How to read Tom Clancy’s books in order

Are you interested in reading Tom Clancy’s books? There are a few things you will need to know before you get started.

Who is Tom Clancy?

Tom Clancy was an American writer. He was born in 1947 in Baltimore, Maryland. His primary focus was espionage novels set during the Cold War. His name was also used by numerous ghostwriters telling stories about military subjects, CIA, Soviets, marines, etc., and there is a series of video games as well.

An introduction to Tom Clancy’s writing

If you are interested in exploring the bibliography of Tom Clancy, there are plenty of books you can check out. The majority of them are focused on realism and military themes, and they are quite fun to read. The first book came out in 1984.

Book series by Tom Clancy

Tom Clancy wrote numerous series, and if you would like to read books following the same story, these are the most popular options.

Jack Ryan Universe

The series is one of Tom Clancy’s most famous collections, and it follows a character named Jack Ryan. His first appearance was in The Hunt for Red October in 1984, and there are nine books in the collection.

There are other stories, such as Commander in Chief and Red Winter, that weren’t written by Tom Clancy but are still focused on Jack Ryan.

Net Force series

The Net Force series offers eleven books, but they are not all written by Tom Clancy. The series was created by Clancy and Steve Piecznik, and the majority of books were written by Steve Perry.

Net Force Explorers series

One of the few spin-offs of the original Net Force is Net Force Explorers. It is a collection of eighteen books, and the premise was created by Clancy and Piecznik. Keep in mind that this series has Clancy as the creator, but he didn’t write any of the books. The authors are Diane Duane, Mark Cerashi, Bill McCay, Mel Odom, and others.

The books include High Wire, Private Lives, Runaways, Shadow of Honor, The Great Race, The Ultimate Escape, and others.

EndWar series

EndWar series or EndWar universe is another collection that bears Tom Clancy’s name, and it is a trilogy of video games. The titles are Tom Clancy’s EndWar, The Haunted, and The Missing. Once again, Clancy did not participate in the making of video games.

Ghost Recon series

Ghost Recon is among the most popular franchises based on Clancy’s work. It started in 2008, and there are numerous video games in the collection. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon easily became among the best-selling games of all time.

Op-Center series

The Op-Center series started in 1995, and the majority of books are written by Jeff Rovin. The story is set in an alternate reality exploring different stories and situations. The first book is Tom Clancy’s Op-Center, and it is set in North Korea.

Books include Into the Fire, Out of the Ashes, Scorched Earth, and others.

Power Plays series

The Power Plays series includes eight novels and that were published between 1997 and 2004. It was created by Tom Clancy and Martin Greenberg, and all books were written by Jerome Preisler.

Splinter Cell series

The first Splinter Cell game came out in 2004, and its popularity of it went through the roof. The series of games also inspired novels, and almost every game released was accompanied by a novel.

The Division series

The next on the list of video games inspired by Tom Clancy is The Division. The first game came out in 2016, along with numerous expansions. The sequel came out in 2019, and there are a few comic books that expand the story even further.

Publication order of Tom Clancy’s books

If you are interested in exploring the world of Tom Clancy and his novels, as well as other stories inspired by him, you will probably want to know more about the publication order of his books. These stories also include well-known characters, such as Jack Ryan and John Clark (Rainbow Six and Without Remorse).

Jack Ryan books

The Jack Ryan series is often the starting point for many people.

• 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)
• Debt of Honor (1994)
• Executive Orders (1996)
• The Bear and the Dragon (2000)
• Red Rabbit (2002)

All books were written by Tom Clancy. There are other stories that are focused on Jack Ryan, such as Code of Honor, Power and Empire, Oath of Office, and Full Force and Effect, but they weren’t written by Tom Clancy.

Jack Ryan, Jr books

At some point, Jack Ryan, Jr becomes an important character. He is Jack Ryan’s son, and there are several stories about him.

• The Teeth of the Tiger (2003)
• Dead or Alive (2010)
• Locked On (2011)
• Threat Vector (2012)
• Command Authority (2013)
• Under Fire (2015)
• Duty and Honor (2016)
• Point of Contact (2017)
• Line of Sight (2018)
• Enemy Contact (2019)
• Firing Point (2020)
• Zero Hour (2022)

Only the first two entries were written by Tom Clancy. Other writers are Mark Greaney, Grant Blackwood, Mike Maden, and others.

