Executive Orders

tom clancy

The President is dead—and the weight, literally, of the world falls on Jack Ryan's shoulders, in Tom Clancy's newest and most extraordinary novel. I don't know what to do. Where's the manual, the training course, for this job? Whom do I ask? Where do I go? Debt of Honor ended with Tom Clancy's most shocking conclusion ever; a joint session of Congress destroyed, the President dead, most of the Cabinet and the Congress dead, the Supreme Court and the Joint Chiefs likewise. Dazed and confused, the man who only minutes before had been confirmed as the new Vice-President of the United States is told that he is now President. President John Patrick Ryan. And that is where Executive Orders begins. Ryan had agreed to accept the vice-presidency only as a caretaker for a year, and now, suddenly an incalculable weight has fallen on his shoulders. How do you run a government without a government? Where do you even begin? With stunning force, Ryan's responsibilities crush on him. He must calm an anxious and grieving nation, allay the skepticism of the world's leaders, conduct a swift investigation of the tragedy, and arrange a massive state funeral—all while attempting to reconstitute a Cabinet and a Congress with the greatest possible speed. But that is not all. Many eyes are on him now, and many of them are unfriendly. In Beijing, Tehran, and other world capitals, including Washington D.C., there are those eager to take advantage where they may, some of whom bear a deep animus toward the United States—some of whom, from Ryan's past, harbor intense animosity toward the new President himself. Soon they will begin to move on their opportunities; soon they will present Jack Ryan with a crisis so big even he cannot imagine it. Tom Clancy has written remarkable novels before, but nothing comparable to the timeliness and drama of Executive Orders. Filled with the exceptional realism and intricate plotting that are his hallmarks, it attests to the words of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: This man can tell a story.

Genres fictionthrillermilitary fictionespionageactionadventuresuspensemysterywarpolitics

1273 pages, Paperback

First published August 12,1996

Series

Jack Ryan

Places

washington d.c., tehran, baltimore maryland, chicago illinois, atlanta georgia,

This edition

Format: 1273 pages, Paperback
Published: January 1, 1998 by HarperCollins
ISBN: 9780006479758
ASIN: 0006479758
Language: English

Characters More characters

Pat Martin

Seasoned trial attorney in the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice. Also lectures at George Washington University on constitutional law. Tall, in his 50s. has been at Justice for 23 years, and was at FBI for 4 years before that....
Dave James

Dean of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, who recruits Colonel Alexandre (ret.) to join the faculty (in EXECUTIVE ORDERS)....
Pat Oday

Senior watch officer and Inspector at the FBI. Often sent out as troubleshooter on “touchy” cases. Widower and single father of a 2.5 year old daughter named Megan. Wiry build, 64” tall and 200 pounds, wears cowboy boots and drives a pickup truck though h...
Sergey Golovko

Chairman of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR, or RVS in the book; essentially the new KGB) and de facto principal foreign policy adviser to the Russian President. Adversary of Ryans during the Cold War, now a respected ally who calls him “Ser...
Ali Bin Sheik

Prince Ali Bin Sheik is a Saudi royal in Tom Clancys novel Executive Orders.more...
Arnie Van Damm

Chief of Staff for President Durling then President Ryan. Brought to the US as a child after World War II; his father was in the Dutch Resistance. (Secret Service codename: CARPENTER)...

About the author

tom clancy

Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. was an American novelist and military-political thriller pioneer. Raised in a middle-class Irish-American family, he developed an early fascination with military history. Despite initially studying physics at Loyola College, he switched to English literature, graduating in 1969 with a modest GPA. His aspirations of serving in the military were dashed due to severe myopia, leading him instead to a career in the insurance business.
While working at a small insurance agency, Clancy spent his spare time writing what would become The Hunt for Red October (1984). Published by the Naval Institute Press for an advance of $5,000, the book received an unexpected boost when President Ronald Reagan praised it as “the best yarn.” This propelled Clancy to national fame, selling millions of copies and establishing his reputation for technical accuracy in military and intelligence matters. His meticulous research and storytelling ability granted him access to high-ranking U.S. military officials, further enriching his novels.
Clancy's works often featured heroic protagonists such as Jack Ryan and John Clark, emphasizing themes of patriotism, military expertise, and political intrigue. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, he became one of the best-selling authors in America, with titles like Red Storm Rising (1986), Patriot Games (1987), Clear and Present Danger (1989), and The Sum of All Fears (1991) dominating bestseller lists. Several of these were adapted into commercially successful films.
In addition to novels, Clancy co-authored nonfiction works on military topics and lent his name to numerous book series and video game franchises, including Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell. His influence extended beyond literature, as he became a part-owner of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team and was involved in various business ventures, including a failed attempt to purchase the Minnesota Vikings.
Politically, Clancy was a staunch conservative, often weaving his views into his books and publicly criticizing left-leaning policies. He gained further attention after the September 11 attacks, discussing intelligence failures and counterterrorism strategies on news platforms.
Clancy's financial success was immense. By the late 1990s, his publishing deals were worth tens of millions of dollars. He lived on an expansive Maryland estate featuring a World War II Sherman tank and later purchased a luxury penthouse in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.
He was married twice, first to Wanda Thomas King, with whom he had four children, and later to journalist Alexandra Marie Llewellyn, with whom he had one daughter.
Tom Clancy passed away on October 1, 2013, at the age of 66 due to heart failure. His legacy endures through his novels, their adaptations, and the continuation of the Jack Ryan series by other writers.