Foreword 7
Introduction: Tapping into Patriotism 10
The Life of Thomas L. Clancy 12

Chapter 1: Clancy, Technology, and the Techno-Thriller
1. The Techno-Thriller and Its Origin
by William F Ryan 25
Reviewers have credited Tom Clancy with inventing a
new literary genre, the techno-thriller. In reality,
Clancy's books share many characteristics with an
older, established genre: science fiction.
2. Playboy Interview: Tom Clancy by Marc Cooper 38
At the height of the Cold War Tom Clancy's technothrillers were finding a comfortable niche atop the
best-seller lists. In this interview Clancy speaks candidly about the two main ingredients of his novels:
military heroes and technology.

Chapter 2: Reviews and Analyses of Tom Clancy's Major Works
1. Clancy's Accuracy Makes The Huntfor Red October
Successful by Kirk H. Beetz 55
The Hunt for Red October launched Tom Clancy's
career as an author of techno-thrillers. Critics feel that it is the accuracy of Clancy's perception of Soviet and
American cultures that make this book such a success.
2. Red Storm Rising Is a Well-Told Story
by Robert Lekachman 63
Red Storm Rising is a successful and satisfying novel.



Clancy's descriptions of military hardware are technologically accurate, the plot is interesting, and his characters are likeable and engaging.
3. The Cardinal of the Kremlin Is a Great Spy Novel
by Bob Woodward 67
The Cardinal of the Kremlin is Tom Clancy's best book
since The Huntfor Red October. Clancy's use of the
novel to call into question the superpowers' policy of
mutual assured destruction sets this work apart and
performs a public service.
4. The Sum ofAll Fears and Clancy's Creative
Accomplishment by Louis Menand 71
The Sum ofAll Fears demonstrates Tom Clancy's ability
to create a plot that is both complex and intriguing.
However, the novel suffers from Clancy's insensitive
characterization of women.
5. Cultural Paranoia in Debt ofHonor
by Christopher Buckley 80
Christopher Buckley attacks Clancy's appeal to readers:
xenophobia. Buckley likens Clancy to nineteenthcentury American writer James Fenimore Cooper,
saying Clancy is the best bad writer of his day.
6. Red Rabbit: An Unimaginative Novel
by Edward P Smith 85
A problem that all techno-thriller writers must face is that the Cold War is over.
Clancy addresses this problem by setting Red Rabbit during the height of the Cold War. The novel is a failed attempt to tap into
Cold War-era nostalgia among Clancy's readers.

Chapter 3: In His Own Words
1. Clancy Defends Space Exploration by Tom Clancy 89
Tom Clancy has long been a proponent of the NASA space program. According to Clancy,
to deny the exploration of space would be to deny humanity of its
potential to grow.
2. To the Terrorists by Tom Clancy 93
After the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York



and Washington, D.C., Tom Clancy released this editorial to the press as a warning to whomever was responsible for the attacks.
The message was clearly
stated: The United States will have its revenge.
3. Is the CIA to Blame for the September 11, 2001,
Attacks? by Tom Clancy 97
Following the attacks the media promoted the idea
that government officials were to blame for failing to prevent the terrorists' plot.
Tom Clancy dismisses this accusation, saying that in fact the nation's news media
are responsible for having formulated public disapproval of the CIA.

Chapter 4: Rebuilding an American Hero: The Appeal of Tom Clancy
1. Tom Clancy and the Cult of National Security
by Walter L. Hixson 102
A large part of Tom Clancy's success is derived from
how well he invokes the Cold War fears and assumptions among his readers. Clancy's demonization of the
Soviets struck a chord with those who believed in
Ronald Reagan's Cold War views.
2. Tom Clancy's Moral Seriousness by Walter Shapiro 115
Shapiro is able to separate Tom Clancy from his peers
as a talent because Clancy's writing is serious and he
writes with a moral purpose, which shows that honor
and heroism are still in this age of decadence.
3. Tom Clancy Understands the American Psyche
by Jason Cowley 123
Jason Cowley asserts that Tom Clancy's mass appeal is based on the fact that his novels tap one of Americans'
most deeply held fears: the destruction of their nation by alien forces. In a Clancy novel, war is always either
in progress or about to commence and the United
States is threatened with destruction.
4. Why Tom Clancy Is Popular by Marc A. Cerasini 129
Marc Cerasini writes that the real source of Clancy's



popularity is his positive portrayal of America and
American institutions. Clancy also presents positive
male role models, a break from what has been fashionable since the early 1970s.
For Further Research 133
Index 137