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Three Complete Novels: Patriot Games, Clear & Present Danger, Sum of All Fears
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author and master of the techno-thriller (Newsweek), two heart-stopping classics of action and suspense. Tom Clancy brings a chilling ring of truth to these enduring masterpieces, proving why his gripping novels have sold in excess of 38 million copies.
1420 pages, Hardcover
First published April 21, 1994
7 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
About the author
Tom Clancy
977 books9,083 followersThomas Leo Clancy Jr. was an American novelist and military-political thriller pioneer. Raised in a middle-class Irish-American family, he developed an early fascination with military history. Despite initially studying physics at Loyola College, he switched to English literature, graduating in 1969 with a modest GPA. His aspirations of serving in the military were dashed due to severe myopia, leading him instead to a career in the insurance business.
While working at a small insurance agency, Clancy spent his spare time writing what would become The Hunt for Red October (1984). Published by the Naval Institute Press for an advance of $5,000, the book received an unexpected boost when President Ronald Reagan praised it as “the best yarn.” This propelled Clancy to national fame, selling millions of copies and establishing his reputation for technical accuracy in military and intelligence matters. His meticulous research and storytelling ability granted him access to high-ranking U.S. military officials, further enriching his novels.
Clancy’s works often featured heroic protagonists such as Jack Ryan and John Clark, emphasizing themes of patriotism, military expertise, and political intrigue. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, he became one of the best-selling authors in America, with titles like Red Storm Rising (1986), Patriot Games (1987), Clear and Present Danger (1989), and The Sum of All Fears (1991) dominating bestseller lists. Several of these were adapted into commercially successful films.
In addition to novels, Clancy co-authored nonfiction works on military topics and lent his name to numerous book series and video game franchises, including Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell. His influence extended beyond literature, as he became a part-owner of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team and was involved in various business ventures, including a failed attempt to purchase the Minnesota Vikings.
Politically, Clancy was a staunch conservative, often weaving his views into his books and publicly criticizing left-leaning policies. He gained further attention after the September 11 attacks, discussing intelligence failures and counterterrorism strategies on news platforms.
Clancy’s financial success was immense. By the late 1990s, his publishing deals were worth tens of millions of dollars. He lived on an expansive Maryland estate featuring a World War II Sherman tank and later purchased a luxury penthouse in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
He was married twice, first to Wanda Thomas King, with whom he had four children, and later to journalist Alexandra Marie Llewellyn, with whom he had one daughter.
Tom Clancy passed away on October 1, 2013, at the age of 66 due to heart failure. His legacy endures through his novels, their adaptations, and the continuation of the Jack Ryan series by other writers.
While working at a small insurance agency, Clancy spent his spare time writing what would become The Hunt for Red October (1984). Published by the Naval Institute Press for an advance of $5,000, the book received an unexpected boost when President Ronald Reagan praised it as “the best yarn.” This propelled Clancy to national fame, selling millions of copies and establishing his reputation for technical accuracy in military and intelligence matters. His meticulous research and storytelling ability granted him access to high-ranking U.S. military officials, further enriching his novels.
Clancy’s works often featured heroic protagonists such as Jack Ryan and John Clark, emphasizing themes of patriotism, military expertise, and political intrigue. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, he became one of the best-selling authors in America, with titles like Red Storm Rising (1986), Patriot Games (1987), Clear and Present Danger (1989), and The Sum of All Fears (1991) dominating bestseller lists. Several of these were adapted into commercially successful films.
In addition to novels, Clancy co-authored nonfiction works on military topics and lent his name to numerous book series and video game franchises, including Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell. His influence extended beyond literature, as he became a part-owner of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team and was involved in various business ventures, including a failed attempt to purchase the Minnesota Vikings.
Politically, Clancy was a staunch conservative, often weaving his views into his books and publicly criticizing left-leaning policies. He gained further attention after the September 11 attacks, discussing intelligence failures and counterterrorism strategies on news platforms.
