Draft:Jack Ryan (Book series)

Jack Ryan

The Hunt for Red October (1984) Patriot Games (1987) The Cardinal of the Kremlin (1988) Clear and Present Danger (1989) The Sum of All Fears (1991) Without Remorse (1993) Debt of Honor (1994) Executive Orders (1996) Rainbow Six (1998) The Bear and the Dragon (2000) Red Rabbit (2002) The Teeth of the Tiger (2003) and 39 others
Author	Tom Clancy Mark Greaney Grant Blackwood Mike Maden Marc Cameron Don Bentley Brian Andrews Jeffrey Wilson M.P. Woodward
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Techno-thriller Political thriller Military fiction Spy fiction
Publisher	Naval Institute Press G. P. Putnam's Sons Berkley Books
Published	1984–present
Media type	Print (hardcover, paperback) E-book Audiobook
No. of books	41 (as of 2025)

The Jack Ryan series is a collection of political thriller and techno-thriller novels created by American author Tom Clancy, centered around the fictional character John Patrick "Jack" Ryan Sr. The series began in 1984 with The Hunt for Red October and has consistently topped the New York Times bestseller list over 40 years. 17 of Clancy's Jack Ryan novels have hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and more than 100 million copies of his books have been sold.

Following Clancy's death in 2013, several authors, including Mark Greaney, Grant Blackwood, Mike Maden, Marc Cameron, and Don Bentley, have continued writing new novels for the franchise and its other connecting series with the approval of the Clancy family estate.

The series is part of what fans call the Ryanverse, a term for the political thriller media franchise created by author Tom Clancy centering on the character of Jack Ryan and the fictional universe featuring Jack and other characters, such as John Clark and Domingo Chavez.

Concept and creation

Tom Clancy developed the Jack Ryan character and universe while working as an insurance agent in Maryland, drawing extensively from his early interests and personal background. Clancy, who grew up in an Irish-American family in Baltimore and was unable to serve in the military due to nearsightedness, developed a passion for military history and strategy from an early age. He was described as a "nerd" who enjoyed playing military board games and was an avid reader of military history books and science fiction.

The author's research methodology became central to his character and world-building process. Many of Clancy's insurance clients were former nuclear submariners, both officers and enlisted personnel, whose expertise he systematically gathered. He conducted extensive research using military publications such as Armed Forces Weekly and Jane's Defence Weekly, and collaborated with subject experts ranging from Soviet defectors to retired Air Force generals. Clancy based his first novel on the real-life attempted defection to Sweden by the crew of the Soviet frigate Storozhevoy.

According to character sketches recently discovered by the U.S. Naval Institute, Clancy originally envisioned Ryan as born in the 1950s, the son of a Baltimore police officer and hospital nurse. The character was designed to attend Clancy's own alma mater, Loyola High School, and earn an economics degree from Boston College before joining the Marine Corps. The detailed background included Ryan's career path from a helicopter crash injury during military service, through work at Merrill Lynch, to eventual recruitment by the CIA while working as an associate editor with the U.S. Naval Institute.

The character of Jack Ryan was modeled partly on former Director of Central Intelligence Robert Gates, with Clancy telling Gates that "You know, for the first several novels, I pretty much modeled Ryan's career on yours". This grounding in real-world intelligence careers helped establish the series' commitment to authenticity in depicting government operations and military technology.

Main character

Main article: Jack Ryan (character)

John Patrick Ryan Sr. KCVO (Hon.), nicknamed Jack, is a fictional character created by author Tom Clancy. Ryan was born on May 17, 1950 to an Irish Catholic family in Baltimore, Maryland. His father, Emmet William Ryan, was a Baltimore Police Department homicide lieutenant and World War II veteran.

The son of a Baltimore police detective and a nurse, Ryan is a former U.S. Marine lieutenant and stockbroker who becomes a civilian history professor at the United States Naval Academy (USNA). Ryan works with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) initially as a MITRE contractor before becoming an analyst and occasional field officer, eventually leading it as Deputy Director. After retiring from the CIA, Ryan later served as National Security Advisor and Vice President before suddenly becoming President of the United States.

Books in the series

See also: Ryanverse § Chronology

The Jack Ryan series can be read in publication order or chronological order according to the timeline of events within the fictional universe. The first book written to feature Jack Ryan was The Hunt for Red October, though chronologically, Without Remorse occurs first in the timeline.

