Have you ever been on a nuclear submarine, running from a torpedo, a mile under the ocean's surface? What about flying at Mach 2 in an F-15 Eagle toward an enemy bomber that is trying to destroy your only place to land? I didn't think so. Well, if this sounds like fun, then enlist now. I should warn you, however, that should these situations arise, there will be some mean people shooting at you, and a lot of them are good shots.

I only know of one person who can allow you to carry out your violent macho fantasies and keep you safe and sound. His name is Clancy, Tom Clancy.

Tom Clancy is an author, and a very good one. He wrote The Hunt for Red October which was turned into a smash hit movie in 1990. Clancy combines technical realism and brilliant description with compelling characters to create a stunningly vivid picture of a given situation.

In Clancy's first novel, Red Storm Rising, he gives us a look at a non-nuclear third world war (and though this may seem impossible, the political situation he creates makes this a viable reality) from the perspectives of a foot soldier, a fighter pilot, a captain of a Naval mine sweeper, and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

It would be easy to say that the greatest thing about Clancy's books is ... However it is not that simple because there is so much to compliment in all of his work.

The most remarkable aspect of Clancy's creations, in my opinion, is the detail with which he describes the most advanced military equipment in both the U.S. defensive forces, and that of her enemies (or former enemies, as the case may be).

Many of his novels take place during the Cold War, giving a perfect medium for the stories which he brings to life with the possibility of military conflict between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union. He takes you inside the Politburo, and the President's Cabinet meetings. You travel to the interrogation center in the basement of KGB headquarters, and a page later you are on board a Soviet submarine, playing hide and seek with a British anti-sub plane.

Other novels by Clancy include: Clear and Present Danger, Patriot Games, and The Sum of All Fears.

I have to recommend Tom Clancy's work to any of you who have to do any reading. His books are long but they are worth the extra effort. So if you want to target a French radar transmitter in a Russian bomber over the North Sea, but don't want to bother putting on a parachute, check out Tom Clancy, and you don't even have to go to the recruitment office. n