Something old, something new, something borrowed: Clancy and Flynn

Back in 2009, I read the whole Mitch Rapp series (books 1-10) by Vince Flynn.  (Reviews here and here.)  As I noted at the time, these books feature super-agent Mitch Rapp, who has much in common with Jack Bauer of the TV series 24.  The books could each be a season of 24.  I also wondered about a link to Clancy.  The two are often compared, or I should say, Flynn is often compared to Clancy, as in "fans of Tom Clancy will like Vince Flynn."  Clancy is a master of spy/military/political fiction.  I won't say he created the genre, but I think he did prime an audience for Flynn and others.

With that in mind, I picked up The Hunt for Red October on CD.  Red October, the 1984 novel that vaulted Clancy to instant celebrity, set the standard for realism and accuracy in suspense.  This great story of the defection of a Soviet submarine commander introduces us to the hero of Clancy's books, Jack Ryan.  Clancy famously won a huge following in military circles with the realism and accuracy of the story.  Reading it now, 27 years after publication, after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, I enjoyed the Cold War perspective.  What a different world, when the U.S was the beacon of prosperity and capitalism, and the Soviet Union was a slave state.  I'm afraid our beacon doesn't burn as brightly now, and we are closer to being a slave state than we have ever been in my lifetime.  Cold War-era books like this can hopefully stick around as a reminder that we have been, and still are, at least for now, the nation to which people will give their lives, or steal a submarine, to get to. 

Clancy, looking pretty military.

Over the course of the next several decades, Ryan moves on from CIA analyst to president to retiree.  His son takes up the mantle of American hero, and in Dead or Alive we find him fully enmeshed in a secret, off-the-books ops group tasked with hunting down Osama bin Laden and thwarting a major nuclear attack on the U.S.  OK, it's not really bin Laden, but the character in the book is clearly modeled after him.  Over the years, Clancy's books have become longer and more complex.  He handles the vast cast of characters and variety of settings well, but sometimes it just feels too unwieldy.  The nuclear plot Clancy creates for Dead or Alive made me wonder if any real terrorist had thought of it before, and if they hadn't, whether they would try it now.  Readers of Debt of Honor (published in 1994) had to wonder if the 9/11 terrorists got some inspiration from Clancy's rogue Japanese pilot who crashed a 747 into the capital during the State of the Union speech, crippling the government.

As I write this, a few days after the real Osama bin Laden was tracked down and killed in his home, I can't help but wonder how Clancy might have inspired some of those involved.  The raid was carried out by Seal Team 6, which sounds similar to Clancy's Rainbow 6.  I know there have been occasions where novelists and script writers have met with government officials to brainstorm about terrorism (and I'm sure may other things).  Surely Clancy would be at the top of those lists.

So how are they?  If you've never read The Hunt for Red October, do.  It's a great book, a great story, and the book itself has a great story.  If you've read some of Clancy's other books and liked them, you'll want to pick up Dead of Alive.  It's been a long time coming; it had been seven years since he published Teeth of the Tiger.  But a Clancy newbie might not embrace it.  There's an awful lot of reminiscing and hinting at the previous books, interrupting with the flow of the story, and, as I suggested, it is pretty cumbersome.

I don't know if Flynn would credit Clancy for inspiration, but the comparison is hard to avoid for fans of both.  Flynn's stories seem much more serial-like than Clancy's.  As I've said, one of his books could be a season of 24.  Clancy's could be 3 or 4 seasons.  In a way, that makes Flynn more enjoyable.  His books are generally shorter and narrower in scope than Clancy's.  His writing does not neglect great character development and depth, but are more action-oriented and fast moving.  His style may be different, but his themes, characters, and military descriptions do recall Clancy.

Flynn doesn't look so military.

American Assassin goes back to before Transfer of Power, the first Mitch Rapp book.  We learn about the Rapp's early days, his recruitment, and his first major mission.  It stands alone, but Rapp fans will enjoy meeting some of the regulars from the Rapp books, and will appreciate the back story here.  But it's not all back story; it's a hard-driving action story, too.  Rapp's fiancee was killed in the Pan Am Lockerbie explosion; now he gets to track down the terrorists behind the plot and get his revenge.  Of course, it's not as simple as it seems.  Once again, I am reminded of Osama's take down.  The plot the Seal Team 6 guys used could have been planned out by Flynn--or is it vice versa?  I have never been in special ops--far from it!--but from reports we hear in the press about raids such as the one on Obama's compound, Mitch Rapp is based on the real deal.  Insiders could, I'm sure, pick Flynn's descriptions apart, but it seems like Flynn, like Clancy, does his military homework.

Osama and his followers are the enemy.  Osama got just what he deserved: a shot in the head.  Flynn couldn't have written it any better.  I don't know about the American reports of efforts to treat Osama's body according to proper Muslim tradition.  He certainly didn't respect the lives of the Americans he murdered.  It would seem more appropriate to leave his body to be eaten by wild dogs, or whatever scavengers roam around in the Pakistani countryside.  But I digress.  Clancy and Flynn write great pro-American, pro-military action stories.  I hope they continue to inspire more men like Mitch Rapp and Jack Ryan to serve our country and fight our country's enemies.