Reviews
- Tom Clancy FAQ
- The Tom Clancy Forum
- Internet Book Database of Fiction bibliography
- Two audio interview of Tom Clancy (1984, 1986), RealAudio
[edit] Literary reviews and criticism
- "Something for the Boys" by Christopher Hitchens, The New York Review of Books, November 14, 1996. A review of Clancy's Marine: A Guided Tour of a Marine Expeditionary Unit.
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