Tom Clancy Books In Order – The Complete List

Last Updated on March 12, 2024

If you’re looking to start reading some of the Tom Clancy novels, you might be wondering what is the right list of the Tom Clancy books in order for his Jack Ryan series and his other related series in the Jack Ryan universe. How should you read them from the beginning to the end since almost all series are somehow interconnected?

Or if you’ve already read a few, you might be wondering what you’ve been missing out on that you should catch up on before his latest book is published. The books in each series are listed in chronological order with the publication order listed at the end of each book. If you prefer the order in which the author published them, then start with The Hunt For Red October for the Jack Ryan books and series.

So here is the chronological list of Tom Clancy’s books in reading order, including Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan series, and the Campus series starring operative Dominic Caruso, nephew of President Ryan, along with Jack Ryan Jr.

After the author’s death, several series are being continued by other authors. I will list here all the books in the series, with the co-author named next to each book that Tom Clancy did not explicitly write.

New Tom Clancy Books

Command and Control
Command and Control (Tom Clancy Universe #38), 2023

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Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Universe Books in Publication Order

It includes the books from President of the United States Jack Ryan, his son Jack Ryan Jr / Campus, and John Clark

While each series is relatively separate from the other, there are enough overlaps between characters and events that a Universe has been created, with its distinct chronological reading order, especially after Tom Clancy’s death. Sometimes a book falls under several series, and it is rather difficult to set them apart. The entire list of reading in order of publication is below.

  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, 2018
  28. Enemy Contact (with Mike Maden), 2019
  29. Code of Honor, 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), 2022
  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

Jack Ryan Universe Books in Chronological Order – Timeline

When it comes to the J.R. universe, the order of reading is quite different from the publication order, especially for the first several novels. Here is the second list below. The dates are, with approximation, the years the stories are set in.

  1. Without Remorse, 1969-1970
  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, 2007-2008
  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, 2017-2018
  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, 2022
  37. Weapons Grade, 2023
  38. Command and Control, 2023
  39. Act of Defiance, 2024

Jack Ryan Novels in Publication Publication

This is the original Jack Ryan series that started the whole Universe. The novels that intersect with other series are also included here

  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

John Clark Series in Publication Order

  1. Without Remorse, 1993
  2. Rainbow Six, 1998
  3. The Bear and the Dragon, 2000

The Campus / Jack Ryan Jr. Books in Publication Order

the Jack Ryan Jr series; Jack Ryan Sr. aka President Jack Ryan is more of a background character here. Written by Grant Blackwood, Mark Greaney, Mike Maden, Don Bentley

  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, 2022
  17. Weapons Grade, 2023

Tom Clancy’s Op Center Books in Publication Order

co-authored with Steve Pieczenik, Jeff Rovin, George Galdorisi, Dick Couch

  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 Books in Publication Order

co-authored with Steve Pietzenik, Steve Perry, Larry Segriff, Jerome Preisler

  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 in Publication Order

with Jerome Preisler

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

Net Force Explorers Books in Publication Order

Created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik, this is a spin-off young adult series of novels from the military fiction series Net Force. Authors of these books are Diane Duane, Bill McCay, Mel Odom, Mark Cerashi, John Helfers, and Russel Davis

  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 Books in Publication Order

with David Michaels, Peter Telep, James Swallow

  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 Books in Publication Order

with David Michaels, Peter Telep, Richard Dansky

  1. Ghost, Recon, 2008
  2. Combat Ops, 2011
  3. Choke Point, 2012
  4. Dark Waters, 2017

Tom Clancy’s The Division Books in Publication Order

with Alex Irvine, Thomas Parrott

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

Power Play Series in Publication Order

with Martin Greenberg, Jerome Preisler

  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 Books in Publication Order

with David Michaels, Peter Telep

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

Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. Books in Publication Order

Commanders Non-Fiction Books in Publication Order

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

Military Reference Non-Fiction Books in Publication Order

Standalone Novels in Publication Order

Tom Clancy Anthologies

Tom Clancy Biography – About the Author

Tom Clancy
RIP Tom Clancy

I’ve decided to write this post because even after the author’s death, several other authors continued to write the books under his franchise, so, thankfully, the series is not dead! Also, there are several series that are interconnected and are part of the same universe, and often keeping the series separate is not so easy unless you have read all books (which I have).

