Started reading his stuff when I was 9 years old, Patriot Games was my first, never stopped. Have read all of the Jack Ryan books at least twice, some of them as many as 5 or 6 times. I'm in the middle of a memorial re-read through of all his stuff. His books started tailing off in quality when he got into the serials and began taking on co-writers, but his original stuff was, and still is, incredible. Did you start with Red October or is Patriot Games your first?
Great place to start, chronologically it is the first novel. I'm pretty sure you will be eager to read the entire catalog once you are done with Patriot Games. Enjoy!! Don't miss out on Red Storm Rising, its not a Ryan book but it is still one of my top 3 of his.
I was thinking just Ryan-verse, but yes you are correct. Without Remorse and Red Storm Rising are neck and neck for my favorite non-Ryan books.
Yes it is, really rises above the tropes of a standard revenge story, and a great break from the typical setting Clancy was writing at that time. There's a movie rumored to be in the works for years, but with how the post-Harrison Ford movies have been handled, I'm not sure I want it to get made.
Yeah, they were saying Costner would be in it after that shitty shadow recruit movie. I wish they did a better job with those things
It also introduces jack Ryan very briefly when he decides to join the Marines. His dad is a supporting character
True, but I don't think it is considered as being a "Ryan-verse" novel. Loved having his dad in it though, great touch.
I've always seen it classified as one Doesn't really matter, but it has always been the intro to that universe to me
My mom has read all of his stuff and said I should read the Jack Ryan novels first (starting with patriot games) and then read without remorse and go through the (Clark I guess? The former SEAL who is supposed to show up along the way) other guys series. I wanted to just start with rainbow 6 but I'm told it's all better with context
I re-read the Ryan books (starting with Without Remorse) in chronological order a couple years ago. Amazing. I think I'm actually behind on the most recent 1-2 new books focusing on his kid.
yeah I am behind too, I've been buying them for my old man and then borrowing them to read. I know I still have (at least) Command Authority and Full Force & Effect to go, I think there's a few others as well I missed.
Yeah there's two more. Under fire and commander in chief. One is more about other guys at the campus though
all worth reading? I always default to "yes of course", but the writing was really lacking in a couple of the ones before he died.
They're putting out like 2 a year now. Hard to really keep up the quality. If I'm through Command Authority, I'm four back: Support and Defend (2014-07) Full Force and Effect (2014-12) Under Fire (2015) Commander in Chief (2015)
interesting. As a Clancy/Jack Ryan purist, I have hated everything since Baldwin and Ford had the title role. But I think I can get behind Krasinski playing Jack. Will be interesting to see how it goes, I've liked most everything Amazon has done.
Started on these new ones a few weeks back. Decently written but they all lack good endings. The endings are always rushed. The author will setup a whole world then just end it in one chapter. Its weird.