Jack Ryan: Difference between revisions

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[[Tom Clancy]]'s most famous series of novels, featuring CIA analyst Jack Ryan. Four of them have been adapted into movies, and one is connected to a series of video games. Among fans, this continuity is often referred to as the "Ryanverse."

 

== The Jack Ryan series (arranged by event chronology, not order of publication) ==

* ''[[Patriot Games]]'' -- Ex-Marine Jack Ryan, an American tourist in London, rescues the Prince of Wales from [[The Troubles|Irish terrorists]] and comes to the attention of both the IRA and the CIA. This was the second book to be filmed, with [[Harrison Ford]] as Ryan.

* ''[[Red Rabbit]]'' -- Ryan, a new CIA analyst, must assist in locating a Soviet defector with information about a KGB plot to assassinate [[The Pope]].

* ''[[The Cardinal of the Kremlin]]'' -- America's top agent in the Soviet Union is compromised, just as he comes into possession of plans for a system that could change the [[Cold War]] nuclear stalemate forever. Ryan must play a dangerous mind game against the head of the KGB to rescue the agent, with the balance of power in the Soviet government at stake.

* ''[[Clear and Present Danger]]'' -- A rogue adviser to the President launches a covert and illegal war on the Columbian narcotics industry, and Ryan must rescue the soldiers before they are abandoned to their fate. The third film from the series and the second to star [[Harrison Ford]].

* [[History Marches On]]: Given the time between publications of his novels, "time" for the characters gets stretched out as events in [[Real Life]] occur. For instance, Ryan leaves government service around 1992 in ''The Sum of All Fears'', but somehow spends only two years on vacation until ''Debt of Honor'', which takes places in 1996, and {{spoiler|serves as President}} for another year or two up until 2001-ish between ''Executive Orders'' and ''The Bear and the Dragon''.

* [[Hoist by His Own Petard]]: Former Vice President Ed Kealty near the end of ''Executive Orders''. In order to counter President {{spoiler|Ryan}}'s executive order quarantining America in the face of an Ebola epidemic, he files a suit to have the order vacated due to violating the Constitution. Unfortunately for him, by having the court refer to the President by name and office, he effectively kills his own claim for the Presidency {{spoiler|until ''Teeth of the Tiger''}}.

* [[Hooker with a Heart of Gold]]: Pamela Madden in ''Without Remorse'', is a [[Deconstruction]] of this concept. After befriending John Kelly and getting clean from drugs, she is ruthlessly raped and murdered by her former pimps.

* [[Honest Corporate Executive]]: In ''Debt of Honor'', Founder/Chairman of the Columbus Group of mutual funds George Winston is practically a saint, as are most of the Wall Street executives in the story.

** Also from ''The Bear and the Dragon'' {{spoiler|As of the mid-2000s, the Chinese nuclear arsenal had grown hugely in sophistication, numbers and mobility (specifically solid-fuel road-mobile ICBM's that can fire on virtually no notice) from what Clancy describes as a viable special operations target.}}

* [[Scotireland]]: The tendency of people to do this is [[Lampshaded]] in ''Patriot Games''.

* [[Semper Fi]]: Jack Ryan is a former Marine.

* [[Shoot Out the Lock]]: Defied -- in several novels it's pointed out that this does ''not'' work in real life. In most cases, the shooter has to use several more bullets and messily destroy the lock mechanism to open the door.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Long Running Book Series]]

[[Category:Spy Literature]]

[[Category:Literature]]

[[Category:Military and Warfare Literature]]

[[Category:Airport Novel]]