Rainbow Six (novel)

Rainbow Six
First edition cover
AuthorTom Clancy
LanguageEnglish
SeriesJohn Clark
Genre
Set inRyanverse
PublisherG.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication date
August 3, 1998
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardcover, Paperback)
Pages740
ISBN0399143904
Preceded byExecutive Orders 
Followed byThe Bear and the Dragon 

Rainbow Six is a techno-thriller novel written by Tom Clancy and released on August 3, 1998. It is the second book to primarily focus on John Clark, one of the recurring characters in the Ryanverse, after Without Remorse (1993); it also features his son-in-law, Domingo "Ding" Chavez. Rainbow Six follows "Rainbow", a secret international counterterrorist organization headed by Clark (codenamed "Rainbow Six"), and the complex apocalyptic conspiracy they unravel after handling multiple seemingly random terrorist attacks.

The novel debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list.[1] It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the action scenes and suspense but criticized the writing of some characters and its unrealistic plot. It also received some backlash from the environmental movement for its negative depiction of radical environmentalism. The novel's sequel, The Bear and the Dragon, was released in 2000.

Rainbow Six was adapted into a video game, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, which was developed by Red Storm Entertainment in tandem with the novel and released later that August to critical and commercial success, spawning a highly successful series of video games currently owned by Ubisoft. A film adaptation, set to be the sequel to the 2021 film adaptation of Without Remorse, was announced in 2017 and was confirmed to be directed by Chad Stahelski in 2023, with an unannounced release date.

  1. ^ "The New York Times bestseller list for August 23, 1998" (PDF). Retrieved September 22, 2018.