# If I Liked Tom Clancy, I Would Also Like... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 8, 2017, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-liked-tom-clancy-i-would-also-like/784062 "2017-04-08T16:51:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cell\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@Cell\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cell_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-liked-tom-clancy-i-would-also-like/784062/21 "2017-04-09T04:05:07Z")
> [@MindsEye\_Watering](#): > > Prolific writer. Could you recommend one or two that were really outstanding? If you’re going to read Coonts you need to start with “Flight of the Intruder.” It’s his first book and introduces Jake Grafton, the protagonist for most of his following books. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-liked-tom-clancy-i-would-also-like/784062/22 "2017-04-09T04:42:52Z")
Dale Brown was an Air Force officer and B-52 weapons officer. I enjoyed a bunch of his books. Sort of like Coyle but in the air. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-liked-tom-clancy-i-would-also-like/784062/23 "2017-04-09T05:41:15Z")
Wow. Thanks, folks! I’ve got enough to read for a few weeks, at least. Please keep the suggestions coming! ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-liked-tom-clancy-i-would-also-like/784062/24 "2017-04-09T05:55:58Z")
Is Len Deighton any good? ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-liked-tom-clancy-i-would-also-like/784062/25 "2017-04-09T13:19:38Z")
I thought Arc Light and Invasion by Eric Harry were pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Cell\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@Cell\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cell_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-liked-tom-clancy-i-would-also-like/784062/26 "2017-04-09T13:35:47Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Dale Brown was an Air Force officer and B-52 weapons officer. I enjoyed a bunch of his books. Sort of like Coyle but in the air. And for Brown you need to start with his first book “Flight of the Old Dog.” It introduces the cast of characters that appear in the rest of the series. Don’t read “Night of the Hawk” until you read “FotOD.” ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-liked-tom-clancy-i-would-also-like/784062/27 "2017-04-09T17:46:20Z")
Might I put in a plug for a thriller writer whose themes are not-a-million-miles removed from Clancy’s: a fellow-Briton of mine, Desmond Bagley. His sixteen novels display a goodly degree of exciting action; and expertise on the characters’ part, with technical skills of sundry kinds. They are set in a great variety of – sometimes far-flung-- parts of the world, and partake of a variety of themes. Some deal with Cold War espionage; a fair number of others involve people being tested to the extreme by the violence of the elements and / or naturally hostile environments; there’s one about a remarkable smuggling feat, narrated from the point of view of the smugglers; another about private individuals waging a small-scale war of their own, against drug traffickers; yet another with an archaeology / treasure-hunting / problems with organised crime, mix. As told above, considerable variety, with an often-recurring theme of a tough and resourceful but basically ordinary guy, pitted against villainous organised collectives vis-a-vis whom he’s basically out of his league – but the hero usually wins through. Assorted nicely-drawn characters, some appearing in more than one novel, others not; and some of the bad guys are not without likeable / admirable traits. The narration is of a low-key, understated kind, in the best British tradition; with a good deal of wry humour. IMO some of Bagley’s novels are better than others; but I have not encountered one which I would class as not worth reading – and his best, I would rate as superb. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-liked-tom-clancy-i-would-also-like/784062/28 "2017-04-09T17:50:45Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > W.E.B. Griffin? Not quite the same thing but good in their own right. Except I’m still miffed at Butterworth for taking **The Corps** from setting up the Mongolian weather station to Korea in between novels. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-liked-tom-clancy-i-would-also-like/784062/29 "2017-04-09T18:11:08Z")
> [@Sangahyando](#): > > Might I put in a plug for a thriller writer whose themes are not-a-million-miles removed from Clancy’s: a fellow-Briton of mine, Desmond Bagley. His books are at Amazon - could you recommend his best one or two? ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-liked-tom-clancy-i-would-also-like/784062/30 "2017-04-09T21:36:49Z")
The first two which come to mind are \* High Citadel \* and \* The Tightrope Men \*, both excellent books with unusual plots. ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-liked-tom-clancy-i-would-also-like/784062/31 "2017-04-09T21:50:17Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Is Len Deighton any good? Len Deighton is fantastic. Mostly spy thrillers but he has quite a varied output, subjectwise. His closest to a techno thriller would be \* Bomber \*, a deeply researched fictional account of a bombìng raid over Germany in 1943, telling the story from both sides. ---
