Clancy, Tom (1947– )

US writer who originated the genre ‘techno-thriller’. He writes about the US military and his attention to technological detail is so great that some of his novels are on the reading lists of US military colleges. His most famous books include The Hunt for Red October (1984, filmed 1990), Patriot Games (1987, filmed 1992), and Clear and Present Danger (1989, filmed 1994). All revolve around the character of Jack Ryan, a CIA analyst.

Clancy worked in insurance before publishing his first novel in 1984. Other books include The Cardinal of Kremlin (1988), The Sum of All Fears (1991, filmed 2002), Without Remorse (1993), Debt of Honour (1994), Executive Orders (1996), Rainbow Six (1998), Red Rabbit (2002), and The Teeth of the Tiger (2003). He is also interested in the computer game industry, has been actively involved in adapting several of his books into games.