Novels by Tom Clancy

No.	Title	Author	Publisher	Date	Genre	Notes	ISBN
1	The Hunt for Red October	Tom Clancy	Naval Institute Press	October 1984	Techno-thriller	Clancy's first published novel. CIA analyst Jack Ryan assists in the defection of a respected Soviet naval captain	9780440001027
CIA analyst Jack Ryan assists in the defection of a respected Soviet naval captain, who commands Red October, the Soviet Navy's most advanced ballistic missile submarine.
2	Patriot Games	Tom Clancy	G. P. Putnam's Sons	July 1987	Techno-thriller	Prequel to The Hunt for Red October	9780440001034
Jack Ryan and his family become targets of the Ulster Liberation Army (ULA), a fictional offshoot of the Irish Republican Army, for foiling their attack on the Prince and Princess of Wales in London.
3	The Cardinal of the Kremlin	Tom Clancy	G. P. Putnam's Sons	August 1988	Techno-thriller	Jack Ryan works to extract a Soviet agent	9780425116845
Jack Ryan works to extract a Soviet agent while Cold War tensions escalate around the Strategic Defense Initiative.
4	Clear and Present Danger	Tom Clancy	G. P. Putnam's Sons	August 1989	Techno-thriller	#1 bestselling novel of the 1980s	9780440001065
Ryan becomes involved in covert operations against Colombian drug cartels as the CIA conducts secret military operations in Colombia.
5	The Sum of All Fears	Tom Clancy	G. P. Putnam's Sons	August 1991	Techno-thriller	Nuclear terrorism thriller	9780440001058
Ryan confronts nuclear terrorism as tensions rise between the United States and Soviet Union when terrorists detonate a nuclear bomb at the Super Bowl.
6	Without Remorse	Tom Clancy	G. P. Putnam's Sons	August 1993	Techno-thriller	John Clark origin story	9780425143322
Primarily features John Clark's origin story during the Vietnam War, with minimal Jack Ryan involvement. Ex-SEAL John Kelly fights drug dealers in Baltimore.
7	Debt of Honor	Tom Clancy	G. P. Putnam's Sons	August 1994	Techno-thriller	Ryan becomes Vice President	9780425147580
Ryan serves as National Security Advisor during a crisis with Japan. A secret cabal of extreme nationalists gains control of Japan and starts a war with the U.S.
8	Executive Orders	Tom Clancy	G. P. Putnam's Sons	July 1996	Techno-thriller	Ryan becomes President	9780425158630
Ryan becomes President after a terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol during a joint session of Congress. He must rebuild the government while facing biological warfare.
9	Rainbow Six	Tom Clancy	G. P. Putnam's Sons	August 1998	Techno-thriller	John Clark and Rainbow team focus	9780425170342
Features John Clark and his international counter-terrorism unit Rainbow, with limited Ryan involvement. Environmental terrorists plan to release a deadly virus.
10	The Bear and the Dragon	Tom Clancy	G. P. Putnam's Sons	August 2000	Techno-thriller	President Ryan in Sino-Russian conflict	9780425180969
President Ryan deals with conflict between Russia and China over Siberian oil and gold deposits, while managing a papal assassination attempt.
11	Red Rabbit	Tom Clancy	G. P. Putnam's Sons	August 2002	Techno-thriller	Prequel set in early 1980s	9780425191187
Prequel involving CIA analyst Ryan and a plot to assassinate Pope John Paul II. Ryan aids in the defection of a Soviet officer who knows of the assassination plan.
12	The Teeth of the Tiger	Tom Clancy	G. P. Putnam's Sons	August 2003	Techno-thriller	Introduces Jack Ryan Jr.	9780425197400
Introduces Jack Ryan Jr. and transitions focus to the next generation. Jack Ryan Jr. becomes an analyst for The Campus, an off-the-books intelligence agency.

Collaborative works (2010–2013)

Clancy solely wrote most of the novels up to 2010, after which point his next novels were co-written with Blackwood and Greaney.

