The Hunt for Red October (1984)Read about the other books on the list.
Clancy's debut introduces CIA analyst Jack Ryan in a tale of a Soviet nuclear submarine commander, Marko Ramius, (played by Alec Baldwin and Sean Connery respectively in the movie) who wants to defect to the US with his sub, while convincing his bosses that it has been sunk. The novel sets the template for Clancy's blend of espionage and military thriller, inaugurating a series that will influence film and TV as well as other authors – not by chance is the hero of 24 called Jack Bauer, and Homeland's apocalyptic second-season finale was highly Clancy-esque.
--Marshal Zeringue
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