Net Force books

The Net Force started in 1998, it inspired numerous spin-offs, and it was created by Tom Clancy.

• Net Force (1998)
• Hidden Agendas (1999)
• Night Moves (1999)
• Breaking Point (2000)
• Point of Impact (2001)
• Cybernation (2001)
• State of War (2003)
• Changing of the Guard (2003)
• Springboard (2005)
• The Archimedes Effect (2006)
• Code War (2013)

Net Force was created by Clancy, but he didn’t write any of the books.

EndWar books

After the EndWar games were published, there were three books written in the same universe. The first two are by Grant Blackwood, and the third one is by Peter Telep.

• Tom Clancy’s EndWar (2008)
• Tom Clancy’s EndWar: The Hunted (2011)
• Tom Clancy’s EndWar: The Missing (2013)

Ghost Recon books

As with the EndWar universe, Ghost Recon also found its place in novels, and there are a few of them you can find.

• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon (2008)
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Combat Ops (2011)
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Choke Point (2012)
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands: Dark Waters (2017)

The books are inspired by the game, and they were written by various authors.

Op-Center books

There are twenty-two books in the Op-Center series, and it all started with Op-Center in 1995. Mirror Image came out the same year, and the majority of the books were written by Jeff Rovin.

Power Plays books

Power Plays books were written by Jerome Preisler.

• Politika (1997)
• Ruthless.com (1998)
• Shadow Watch (1999)
• Bio-Strike (2000)
• Cold War (2001)
• Cutting Edge (2002)
• Zero Hour (2003)
• Wild Card (2004)

The series was created by Tom Clancy and Martin Greenberg.

Splinter Cell books

The Splinter Cell series is based on video games, and there are eight novels available.

• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell (2004)
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Operation Barracuda (2005)
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Checkmate (2006)
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Fallout (2007)
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction (2009)
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Endgame (2009)
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Blacklist: Aftermath (2013)
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Firewall (2022)

Most of these novels are tie-in stories that accompany video games.

The Division books

Similar to Splinter Cell, there are a couple of novels set in the Division universe.

• Tom Clancy’s The Division: New York Collapse (2016)
• Tom Clancy’s The Division: Broken Dawn (2019)
• Tom Clancy’s The Division: Recruited (2022)
• Tom Clancy’s The Division: Compromised (2022)

Standalone novels

Tom Clancy also wrote three standalone novels that aren’t a part of any series.

• Red Storm Rising (1986)
• SSN (1996)
• Against All Enemies (2011)

Non-fiction

Finally, Clancy wrote a couple of non-fiction stories based on military equipment and various operations across the globe. These include Every Man a Tiger, Special Forces, Into the Storm, Shadow Warriors, and others.

Chronological order of Jack Ryan universe books

If you want to read Jack Ryan books in chronological order, the starting point is The Hunt for Red October. It is also Tom Clancy’s debut novel, and there is a movie adaptation as well. And if you like the story, you can continue with the rest of Jack Ryan’s stories (also known as the Ryanverse).

Tom Clancy audiobooks

Since there are so many different stories by Tom Clancy and other authors you can explore, the simplest approach is to listen to audiobooks instead of reading them. This will save you so much time, and you won’t need to look for physical editions.

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FAQ

Where to start with Tom Clancy books?

One of many options is to start with The Hunt for Red October. The book came out in 1984, and it is Tom Clancy’s debut novel, the first book in the Jack Ryan series.

What is the order of the Splinter Cell books?

The first book in the Splinter Cell series is Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, which came out in 2004. The books are inspired by the video game franchise, and they mostly serve as tie-in novels.

How many Tom Clancy books are there?

Tom Clancy has written twenty books. However, there are numerous other stories that follow his characters written by other authors. Books such as Shadow of the Dragon, Dark Zone, Target Acquired, GamePrey, Acts of War, Games of State, Dark Web, Balance of Power, Cold Case, True Faith and Allegiance, Chain of Command, and others were written by other authors.

These include Don Bentley, Marc Cameron, Mike Maden, and others.