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The following biography
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Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (born April 12,
1947), who writes under the name Tom Clancy, is an American author of
political thrillers heavily based on intelligence and military science
concepts; his name is also a brand for similar books written by other
authors. His earlier books have a definite focus on the Cold War.
While the literary merit of his books is
disputed by many professional authors and reviewers (who regard Clancy's
prose as pedestrian), most have been bestsellers. Fans of his work
appreciate the well-thought-out plots and the apparent attention to
technical detail in military matters.
In the year 1998, Tom Clancy attempted to
purchase the Minnesota Vikings, and had a purchase agreement in place,
but the deal fell through when 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 WTC terror attacks, when he was
one of the first experts interviewed on CNN on the day of 9/11.
****
Biography
Tom Clancy was born April 12, 1947 at
Franklin Square Hospital, in Baltimore, MD. He attended Loyola High
School in Towson, MD, graduating with the class of 1965.
Tom 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, Tom spent
some time running an independent insurance business.
Tom Clancy's married his first wife, Wanda,
in 1970. After having several children together, they divorced in 1998.
Wanda was represented by Baltimore lawyer Sheila Sachs. Divorce papers
filed by Wanda in 1996 gave the reason that Tom Clancy had "committed
adultery with one Katherine Huang," allegedly a New York assistant
district attorney he supposedly met on the Internet. An E! Online
article further alleges that Ms. Huang used the internet aliases "Bin
Bin" and "Ping Ping." 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. 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. We may never know for sure
given Mr. Clancy's zealous protection of his personal life.
Tom Clancy has 4 children.
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:
Rainbow Six — based on the novel of the
same name
Ghost Recon
Splinter Cell — recently spawned a line of
books under the pseudonym David Michaels
All of the games bearing the Clancy name
have been very successful spawning several sequels and expansions.
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 most series of movie adaptations of popular novels, there is great
controversy amongst fans concerning the (non-)canonicity of the movies,
most of which take fairly extensive liberties with the series'
plotlines.
In recent years, his novels have become
more political, showcasing many of his conservative, neoliberal,
pro-military, pro-life, and law-enforcement beliefs. In Executive
Orders, Jack Ryan becomes President of the United States. Some of Ryan's
policies include a new way of fighting the War on Drugs and tax reform
(with a flat tax). Some Clancy fans have objected to this focus on
politics rather than on the military subjects for which his earlier
novels are famous. Nevertheless, his 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 returned, somewhat, to his earlier approach
with The Bear and the Dragon, which starts off as a political novel, and
metamorphoses into a war procedural about 2/3 the way through.
Clancy has written several nonfiction books
about various branches of the US armed forces (see non-fiction listing,
below) Clancy has branded several lines of books with his name that are
written by other, acknowledged authors following premises or storylines
generally in keeping with Clancy's works:
Tom Clancy's Net Force
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 one 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 Clancy's only novel to
date not set in his Ryaniverse. He co-wrote it with Larry Bond.
Patriot Games (1987)
Chronologically first book featuring Ryan.
Ryan saves the Prince of Wales from terrorists, who go after Ryan and
his family. Movie (1992) 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. 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 nuke, which terrorists use
to foment war between US and Soviets -- averted by Ryan in a
cliffhanger. Movie (2002) stars Ben Affleck as Ryan, and changes
identity and motivation of the terrorists.
Without Remorse (1993)
Chronologically first book featuring John
Clark. Set during the Vietnam war, tells how Clark became a CIA agent.
Jack Ryan's father (Emmett Ryan) has a key role; Jack Ryan has a tiny
cameo.
Debt of Honor (1994)
Clark and Ding help Ryan avert (win?) a war
with Japan; a Japanese pilot avenges his son's death by crashing his
airliner into the US Capitol, killing the entire Congress, Supreme
Court, and all but two White House officials, which segues into...
Executive Orders (1996)
Sequel to Debt of Honor. Ryan, propelled
into presidency, 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 elite anti-terrorist unit and averts
worldwide genocide attempt by environmental fanatics. (Jack Ryan is
mentioned, but does not appear.)
The Bear and the Dragon (2000)
War between Russia and China, Ryan
recognizes independence of Taiwan and US Air Force helps Russia defeat
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 for The Campus, an off-the-books
intelligence agency, 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.
By series chronology
Without Remorse
Patriot Games
Red Rabbit
The Hunt for Red October
The Cardinal of the Kremlin
Clear and Present Danger
The Sum of All Fears
Debt of Honor
Executive Orders
Rainbow Six
The Bear and the Dragon
The Teeth of the Tiger
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)
****
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Date Article Copied:
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