Clancy’s financial success was immense. By the late 1990s, his publishing deals were worth tens of millions of dollars. He lived on an expansive Maryland estate featuring a World War II Sherman tank and later purchased a luxury penthouse in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
He was married twice, first to Wanda Thomas King, with whom he had four children, and later to journalist Alexandra Marie Llewellyn, with whom he had one daughter.
Tom Clancy passed away on October 1, 2013, at the age of 66 due to heart failure. His legacy endures through his novels, their adaptations, and the continuation of the Jack Ryan series by other writers.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 21, 2018
My mother told me to try and find something nice about something you don’t like .
Ok ... let’s see....
Ummm .... he spelled all the words correctly
This book is sexist , completely unbelievable, and just awful. The way he writes women is nauseating. I like action novels as much as the next person but , this was just awful.
I had to read it for a book club . It was not my pick
After the Queen invited his family to the palace, I was done .
Ok ... let’s see....
Ummm .... he spelled all the words correctly
This book is sexist , completely unbelievable, and just awful. The way he writes women is nauseating. I like action novels as much as the next person but , this was just awful.
I had to read it for a book club . It was not my pick
After the Queen invited his family to the palace, I was done .
June 28, 2022
Book Review – Three Complete Novels – Tom Clancy
--Patriot Games - “The Patriot Games” movie changes from the book are mainly made not for the sake of clarity but rather to make it feel more like an action/thriller film. I enjoyed reading the book and have seen and enjoyed the movie dozens of times but reading the book was more fun than I anticipated. I'm not a purist when it comes to adapting books to movies and I appreciated the adaptions made between the book and the movie. The movie is fabulous in its own right but reading the book let my imagination visually soar. The storyline is just one entertaining wild ride. Another very much enjoyed Clancy novel that I would highly recommend!
--Clear and Present Danger - I think Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Sr. character makes for a great political hero in his books. So does John Clark who Ryan first meets and becomes very good friends with in “Clear and Present Danger.” This is a good story about America's attempt to use a covert military operation to stem the drug trade from Columbia, an action sanctioned by the president during an election year. The political infighting is fascinating - a study in personal gain, leverage, and back-stabbing. The operation itself is described with an enormous amount of detail, from the planning, supplies, strategy, tactics, and of course, weapons. And the suspense is literally edge of your seat reading. I reread this Clancy classic after watching the movie for however many times and enjoyed the book even more. Don’t get me wrong the movie was really good as well but it helped with the visualization while reading the book. I visualize Harrison Ford now whenever I think of Jack Ryan and that’s not a bad thing. One of my favorite Clancy novels and movies.
--Sum of All Fears - I can tell that Tom Clancy wrote “Sum of All Fears” to be made into another one of his movies. The book is clearly a fictional political espionage thriller that is intriguing, suspenseful, and enthralling! The story is about Israel losing a nuclear bomb in the past and now with trouble brewing in the Middle East, Jack Ryan (played by actor Ben Affleck in the film) comes up with an idea to fix the conflicts in the Middle East, but not all Muslims are happy with his plan. Some terrorist group finds the lost Israeli nuke and with the help of a few other terrorist friends, there is tremendous concern to what they will do with the bomb. The book imagery is so vivid that after reading the lengthy novel, one should watch the movie and wander why the movie picture is so dull. I sometimes come back to this book whenever I want a Tom Clancy fix. Great ‘Clancy Classic’ and again, a very intriguing read. Good strong characters and very suiting character development. If you are looking for a good Clancy read - look no further. Sum of All Fears is vintage Tom Clancy.
--Patriot Games - “The Patriot Games” movie changes from the book are mainly made not for the sake of clarity but rather to make it feel more like an action/thriller film. I enjoyed reading the book and have seen and enjoyed the movie dozens of times but reading the book was more fun than I anticipated. I'm not a purist when it comes to adapting books to movies and I appreciated the adaptions made between the book and the movie. The movie is fabulous in its own right but reading the book let my imagination visually soar. The storyline is just one entertaining wild ride. Another very much enjoyed Clancy novel that I would highly recommend!