**Author:** ![Cell\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@Cell\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cell_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-liked-tom-clancy-i-would-also-like/784062/32 "2017-04-09T22:14:44Z")
_The Charm School_ by Nelson Demille. This book also provided some inspiration for _Day of the Cheetah_ by Dale Brown. ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-liked-tom-clancy-i-would-also-like/784062/33 "2017-04-09T22:38:59Z")
I like Frederick Forsyth. He hasn’t done much lately, apparently giving up on thrillers about a year or so ago because of his age. He said his wife didn’t want him to be traveling to dangerous places any more. However, before that he still produced about a dozen books with good characters and (to me) just the right amount of technical info to hold my interest. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-liked-tom-clancy-i-would-also-like/784062/34 "2017-04-09T22:54:56Z")
i’ve never read them but my dad loves Clancy and the Dirk Pitt novels by Clive Cussler mc ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-liked-tom-clancy-i-would-also-like/784062/35 "2017-04-09T23:47:43Z")
> [@MindsEye\_Watering](#): > > His books are at Amazon - could you recommend his best one or two? My personal top favourites: _The Tightrope Men_ – as mentioned by **Damfino** (the first one by the author, that I read); _The Vivero Letter_; and _The Freedom Trap_. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-liked-tom-clancy-i-would-also-like/784062/36 "2017-04-10T00:45:50Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I thought Arc Light and Invasion by Eric Harry were pretty good. Freaking love Arc Light. Don’t think it’s in print any more, I got the e-version a year or two ago. > [@Cell\_Guy](#): > > _The Charm School_ by Nelson Demille. This book also provided some inspiration for _Day of the Cheetah_ by Dale Brown. Came in to say Demille. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-liked-tom-clancy-i-would-also-like/784062/37 "2017-04-10T01:40:56Z")
Seconded on Forsythe. The Fist of God was a great book and one I can read over and over. Avenger was also pretty good, especially the last few chapters. The Cobra was strange but interesting. There was very little dialog in that one, as if Forsythe forgot to write that part of the book. The Afghan does have one very implausible moment to it but was otherwise fascinating. The Kill List is frighteningly plausible, with radicalized Americans attacking soft targets in a very random fashion. I have read the Ralph Peters books and although I enjoyed them (Red Army is fun - WWIII from the Russian perspective) the books are harsh and Peters is definitely not scared to make sure his characters don’t get a happy ending. As I recall War in 2020 was especially cruel to characters. Larry Bond is Tom Clancy’s better half. I still laugh at the dedication in HfRO or RSR in which Clancy admits that Bond’s name should be on the cover too. Red Phoenix was great and Red Phoenix Burning was an excellent sequel. Very timely considering what’s in the news lately. I did not enjoy Arc Light at all and I remember it as being a nuclear war novel without much nuclear war in it. Maybe I’ll have to try it again someday. An oldie but goodie is Whitley Streiber’s War Day. WWIII if each side only got to launch about a dozen missiles each. Lots of technical detail on how society tries to cope with the aftermath. The post-Clancy Clancy novels (not the Op Center, NetForce, etc titles but the Jack Ryan series) have been more entertaining lately. I don’t like the style of one of the authors (Grant Blackwood) but the Mark Greaney ones are fairly entertaining. And they actually have some humor in them which was something Clancy was terrible at. And from what I’ve read the Jack Ryan series authors are both retiring (so they can write their own stuff because it turns out they didn’t so much like being chained to a franchise that wants a new 1000 page book every six months) so we’ll see a fresh take on the Jack Ryan and Campus storylines. You might also like Against All Odds which was an unusual one-off outside of the Clancyverse continuity (except for a ham-fisted cameo at the end). ---
**Author:** ![DeptfordX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DeptfordX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeptfordX)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-liked-tom-clancy-i-would-also-like/784062/38 "2017-04-10T09:38:18Z")
Glancing over the (excellent) list, I’m not seeing much in the way of science fiction style techno thrillers. So how about. \*The Fold \*by Peter Clines _The Breach_ by Patrick Lee \*Influx \*by David Suarez [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-liked-tom-clancy-i-would-also-like/784062.md?page=1)