Wikipedia

Rainbow Six(novel)

For the Rainbow Six franchise, seeTom Clancy's Rainbow Six.

Rainbow Sixis atechno-thrillernovel written byTom Clancyand released on August 3, 1998. It is the second book to primarily focus onJohn Clark,one of the recurring characters in theRyanverse,afterWithout Remorse(1993); it also features his son-in-law,Domingo "Ding" Chavez.Rainbow Sixfollows "Rainbow", a secret internationalcounterterroristorganization headed by Clark (codenamed "Rainbow Six" ), and the complex apocalyptic conspiracy they unravel after handling multiple seemingly randomterroristattacks.

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 byWithout Remorse

The novel debuted at number one onThe New York TimesBest 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 theenvironmental movementfor its negative depiction ofradical environmentalism.The novel's sequel,The Bear and the Dragon,was released in 2000.

Rainbow Sixwas adapted into a video game,Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six,which was developed byRed Storm Entertainmentin tandem with the novel and released later that August to critical and commercial success, spawning a highly successfulseries of video gamescurrently owned byUbisoft.Afilm adaptation,set to be the sequel to the 2021 film adaptation ofWithout Remorse,was announced in 2017 and was confirmed to be directed byChad Stahelskiin 2023, with an unannounced release date.

Plot

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Formerlystate-sponsored terroristgroups go rogue after the end of theCold War,while international terrorism in general begins to rise. To combat this,CIAoperative John Clark forms a top-secret international counterterrorist organization known as Rainbow. Based inHereford,England,Rainbow consists of two operational squad-sized teams of elitespecial forcessoldiers fromNATOcountries, supplemented by intelligence and technology experts from theFBI,MI6,andMossad.Clark serves as Rainbow's commanding officer (callsign "Rainbow Six" ),SASofficer Alistair Stanley serves as their second-in-command, and Clark's son-in-law Domingo Chavez leads Team-2.

In their first deployment, Team-2 rescueshostagesduring a bank robbery inBern,Switzerland.Several weeks later, they are deployed toAustria,where Germanleft-wing terroristshave taken over theschlossof a wealthy Austrian businessman to obtain (nonexistent) "special access codes" to the international trading markets. They are later deployed to the Worldparkamusement parkinSpain,where terrorists, includingBasque revolutionaries,have taken a group of children hostage, killing one to demonstrate their ruthless determination. They demand that various prisoners, includingCarlos the Jackal,be released. Team-2 eliminates all the terrorists without losing any more hostages.

Clark and his colleagues become suspicious about three terrorist attacks occurring within a few weeks. Unbeknownst to them, the attacks are part of an intricate plan to wipe out nearly all of humanity, codenamed "the Project". Dr. John Brightling, a staunchradical environmentalistwho heads abiotechnologyfirm called the Horizon Corporation, ordered the attacks through ex-KGBofficer Dmitriy Popov to raise concerns of terrorism, allowing co-conspirator Bill Henriksen's security firm to land a key contract for theOlympic GamesinSydney,Australia.Henriksen would then ensure the release of "Shiva"—a manmadeEbolabiological agentmore deadly thanthe one that spread a year prior,developed by Horizon and tested on kidnappedhuman test subjects—through thefog-cooling systemofStadium Australia,infecting everyone present, who would spread Shiva when they return to their home countries. The resultingpandemicwould kill countless people, during which Horizon would distribute a "vaccine" —actually a slow-acting version of Shiva—ensuring the deaths of the rest of the world's population. Brightling's "chosen few", having been innoculated with the real vaccine, would then inherit the emptied world, justifying their genocidal actions as "saving the world" from environmentally destructive humanity.

Popov discovers the existence of Rainbow when he reviews videos of the "police tactical teams"(actually Rainbow in disguise) that thwarted his attacks, and brings it to Brightling's attention. Brightling and Henriksen order Popov to orchestrate an attack on Rainbow to prevent them from being deployed to the Sydney Olympics. Popov persuades aProvisional Irish Republican Armysplinter groupto seize a hospital near Rainbow's base and capture Clark's wife Sandra and Chavez's pregnant wife Patricia, who work there as a nurse and a doctor, respectively. When Rainbow arrives, militants hiding in trucks ambush them, killing two Team-1 troopers and injuring several others, including Stanley. Despite sustaining their first-ever losses, Rainbow manages to retake the hospital without further casualties, and kill or capture the militants. From interrogation of the survivors, Clark and Chavez learn of Popov's involvement, while Brightling evacuates Popov to Horizon's OLYMPUS facility inKansas.Hours after the attack is thwarted, Patricia delivers Chavez's son.

