Internationally Acclaimed Author, Tom Clancy Dies

Best-selling author Tom Clancy has died. He was 66 years old when he gave in to illness on Tuesday 1 October. His publisher confirmed his death. The American writer is best known for his works of fiction which have thrilled readers with tales of espionage and intricate twists as spies unravel the mysteries that affect national security.

Many of Clancy’s books were adapted for the big screen and had huge turnovers. His most successful novels include The Hunt for Red October, Clear and Present Danger and The Sum of All Fears. Tom Clancy created the “Jack Ryan” character who featured prominently in his novels. In different movies, “Jack Ryan” was portrayed by big screen legends such as Harrison Ford and Alec Baldwin. The movie Clear and Present Danger raked in $ 215 million at the box office and received two Academy Award nominations.

In 1994, Clancy penned Debt of Honor which was jolted back into the spotlight after the terrorist attacks in 11 September 2001. Clancy, a wild and “imaginative thinker”, conjured up a story about a breach of air defences by suicidal terrorists who fly into the U.S. Capitol while the president delivers a speech about the State of the Union. Clancy later said that he didn’t think that the U.S. military had the imagination required to outwit its enemies. Clancy worried: “I don’t see much imagination in government, except maybe looking for new ways to take money in taxes.”

According to media reports, the world will be privy to Tom Clancy’s final novel on 5 December. The novel, his seventeenth, is called Command Authority. The Chief Executive Officer of the Penguin Group (USA) Inc., David Shanks had nothing but praise for the author. He said: “He was a consummate author, creating the modern-day thriller, and was one of the most visionary storytellers of our time.” His fans are eagerly looking forward to the book’s release.