Let us bow our heads for a moment

[Handley_Page]

It has been reported that author Tom Clancy, writer of such novels as "the hunt for Red October", "Patriot Games" and so on, has died at the age of 66 in Baltimore.

 

[PennLady]

Can't say I enjoyed his books much, but my sympathies go to his family and friends.

 

[annanova]

I can't believe he was only 66.

 

[sr71plt]

Sorry to hear that--but I beg to differ with the article on him being easy to work with.

 

[johneb87]

Not just incredible novels and movies, but he inspired some great games such as the Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six, and Splinter Cell series. I am really saddened to hear this.

 

[R. Richard]

My sympathy.

 

[StrangeLife]

An fine writer and pretty much unsurpassed in his chosen category of literature.

I was always amazed by his factual knowledge about military stuff - the man must have done extensive research prior to each book. Combined with a talent for creating suspense-filled scenarios and populating them with interesting people you cared about it made for some kick-ass reading.

 

[Idarrau]

I am was so sorry to hear about his passing.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I was always amazed by his factual knowledge about military stuff - the man must have done extensive research prior to each book.

Unfortunately some of the later ones got sloppy. I remember one where he seemed to be very confused about what "quantum computing" was and what it could achieve.

 

[JKendallDane]

I had never read Clancy until recently but after 'Patriot Games' and 'Executive Orders' I became a real fan.

There will definitely be a empty slot in the niche he had carved out.

 

[sr71plt]

Unfortunately some of the later ones got sloppy. I remember one where he seemed to be very confused about what "quantum computing" was and what it could achieve.

And the first few were essentially ghosted. (The first two were straight out of Naval War College war games; the first one was entirely rewritten at the Naval Institute Press, and the second one was ghosted by Larry Bond.) He was a really good storyteller. He did have an English degree, but he was an insurance salesman, not a military researcher. The research wasn't his. It was spoon fed to him.

Don't want to speak ill of the dead, but he was created by the publishing industry and, yes, in later years when he thought he was better than he was, his books were sloppy because he threw over his handlers.

 

[lovecraft68]

On a personal level, its sad to see anyone pass, especially at a fairly young age.

On a literary level, totally overrated, the success of one book sold the rest, nothing overly original about any of them, in fact cookie cutter could be the term.

 

[bashfullyshameless]

Ping.

(One ping only)

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

Pilot - you are completely correct.

And I suspect you likely know who his source material was from.

Nevertheless, he did a fine job for what he was contracted to do, and I personally do like The Hunt For Red October.

He WAS a writer for all that he also was...

 

[sr71plt]

and I personally do like The Hunt For Red October.

Not to push this too far (I noted he was a good storyteller), but if you want to send a thank-you note for The Hunt for Red October, it should be sent to the Naval War College class of 1981 (for their annual war game) and to a dude named Jim Sutton.

 

[desertslave]

I thought he was an excellent storyteller, of the page-turning persuasion. Our bookcase will be sadder for the lack of any more of his stories.

As rough as time's toll has been on my own body, what I really hate is knowing I'm in "that age" of losing my favorite writers and musicians to mostly natural causes.

 

[lovecraft68]

Pilot - you are completely correct.

And I suspect you likely know who his source material was from.

Nevertheless, he did a fine job for what he was contracted to do, and I personally do like The Hunt For Red October.

He WAS a writer for all that he also was...

Pilot's source is the same as anyone else : Google.

Too bad you had to bite on another of his lies. Everyone else here was rolling their eyes and ignoring yet another of his asinine claims.

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

Re the pilot

Possibly. But he's very right about this one.

Actually I didn't think it was terribly much of a secret but it appears that even in Wiki there's only scant info and a reference to this 'Naval Institute Press' thing. And I think that from newer writers' perspectives it may be better that they are not under any illusions that someone like Clancy was 'just an author who found a publisher...'

I also noticed that from most of the comments posted here before Sr71plt's, people seemed to be almost totally unaware of the background and were talking about Clancy as if he were the actual sole generator of invented fictional stories - but that isn't the case at all. So that's why I posted. Who really knows, maybe the pilot does, maybe not so much - I could not possibly say.

...I'm not sure ANYONE really knows what the hell is going on in Western Intelligence organisations today - do they know, themselves??? Unlike the Soviet thing, where we all haven't been paid for years and years now and still can manage to stump up a few interesting wedges and levers, you Western guys are only now having to not get paid while your government is 'shut down.'

(I'm only joking, okay, in case a new Clancy is pouring through the digital data at that Baltimore facility).

 

[sr71plt]

This is yet another case of Lovecraft68's world being too small, not mine being too large. Feel free to check out anything I posted here.

He's just sucking all of the life out of this forum with his vendetta and his tinfoil-hatted conspiracy theories.