However, moving Popov to OLYMPUS turns out to be a fatal miscalculation: Popov was unaware of the genocidal plans of his employer, but one of the people at OLYMPUS tells him about the Project. Popov, appalled by what he had unknowingly assisted, kills him, escapes, and reveals what he knows to Clark. Popov's warning comes just in time for Chavez and Team-2, who were deployed to the Olympics to evaluate the security measures, to thwart Shiva's release at the last minute.

Their plans in shambles, Brightling orders all incriminating material and files destroyed, and he and all Project members who know the full plan flee to a smaller Horizon base in theAmazon rainforestinBrazil.Clark personally leads both Rainbow teams to the base. Brightling sends some of his armed but mostly untrained men out to ambush them, but they are easily killed. Brightling surrenders, confident his lawyers can get him off since there is no real evidence against him and his people. However, Clark orders the survivors to strip naked, has their clothes confiscated and facilities demolished, and leaves them to fend for themselves in the middle of the Amazon jungle, taunting them to "reconnect with nature".

Six months later, Chavez reads a news article about Popov (who was not prosecuted, instead being pardoned for all involvement due to his knowledge) discovering a rich gold deposit on a Project member's former property he had purchased, and Horizon's revolutionary medical breakthroughs under new management. Chavez asks if the Project members survived; Clark informs him that no human activity has been detected in the area since. Chavez given the killers no further thought, continuing to fight with Rainbow and raising his son. Clark muses that while humanity does what it can to protect the natural environment, nature does not distinguish between friends and enemies; he surmises that humanity is its own worst enemy.

Characters

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Team Rainbow

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Executive and support branches

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  • John Clark:Commander of Rainbow
  • Alistair Stanley:Deputy Commander
  • Bill Tawney:Head of the intelligence section, formerMI6intelligence analyst
  • Dr. Paul Bellow:Resident psychologist specializing in criminal psychology,FBIagent
  • Tim Noonan:Resident tactical electronics and surveillance specialist, FBI special agent
  • David Peled:Technical staff lead,Mossadagent
  • Sam Bennett:Communications officer,U.S. Air Forcemajor
  • Daniel "Bear" Malloy:Pilot of Rainbow'sMH-60K Night Hawkhelicopter,United States Marine Corpslieutenant colonel
  • Dave Woods:Firing range instructor, British colour sergeant
  • Alice FoorgateandHelen Montgomery:Executive secretaries
  • Katherine Moony:Secretary

Team-1

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Team-2

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  • Domingo "Ding" Chavez:Team-2 commander, formerCIASpecial Activities Divisionmember, Clark's son-in-law, and former Army Special Operations soldier
  • Eddie Price:Deputy Commander, Senior member, formerSASsergeant major, pipe smoker
  • Julio "Oso" Vega:HWO,[clarification needed]formerDelta Forcemember
  • Louis Loiselle:Specialist, formerDGSEmember
  • George Tomlinson:Former Delta Force member
  • Mike Pierce:Former82nd Airborne Divisionmember
  • Steve Lincoln:Former Delta Force member
  • Scotty McTyler:Former SAS member
  • Hank Patterson:Former Delta Force member
  • Paddy Connolly:Demolitions expert, former SAS member
  • Homer Johnston:Sniper, former Delta Force member
  • Dieter Weber:Sniper, German formerGSG 9Feldwebel

Horizon Corporation and the Project

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  • John Brightling:Billionaire chairman of Horizon Corporation, mastermind of the Project
  • Bill Henriksen:Security consultant, head of Global Security, former FBI agent andHostage Rescue Teammember
  • Carol Brightling:Science Advisor to the President,"former" wife of John Brightling (their divorce being a ruse used to safeguard her position, enabling her to pass government secrets to Horizon)
  • John Killgore:Senior research scientist involved in testing the Shiva virus
  • Barbara Archer:Researcher involved in testing the Shiva virus
  • Kirk Maclean:Researcher tasked with kidnapping homeless men and single women inNew York Cityto be used as Shiva test subjects; also a member of the Sierra Club
  • Steve Berg:Researcher tasked with developing the vaccine to Shiva
  • Lani Palacheck:Researcher working under John Killgore, on Shiva transmission study
  • Mark Waterhouse:Recruiter for Brightling
  • Foster Hunnicutt:Survivalist, member of Brightling's "chosen few"
  • Wilson Gearing:FormerUnited States ArmyChemical Corpslieutenant colonel, tasked with releasing Shiva at the Olympics
  • David Dawson:Chief of security at the OLYMPUS base, ex-Army
  • Benjamin Farmer:Ex-Marine,security guard for Horizon
  • Dick Voss:Former Army sergeant major atFort Bragg(Special Operations Training Center), now working for Global Security

