Action/Adventure Aficionados discussion

“The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.”
~ Tom Clancy.

Thriller writers, but especially military and espionage thriller writers, owe a debt of gratitude to Tom Clancy. Clancy was an originator of the "techno-thriller," fast-moving yarns grounded in current events and chock full of technocratic details that give the reader the sense of being cleared into top secret high-tech weapons and intelligence programs. So accurate are his depictions of the inner workings of national security that the author won many fans from the U.S. military, diplomatic and intelligence establishment, myself included. In the corridors of the Pentagon, CIA and State Department, one would hear water cooler chatter along the lines of, "Who the hell's leaking that intel to Clancy anyway?" President Reagan was one of Clancy's biggest fans.

The Hunt for Red October and the follow-on Jack Ryan films changed the public's image of military and spy-themed action heroes. Prior to Clancy, the spy fiction sphere was dominated, on the one hand, by Ian Fleming and Robert Ludlum, with their super-heroes and far-fetched plots, and, on the other, by John LeCarre, with his more reality-based, yet gloomy, tales of bureaucrats with a license to spy. Clancy brought back the patriot-hero following a long post-Vietnam spell of portraying government operatives in fiction as evildoers. But Clancy's heroes are regular folks who overcome extraordinary challenges with quick minds and high-tech tools. "So, you take an ordinary sort of guy and drop him into a serious situation. It’s the same technique Hitchcock used," Clancy said.

Another thing that distinguishes Clancy's thrillers from those by Robert Ludlum and his literary heirs, Vince Flynn, Lee Child and company, is his linking of senior-level policy decisions — at the White House, Pentagon or the CIA — with the highly trained, "ordinary sort of guys" implementing them. Jack Ryan and Jason Bourne are about as different from each other as are a STU-4 secure line from a Glock 19. This accurate describing of how national decisionmaking and implementation function in real life is the central strength of Clancy's fiction. It's thriller writing for the intelligent reader. He said, "I think it’s necessary to describe the tools my characters use to lend verisimilitude to my work, which is why I include it. . . . Verisimilitude provides texture that adds to the richness and plausibility of the story." Make it sound real and you've got the reader's attention. To retain his attention, pace the story. "Suspense is achieved by information control. What you know. What the reader knows. What the characters know. You balance that properly, and you can really get the reader wound up," Clancy said on this point.

As the years went by and his success grew, Clancy seemed to be more businessman than writer, franchising his name out to ghostwriters and videogames. The old Clancy storytelling tautness slackened. There was less technical detail and gripping plotting by those who wrote under the vaunted Clancy name, as reflected in the reviews of the later books. He even turned over his signature Jack Ryan series to ghostwriters. Readers still bought the books, but many took umbrage at the false advertising: "TOM CLANCY" (big letters) "with joe blow" (small letters). It may be unfair to say, but it seemed his heart was no longer in storytelling.

Nevertheless, Clancy’s impact on his successors in the thriller genre he inspired will be long term. Like his predecessors, Ian Fleming and John le Carré, Tom Clancy changed the genre, and those of us who have followed in his literary wake are indebted to him

Clancy was my favorite author between the mid 80's and mid 90's. His books had everything I was looking for, action, suspense, intrigue, mystery and pacing. The last book I read was Debt of Honor (talk about an eery ending) after that things seemed to shift to the political arena for Ryan and I had no interest in that.

Good point about the end of his career, I never read anything that had another author listed with Clancy. That really turns me off with all authors not just Clancy.

Red Storm Rising was really very good. We military types were all over it on my first ship when it came out.

I met Tom Clancy briefly (well, I passed the table where he was signing books) just before I retired. He knew his military stuff. Picked me out as a Surface Sailor in a sea of airdales from by Warfare specialist Pin.

I think I read the entire Ryan series & liked them after seeing the first few movies. I tried one of his Ops novels & didn't get very far. Haven't read anything by him since.

Clancy may have popularized techno-thrillers, but he didn't create them. Failsafe, Andromeda Strain and Firefox all predated Red October, and those are just the ones I remember reading before Clancy came on the scene. Depending on how you define the genre, several of Clive Cussler's books (such as Raise the Titanic!) also qualify, and also came before Clancy.

I have honestly no idea where to start with the Clancy novels....please help?!

Im a big fan of Cussler if that gives you a clue where to direct me?

I'd start with The Hunt for Red October which is a great book, and follow that with Red Storm Rising, another good book!

Lance wrote: "Clancy may have popularized techno-thrillers, but he didn't create them. Failsafe, Andromeda Strain and Firefox all predated Red October, and those are just the ones I remember reading before Clanc..."

Yes, and, for that matter, Jules Vern and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was kind of a "Techno-Thriller". Terrorist Captain Nemo vs. Shipping, the high tech submarine ... all that stuff. Ned was cool. So, they've been around a bit.

I. Curmudgeon wrote: "I'd start with The Hunt for Red October which is a great book, and follow that with Red Storm Rising, another good book!"

Absolutely! I read these in the reverse order and thoroughly enjoyed both.

Vaelin wrote: "I have honestly no idea where to start with the Clancy novels....please help?!

Im a big fan of Cussler if that gives you a clue where to direct me?"

I totally agree with the recommendations below. But don't expect Clancy to start out at a brisk pace like Cussler. No, it takes Clancy a good 50 pages to get going:)

Dave wrote: "Vaelin wrote: "I have honestly no idea where to start with the Clancy novels....please help?!

Im a big fan of Cussler if that gives you a clue where to direct me?"

I totally agree with the recomm..."

But once he gets going... look out!

I. Curmudgeon wrote: "Dave wrote: "Vaelin wrote: "I have honestly no idea where to start with the Clancy novels....please help?!

Im a big fan of Cussler if that gives you a clue where to direct me?"

I totally agree wi..."

How true! Even though Red Storm Rising did not achieve the widespread popularity of Hunt for Red October or Clear and Present Danger (and others), it is still one of my favorites. I found it hard to stop at the end of any chapter, I just had to keep reading.