View Full Version : RIP Tom Clancy
Died at 66 yesterday. One of my favorite authors
sellersm
10-02-2013, 10:21
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/02/us/tom-clancy-obit/
Spy thriller writer Tom Clancy, whose best-selling books became blockbuster films, has died, his publisher said Wednesday. He was 66.Clancy's publisher, the Penguin Group, said the author died in Baltimore on Tuesday. The written statement did not indicate the cause of death.
Clancy's 1984 novel "The Hunt for Red October" propelled him to fame, fortune and status as a favorite storyteller of the American military. Sean Connery and Harrison Ford brought the Cold War drama to life in the big screen in 1990.
Other novels that became big movies included "Patriot Games" and "The Sum of All Fears."
"I'm deeply saddened by Tom's passing," said Penguin executive David Shanks, who worked with Clancy on each of his novels, quoted in the company's statement. "He was a consummate author, creating the modern-day thriller, and was one of the most visionary storytellers of our time. I will miss him dearly and he will be missed by tens of millions of readers worldwide."
"Command Authority," his last book, is due to be published by G.P. Putnam's Sons in December, the company said. Putnam is an imprint of the Penguin Group.
"It was an honor to know Tom Clancy and to work on his fantastic books," said Ivan Held, president and publisher of G.P. Putnam's Sons. "He was ahead of the news curve and sometimes frighteningly prescient. To publish a Tom Clancy book was a thrill every time. He will be missed by everyone at Putnam and Berkley, and by his fans all over the world."
A Baltimore-born former insurance agent, Clancy was known for writing meticulous thrillers focusing on political intrigue and military tactics and technology.
Seventeen of his 28 books appeared on the New York Times best-sellers list, according to his website. Many of them reached the No. 1 spot.
His writings also provided the inspiration for the "Rainbow Six," "Ghost Recon" and "Splinter Cell," video game series.
His writing gained him a loyal following within the armed forces in the United States and abroad, giving him inside access that frequently informed the plots of his books. But in a 2003 CNN interview, Clancy said he was always careful not to reveal classified information or sensitive details of how the elite troops he often wrote about operated.
"I'll never decide for commercial reasons to put something in that endangers our national security. You just can't do that," he said in a 2003 CNN interview. "There was one thing, I discussed with a friend of mine in the Royal Navy. I told him a story I knew, and he said, 'Well, Tom, you may never repeat that, as long as you live.' And I haven't."
sellersm
10-02-2013, 10:22
Wow, you posted yours while I was composing my thread!!
I thought he died a while back.
strm_trpr
10-02-2013, 10:35
Sad. [Salute]
NOOOO!!!!! Just when the Jack Jr. Series was really getting interesting!
RIP Mr. Clancy..
theGinsue
10-02-2013, 11:46
Merged
sellersm
10-02-2013, 11:50
Merged
Thanks!
Aloha_Shooter
10-02-2013, 11:51
Somewhat ironic that he died on the day Obamacare "begins". A great author and American passes on and we are all diminished.
blacklabel
10-02-2013, 11:53
RIP indeed.
RIP Mr. Clancy. I'll continue to be a fan.
RIP Mr. Clark, one of the best characters conceived in this genre.
Loved Red Storm Rising, Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games...
My dad and I have been convinced that he wasn't writing his own books for years.
RIP.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 4
sellersm
10-02-2013, 12:22
My dad and I have been convinced that he wasn't writing his own books for years.
I've heard this before, who do you think was writing them?
Rats. He was a favorite. I was introduced to his book Red Storm Rising during finals week my junior year by one of my engineering professors. There was a little dip in my grades there in 1987...
Rucker61
10-02-2013, 12:54
I've heard this before, who do you think was writing them?
His co-authors, who have been getting cover credit for some time. Heck, RSR had Larry Bond listed as a co-author inside the flap. Looks like there was a seven year gap between The Teeth of the Tiger and Dead or Alive, and DOA lists Grant Blackwood as a co-author, and every subsequent book in the seris has a co-author. I'd bet all of the Op Center and Net Force books had almost no actual Clancy writing in them.
ZERO THEORY
10-02-2013, 13:01
Lest we forget, his name was on the best FPS of all time: the Rainbow Six franchise. He also had a stake in the Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell series; the best third person shooter and stealth games, respectively (IMO).
His books weren't too shabby, either.
That makes two of my fav authors to kick it in recent history...
Robert Jordan and now Clancy.
Did any of you read 'Without Remorse'.. how John Clark came to be..
clublights
10-02-2013, 14:23
RIP Mr Clancy....
I JUST started re-reading Red Storm Rising the other day ....
Got em all .... I actually have some extra's if folks want em .. I went thru and replaced all my paperbacks with hardcovers a year ago . so Ive got a lot of them on paperback I'd be willing to give away ... and a hard cover of one of the new ones that I bought on accident ( never drunk amazon shop LOL )
That makes two of my fav authors to kick it in recent history...
Robert Jordan and now Clancy.
Did any of you read 'Without Remorse'.. how John Clark came to be..
Yes - my favorite Clancy book.
blacklabel
10-02-2013, 15:21
That makes two of my fav authors to kick it in recent history...
Robert Jordan and now Clancy.
Did any of you read 'Without Remorse'.. how John Clark came to be..
I haven't read much Clancy but I have read a ton of Vince Flynn who passed away at the age of 47 in June.
ZERO THEORY
10-02-2013, 15:25
RIP Mr Clancy....
I JUST started re-reading Red Storm Rising the other day ....