No.	Title	Author	Publisher	Date	Genre	Co-author	ISBN
13	Dead or Alive	Tom Clancy	G. P. Putnam's Sons	December 2010	Techno-thriller	with Grant Blackwood	9780425244852
Features both Jack Ryan Sr. and Jr. The Campus tries to catch an Osama bin Laden-type terrorist known as the Emir.
14	Locked On	Tom Clancy	G. P. Putnam's Sons	December 2011	Techno-thriller	with Grant Blackwood	9780425248607
Continues The Campus storyline as Jack Ryan Sr. runs for President while Jack Ryan Jr. and The Campus face Pakistani intelligence threats.
15	Threat Vector	Tom Clancy	G. P. Putnam's Sons	December 2012	Techno-thriller	with Mark Greaney	9780425262306
Focuses on cybersecurity threats as Chinese cyberwarfare capabilities threaten American interests.
16	Command Authority	Tom Clancy	G. P. Putnam's Sons	December 2013	Techno-thriller	with Mark Greaney	9780425275139
Clancy's final completed novel before his death. President Jack Ryan deals with new Russian strongman Valeri Volodin's plans to annex Ukraine.

Continuation by other authors (2014–present)

After Clancy's death in 2013, Greaney, Blackwood, Maden, Cameron, Bentley, Andrews, and Wilson took over the character in their own respective contributions to the franchise.

No.	Title	Author	Publisher	Date	Genre	Focus	ISBN
17	Support and Defend	Mark Greaney	G. P. Putnam's Sons	July 2014	Techno-thriller	Dominic Caruso	9780425279229
Features Dominic Caruso as The Campus is shuttered and Dom must take on a rogue National Security Council staffer.
18	Full Force and Effect	Mark Greaney	G. P. Putnam's Sons	December 2014	Techno-thriller	The Campus returns	9780425279779
Returns focus to The Campus as they work to stop North Korean leader Choi Ji-hoon's nuclear weapons program.
19	Under Fire	Grant Blackwood	G. P. Putnam's Sons	June 2015	Techno-thriller	Jack Ryan Jr.	9780425283189
Jack Ryan Jr. adventure involving Iranian politics and terrorism.
20	Commander in Chief	Mark Greaney	G. P. Putnam's Sons	December 2015	Techno-thriller	President Ryan	9781101988817
President Ryan faces Russian threats and must prevent a new Cold War.
21	Duty and Honor	Grant Blackwood	G. P. Putnam's Sons	June 2016	Action	Jack Ryan Jr.	9781101988824
Jack Ryan Jr. survives an assassination attempt while on leave from The Campus and discovers he's being targeted.
22	True Faith and Allegiance	Mark Greaney	G. P. Putnam's Sons	December 2016	Techno-thriller	President Ryan	9781101988831
President Ryan must track down hackers who have compromised U.S. intelligence operations.
23	Point of Contact	Mike Maden	G. P. Putnam's Sons	June 2017	Techno-thriller	Jack Ryan Jr.	9780735215887
Jack Ryan Jr. must stop cybercriminals and assassins from causing a global disaster.
24	Power and Empire	Marc Cameron	G. P. Putnam's Sons	November 2017	Techno-thriller	President Ryan	9780735215917
President Ryan must prevent global war after tensions between America and China boil over. Cameron's first entry debuted at #6 on the New York Times bestseller list.
25	Line of Sight	Mike Maden	G. P. Putnam's Sons	June 2018	Techno-thriller	Jack Ryan Jr.	9780735215948
Jack Ryan Jr. must navigate Balkan blood feuds to prevent World War III from breaking out.
26	Oath of Office	Marc Cameron	G. P. Putnam's Sons	November 2018	Techno-thriller	President Ryan	9780735215979
President Ryan faces deadly challenges from multiple fronts: Iran, a lethal flu strain, a corrupt senator, and Russian nuclear missiles.
27	Enemy Contact	Mike Maden	G. P. Putnam's Sons	June 2019	Techno-thriller	Jack Ryan Jr.	9780525541691
Jack Jr. must eliminate a global intelligence conspiracy and face down the perpetrators.
28	Code of Honor	Marc Cameron	G. P. Putnam's Sons	November 2019	Techno-thriller	President Ryan	9780525541721
Features President Jack Ryan Sr. dealing with international crises while clearing his name from false accusations.
29	Firing Point	Mike Maden	G. P. Putnam's Sons	June 2020	Techno-thriller	Jack Ryan Jr.	9780593188064
While in Barcelona, Jack Jr.'s friend dies in a terrorist attack. Hell-bent on revenge, Jack discovers that she may have kept dark secrets.
30	Shadow of the Dragon	Marc Cameron	G. P. Putnam's Sons	November 2020	Techno-thriller	President Ryan	9780593188101
President Ryan faces serious intelligence security issues and strange noises beneath the Arctic sea as China poses new threats.
31	Target Acquired	Don Bentley	G. P. Putnam's Sons	June 2021	Techno-thriller	Jack Ryan Jr.	9780593188132
While filling in on a job for old friend Ding in Israel, Jack Jr. becomes the target of vicious killers.
32	Chain of Command	Marc Cameron	G. P. Putnam's Sons	November 2021	Techno-thriller	President Ryan	9780593188163
An evil mastermind and billionaire has his sight set on President Ryan. His first job: kidnap the First Lady.
33	Zero Hour	Don Bentley	G. P. Putnam's Sons	June 2022	Techno-thriller	Jack Ryan Jr.	978-0593422724
Only Jack Ryan Jr. can prevent another Korean war as tensions escalate on the peninsula.
34	Red Winter	Marc Cameron	G. P. Putnam's Sons	November 2022	Techno-thriller	Young Jack Ryan prequel	978-0593422755
Throwback prequel introducing a young Jack Ryan navigating the perils of the Cold War in 1985.
35	Flash Point	Don Bentley	G. P. Putnam's Sons	June 2023	Techno-thriller	Jack Ryan Jr.	978-0593422786
Continues Jack Ryan Jr.'s adventures in high-stakes international espionage.
36	Weapons Grade	Don Bentley	G. P. Putnam's Sons	November 2023	Techno-thriller	Jack Ryan Jr.	978-0593422816
After witnessing a staged accident turned professional hit in Texas, Jack Ryan Jr. delves into a small town's cold case, risking his life for answers.
37	Command and Control	Marc Cameron	G. P. Putnam's Sons	November 2023	Techno-thriller	President Ryan	978-0593422847
President Jack Ryan faces a dangerous coup in Panama, finding himself trapped in a deadly game of politics and assassination.
38	Act of Defiance	Brian Andrews & Jeffrey Wilson	G. P. Putnam's Sons	June 2024	Techno-thriller	Katie Ryan	978-0593422878
Katie Ryan, President Jack Ryan's astute youngest daughter, uncovers a covert Russian plan, challenging global security dynamics.
39	Shadow State	M.P. Woodward	G. P. Putnam's Sons	November 2024	Techno-thriller	Jack Ryan Jr.	978-0593717943
Features Jack Ryan Jr. in another high-stakes adventure involving international intrigue.
40	Defense Protocol	Brian Andrews & Jeffrey Wilson	G. P. Putnam's Sons	December 2024	Techno-thriller	Military thriller	978-0593717974
Military thriller in the Ryanverse focusing on defense protocols and national security.
41	Line of Demarcation	M.P. Woodward	G. P. Putnam's Sons	2025	Techno-thriller	Jack Ryan Jr.	9780593718001
The discovery of an oil field off the coast of Guyana plunges Jack Ryan, Jr into a cauldron of lies

