10.02.13
Tom Clancy, gone at 66
Tom Clancy has died, astonishingly, at 66.
I was a very much younger man when I bought the first hardback edition of The Hunt for Red October from the Naval Institute Press. It quickly became a best-seller, propelled by blurb furnished by Ronald Reagan.
The rest of the story is known to everyone.
Clancy became the leading author of the techno-military thriller genre — he almost invented it single-handedly — essentially, bodice-ripper fiction for men where the romance is in the story of the military supremacy of the US, always struck low in the beginning of a usually not less then 400-page tale, then rising on the shoulders of brave and resourceful officers and enlisted men, or spies, to crush the enemy.
There were blockbuster movies, computer games, probably even a television show, an empire created.
I haven’t read any of it in decades and now might only have the Red October book, somewhere in a hidden pile.
Frankly, it was always pretty much crap but shite that was very appealing to a emotionally stunted but large young to middle-aged white male audience, jingo dudes who got erections over loving technical descriptions of advanced American weapons of war as they were in the process of destroying “the bad guys.” (The latter of which Dave Barry lampooned in an hilarious column a long time ago).
Another way of putting it: Tom Clancy was very dear to the beating heart of WhiteManistan.
I outgrew it and got rid the books, even those of the coat-tailing authors, of which there were and are still way too many.
Still respect must be paid to the achievement and regret shown over his passing too soon. Clancy’s millions of books made people happy, including me, for a bit. And just a day ago I noticed a newer title by the man in the one place where many Americans are still most likely to buy an occasional book — the grocery store.
Clancy was the original. Rest in Peace.