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)
Image:Clancy-tom.jpg Thomas Leo Clancy Jr., better known as Tom Clancy, is an author of bestselling political thrillers, best known for his technically-detailed espionage and military science story-lines during the Cold War. His name is also a brand for similar books written by other authors.
While some reviewers regard Clancy's prose as pedestrian, many of his books have been spectacular bestsellers. Clancy fans cite intricate plots, attention to detail and technical accuracy in military and intelligence topics.
Clancy is one of only two authors to have sold two million copies on a first printing in the 1990s. His 1989 novel Clear and Present Danger sold 1,625,544 hardcover copies, making it the #1 bestselling novel of the 1980s.
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Biography
Tom Clancy was born April 12, 1947 at Franklin Square Hospital, in Baltimore County, Maryland. He attended Loyola Blakefield in Towson, Maryland, graduating with the class of 1965.
Clancy studied English Literature at Loyola College in Baltimore, graduating with the class of 1969. In a message to the usenet newsgroup alt.books.tom-clancy, he remarked that he studied English because "I wasn't 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 1970's. After having several children together, they divorced in 1998. Wanda was represented by Baltimore lawyer Sheila Sachs ([1]). Divorce papers filed by Wanda in 1996 gave the reason that Tom Clancy had "committed adultery with one Katherine Huang", ([2]) supposedly a New York assistant district attorney he met on the Internet. Much of the media attention focus on the Clancys' divorce resulted from Tom's then-pending bid to buy the Minnesota Vikings.
In 1999, Clancy, at age 52, married 32-year old fellow writer Alexandra Marie Llewellyn, on June 26, ([3]). Also, according to the Tom Clancy FAQ website:
- It was previously reported in the Washington Post that he was to marry a niece of Colin Powell just after the divorce to his first wife was finalized.
Clancy is known to be very protective of his personal life. He has 4 children.
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 significantly decreased his net worth. He is currently the Vice Chairman of Community Projects & Public Affairs for the Baltimore Orioles.
Tom Clancy was an early, and to many, surprising defender of Islam after the 9/11 terror attacks. He was interviewed on CNN later that day. Clancy has also associated himself with General Anthony Zinni (ret.), a critic of the war in Iraq and Secretary Rumsfeld. The two have worked together on two books. Clancy has reservations concerning the war in Iraq. [1]
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 such as Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck as Clancy's most famous character Jack Ryan. As with many movie adaptations of popular novels, there is controversy amongst fans concerning the (non-)canonicity of the movies, most of which take fairly extensive liberties with the original plot. Recently, there have been talks about a movie based on the bestselling novel, Rainbow Six.
In recent years, his novels have become more political, showcasing his conservative philosophy. In the novels Executive Orders and The Bear and the Dragon, Jack Ryan is President of the United States. Some of Ryan's policies include a more aggressive War on Drugs (with an emphasis on arresting high-profile drug users to curtail demand) and replacing the progressive income tax with a flat tax. Some fans have objected to this focus on domestic politics rather than military subjects. Nevertheless, Clancy's books have continued to sell briskly, perhaps due to momentum from his previous popularity. Alternatively his books' popularity could be due to his ideas resonating positively with his fans.
He somewhat returned to his earlier approach with The Bear and the Dragon, which starts off as a political novel and metamorphoses into a war procedural two-thirds of the way through.
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 US 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 Net Force
- Tom Clancy's Net Force Explorers
- Tom Clancy's Op-Center
- Tom Clancy's Power Plays.
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 Pearson Custom Publishing and 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" 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.
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. 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.
- The Cardinal of the Kremlin (1988)
- First appearance of John Clark and Sergey Golovko. Secret anti-satellite lasers (SDI), high-stakes diplomacy, spies and computer geeks.
- Clear and Present Danger (1989)
- Drug war in Colombia. Ryan and Clark finally meet; first appearance of 'Ding' Chavez. 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 US 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 first book featuring John Clark, detailing Clark's life before the CIA. Set during the Vietnam war, tells about the past of John Kelly, how he assumed the Clark mantle, and tells how Clark became a CIA agent. Jack Ryan's father (Emmett Ryan) has a key role; Jack Ryan has a tiny cameo; lots of detail about heroin abuse.
- Debt of Honor (1994)
- Ryan as a Presidential advisor, 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 US 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 environmentalism. (Jack Ryan is mentioned, but does not appear.)
- The Bear and the Dragon (2000)
- War between Russia and China. Ryan recognizes the independence of Taiwan and the US Air Force helps Russia defeat Chinese invasion. (Note: Like many such writers, Clancy's knowledge of China is lacking compared to his knowledge of the old Soviet Union, with many resulting weaknesses.)
- 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.
- Amazon.com lists an untitled Clancy work for release on May 31, 2006 (Amazon.co.uk states the UK publication date for this first untitled work to be August 31, 2006).
- Amazon.co.uk lists a second untitled Clancy work for UK release on June 28, 2007.
By series chronology
Jack Ryan 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)
OpCenter universe
- Op-Center (1995)
- Mirror Image (1996)
- Games of State (1996)
- Acts of War (1997)
- Balance of Power (1998)
- State of Siege (1999)
- Divide and Conquer (2000)
- Line of Control (2001)
- Mission of Honor (2002)
- Sea of Fire (2003)
- Call to Treason (2004)
- War of Eagles (2005)
NetForce universe
Adult
- Net Force (1998)
- Hidden Agendas (1999)
- Night Moves (1999)
- Breaking Point (1999)
- Point of Impact (2001)
- Cybernation (2001)
- State of War (2003)
- Changing of the Guard (2003)
- Springboard (2004)
- The Archimides Effect (2006)
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 (2003)
Power Plays series
Tom Clancy's Power Plays 01: Politika (1997) by Martin Harry Greenberg
Tom Clancy's Power Plays 02: Ruthless.com (1998) by Martin Harry Greenberg
Tom Clancy's Power Plays 03: Shadow Watch (1999) by Martin Harry Greenberg
Tom Clancy's Power Plays 04: Bio-Strike (2000) by Jerome Preisler
Tom Clancy's Power Plays 05: Cold War (2001) by Jerome Preisler
Tom Clancy's Power Plays 06: Cutting Edge (2002) by Jerome Preisler
Tom Clancy's Power Plays 07: Zero Hour (2003) by Jerome Preisler and Martin Harry Greenberg
Tom Clancy's Power Plays 08: Wild Card (2004) by Jerome Preisler
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 0399151761)
- Purple Heart (2005)
Video games
In 1996, Clancy co-founded the computer game developer Red Storm Entertainment and ever since has 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. These games series include:
- Red Storm Rising
- The Hunt for Red October
- Rainbow Six — based on the novel of the same name
- Ghost Recon — a squad-based first-person/TS shooter
- Splinter Cell — recently spawned a line of books written by Raymond Benson under the pseudonym David Michaels
- Sum of All Fears — based on the novel of the same name
- SSN — based on the novel of the same name
All of the games bearing the Clancy name have been very successful spawning several sequels and expansions.
See also
External links
- Transcript of interview with Deborah Norville on the War in Iraq - April 2004
- Tom Clancy FAQ
- The Tom Clancy Forum
- Internet Book Database of Fiction bibliography
- Two audio interview of Tom Clancy (1984, 1986), RealAudio
- Tom Clancy Plot Generator
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.
See also
| Books by Tom Clancy
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