Tom Clancy (1947-2013) was born into and grew up during the Cold War. As a young man, he wanted to join the US Army but was unable to because of his poor eyesight. Clancy was a lifelong devout Catholic, a trait that he shares with his characters Jack Ryan and John Clark. Clancy became good friends with many members of the military after the publication of his first novel, including General Colin Powell, former Secretary of State and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who introduced Clancy to his second wife, Alexandra Llewellyn. Clancy also dedicated some of his books to conservative politicians, including former president Ronald Reagan. After September 11, 2001, Clancy appeared on several television talk shows claiming that the government “gutted” the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and this likely led to the terrorist attacks. Clancy’s political and religious beliefs, as well as his upbringing during the Cold War, are evident in his writing through his choice of character traits and his selection of the USSR as the enemy in several of his novels.

Clancy wrote 19 novels and 12 non-fiction works and inspired multiple works by other authors, as well as a list of video games and films based on his fictional works.