Tom Clancy Books in Order

Tom Clancy was an American thriller author best known for the Jack Ryan series and the wider Jack Ryan Universe, that initially follows CIA analyst Jack Ryan from his first Cold War mission to the presidency. He’s widely credited with creating the modern techno-thriller, combining military strategy, espionage, and geopolitics with a level of technical detail unusual enough that Pentagon officials briefed him. Some of his books also became required reading at U.S. military academies.

His debut novel, The Hunt for Red October, was published in 1984 by a small academic press for $5,000, received an open endorsement from President Reagan, and became a national bestseller. Clear and Present Danger, published in 1989 became the top-selling novel of the 1980s. Seventeen of his novels reached the New York Times bestseller list, and more than 100 million copies have been sold worldwide. Tom Clancy died on October 1, 2013, but the Jack Ryan Universe has continued under other authors, including Mark Greaney, Marc Cameron, and Don Bentley.

This page lists all Tom Clancy books in order, including the Jack Ryan novels, John Clark books, the Campus series featuring Jack Ryan Jr., Red Storm Rising, standalone novels, nonfiction, and co-created franchise series. The main Jack Ryan Universe is listed in both publication order and chronological order.

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Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Universe Series (Books in Order)

The Jack Ryan Universe follows CIA analyst and former Marine Jack Ryan across a career that takes him from field operations during the Cold War through the director’s chair at the CIA and eventually to the presidency. The series is the backbone of everything Clancy wrote. John Clark, Ding Chavez, Jack Ryan Jr., and the Campus series all connect back to it. Because some books were published out of timeline sequence (e.g. Patriot Games, Red Rabbit, and Without Remorse), the publication order and chronological order are significantly different, which is why both are listed here. The chronological list also includes approximate story years to help place each book in the timeline.

While each subseries can be read on its own, there is enough crossover between characters and events to form a shared universe with its own reading order, especially in the continuation novels published after Tom Clancy’s death.

Co-authored with Grant Blackwood, Peter Telep, Mark Greaney, Mike Maden, Marc Cameron, Don Bentley, Brian Andrews, Jeffrey Wilson, M.P. Woodward, Ward Larsen, Jack Stewart.

Publication Order

1. The Hunt for Red October, 1984
2. Patriot Games, 1987
3. The Cardinal of the Kremlin, 1988
4. Clear and Present Danger, 1989
5. The Sum of All Fears, 1991
6. Without Remorse, 1993
7. Debt of Honor, 1994
8. Executive Orders, 1996
9. Rainbow Six, 1998
10. The Bear and the Dragon, 2000
11. Red Rabbit, 2002
12. The Teeth of the Tiger, 2003
13. Dead or Alive (with Grant Blackwood), 2010
14. Against All Enemies (with Peter Telep), 2011
15. Locked On (with Mark Greaney), 2011
16. Threat Vector (with Mark Greaney), 2012
17. Command Authority (with Mark Greaney), 2013
18. Support and Defend (with Mark Greaney), 2014
19. Full Force and Effect (with Mark Greaney), 2014
20. Under Fire (with Grant Blackwood), 2015
21. Commander-in-Chief (with Mark Greaney), 2015
22. Duty and Honor (with Grant Blackwood), 2016
23. True Faith and Allegiance (with Mark Greaney), 2016
24. Point of Contact (with Mike Maden), 2017
25. Power and Empire (with Marc Cameron), 2017
26. Line of Sight (with Mike Maden), 2018
27. Oath of Office (with Marc Cameron), 2018
28. Enemy Contact (with Mike Maden), 2019
29. Code of Honor (with Marc Cameron), 2019
30. Firing Point (with Mike Maden), 2020
31. Shadow of the Dragon (with Marc Cameron), 2020
32. Target Acquired (with Don Bentley), 2021
33. Chain of Command (with Marc Cameron), 2021
34. Zero Hour (with Don Bentley), 2022
35. Red Winter (with Marc Cameron), 2022
36. Flash Point (with Don Bentley), 2023
37. Weapons Grade (with Don Bentley), 2023
38. Command and Control (with Marc Cameron), 2023
39. Act of Defiance (with Brian Andrews, Jeffrey Wilson), 2024
40. Shadow State (with M.P. Woodward), 2024
41. Defense Protocol (with Brian Andrews, Jeffrey Wilson), 2024
42. Line of Demarcation (with M.P. Woodward), 2025
43. Terminal Velocity (with M.P. Woodward), 2025
44. Executive Power (with Brian Andrews & Jeffrey Wilson), 2025
45. Rules of Engagement (with Ward Larsen), 2026
46. Pressure Depth (with Jack Stewart), 2026
47. The Coldest War (with M. P. Woodward), 2026