The truth is, Tom Clancy is the author that brought the military thriller genre to my house. It was The Hunt for Red October which was later turned into a movie (that I still adore as well) the first book I read by this author.

And incidentally, it is the first Tom Clancy book written as well. This is when his literary career began, in 1984. I still consider this book one of his best overall, despite the many novels he has put out so far. This book is included in the Jack Ryan book series that is really his most popular work (at least in my opinion) of all fiction writings. After reading it (and watching the movie as well), I went on searching for reading all the rest of the Tom Clancy books in order.

New York Times bestselling author Tom Clancy is considered a legend among crime-fiction, thriller, military, and spy-thriller writers and readers alike.

He was born in an Irish-American family as Thomas Leo Clancy Jr in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1947, during the pre-Cold War times, so it’s not a big surprise that most of his novels are spy thrillers. In 1969, he graduated from Loyola College in Baltimore. He grew up in the Northwood neighborhood in northeast Baltimore. Before writing books, he was quite a successful insurance agent in Hartford, Connecticut. Next, in 1973, Clancy joined the O. F. Bowen Agency, which was owned by his wife’s grandfather. It took him a few years, but in 1980 he purchased said agency, and while still working there, he started writing books in his spare time. In 1980, he started writing his debut novel, which was then published two years later, in 1984.

The Tom Clancy novels have been called military thrillers, spy novels, techno-thrillers, political thrillers, simply thrillers, and so many more. This just shows how many genres his books can encompass, how many people it has touched, and how many worlds it has reached.

Command Authority

Tom Clancy has written 18 fictional books with the last one, Command Authority, released 2013. Sadly this was to be his last novel ever written by him directly. Even this book was, however, co-authored with Mark Greaney. His books have been all bestsellers, and over 100 million copies of his books have been sold over the years.

There are, additionally, further books written in his name, in series such as Jack Ryan, Jack Ryan Jr, Op-Center, Net Force, Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, and several others. However, most of the Tom Clancy stories are in the J.R. universe, with only 2, Red Storm Rising and Against All Enemies being standalone novels. The second book would have become the first in a new series featuring Max Moore, however, the second book Search and Destroy was canceled, which makes Against All Enemies a standalone novel.

If you haven’t picked them up yet, they are well worth reading. Beware, though, they are huge books, and I mean that literally. Each book has several hundred pages, and some are really really long. So you will be a truly happy camper if you enjoy reading long novels that you don’t want them ever to end. I thoroughly enjoy military thrillers / political thrillers with heavy military detail, and Tom Clancy is right up there with the best.

The J.R. universe is huge, and there are a few books that are separate from this universe, like his Net Force series, Net Force Explorers books, the Power Play series, the Ghost Reckon Universe series, EndWar series, and the one book in the H.A.W.X Universe.

So to answer the so-often-asked question: will there be more Jack Ryan books? Thankfully, yes, Tom Clancy’s legacy continues with authors like Grant Blackwood, Mark Cameron, Don Bentley, and Mike Maden. If you’re asking in what order to read the books, the lists above have covered pretty much all his and his successors’ novels.

In 2018, Tom Clancy’s main character, came to the big screen. John Krasinski was cast as Jack Ryan in the new Amazon TV series, which aired its pilot episode end of August of the same year based on the popular ryanverse. Currently, the TV show has two seasons (2018 and 2019 respectively), with the season 3 release date being the end of 2022.

