Farewell Tom

Tom Clancy

Many fans will be saddened to learn that famous author Tom Clancy has died, age 66.  Originally an insurance salesman, his first book “The hunt for red October”  spawned a new genre of adrenaline-fueled military and spy thrillers, often featuring character Jack Ryan. Five of his books, The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, and the Sum of All Fears were later made into movies, with a sixth based on his desk-jockey CIA hero, Jack Ryan, yet to be released. Read moreClancy  died in Johns Hopkins Hospital in his native Baltimore, Maryland, on 1 October 2013, according to US media reports, and a statement from his publisher, Penguin Books.

“He was a consummate author, creating the modern-day thriller, and was one of the most visionary storytellers of our time,” Penguin Group (USA)’s executive David Shanks said in a statement.   Clancy continued to play off – and sometimes almost anticipate – world events, as in the pre-September 11, 2001 paranoid thriller Debt of Honor, in which a jumbo jet destroys the US Capitol during a joint meeting of Congress. <Source: Stuff news>

Clancy wrote 10 nonfiction books, and 17 fiction books, with his final 18th book “Command Authority” due to be published December 2013.

– Natalie