Chronological Order

The chronological reading order of the Jack Ryan Universe differs significantly from the publication order, especially in the early novels. Where available, the approximate event years are included to help place each story in the timeline.

1. Without Remorse, 1969-1970 (epilogue in 1973)
2. Patriot Games, 1981-1982
3. Red Rabbit, 1982
4. The Hunt for Red October, 1984
5. Red Winter, 1985
6. The Cardinal of the Kremlin, 1986
7. Clear and Present Danger, 1988
8. The Sum of All Fears, 1990-1991
9. Debt of Honor, 1995-1996
10. Executive Orders, 1996-1998
11. Rainbow Six, 1999-2001
12. The Bear and the Dragon, 2002
13. The Teeth of the Tiger, 2006
14. Dead or Alive, 2007
15. Against All Enemies, 2008
16. Locked On, 2008
17. Threat Vector, 2009
18. Command Authority, 2010
19. Support and Defend, 2010
20. Full Force and Effect, 2010
21. Under Fire, 2010
22. Commander in Chief, 2010
23. Duty and Honor, 2011
24. True Faith and Allegiance, 2011
25. Point of Contact, 2012
26. Power and Empire, 2017
27. Line of Sight, 2018
28. Oath of Office, 2018
29. Enemy Contact, 2019
30. Code of Honor, 2019
31. Firing Point, 2020
32. Shadow of the Dragon, 2020
33. Target Acquired, 2021
34. Chain of Command, 2021
35. Zero Hour, 2022
36. Flash Point, 2023
37. Weapons Grade, 2023
38. Command and Control, 2023
39. Act of Defiance, 2024
40. Shadow State, 2024
41. Defense Protocol, 2024
42. Line of Demarcation, 2025
43. Terminal Velocity, 2025
44. Executive Power, 2025
45. Rules of Engagement, 2026
46. Pressure Depth, 2026
47. The Coldest War, 2026

Jack Ryan Series (Books in Order)

The Jack Ryan series follows CIA analyst Jack Ryan as he gets pulled into increasingly dangerous operations, starting with a Soviet submarine defection and eventually leading him to the presidency. Originally a history professor, Jack Ryan got injured as a marine lieutenant, after which he became a CIA analyst. Although he is an academic by heart, Tom Clancy consistently puts him in dire situations that take him away from his comfortable desk. The series begins during the Cold War and continues through the post-9/11 era, and Jack Ryan ages in real time across the books.

Reading Order

1. The Hunt for Red October, 1984
2. Patriot Games, 1987
3. The Cardinal of the Kremlin, 1988
4. Clear and Present Danger, 1989
5. The Sum of All Fears, 1991
6. Debt of Honor, 1994
7. Executive Orders, 1996
8. The Bear and the Dragon, 2000
9. Red Rabbit, 2002
10. Dead or Alive, 2010
11. Locked On, 2011
12. Threat Vector, 2012
13. Command Authority, 2013
14. Full Force and Effect, 2014
15. Commander in Chief, 2015
16. True Faith and Allegiance, 2016
17. Power and Empire, 2017
18. Oath of Office, 2018
19. Code of Honor, 2019
20. Shadow of the Dragon, 2020
21. Chain of Command, 2021
22. Red Winter, 2022
23. Command and Control, 2023
24. Act of Defiance, 2024
25. Defense Protocol, 2024
26. Executive Power, 2025
27. Rules of Engagement, 2026

John Clark Series (Books in Order)

The John Clark series follows CIA operative John Clark, real name John Kelly, a former Navy SEAL who becomes one of the CIA’s most effective field agents. He first appeared in The Cardinal of the Kremlin but becomes a major figure from Clear and Present Danger onward, and he gets his own series starting with Without Remorse (set during the Vietnam War). He is closely linked to his protégé Ding Chavez and appears in most of the main Jack Ryan novels as well as his own subseries.