Related series

Jack Ryan, Jr. Series

A spin-off series focusing on Jack Ryan's son Jack Ryan Jr. and his work with a covert intelligence organization called "The Campus". Many of the recent novels blend the main Jack Ryan storyline with The Campus operations.

John Clark series

Several novels in the series focus primarily on John Clark and Domingo "Ding" Chavez, including Without Remorse and Rainbow Six, though these are considered part of the broader Ryanverse.

Commercial success

The Jack Ryan series established itself as a significant commercial force in publishing from its debut. Clancy, who had hoped to sell 5,000 copies of The Hunt for Red October, ended up selling over 45,000 copies in its first six months. The hardcover version spent 31 weeks on the Publishers Weekly bestseller list, while the paperback spent 37 weeks on the same list. The series gained additional momentum after President Ronald Reagan publicly endorsed the first novel, referring to it as “the perfect yarn”

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the series achieved exceptional sales performance. Seventeen of Clancy's novels reached the number-one position on The New York Times bestseller list. The commercial peak of the original series occurred with Clear and Present Danger (1989), which according to industry data became the highest-selling novel of the 1980s. Clancy was among only three authors to achieve two million copies in first printing during the 1990s, alongside John Grisham and J.K. Rowling.

The series maintained market viability following Clancy's death in October 2013. Continuation novels by authorized successors have continued to achieve bestseller status. Marc Cameron's first entry in the series, Tom Clancy: Power and Empire, debuted at number six on the New York Times bestseller list in November 2017. Industry publication Publishers Weekly assessed the continuation efforts, noting that "All the writers who have contributed to this series since Clancy's death have been good, but Cameron's formidable performance puts him at the head of the pack."