Tom Clancy Books Adapted to Movies Released To Date

So far, the Tom Clancy movies that have been released to date are:

  • The Hunt for Red October, 1990, with Alec Baldwin and Sean Connery
  • Patriot Games, 1992, with Harrison Ford
  • Clear and Present Danger, 1994, with Harrison Ford
  • Netforce, 1999, with Scott Bakula and Kris Kristofferson
  • The Sum of All Fears, 2004, with Ben Affleck
  • Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, 2014, with Chris Pine, Keira Knightley and Kevin Costner
  • Without Remorse, 2021, with Michael B. Jordan

Tom Clancy’s Brand Name

Additionally, under Tom Clancy’s brand name we also have the following Tom Clancy video games:

  • Ghost Recon Breakpoint 
  • Ghost Recon Wildlands 
  • Ghost Recon Future Soldier 
  • Ghost Recon 
  • Rainbow Six Siege 
  • The Division 
  • The Division 2
  • Tom Clancy’s EndWar
  • XDefiant (TBA)

In 2016 the lovers of The Division games had the pleasure of seeing the first in so-far a two-book series, titled New York Collapse. In 2019, a second book was released under Broken Dawn.

124 Comments

  1. The JRU books are listed both in publication order and in chronological order. The chron. order is listed below the publ. order.

  2. As a begginer in JR universe, should I start reading the books in publication order or in reading order. Does it matter that much?

    1. For me, it didn’t matter too much, tbh, as I’ve read them in publication order, but now looking back, with all these many books published, I’d probably read them in chronological order.

    2. Micheal B.: I recommend Without Remorse novel first. It is fantastic and tells the beginning of John Clark and some other characters. If you decide to watch the movie, keep in mind it has little to do with the novel by the same name. It is a completely different story in a different time.

  3. My apologies, any knowledge of the Campus Series written in any European language?
    Thank you.
    VietnamVet

  4. I have not been able to find, “The Campus,” by Tom Clancy in English. I do have the German Copy, “Der Campus.”
    Was this book written only in German? Please, all constructive comments are cordially invited. VietnamVet

  5. I’m confused now about the “Jack Ryan Universe Chron Reading Order which says it’s the reading order for overlaps btw characters and events. However, Teeth of the Dragon is definitely listed as coming after Bear and Dragon, and yet there are comments on here about the time lines being too far apart.
    Can anyone advise as I’m making a reading list? Thanks.

  6. @Bill Farrar – Red Storm Rising is on the list above as a standalone novel along with Against All Enemies.

  7. If I’m not entirely mistaken, the – Tom Clancy’s Endwar series are three books, not four…
    – Endwar
    – The Hunted
    -The Missing

    There is also a – Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands novel called Dark Waters, written by Richard Dansky. I can definitely recommend it!

    BTW, does anyone know why the second Max Moore universe book Search and Destroy (Tom Clancy/Peter Telep) was cancelled and if it will ever be released?

  8. Is the Op-Center in the same universe as Jack Ryan? I’m reading Out of the Ashes and they mention a guy named Wyatt Midkiff is the president

  9. Dear Mysterysequals and other readers,
    I have read all the JR/JC/JRjr in publication order. Now I have had to retire I intend to read them in chronological order. However my memory is failing somewhat. Can anyone remind me which one features John and Ding handing out some rough justice to some crazies out side a 9/11 on behalf of Jack Ryan who is looking out for a crew member’s family the guy got killed coming out of Columbia in the book but was missed out of the film Clear and Present Danger?
    Also I was lent many years ago one of Tom’s other series of books. It involved a covert monitoring station overlooking Iran or Iraq.
    Sorry it’s all questions.
    Thanks for your time and trouble,
    Be lucky
    David