Reading Order

1. Without Remorse, 1993
2. Rainbow Six, 1998

The Campus / Jack Ryan Jr. Series (Books in Order)

The Campus series follows Jack Ryan Jr., son of President Jack Ryan, who joins the Campus, an off-the-books secret intelligence and counter-terrorism unit that is on the surface a financial firm. While the main Jack Ryan novels are firmly in the political-thriller genre, the Campus books are faster-paced, and they’re action thrillers. Ryan Jr. is a field operative rather than an analyst.

Reading Order

1. The Teeth of the Tiger, 2003
2. Dead or Alive, 2010
3. Locked On, 2011
4. Threat Vector, 2012
5. Command Authority, 2013
6. Support and Defend, 2014
7. Full Force and Effect, 2014
8. Under Fire, 2015
9. Duty and Honor, 2016
10. Point of Contact, 2017
11. Line of Sight, 2018
12. Enemy Contact, 2019
13. Firing Point, 2020
14. Target Acquired, 2021
15. Zero Hour, 2022
16. Flash Point, 2023
17. Weapons Grade, 2023
18. Shadow State, 2024
19. Line of Demarcation, 2025
20. Terminal Velocity, 2025
21. Pressure Depth, 2026
22. The Coldest War, 2026

Max Moore Series (Books in Order)

The Max Moore series follows ex-Navy SEAL and CIA paramilitary officer Max Moore who is assigned to covert missions involving terrorism and cartel violence. This section includes the published Max Moore novel. A sequel, Search and Destroy, was announced but remains unpublished.

Reading Order

• Against All Enemies, 2008
• Search and Destroy, TBA

Tom Clancy’s Op Center Series (Books in Order)

Tom Clancy’s Op-Center is a franchise series created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik and written initially by Jeff Rovin. It follows a crisis management and intelligence organization handling international threats. The series is not part of the Jack Ryan Universe. After Jeff Rovin stopped writing the books, the series was revived in 2014 with new authors. The books in this series were not written by Tom Clancy himself.

Written by Steve Pieczenik, Jeff Rovin, George Galdorisi, Dick Couch.

Reading Order

1. Op-Center, 1994
2. Mirror Image, 1995
3. Games of State, 1996
4. Acts of War, 1996
5. Balance of Power, 1998
6. State of Siege, 1999
7. Divide and Conquer, 2000
8. Line of Control, 2001
9. Mission of Honor, 2002
10. Sea of Fire, 2003
11. Call to Treason, 2004
12. War of Eagles, 2005
13. Out of the Ashes, 2014
14. Into the Fire, 2015
15. Scorched Earth, 2016
16. Dark Zone, 2017
17. For Honor, 2018
18. Sting of the Wasp, 2019
19. God of War, 2020
20. The Black Order, 2021
21. Call of Duty, 2022
22. Fallout, 2023

Tom Clancy’s Net Force Series (Books in Order)

Tom Clancy’s Net Force is a franchise series created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik and initially written by Steve Perry. Set in a near-future America, it centers on an FBI division combating cyber crime and virtual warfare. There is also a younger-reader spinoff, Net Force Explorers. Neither series was written by Tom Clancy directly.

Co-authored with Steve Pietzenik, Steve Perry, Larry Segriff, Jerome Preisler.

Reading Order

1. Net Force, 1998
2. Hidden Agendas, 1999
3. Night Moves, 1999
4. Breaking Point, 2000
5. Point of Impact, 2001
6. Cybernation, 2001
7. State of War, 2003
8. Changing of the Guard, 2003
9. Springboard, 2005,
10. The Archimedes Effect, 2006

Tom Clancy’s Net Force Relaunch Series (Books in Order)

The Net Force Relaunch series follows a reimagined Net Force team facing modern cyberwarfare, hacking, and intelligence threats.