Criticism

The Jack Ryan series has faced significant scholarly and cultural criticism regarding its political themes, ideological content, and broader cultural impact since its inception. Critics have examined the series through multiple lenses, including its role in promoting militarism, its function as propaganda, and its influence on American political discourse.

Academic and literary criticism

Early critical assessments of Clancy's work emerged from prominent publications. Loudon Wainwright, writing in Life magazine in 1985, characterized The Hunt for Red October as "close to an act of propaganda and caricature as those scores of Happy Yank films Hollywood turned out during World War II." Journalist Scott Shuger made a vocal critique in 1989, stating that "Learning how war works from Tom Clancy books is like learning how the law works by watching L.A. Law." The New Yorker offered satirical commentary, noting that "It will be pretty clear to readers of The Sum of All Fears that whatever it is Tom Clancy has, success has done nothing to spoil it," while the Washington Post characterized "Clancyland, with its games and gadgets and guns, [as] fulfilled the need of a pre-pubescent male."

Military historian Andrew J. Bacevich, a professor emeritus at Boston University and former U.S. Army colonel, has provided sustained academic criticism of Clancy's influence on American militarism. In his analysis, Bacevich argues that "Clancy did for military pop-lit what Starbucks did for the preparation of caffeinated beverages: he launched a sprawling, massively profitable industrial enterprise that simultaneously serves and cultivates an insatiable consumer base. Whether the item consumed provides much in terms of nourishment is utterly beside the point."

Political and ideological analysis

The series has been criticized for its consistent portrayal of American institutions and personnel as inherently virtuous while depicting foreign adversaries in often stereotypical terms. Critics have noted that the novels present a worldview where "all the Americans are paragons of courage, endurance and devotion to service and country," creating what some scholars view as an idealized and unrealistic portrayal of American power projection.

Themes and style

The Jack Ryan series is characterized by:

• Technical accuracy: The book was critically praised for its technical accuracy, which led to Clancy's meeting several high-ranking officers in the U.S. military
• Political realism: The novels often incorporate real-world political events and plausible geopolitical scenarios
• Character development: The majority of Clancy's novels are written as a series and not as stand-alone books. Consequently, his novels are famous for their character and plot development that carry from one book to the next
• Military and intelligence detail: Extensive research into military technology, intelligence operations, and government procedures

Adaptations

Film

Main article: Jack Ryan (franchise)

Five films based on Clancy novels featuring Jack Ryan have been produced. Jack Ryan was portrayed by Alec Baldwin in the 1990 film The Hunt for Red October, Harrison Ford in Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994), Ben Affleck in the 2002 film The Sum of All Fears, and Chris Pine in 2014 film Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.

With a combined unadjusted worldwide gross of $788.4 million to date, the films constitute the 57th highest-grossing film series. The films have been nominated for four Academy Awards, winning one for Sound Effects (now Sound Editing) in The Hunt for Red October.

Television

Main article: Jack Ryan (TV series)

A television series adaptation inspired by the novels and Harrison Ford films, titled Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, premiered on August 31, 2018, on Amazon Prime Video. The show was created by Carlton Cuse and Graham Roland, with Michael Bay as an executive producer. John Krasinski stars in the title role. The series ended with the fourth and final season in July 2023.

In October 2024, it was announced that a feature film serving as a continuation to the Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series was in development, with John Krasinski and Wendell Pierce set to reprise their roles.

Video games

Many video games based on the Ryanverse have been made, some based on the novels, some on the films, some on the spin-offs. Notable games include adaptations of The Hunt for Red October and the Rainbow Six tactical shooter series.

Legacy and influence

The Jack Ryan series has had a significant impact on the techno-thriller genre, establishing many conventions that continue to influence military and political fiction. Clancy's novels focus on the hero, most notably Jack Ryan and John Clark, and have spawned numerous imitators in the genre.

Regarding the continuation of the series after Clancy's death, Marc Cameron notes: "Some people are, like, ruined-their-life angry. I'm a lighten-up kind of guy. If you don't want to read them, don't. But there are so many stories in these characters, and we have an obligation to keep them going, authentically, like the original author wanted them to be".

See also

• Ryanverse
• Tom Clancy
• Jack Ryan (character)
• Techno-thriller
• Political thriller

External links

• Official Tom Clancy website
• Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan at IMDb (TV series)

This page will be placed in the following categories if it is moved to the article namespace.

Categories:

• Book series introduced in 1984
• Novel series