Tom Clancy is the superstar of techno-thriller writers, not only in sales but in the loyalty of his fans, among whom presidents and vice presidents are numbered. To read a Clancy novel is to begin to know the writer himself and his alter ego, Jack Ryan. This, the first book-length critical study of his work, examines both the work and the man who is reflected in it: his knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes. In Clancy's eight novels, discussed and analyzed in separate chapters, we see both the emerging hero and the changing author.

Garson provides close examination of each of...