And, yes, I only posted because it got a little thick in here in praising someone for things he didn't do. Tom Clancy was an Annapolis insurance salesman with an undergraduate degree in English literature, who latched into his sub commander neighbor's naval stories and his mention that they did an annual war game at the Naval War College (in Newport, RI). He quizzed 1981 graduates of the war college about their war game, wrote up a manuscript and took it to the Naval Institute Press in Annapolis (after having what he wrote repeatedly rejected by other publishers). The press was looking to do a trade novel to try to generate a little income, latched onto the manuscript, had Jim Sutton completely rewrite it, ran off 14,000 copies of it, and, after President Reagan read it and mentioned it, got so swamped with sales that they had to sell it off to a major publisher.

So, the first book essentially was written by Jim Sutton, based on Tom Clancy's good idea generated by his neighbor's storytelling and ability to put Clancy in touch with some Naval War College graduates--which was augmented by the naval press' ability to more deeply research into the 1981 war college war game.

The second book, Red Storm Rising, was ghosted by Larry Bond, a naval analyst and author of better but less sold naval novels.

Patriot Games was largely reformed from Clancy's concepts by the editors at Putnam (and designated by Putnam as a best-seller before the first copy was printed).

From that point, Clancy's books were predetermined best-sellers and hands were held and guided by handlers through a series of good storytelling, but outlandish concepts and essentially same/same (but salable same/same) books until his head got too big and he insisted that he wouldn't have editors. So, the later books are a mishmash of same/same, but tending toward the unintelligible and misshapen mess.

Clancy is a prime example of the industry-manufactured best-selling author.

It's too bad he's dead, but a model for stumbling into being made a best-seller by the industry is pretty much the extent of his accomplishments. Worked for him, though, of course.

He sounds like LC's kinda guy. (The two probably have even more in common. Clancy was a political reactionary, conspiracy theory kinda guy, who was an arm chair warrior 4F'd in the Vietnam era because of poor eyesight and who was a highly opinionated and self-important slob. Even was dumped by wife #1 when she'd had more than enough of him and was dominated by wife #2.)

 

[lovecraft68]

I'm sorry Pilot, when did you meet Clancy? Was he buying golf clubs or just some tennis balls?

 

[RoyceConnors]

Not to speak ill of the dead, regardless of his source of success, but I enjoyed his novels and his writing style. I loved The Bear and the Dragon and most novels that involved the character Jack Ryan.

Regardless of his source of fame, what novel did you like of his best?

 

[sr71plt]

You're right, LC. You're pretty sorry.

The answer, though, was first in May, 1988 (I don't remember the day), at lunch at the Army War College in Carlisle, PA. Pretty frequently after that until he dropped his editors, though.

As for Jim Sutton, that would be in January, 1997, when I took his class in Publishing Marketing at UVa.

I never met Clancy's sub commander neighbor, but his name was Edward L. Beach (and he wrote the book Run Silent, Run Deep).

I've never met Larry Bond.

And, thank god, I've never slummed enough to meet you, either, although I drove past your house sometime on Wednesday of last week--and revved the engine to get past the stench quicker.

 

[JustaSCOUNDREL]

I liked every one I have read and that is everything he wrote. My favorite is Red Storm Rising. In that one he made even the bad guys (the Soviets) likable and a bit sympathetic.

No matter where he got his ideas and research from he was one hell of an author that had a way of keeping me interested in his stories.

I may not be as discerning a reader as some, but Clancy has over 100,000,000 books in print in 32 languages so I am more than willing to join the unenlightened and say piss on the naysayers.

Mike

 

[sr71plt]

I liked every one I have read and that is everything he wrote. My favorite is Red Storm Rising. In that one he made even the bad guys (the Soviets) likable and a bit sympathetic.

No matter where he got his ideas and research from he was one hell of an author that had a way of keeping me interested in his stories.

I may not be as discerning a reader as some, but Clancy has over 100,000,000 books in print in 32 languages so I am more than willing to join the if the unenlightened and say piss on the naysayers.

Mike

I still got to smile. Some people CAN be fooled all the time. Despite being informed otherwise, they still assume his books were all his work just because his name was on the cover. Such a total lack of understanding of the publishing industry--but they do count on such naivete.

He's genuinely due kudos for making the most out of what he had and, in cases like some entries on this thread, fooling some of the people all of the time.

 

[JustaSCOUNDREL]

I still got to smile. Some people CAN be fooled all the time. Despite being informed otherwise, they still assume his books were all his work just because his name was on the cover. Such a total lack of understanding of the publishing industry--but they do count on such naivete.

I do remember when I first read Red Storm Rising Clancy gave full credit to Larry Bond and said it was as much Bond's as it was his. I would look to see if I could find the book to quote the reference I gave, but my book shelves are full, overloaded and almost impossible to sort through. My wife and I are readers and not librarians.


Quite frankly you opinion is not worth a single moment of my time so it is off to iggy land you go. Do not worry, while you are there you can chat with your like minded buddies JBJ and LC two more arrogant, self important ass holes.

You are welcome.

Mike