    1. Dear Mysterysequals and other readers,
      I have read all the JR/JC/JRjr in publication order. Now I have had to retire I intend to read them in chronological order. However my memory is failing somewhat. Can anyone remind me which one features John and Ding handing out some rough justice to some crazies out side a 9/11 on behalf of Jack Ryan who is looking out for a crew member’s family the guy got killed coming out of Columbia in the book but was missed out of the film Clear and Present Danger?
      Also I was lent many years ago one of Tom’s other series of books. It involved a covert monitoring station overlooking Iran or Iraq.
      Sorry it’s all questions.
      Thanks for your time and trouble,
      Be lucky
      David

    2. For David Truman, about the rough justice at a 7-11 convenience store, I know it is either Clear and Present Danger or Sum of all Fears. I’m just getting started on the story order of Jack Ryan, and I just read those two books.

  10. So happy to find someone is continuing this legacy. Also just realized there’s a few books I’ve missed. Thank you Mr. Greaney for continuing my absolute favorite of all time stories. Your books are just as reviting as Mr. Clancey’s are. Please please continue. Also now I have another author to read, even if it’s not a Jack Ryan or Jack Jr story. I do read others! Again, thank you so very much.

  11. enjoyed all – read all jack ryan, all of mr clark and 4 or 5 of the campus books, also the 2 stand-alone book – enjoyed all
    rip Mr Tom Clancy
    ave
    ps – another good Tom to read is Tom Harris

  12. So I just read Without Remorse and loved it! So should I finish off the Kelly aka John Clark books then start in on the Jack Ryan books? I know some of where big hits in the movies. Looking to read them in chronological order, as the main characters lives go. Thanks.

  13. Ok so I”ve been a huge fan of JR series and Tom Clancy for years now. In past few years I started the JR series over and read them in chronological order and have really enjoyed it. While reading the JR series I went ahead and mixed in the John Clark books to match near the Ryanverse timeline. I recently finished The Bear and the Dragon, and I”m stuck trying to figure out chronologically which book is really next. I’ve started reading The Teeth of the Tiger but it seems to jump way to far ahead and it also made mention of someone being killed that was very close to Jack. Now I know I didnt miss that!!! Or at least I don’t think I did!!! Can anyone steer me in the right direction?

    1. Yeah, following the order I also found the jump between the Bear and the Dragon to Teeth of the Tiger way to big. Jack retired, the murder of his friend (not to spoil too much), kids adult age etc… Just way too much time passed and unexplained.

  14. Just read Dead or Alive,time to retire Tom,did you have a bet on how many “initialisms “you coul get into each chapter”
    Did someone else write it for you?
    Was it Donald Trump?
    In the early days you asked your readers to apply some though to the plot,this is just megalomaniac hokum.

  15. Grant Balackwood’s “Duty of Honor” (2016) should be added to The Campus series. (I assume that’s where it belongs – I haven’t read it yet.)

  16. Just a clarification: The Jack Ryan / The Campus series intertwine with Blackwood’s “Under Fire” and Greaney’s “Commander in Chief”. Both published in 2015, but readers should know that Under Fire comes first. Ysabel Kashani is introduced in “Under Fire” and is an important character in “Commander in Chief” as well.

    The relationship between Jack Ryan Jr and Ysabel Kashani is established in “Under Fire” while their very trusting relationship is just assumed in “Commander in Chief”.

    I guessed wrong and read “Commander in Chief” first. It confused me a bit because Jack Jr puts a lot of trust in Ysabel, which doesn’t make sense considering Jack Jr’s previous relationships. “Under Fire” explains a lot about why they trust each other.

  17. Thank you for the list im new to reading Tom Clancy and i needed to know what book to start with in the Jack Ryan series

    1. If you enjoy technically detailed writing and crafty plots, start with Hunt for Red October. It was unique when it was released, especially how technology, command-and-control systems, and political decisions intertwine.

      If you would rather learn more about Jack Ryan the character, you might want to start with Patriot Games, which really establishes Jack Ryan’s personlaity and motives in a compelling story.

      Good luck!

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