Books of Tom Clancy Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Hunt for Red October

"The Hunt for Red October" was published in 1984 and immediately became a number #1 bestseller! Later, it was made into a Hollywood blockbuster hit starring Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin and James Earl Jones.

The story deals with a Soviet nuclear submarine with a revolutionary new silent drive. However, the officers of this submarine have been carefully selected by the captain, Marko Ramius, and their ultimate plan is to defect to the United States. The Soviets claim that the captain has gone mad and wants to nuke Washington, and the only person brave enough to volunteer an alternate solution to the problem is CIA analyst Jack Ryan.

Answer: False

In the novel "Without Remorse", John Kelly (Mr. Clark) is the main character, though Jack Ryan gets mentioned briefly, and in the novel "Red Storm Rising", Ryan doesn't appear at all. However, this novel has no connection with the rest of the 'Jack Ryan' series and is just a sensationalization of a theoretical war at the end of the 'Cold War'.

Answer: The Sum of All Fears

In "The Sum of All Fears", a nuclear bomb is set off at the Superbowl. Although it fizzes from helium contamination, it still kills off many people. This nuclear bomb was dislodged off of an Israeli fighter jet in the 'Six-Day War' and dug up years later by an Arab farmer. The story depicts the plot to set it off at the Superbowl, and the counterplot to bring these terrorists to justice.

Answer: Patriot Games

Ryan is on vacation with his family in London, and happens to foil a ULA plot to kidnap the Prince of Wales' newborn child. He is shot and wounded and becomes famous for saving the Royal Family. Although he is a history professor, he gets noticed by the CIA, and also by the ULA who want to retaliate, violently.

Answer: Red Storm Rising

The novel "Red Storm Rising" is a theoretical war between the Soviets and the rest of NATO, and is not a part of Clancy's Jack Ryan series. He also has another fiction novel not connected to the Jack Ryan series titled "SSN: Strategies of Submarine Warfare". It is little known, but should be noted here.

Answer: Debt of Honor

In "Debt of Honor", Jack Ryan is to be sworn in as Vice-President when a crazy Japanese airline pilot flies his Boeing 747 straight into the Capitol. Unfortunately, both Houses of Congress and the Cabinet are present and they are all killed. Ryan is quickly sworn in as President, and that's where the book ends.

Answer: Clear and Present Danger

Chavez is recruited in "Clear and Present Danger" as a Spanish-speaking 'grunt' with no family and no ties for a black operation in the jungles of Colombia. When the operation goes sour and the US administration denies all knowledge of their existence, Jack Ryan and Mr. Clark have to use their wits and connections to save the stranded US servicemen.

Answer: The Bear and the Dragon

In "Cardinal of the Kremlin" Ryan arranges for the defection of KGB chief Gerasimov. In "Red Rabbit", it's Oleg Zaitzev, and in "The Hunt for Red October", it's Captain Marko Ramius, along with the rest of his officers.

Answer: Patriot Games

Ryan foils a plan of an offshoot of the IRA - the ULA - in the novel "Patriot Games". He draws attention to himself, and they attempt to get even... This novel was remade into a Hollywood movie starring Harrison Ford, Sean Bean and Samuel L. Jackson.

Answer: Without Remorse

"Without Remorse" takes a look at how the persona Mr. Clark was created and involves Jack Ryan's father - Emmet Ryan. John Kelly loses his wife and, in his grief, befriends and falls for Pam, a woman escaping from her past as a prostitute and a 'mule' for drug suppliers. Pam gets cleaned up, but is killed anyway, and Kelly, now doubly grieving, is out to get revenge. At the same time, he is involved in the rescue of a fighter pilot now held by the North Vietnamese.

When the mission goes awry, Kelly's quick thinking helps him make the best of a bad situation and upon his return to the US, he manages to bring down the drug ring. The case against Kelly is pretty clear to Emmet Ryan and Kelly makes an escape by sea, but the Coast Guard moves in to capture him. Rather than be captured, Kelly blows up his ship and is presumed dead. Rescued by the CIA, Kelly is recruited as Mr. Clark, and begins a new life under that name.

Answer: Red Rabbit

KGB Major Oleg Zaitzev is motivated to defect because of this plot, and becomes a source of information for the Americans in "Red Rabbit". The Pope IS shot, but not killed, because of Ryan's awareness for the facts around him.

Answer: Without Remorse

In the novel "Without Remorse", John Kelly goes on a vigilante mission against the pimps that killed his love, Pam. To hide his identity, to make sure that Kelly keeps working for the CIA, and to keep him out of trouble with the local cops, Judge Moore and Bob Ritter give him an alternate identity as Mr. Clark.

Answer: Executive Orders

Terrorists get to the day-care, "Giant Steps", and attempt to kidnap the first daughter. Only a brave stand by the Secret Service and the FBI prevent this from happening. As President, Jack Ryan does wonders by trying to remain as apolitical as possible while keeping the support of the people.

He refuses to get involved in the political side of the Presidency, and as his cabinet, he appoints people who are able to do the job rather than people who want advancement in the political aspect.

Answer: a Soviet submarine

"Red October" is a new Soviet submarine that the senior officers of all want to defect to the United States. Along with their defection, they hand the US government a gift, the submarine itself!

Answer: The Bear and the Dragon

China covets the riches of Siberia throughout three books. In "Debt of Honor", they enlist the aid of the Japanese to capture Siberia. In "Executive Orders" it's the UIR (an amalgamation of Iraq and Iran) attempts to help them, and finally in "The Bear and the Dragon" they attempt to take over themselves.

Answer: Clear and Present Danger

"Clear and Present Danger" focuses on a 'black' operation in the jungles of Colombia to bring down the drug cartels. Several American teams are sent into the wilderness and rage havoc among the poorly trained drug lords, until...

Answer: Executive Orders

In "Executive Orders", the newly established UIR (United Islamic Republic) wages a war against the newly established Ryan regime in the US and tries to start a deadly outbreak of Ebola in America's major cities.

Answer: Cardinal

Cardinal is Col. Filitov's code name, the highest placed source in the Soviet regime. He gives excellent information in many of the books, but is compromised in "Cardinal of the Kremlin" and dies at the end.

Answer: Rainbow Six

Mr. Clark is "Rainbow Six", leader of the Rainbow counterterrorist group. They foil a plot to kill off all of the world's population by a group of radical "tree-huggers".

Answer: Insurance salesman

Amazing but true.

Clancy's first non-fiction book takes a look at American missile submarines, a subject recurring in many of his books and the main topic for his computer game, "SSN". His fascination for these quiet yet deadly sharks of the depths is what made Clancy famous in the first place. However, he's not an analyst, nor an ex-army officer. In fact, he's an English major that ran his own insurance business.

Thomas L. Clancy Jr. is an avid researcher of Russian-American strategies, and has lectured at the CIA, spoken with the President, but is not from the Intelligence community! He studied English Literature at Loyola College, though he had a love for physics that was impeded by his inability to actually do the problems.