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'The Hunt for Red October' author Tom Clancy dies at age 66

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  • 'The Hunt for Red October' author Tom Clancy dies at age 66

    'The Hunt for Red October' author Tom Clancy dies at age 66

    Celebrated author Tom Clancy, who became famous for best-sellers like “The Hunt for Red October” and “Patriot Games,” died on Tuesday. He was 66.

    Clancy died at Johns Hopkins Hospital after a brief illness, the Baltimore Sun reports.

    David Shanks, an executive personally involved in publishing all of Clancy's books, released a statement saying: "I'm deeply saddened by Tom's passing. 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."

    Ivan Held, President and Publisher of Penguin's G.P. Putnam's Sons imprint, added that Clancy was "ahead of the news curve and sometimes frighteningly prescient. To publish a Tom Clancy book was a thrill every time."

    Born in Baltimore, Md., Clancy first hit the best-seller lists in 1984 with "The Hunt for Red October." He sold the manuscript to the first publisher he tried, the Naval Institute Press, which had never bought original fiction.

    By a stroke of luck, President Reagan got "Red October" as a Christmas gift and quipped at a dinner that he was losing sleep because he couldn't put the book down, a statement Clancy later said helped put him on the New York Times best-seller list.

    A string of successful books followed, including "Red Storm Rising," "Patriot Games," "The Cardinal of the Kremlin," "Clear and Present Danger," "The Sum of All Fears," and "Without Remorse."

    Many of Clancy's works were turned into blockbuster movies starring the likes of Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck. The latest, based on his desk-jockey CIA hero Jack Ryan, is set for release later this year. Directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring Chris Pine, "Jack Ryan: Shadow One" is set for release in the U.S. on Christmas Day.

    In addition to motion pictures, Clancy even ventured into video games with the best-selling "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier," "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction" and "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent."

    Outside of his creative work, Clancy was a supporter of the Republican Party and became a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association in 1978. Clancy was also a part owner of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team.

    In 1999, Clancy married freelance journalist Alexandra Marie Llewellyn. He was previously married to his college sweetheart Wanda Thomas. They had four children together.

    Clancy's latest novel, "Command Authority," is slated to be released in December 2013.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.
    I grew up on the film Hunt for Red October and eventually ended up reading every single one of his books, numerous times. I'm really bummed out that he died
    Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

    Abusing Yellow is meant to be a labor of love, not something you sell to the highest bidder.

  • #2
    God bless him. Brought me countless days of reading and re-reading pleasure. A great techno-thriller novelist. There was really nothing remotely like him before Red October.
    "This aggression will not stand, man!" Jeff Lebowski
    "The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool." Lester Bangs

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    • #3
      Originally posted by bigross86 View Post
      'The Hunt for Red October' author Tom Clancy dies at age 66



      I grew up on the film Hunt for Red October and eventually ended up reading every single one of his books, numerous times. I'm really bummed out that he died
      So did I but I stopped after Debt of Honor. His writing had trailed off into fantasy land. Most of his plot summaries were so laughable unbelievable that I just stopped reading him. The only books I enjoyed was the Hunt for red october and red storm rising if you could get past his narcissistic tone regarding the virtues of America and that America is the only heavenly place.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Blademaster View Post
        So did I but I stopped after Debt of Honor. His writing had trailed off into fantasy land. Most of his plot summaries were so laughable unbelievable that I just stopped reading him. The only books I enjoyed was the Hunt for red october and red storm rising if you could get past his narcissistic tone regarding the virtues of America and that America is the only heavenly place.
        Yea but I enjoyed his books up to about the same point. Always thick back then,they kept me company on many 15 hour plus bus and train rides through out the world.

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        • #5
          I enjoyed reading the op-center series as a teenager. But getting older certainly makes you more cynical, and his plots are too rambo-fantasy to be appealing anymore.

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          • #6
            I enjoyed some of his books but on the whole, he didn't know what he didn't know. Good recruiter though.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Blademaster View Post
              So did I but I stopped after Debt of Honor. His writing had trailed off into fantasy land. Most of his plot summaries were so laughable unbelievable that I just stopped reading him. The only books I enjoyed was the Hunt for red october and red storm rising if you could get past his narcissistic tone regarding the virtues of America and that America is the only heavenly place.
              I'm with you on that; I actually enjoyed Red Storm Rising more than Hunt, mostly because it included air assets in his war scenario (I especially liked the scene where F-15C's out of Keflavik were strafing ships with their 20mm cannons). I started Rainbow 6, but lost interest about halfway through.
              "There is never enough time to do or say all the things that we would wish. The thing is to try to do as much as you can in the time that you have. Remember Scrooge, time is short, and suddenly, you're not there any more." -Ghost of Christmas Present, Scrooge

