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How Tom Clancy got himself court-martialed from my library

Once upon a time—many moons ago, back when summer holidays came with sunburns and sand in inconvenient places—I was a devoted foot soldier in the Tom Clancy reading army. His novels were the perfect beach companions: packed with pulse-pounding action, daring missions, and just enough techno-jargon to make you feel like you, too, could hack into the Pentagon with a strong coffee and a paperclip.

Clancy’s world was one of spies, submarines, and saving the free world before lunch. The stakes were always high, the pacing relentless, and the hero’s jawlines sharp enough to cut glass. Ah yes, the golden days of literary espionage.

Fast forward to today—same sun, same poolside, slightly better sunscreen—and I found myself craving a dose of nostalgic adrenaline. So I loaded up my e-reader with the two latest Tom Clancy titles. Two! I was feeling optimistic.

What a tactical error that was.

To say I was disappointed would be like saying the Titanic had a bit of a leak. The novels read less like gripping thrillers and more like overcooked PowerPoint briefings disguised as literature. Where once there was intrigue and tension, now there are pages filled with monologues that feel like AI-generated sermons on the greatness of the homeland™. I half expected the characters to turn and salute me after each chapter.

It was either written by a patriotic chatbot with a military fetish or by a ghostwriter who thinks plot twists are for communists. Either way, the thrill is gone—and I suspect Clancy himself might have staged a covert escape from the franchise long ago.

Needless to say, Tom Clancy (or whoever’s wearing his name badge these days) has now been honorably discharged from my personal library. Paper or digital—he’s on the no-fly list.

I’ll be spending the rest of the summer with authors who still know how to tell a story without turning it into a recruitment brochure.

Now, back to the pool. The sun is shining, the water is cool, and I have a fresh novel loaded and ready—this time, not sponsored by the Department of Defense.

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J²S