--Clear and Present Danger - I think Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Sr. character makes for a great political hero in his books. So does John Clark who Ryan first meets and becomes very good friends with in “Clear and Present Danger.” This is a good story about America's attempt to use a covert military operation to stem the drug trade from Columbia, an action sanctioned by the president during an election year. The political infighting is fascinating - a study in personal gain, leverage, and back-stabbing. The operation itself is described with an enormous amount of detail, from the planning, supplies, strategy, tactics, and of course, weapons. And the suspense is literally edge of your seat reading. I reread this Clancy classic after watching the movie for however many times and enjoyed the book even more. Don’t get me wrong the movie was really good as well but it helped with the visualization while reading the book. I visualize Harrison Ford now whenever I think of Jack Ryan and that’s not a bad thing. One of my favorite Clancy novels and movies.
--Sum of All Fears - I can tell that Tom Clancy wrote “Sum of All Fears” to be made into another one of his movies. The book is clearly a fictional political espionage thriller that is intriguing, suspenseful, and enthralling! The story is about Israel losing a nuclear bomb in the past and now with trouble brewing in the Middle East, Jack Ryan (played by actor Ben Affleck in the film) comes up with an idea to fix the conflicts in the Middle East, but not all Muslims are happy with his plan. Some terrorist group finds the lost Israeli nuke and with the help of a few other terrorist friends, there is tremendous concern to what they will do with the bomb. The book imagery is so vivid that after reading the lengthy novel, one should watch the movie and wander why the movie picture is so dull. I sometimes come back to this book whenever I want a Tom Clancy fix. Great ‘Clancy Classic’ and again, a very intriguing read. Good strong characters and very suiting character development. If you are looking for a good Clancy read - look no further. Sum of All Fears is vintage Tom Clancy.
March 22, 2019
The three books are three parts of the Jack Ryan series. I have reviewed the individual book and feel free to check out the individual books. Clancy grooves on technology. He likes to know how something works from subs to tanks and yes, even atomic bombs. You will be showered with techno-talk but it is nice to learn something. I think he basically got things right. So you learn while in the midst of a thriller, great stuff.
March 20, 2017
I used this "three novels" to read "The Sum of All Fears" as I couldn't find it alone and it was next on the list when I was going through the Clancy books. Good that I get to read the other two as well. A terrifying scenario where terrorists obtain nuclear weapons material from an old warhead that was not recovered from a crash. From the collection of the nuclear material to the delivery of the bomb in the US at the Super Bowl was a terrific and horrible scenario.
January 20, 2016
PATRIOT GAMES
Most of the time the books are far better than the movies that are based off of them. I found this book difficult to get through at times. It was very long and some of the military vocabulary didn't mean much to me. However, I do believe it was a good story and found the differences between the book and the movie to be very interesting. Not sure if I will take the time to read the other two books in the series.
Most of the time the books are far better than the movies that are based off of them. I found this book difficult to get through at times. It was very long and some of the military vocabulary didn't mean much to me. However, I do believe it was a good story and found the differences between the book and the movie to be very interesting. Not sure if I will take the time to read the other two books in the series.
June 5, 2007
I have read all three of these books seperately, Well worth the read.
October 2, 2007
conspiracy... conspiracy... can't get enough
great intelligence-stories, written in details
great intelligence-stories, written in details
March 23, 2008
All three are good books, but it is WAY TOO HEAVY!!! Plus, the pages are bible thin, read these if you'd like, but not in this edition.
October 26, 2008
This one keeps you guessing. Very enjoyable. Again, better than the movie.
May 28, 2010
Jack Ryan FTW.
February 5, 2011
I remember buying this book for $2.35 at Target in Houston before going to National Guard one weekend. What a stupid bargain for three awesome stories.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews