What Tom Clancy book should I read first?

Question

My literary tastes are focused mostly on horror, fantasy, and science fiction, but I'm currently trying to branch out, and Tom Clancy is one of the authors that I'm interested in checking out. However, since I have never read a book by Clancy before, I don't know where to start. What would you recommend?

Answer 1

The Hunt for Red October - his first.

Answer 2

The sum of all fears, then hunt.

Answer 3

Read them in their chronological order. I find the Ryanverse books more enjoyable that way. I don't have the order right in front of me or I would list it. It might be on wikipedia. Red Storm Rising, a book not in any of his series, and Bear and the Dragon, of the Ryanverse, are two of my favorites.

Answer 4

The hunt for red october is the first he wrote

Red Storm Rising is pretty good, but a bit different from his usual fare, and doesn't have the backstory that the rest of them do.

Without Remorse is chronologically the first book in the Jack Ryan Universe.

Stay away from any of the collaborations (end war, spinter cell).  They suck.

Answer 5

Start at the beginning.  THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER is the one to go.