Other characters

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  • Dmitriy Arkadyevich Popov:FormerKGBoperations officer let go due to budget cuts, working for Brightling
  • Sandra "Sandy" Clark:John Clark's wife, nurse
  • Patricia "Patsy" Clark-Chavez:John Clark's daughter and Domingo Chavez's pregnant wife, MD
  • Ernst Model:Sociopathic formerRed Army Factionmember who leads the botched bank robbery in Bern
  • Hans Fürchtner:Left-wing terrorist, recruited by Popov to take over theschlossof a wealthy Austrian businessman
  • Petra Dortmund:Left-wing terrorist, Fürchtner's longtime partner
  • Erwin Ostermann:Austrian financier taken hostage by Fürchtner and Dortmund at his schloss
  • Andre Herr:FormerAction Directemember leading the terrorists at Worldpark
  • Sean Grady:HardlineProvisional IRAcell commander who leads the attack on the Hereford hospital
  • Tom Sullivan:FBI agent based in New York investigating Mary Bannister's disappearance
  • Frank Chatham:FBI agent, Sullivan's partner
  • Ed Foley:Director of Central Intelligence
  • Mary Pat Foley:CIA Deputy Director for Operations and Ed Foley's wife
  • Mary Bannister:Shiva test subject who manages to email her father, alerting the FBI

Themes

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Rainbow Sixexplores the issue ofradical environmentalism.According to Marc Cerasini's essay on the novel, the philosophy of the antagonists are considered as an extreme form ofnaturalism,based onJean-Jacques Rousseau's view that society's functions corrupt mankind and that "a natural or primitive state is actually morally superior to civilization". The novel shares elements found inJames Bondmovies: a biological weapon being used to end orrather cull the human race,mad scientists plotting world domination, and high-tech secret bases hidden from civilization. Clancy makes the plot relevant and morally ambiguous by incorporating motivations similar to those of real-life radicalecocentricenvironmentalists anddeep ecologists,such asPentti LinkolaandPaul R. Ehrlich,[2][3]rather than blanket hunger for power and brash misanthropic resentment.[4][5]In several regards, critics have noted similarities in thepopulation controlregard to the later-releasedKingsman: The Secret ServiceandDan Brown'sInferno,as well as those ofThanosin Marvel'sAvengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgame.[3][6][7]

Development

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The concept ofRainbow Sixwas conceived from a discussion between Clancy and Doug Littlejohns, a formerRoyal Navysubmarine commander and CEO ofRed Storm Entertainment,a video game development company co-founded by Clancy in 1996. Their discussion occurred during a Red Storm company outing inColonial Williamsburg,when Littlejohns suggested a strategy shooter game based on theFBIHostage Rescue Team.When Clancy mentioned that he was writing a novel about a hostage rescue team, their conversation led to Littlejohns noting the protracted diplomatic delays in authorizing a foreign counterterrorist unit's deployment overseas, and he suggested the concept of a permanent counterterrorist unit that already had authorization to deploy internationally.[8]The name "Rainbow" came from the term "Rainbow nation",a term coined byDesmond Tututo describe post-apartheidSouth AfricaunderNelson Mandela's presidency. "Six" came from the American rank code forcaptain(O-6); though Clark would more accurately be described as amajor general(O-8) in the novel, "Rainbow Six" read better than "Rainbow Eight".[8]The strategy shooter game Littlejohns suggested was eventually developed intoTom Clancy's Rainbow Six.[8]

Reception

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The book received mixed reviews.Entertainment Weeklypraised the novel's "sprawling, Bondesque plot" as well as its action scenes that are "vivid and cinematic—and notably lacking in the clichés and B-movie tone of his dialogue".Publishers Weeklyalso hailed the scenes as "immensely suspenseful, breathtaking combos of expertly detailed combat and primal emotion".[9]

Criticism focused on flat characters and the implausibility of the plot. A review fromOrlando Sentinelstated: "Clancy may have crossed the line into the realm of the unbelievable...I suspect even some of his most rabid fans will shake their heads at parts of this novel."[10]Entertainment Weeklyalso noted that "some of [Clancy's] secondary characters have a flat, dime-novel feel".[11]Canadian environmentalistPaul Watsoncondemned the book as "a vicious defamation of the Environmentalist Movement, embodying, amplifying and packaging all the worst stereotypes and prejudices."[12]