Co-authored with Jerome Preisler

Reading Order

1. Dark Web, 2019
2. Eye of the Drone, 2020 (prequel novella set before the events of Dark Web)
3. Attack Protocol, 2020
4. Kill Chain, 2021 (novella)
5. Threat Point, 2021
6. Moving Target, 2023

Net Force Explorers Series (Books in Order)

The Net Force Explorers series follows younger protagonists in a spin-off set in the Net Force world. The stories are focused on cybercrime, virtual threats, and digital investigations.

Created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik, later written by Diane Duane, Bill McCay, Mel Odom, Mark Cerashi, John Helfers, and Russel Davis

Reading Order

1. Virtual Vandals, 1998
2. The Deadliest Game, 1998
3. One is the Loneliest Number, 1999
4. The Ultimate Escape, 1999
5. The Great Race, 1999
6. End Game, 1999
7. Cyberspy, 1999
8. Shadow of Honor, 2000
9. Private Lives, 2000
10. Safe House, 2000
11. Gameprey, 2000
12. Duel Identity, 2000
13. Deathworld, 2000
14. High Wire, 2001
15. Cold Case, 2001
16. Runaways, 2001
17. Cloak and Dagger, 2002
18. Own Goal, 2002
19. Death Match, 2003

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Series (Books in Order)

The Splinter Cell series follows covert operative Sam Fisher on stealth and intelligence missions in espionage and military thriller tie-in novels based on the Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell games.

Co-authored with David Michaels, Peter Telep, James Swallow

Reading Order

1. Splinter Cell, 2004
2. Operation Barracuda, 2005
3. Checkmate, 2006
4. Fallout, 2007
5. Conviction, 2009
6. Endgame, 2009
7. Aftermath, 2013
8. Firewall, 2022
9. Dragonfire, 2023

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Series (Books in Order)

The Ghost Recon series follows elite U.S. special operations soldiers (“the Ghosts”) on covert missions in military thriller tie-in novels based on the Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon games.

Co-authored with David Michaels, Peter Telep, Richard Dansky

Reading Order

1. Ghost Recon, 2008
2. Combat Ops, 2011
3. Choke Point, 2012
4. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands: Dark Waters, 2014 (Wildlands tie-in)
5. Dark Waters, 2017

Tom Clancy’s The Division Series (Books in Order)

The Division series is set in a near-future collapse scenario and follows agents and survivors navigating pandemics, civil breakdown, and covert operations in military and techno-thriller tie-in novels.

Co-authored with Alex Irvine,Thomas Parrott

Reading Order

1. New York Collapse (#0.5), 2016
2. Broken Dawn, 2019
3. Recruited, 2022
4. Compromised, 2022
5. Hunted, 2024

Tom Clancy’s Power Plays Series (Books in Order)

The Power Plays series follows the CEO of the multinational corporation Uplink International, Roger Guardian and his team fighting global terrorism and cyber threats on large scale. The series was not written by Tom Clancy directly.

Co-authored with Martin Greenberg, Jerome Preisler

Reading Order

1. Politika, 1997
2. ruthless.com, 1998
3. Shadow Watch, 1999
4. Bio-Strike, 2000
5. Cold War, 2001
6. Cutting Edge, 2002
7. Zero Hour, 2003
8. Wild Card, 2004

Tom Clancy’s EndWar Series (Books in Order)

The EndWar series is set in a near-future World War II conflict time and follows military and intelligence operations during a global crisis and devastating aftermath of a nuclear attack in military techno-thriller tie-in novels.

