Patriot Games
Encyclopedia
Patriot Games is a novel by Tom Clancy
. It is chronologically the first book (predating the events in The Hunt for Red October
) focusing on CIA analyst Jack Ryan, the main character in almost all of Clancy's novels. It is the indirect sequel to Without Remorse
. The title comes from an Irish Rebel Song
called The Patriot Game
, an Irish ballad about the Border Campaign
in Northern Ireland
.
, along with their newborn firstborn son, from a fictional Irish terrorist group, the Ulster Liberation Army (ULA), by incapacitating one of the terrorists, taking his semi-automatic pistol and shooting another during a kidnapping attempt on the London Mall. The incapacitated terrorist, Sean Miller, is sentenced to life imprisonment
for killing the Prince and Princess' driver (the maximum penalty in the United Kingdom) but is freed by members of the ULA as he is being transported to prison. The ULA later goes after Ryan and his family, partially as an act of revenge, but primarily because they seek to reduce public (and specifically American) support for the rival Provisional Irish Republican Army
(PIRA). The ULA plans a strike against Jack Ryan and his family. The assassin sent to kill Ryan is intercepted before he manages to complete his task, but Ryan's expectant wife, Cathy, and daughter, Sally, are hurt by the terrorists: their car crashes after Sean Miller sprays it with automatic gunfire from a Uzi on the freeway. They are flown by helicopter to the University of Maryland Medical Center
.
After the attack on his family, Jack accepts an offer from the CIA to start working as an analyst at CIA headquarters. Later, the Prince and Princess of Wales come to visit Ryan in America. This gives the ULA another opportunity to conduct another operation—they plan to kill Ryan and his family and kidnap the Royal Family. The attack ultimately fails: after a firefight and a flight, Jack, his friend Robby Jackson, and the Prince, with the help of Marines and sailors from the Naval Academy and local police, manage to apprehend and subdue the terrorists. The ultimate fate of the terrorists is not stated but is predictable: to face trial for murder
in a country with the death penalty. Ryan arrives at Bethesda after the final arrest to be with Cathy for the birth of their son, who will be godparented by Robby Jackson and his wife, as well as the Prince and Princess of Wales.
In Clancy's later novel The Sum of All Fears
, it is mentioned in passing that Miller and his colleagues were sentenced to death and executed for their crimes. Jack Ryan, Jr., the son born at the novel's close, follows his father into the CIA, and becomes a central character in Clancy's first post-President-Ryan novel, The Teeth of the Tiger
.
in 1992. It stars Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan and Sean Bean as Sean Miller. Among the most significant changes were that the Prince of Wales is replaced as the terrorists' target with "Lord Holmes" (James Fox
), the Queen Mother's cousin and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; and Sean Miller is motivated by personal revenge against Ryan, who fatally shoots Miller's younger brother in the opening scene.
Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
. It is chronologically the first book (predating the events in The Hunt for Red October
The Hunt for Red October
The Hunt for Red October is a 1984 novel by Tom Clancy. The story follows the intertwined adventures of Soviet submarine captain Marko Aleksandrovich Ramius and CIA analyst Jack Ryan.The novel was originally published by the U.S...
) focusing on CIA analyst Jack Ryan, the main character in almost all of Clancy's novels. It is the indirect sequel to Without Remorse
Without Remorse
Without Remorse is a thriller novel published in 1993 by Tom Clancy and is a part of the Jack Ryan universe series. While not the first novel of the series to be published, it is first in plot chronology. The main setting of the book is set during the Vietnam War, in the American city of Baltimore...
. The title comes from an Irish Rebel Song
Irish rebel music
Irish rebel music is a subgenre of Irish folk music, with much the same instrumentation, but with lyrics predominantly concerned with Irish republicanism.-History:...
called The Patriot Game
The Patriot Game
"The Patriot Game" is an Irish ballad about an incident during the Border Campaign launched by the Irish Republican Army during the 1950s to bring about the reunification of Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland. It was written by Dominic Behan, younger brother of playwright Brendan...
