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Tuesday 8 October 2013

RIP Tom Clancy (1947-2013)

A brief tribute to a writer whose military expertise and passions for realism were unmatched in his lifetime.
It is with great sadness that we must report the passing of Tom Clancy, who left us on October 1st. A hugely beloved American military thriller author, Clancy gave his loyal fanbase dozens upon dozens of captivating narratives endowed with charismatic and courageous heroes and unrivalled levels of realism in their depiction of pseudo-real world events.

Any passing of an author with such talent will always inevitably bring a strong degree of grief for their readers, yet in Clancy's case the melancholic tidings will be all the more prominent. Whether in the realms of literature- the scribe's best-known novels included Clear and Present Danger and Patriot Games- or video gaming- Splinter Cell, EndWar and Ghost Recon are all inspired by his works- this was a man whose passion for writing was never restrained in any medium. Above all, it's at least consolatory to know that Clancy's legacy will survive in the form of Ubisoft's new MMORPG saga The Division kicking off next Summer.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Tom's family in this time of deep grief and necessary cherishing of the time they spent in his company. One imagines that in sixty-six years, especially when that period commences just after the Second World War, a man sees the world evolve and alter incredibly, but Tom's work never relented in its strive to consistently move with the times and thus to always be seen as modern literature rather than dated recollection. In a sense, that aspiration was a dream, a dream which Tom never forgot, and one which can be summarised wonderfully by these final words from the great man himself:

"Nothing is as real as a dream. The world can change around you, but your dream will not. Responsibilities need not erase it. Duties need not obscure it. Because the dream is within you, no one can it take away."

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