Co-authored with David Michaels, Peter Telep

Reading Order

1. EndWar, 2008
2. The Hunted, 2011
3. The Missing, 2013

Standalone Novels

• Red Storm Rising,  1986
• SSN: Strategies for Submarine Warfare, 1996 (with Martin Greenberg)
• Tom Clancy’s HAWX, 2009 (with David Michaels)
• Tom Clancy Presents: Act of Valor, 2012 (with Dick Couch, George Galdorisi)

Anthologies

• On Glorious Wings, 2003 (with Stephen Coonts, Dale Brown, Jack Hunter, et al)

Non-Fiction Books

Guided Tour Series

• Submarine, 1993
• Armored Cav, 1994 (also titled Armored Forces)
• Fighter Wing, 1995
• Marine, 1996
• Airborne, 1997
• Carrier, 1999
• Special Forces, 2001

Study in Command Series

1. Into the Storm, 1997
2. Every Man a Tiger, 1999
3. Shadow Warriors, 2002
4. Battle Ready, 2004

Tom Clancy Biography

Tom Clancy was an American thriller author whose work includes the Jack Ryan series, the John Clark novels, and the Campus series featuring Jack Ryan Jr. He has published more than a dozen novels, the majority of which reached the New York Times bestseller list.
Official website: tomclancy.com

Tom Clancy was born Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. on April 12, 1947, in Baltimore, Maryland, and grew up in the Northwood neighborhood in northeast Baltimore. He graduated from Loyola College in Baltimore in 1969 with a degree in English.

He worked in insurance for years and was running his own agency in Maryland when he wrote The Hunt for Red October, published in 1984. The Naval Institute Press published it for $5,000, which was an unusual venue for fiction, and the book became a national bestseller after President Reagan publicly praised it. That launch became the template for Tom Clancy’s books: technically dense military and espionage plots, with enough authentic detail to draw real attention from the Pentagon. He regularly received access to military hardware, briefings from officials, and his novels were at various points required reading at U.S. military academies.

In addition to the main Jack Ryan novels, Tom Clancy wrote nonfiction military books and co-created or inspired multiple spin-off and franchise lines, including Op-Center, Net Force, Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, and others that were later continued by other authors. Most of his best-known books are connected to the Jack Ryan Universe, while Red Storm Rising is his best-known non-Ryan standalone novel.

After several bestsellers through the late 1980s and 1990s, Tom Clancy co-founded the video game company Red Storm Entertainment, which he sold to Ubisoft in 2000 for $45 million. His later novels were co-authored, initially primarily with Grant Blackwood and Mark Greaney. He was also a part-owner of the Baltimore Orioles. Tom Clancy died on October 1, 2013, in Baltimore, at age 66. The Jack Ryan Universe has continued under several authorized authors since his death.

Tom Clancy Book Adaptions

• The Hunt for Red October – adapted into the film The Hunt for Red October (1990)
• Patriot Games – adapted into the film Patriot Games (1992)
• Clear and Present Danger – adapted into the film Clear and Present Danger (1994)
• Tom Clancy’s Op Center – adapted into the television miniseries Tom Clancy’s Op Center (1995)
• NetForce – adapted into the television film NetForce (1999)
• The Sum of All Fears – adapted into the film The Sum of All Fears (2002)
• Jack Ryan character – adapted into the feature film Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)

Tom Clancy Awards and Honors

Tom Clancy was one of only three authors to sell two million copies on a first printing in the 1990s (along with John Grisham and J. K. Rowling). Clear and Present Danger (1989) sold 1,625,544 hardcover copies and was the top-selling novel of the 1980s (hardcover sales figure).

Awards

• Tom Clancy – Golden Plate Award, American Academy of Achievement (1988)
• Tom Clancy – Alfred Thayer Mahan Award for Literary Achievement, Navy League of the United States (1990)

Honors and Recognition

• Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1992)
• Commencement speaker, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1992)
• Honorary Yeoman Warder of the Tower of London (“Supernumerary Yeoman”)
• Host, American Academy of Achievement Summit (1995, Colonial Williamsburg; 1997, Baltimore)

Tom Clancy Video Game Franchises

In addition to the books, the Tom Clancy name is also associated with several major video game franchises, especially in the military, tactical shooter, and espionage genres. Most of these games were developed and published by Ubisoft and are based on Tom Clancy-branded military and espionage settings rather than direct adaptations of his novels.

• Ghost Recon (including Ghost Recon Wildlands, Ghost Recon Breakpoint, Ghost Recon Future Soldier*)*
• Rainbow Six (including Rainbow Six Siege)
• Splinter Cell
• The Division (including The Division, The Division 2)
• EndWar

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