Got em all .... I actually have some extra's if folks want em .. I went thru and replaced all my paperbacks with hardcovers a year ago . so Ive got a lot of them on paperback I'd be willing to give away ... and a hard cover of one of the new ones that I bought on accident ( never drunk amazon shop LOL )
You're giving away Clancy books? PM incoming.
clublights
10-02-2013, 15:45
Lets see I've got Hunt , Cardinal of the Kremlin Pat games, Bear and the Dragon, Clear And Present Danger. all paper back and ... well .. well used. LOL I've had them 20+ years and they have been read 3-4 times each and i think I got half of em used to start with .
Also got "Dead or Alive" in hardcover brand new never even opened... (my drunk amazon mistake) I think if I could get 5-10 bucks for that I'd be happy ..
ZT gets first shot
buffalobo
10-02-2013, 15:53
Great stories, sad to hear. RIP
Clublights, put me in 2nd place. I'll give you $10 for hardcover Dead or Alive.
Sent from my electronic ball and chain.
ZERO THEORY
10-02-2013, 15:53
Lets see I've got Hunt , Cardinal of the Kremlin Pat games, Bear and the Dragon, Clear And Present Danger. all paper back and ... well .. well used. LOL I've had them 20+ years and they have been read 3-4 times each and i think I got half of em used to start with .
Also got "Dead or Alive" in hardcover brand new never even opened... (my drunk amazon mistake) I think if I could get 5-10 bucks for that I'd be happy ..
ZT gets first shot
Well, hell. I'll give you a Jackson for the whole collection. Maybe meet up for a burger or something and complain about the .gov while we're at it.
clublights
10-02-2013, 15:59
Well, hell. I'll give you a Jackson for the whole collection. Maybe meet up for a burger or something and complain about the .gov while we're at it.
I cant in good faith take money for the paper backs .... like I said well used...
but lunch for the time and the hardcover works !
Rats. He was a favorite. I was introduced to his book Red Storm Rising during finals week my junior year by one of my engineering professors. There was a little dip in my grades there in 1987...
My first Clacy book was Red Storm Rising as well TK.
ZERO THEORY
10-02-2013, 16:52
I cant in good faith take money for the paper backs .... like I said well used...
but lunch for the time and the hardcover works !
You're on.
anaphylaxis
10-02-2013, 17:19
RIP. My favorite author.
He hasn't really been writing much of his own since ops center came out. I can't read most of the co-authored stuff. If you want to hear the gruff old guy school some hollywood snob listen to the directors commentary of the sum of all fears.
speedysst
10-02-2013, 18:36
Teeth of the Tiger was one of my all time favorite books. “If you want to kick the tiger in his ass you'd better have a plan for dealing with his teeth”
I've heard this before, who do you think was writing them?
Not sure, but his writing style made a dramatic shift once he had hit the big time.
I still have the Red Storm Rising computer game with the box. I think it's on floppies. I burned many an hour on that game.
I thought Patriot Games was an awesome book with the battle of wills and emotion. The movie and the way the antagonist met his end was such a disappointment.
Rip to a talented Author.
Aloha_Shooter
10-02-2013, 20:17
Clancy's style really didn't change, just the volume of what was written.
There's a big difference between the spin-off books where he probably discussed the creation and backstory but otherwise just lent his name (e.g., Tom Clancy's XXXXXXXX) and the books he published under his own (and ONLY his own) name. I think the difference you saw in his later writing was that he was adding more and more detail and the editor was probably more reluctant to trim one of the best-selling authors in the business. Frankly, I thought "The Sum of All Fears" was too damned long by about 300-400 pages although I'm not sure what I would have cut -- probably a lot of the backstory behind the jihadists.
I would bet anything there was a ton of backstory material trimmed from "The Hunt for Red October" and "Red Storm Rising" -- Niven and Pournelle once estimated that only about 10% of what they wrote really made it to print -- whereas Clancy likely insisted on keeping a large portion of what he wrote for "The Sum of All Fears", "Without Remorse", "Debt of Honor", etc. because by that point he was in love with his characters and he knew his fans were too.
electronman1729
10-02-2013, 20:24
Hunt for Red October was the best.
Movie was great too.
Rucker61
10-02-2013, 21:16
Clancy's style really didn't change, just the volume of what was written.
There's a big difference between the spin-off books where he probably discussed the creation and backstory but otherwise just lent his name (e.g., Tom Clancy's XXXXXXXX) and the books he published under his own (and ONLY his own) name. I think the difference you saw in his later writing was that he was adding more and more detail and the editor was probably more reluctant to trim one of the best-selling authors in the business. Frankly, I thought "The Sum of All Fears" was too damned long by about 300-400 pages although I'm not sure what I would have cut -- probably a lot of the backstory behind the jihadists.
I would bet anything there was a ton of backstory material trimmed from "The Hunt for Red October" and "Red Storm Rising" -- Niven and Pournelle once estimated that only about 10% of what they wrote really made it to print -- whereas Clancy likely insisted on keeping a large portion of what he wrote for "The Sum of All Fears", "Without Remorse", "Debt of Honor", etc. because by that point he was in love with his characters and he knew his fans were too.
Also known as "too big to edit". "Against All Enemies" was utter crap. I left it on the airplane after about 50 pages.
RIP Tom Clancy
Now it may be time to go back and re-read The Hunt for Red October and Rainbow Six
Of course Without Remorse is his best book I think
RIP Tom Clancy
Now it may be time to go back and re-read The Hunt for Red October and Rainbow Six
Of course Without Remorse is his best book I think
Loved 'Without Remorse'.. I had always wondered how Jack and John came to have the relationship that they have.. the story was great of his dad and John Kelly.
clublights
12-09-2013, 14:06
I got delivered on release day the last book....
Ive be still got to read the one before it. I don't wanna knowing they will be the last I ever get to read for the first time....
And I still have those books for you ZT... Been busy and out of town lately
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