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Blademaster View Post
                So did I but I stopped after Debt of Honor. His writing had trailed off into fantasy land. Most of his plot summaries were so laughable unbelievable that I just stopped reading him. The only books I enjoyed was the Hunt for red october and red storm rising if you could get past his narcissistic tone regarding the virtues of America and that America is the only heavenly place.
                Agreed, he started getting seriously clichéd and jingoistic. There was also so much ghost-written stuff bearing his name that he seriously diluted his 'brand'.

                Of course, I'm sure he'd made so much money that he couldn't have cared less.

                All in all he really popularized, if not invented, the taunt techno-thriller. RIP.
                “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

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                • #9
                  The first book of his i read was read red storm rising. Got me interested in the cold war.
                  Hunt for red october was also fun but the rest of his output was crap.
                  For Gallifrey! For Victory! For the end of time itself!!

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by desertswo View Post
                    I enjoyed some of his books but on the whole, he didn't know what he didn't know. Good recruiter though.
                    My uncle who was a Lt Col in the US AF who flew F-15s in the Gulf War didn't think highly of him. He thought most of his books were so full of inaccuracies that he couldn't stand to finish reading the books through and just gave up.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Blademaster View Post
                      My uncle who was a Lt Col in the US AF who flew F-15s in the Gulf War didn't think highly of him. He thought most of his books were so full of inaccuracies that he couldn't stand to finish reading the books through and just gave up.
                      You don't know the half. My CO in USS Gridley (CG 21) previously had command of USS Gallery (FFG 26). He had Clancy more or less shoved down his throat by COMNAVSURFLANT, and he rode the ship for five days while they were doing workups. His view was that he was a nice guy, but would hold forth on stuff that he really didn't have a clue about; most especially ASW. He'd open his mouth and eyes would roll around the wardroom table. When I read Hunt For Red October, I'd already been on the job for six years; good story but he sort of drew conclusions about equipment and tactics that were just, well, ridiculous. Like I said though; good recruiter.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by desertswo View Post
                        Like I said though; good recruiter.
                        Who wins? Him or Top Gun?
                        No such thing as a good tax - Churchill

                        To make mistakes is human. To blame someone else for your mistake, is strategic.

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                        • #13
                          Rest in Peace. I hope he did it a good way in that he had the money to enjoy life and departed before the good life ended.

                          As far as his books go, I don't know. Read "Red October" and it was a good book but never got around to the rest of them though I probably have them around. So many books, so many writers, so much reading to do (and music and movies to absorb), life is just difficult to get around to it, especially when there are different approaches to what one is reading. Such as reading for content or reading to enjoy.

                          Long story short, what matters about a novel is whether or not it is enjoyable to read. Does it take one into another world. If it does, then it is a good book; if not, then oh well.

                          As I haven't read most of his books, I can't say. But of two other great writers........I stopped reading Robin Cook books because they became repetitive in their plots, their characters became the kind of people I would not want to be with ever. If I recall correctly, self centered, perfect little world people who become injured, self rightous, engaging on their own secret agent missions. In fact, to see them fail at the end might have been a reward.

                          Clive Clusser, on the other hand, WOW! He inspires, he hooks you. There are the people you want to be around, there is a writing which has you there in what is happening.....as I recall.

                          These days, though, I'm not much into novels (except catching up on those of my childhood) but more into adventure and personal quest books.

                          Rest in Peace, Tom, you wrote a good book.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Doktor View Post
                            Who wins? Him or Top Gun?
                            LOL!! I could tell you some inside stories about the making of Top Gun but they involve the personal lives of people who probably wouldn't appreciate their dirty laundry being aired in public, but suffice it to say that there are people featured in certain scenes who were real naval officers at the time and were, shall we say "seduced," by the Hollywood lifestyle. Strange things were afoot at the Circle K. ;)

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by desertswo View Post
                              LOL!! I could tell you some inside stories about the making of Top Gun but they involve the personal lives of people who probably wouldn't appreciate their dirty laundry being aired in public, but suffice it to say that there are people featured in certain scenes who were real naval officers at the time and were, shall we say "seduced," by the Hollywood lifestyle. Strange things were afoot at the Circle K. ;)
                              I imagine that there is a lot from Hollywood and novels that gets people to sign up.......how soon do they find out it's not like that?

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