, an Irish ballad about the Border Campaign
Border Campaign (IRA)
The Border Campaign was a campaign of guerrilla warfare carried out by the Irish Republican Army against targets in Northern Ireland, with the aim of overthrowing British rule there and creating a united Ireland.Popularly referred to as the Border Campaign, it was also referred to as the...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
Plot
Ryan saves the (unnamed) Prince and Princess of WalesPrince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
, along with their newborn firstborn son, from a fictional Irish terrorist group, the Ulster Liberation Army (ULA), by incapacitating one of the terrorists, taking his semi-automatic pistol and shooting another during a kidnapping attempt on the London Mall. The incapacitated terrorist, Sean Miller, is sentenced to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
for killing the Prince and Princess' driver (the maximum penalty in the United Kingdom) but is freed by members of the ULA as he is being transported to prison. The ULA later goes after Ryan and his family, partially as an act of revenge, but primarily because they seek to reduce public (and specifically American) support for the rival Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
(PIRA). The ULA plans a strike against Jack Ryan and his family. The assassin sent to kill Ryan is intercepted before he manages to complete his task, but Ryan's expectant wife, Cathy, and daughter, Sally, are hurt by the terrorists: their car crashes after Sean Miller sprays it with automatic gunfire from a Uzi on the freeway. They are flown by helicopter to the University of Maryland Medical Center
University of Maryland Medical Center
The University of Maryland Medical Center is a teaching hospital with 705 beds based in Baltimore, Maryland, that provides the full range of health care to people throughout Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region. It gets more than 35,000 inpatient admissions and 165,000 outpatient visits each year...
.
After the attack on his family, Jack accepts an offer from the CIA to start working as an analyst at CIA headquarters. Later, the Prince and Princess of Wales come to visit Ryan in America. This gives the ULA another opportunity to conduct another operation—they plan to kill Ryan and his family and kidnap the Royal Family. The attack ultimately fails: after a firefight and a flight, Jack, his friend Robby Jackson, and the Prince, with the help of Marines and sailors from the Naval Academy and local police, manage to apprehend and subdue the terrorists. The ultimate fate of the terrorists is not stated but is predictable: to face trial for murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
in a country with the death penalty. Ryan arrives at Bethesda after the final arrest to be with Cathy for the birth of their son, who will be godparented by Robby Jackson and his wife, as well as the Prince and Princess of Wales.
In Clancy's later novel The Sum of All Fears
The Sum of All Fears
The Sum of All Fears is the best-selling thriller novel by Dan Fogelman and Tom Clancy, and part of the Jack Ryan series. It was the fourth book of the series to be turned into a film. An interesting historical note is that this book was released just days before the Moscow uprising in 1991, which...
, it is mentioned in passing that Miller and his colleagues were sentenced to death and executed for their crimes. Jack Ryan, Jr., the son born at the novel's close, follows his father into the CIA, and becomes a central character in Clancy's first post-President-Ryan novel, The Teeth of the Tiger
The Teeth of the Tiger
The Teeth of the Tiger is a thriller novel by Tom Clancy. Published on August 1, 2003, it is a part of the Jack Ryan universe, and follows the adventures of Jack Ryan, Jr., son of the original Jack Ryan, set in a post-9/11 world.-Plot summary:...
.
Film adaptation
The novel was adapted as a feature filmPatriot Games (film)
Patriot Games is a 1992 film directed by Phillip Noyce and based on Tom Clancy's the novel of the same name. It is a sequel to the 1990 film The Hunt for Red October. In the movie, Jack Ryan is played by Harrison Ford, Jack's surgeon-wife, Dr...
in 1992. It stars Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan and Sean Bean as Sean Miller. Among the most significant changes were that the Prince of Wales is replaced as the terrorists' target with "Lord Holmes" (James Fox
James Fox
James Fox, OBE is an English actor.-Early life:James Fox was born in London, England to theatrical agent Robin Fox and actress Angela Worthington. He is the brother of actor Edward Fox and film producer Robert Fox. The actress Emilia Fox is his niece and the actor Laurence Fox is his son. His...
), the Queen Mother's cousin and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; and Sean Miller is motivated by personal revenge against Ryan, who fatally shoots Miller's younger brother in the opening scene.