The IBIC Guide to Books By Tom Clancy
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December 25, 1994
As I suggested in the Dec. 18 What's
New for Book-Lovers, I think Tom Clancy's DEBT OF HONOR (G.P.
Putnam's Sons) raises two key questions:
- is this his best book yet?
- and what else is there left for his wish-fulfillment protagonist to do?
On reflection, I think the answer is that this is his best book
since THE
HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER. I'd still rate RED
OCTOBER as his best book. In fact, I think that, regardless
of what you think of the merits of RED
OCTOBER as a novel qua novel, we should acknowledge that RED
OCTOBER is an important book in the history of publishing
and reading in the late 20th century. It's important, and
enduring, in the same way as classics like THE
SCARLET PIMPERNEL (Baroness Orczy) and CAPTAIN BLOOD (Rafael
Sabatini). Fifty years for now, or a hundred, RED
OCTOBER will seem somewhat dated; but, like PIMPERNEL
and CAPTAIN
BLOOD, it will still be immensely enjoyable for readers
open-minded enough to accept it on its own terms, as a crackling
good story.
I don't think that mid-21st century Clancyphiles will recommend DEBT OF HONOR as the
ideal first book for a friend unfamiliar with the Grand Master of Politico-Military Thrillers.
But I think that many of those who enjoy Clancy now and then will regard DEBT OF HONOR
as a favorite in the ouevre. It's an impressive book. Not many authors have the
skill to put together a 766-page thriller that is paced as skillfully as this one.
As for the mechanics of the wish-fulfillment plot, I will say only that I found them
adequately credible, with one major exception. I do not wish to give the story away, but
I think it is safe to say that the development of the plot represents a major career move for Clancy's
protagonist, Jack Ryan, and that at the end of the book I found myself thinking of
another series of somewhat dated and tendentious (but still very enjoyable) politico-military
thrillers. The
HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER series has become ... ADVISE AND CONSENT?!
It remains to be seen whether Tom Clancy has become Harry Houdini.
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Editor's Recommendations, Summer 1996
In this inaugural edition of IBIC's Featured Books, I'd like to
draw your attention to several titles which have helped to shape my life
and thinking.
- When I was around fifteen, I came across Larry Niven and
Jerry Pournelle's science fiction novel, INFERNO. This '70s remake of Dante's
classic describes science fiction writer Allen Carpentier's
descent into Hell. It's still a very fresh, accessible take on
the classic. What a great movie it would make!
- The Niven/Pournelle INFERNO
immediately inspired me to read the original Divine Comedy.
I've read a number of translations over the years, but my
favorite is the one by Dorothy Sayers (INFERNO;
PURGATORY;
PARADISE). The notes
are excellent, and Sayers had such a knowledgeable and witty mind that reading
her prose is a pleasure in itself. (For those interested in a more contemporary translation, I should mention that Robert Pinsky received excellent notices for his 1995 THE
INFERNO OF DANTE : A NEW VERSE TRANSLATION; it's a very handsome book.)
- I also want to tell you about the late Henry Fairlie's THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS TODAY,
which probably did more than any other single book to galvanize me into a lifetime interest
in Christianity that led me, eventually, to faith. Ironic, because Fairlie was a self-proclaimed agnostic socialist! But
reading between the lines of this insightful and deeply feeling book, one realizes
that the love of God cannot have been far from Fairlie's heart.
- Finally, I should draw to your attention a more recent
acquisition, the very handsome NIV
STUDY BIBLE (10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION) from Zondervan, indexed and bonded in leather in
IBIC's theme color, burgundy (black
and brown
are also available). The notes to this Bible are amazing. They
appear to provide you with a very substantial portion of what you need to
know to have an intelligent layman's appreciation of the
linguistic and historical issues involved in understanding
Scripture.
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