Adaptations

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Video game

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Main article:Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (video game)

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Sixwas released on August 21, 1998, about two weeks after the release of the novel. It was developed alongside the novel and bases its plot on an early manuscript of the story.[8]The game was developed byRed Storm Entertainment(which was co-founded by Clancy in 1996) based on their preexisting concept of theFBIHostage Rescue Teamin an international setting.[13]Tom Clancy's Rainbow Sixwas a commercial success for Red Storm and spawned a number of sequels, now developed byUbisoft.It revolutionized thefirst-person shootergenre by forcing the player to think tactically and realistically in every mission, unlike the arcade-style shooters of the time.[14][15]

Film adaptation

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The film rights to the novel were brought to Paramount Pictures byMichael Ovitzthrough his Artists Management Group in March 1999, with writerJonathan Hensleighin talks to pen the screenplay adaptation, and Ovitz attached as producer.[16]Other screenwriters includingMichael Schiffer,[17][18]Bill Wisher,[19]Art Monterastelli,[20]Frank Cappello,[21]and John Enbom[22]had all worked on the script at various stages. Directors such asJohn Woo[23][24]andZack Snyder[25]had previously been attached to direct.

In July 2017,Paramount Picturesannounced plans to make a film adaptation of the novel withAkiva Goldsmanas producer, and a new draft penned byJosh Appelbaum&André Nemec.[26]Ryan Reynoldswas reported to be in early talks to play John Clark.[27]In September 2018,Michael B. Jordanwas announced to be playing John Clark in a two-part film series, withRainbow Sixas the intended sequel toWithout Remorse.[28]In January 2023, theRainbow Sixfilm was confirmed to be directed byChad Stahelski,with Michael B. Jordan reprising his role as Clark.[29][30]

Release details

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  • 1998, U.S., G. P. Putnam's SonsISBN0-399-14390-4,Pub date August 3, 1998, hardcover
  • 1998, U.K., Michael Joseph LtdISBN0-7181-4336-1,Pub date August 27, 1998, hardback
  • 1998, U.S., Putnam Publishing GroupISBN0-399-14413-7,Pub date August 1998, hardcover (Limited Edition)
  • 1998, U.S., Demco MediaISBN0-606-17207-6,Pub date September 1998, unbound
  • 1998, U.S., Random HouseISBN0-375-70324-1,Pub date August 1998, paperback (Large Type Edition)
  • 1999, U.S., Berkley Publishing GroupISBN0-425-17005-5,Pub date September 1999, paperback
  • 1999, U.S., Berkley Publishing GroupISBN0-425-17034-9,Pub date September 1999, mass market paperback

References

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  1. ^"The New York Times bestseller list for August 23, 1998"(PDF).RetrievedSeptember 22,2018.
  2. ^"Pentti Linkola:" Humanflood "".penttilinkola.RetrievedJanuary 23,2023.
  3. ^abPersson, Mathias (June 3, 2019)."Radikalare än Thanos".Smålandsposten(in Swedish).RetrievedJanuary 23,2023.
  4. ^Greenberg, Martin H.The Tom Clancy Companion(Revised ed.). pp. 36–38.
  5. ^"Luonnonsuojelija Pentti Linkola on kuollut – Elämäkerturi:" Hänellä oli ymmärrystä ja herkkyyttä kuunnella toista ihmistä "".Yle Uutiset(in Finnish). April 5, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 23,2023.
  6. ^"Review 'Inferno' Another Preposterous Dan Brown Yawn".Monkeys Fighting Robots.October 26, 2016.RetrievedJanuary 23,2023.
  7. ^Chamary, J. V."The Science Of 'Avengers: Endgame' Proves Thanos Did Nothing Wrong".Forbes.RetrievedJanuary 23,2023.
  8. ^abcdTucker, Jake (December 4, 2015)."The agony and ecstasy behind the first Rainbow Six".Eurogamer.net.RetrievedJune 17,2022.
  9. ^"Fiction Book Review: Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy".Publishers Weekly.RetrievedOctober 6,2018.
  10. ^Skoneki, Mark (August 17, 1998)."TOM CLANCY GOES BEYOND FANTASTIC INTO FANTASY".The Chicago Tribune.RetrievedOctober 6,2018.
  11. ^Kennedy, Dana."Book Review: 'Rainbow Six'".Entertainment Weekly.RetrievedOctober 6,2018.
  12. ^Paul G. Watson, "Propaganda, Lies and Vicious Lies", inThe Rainbow Quarterly,Autumn 2001
  13. ^"Postmortem: Redstorm's Rainbow Six".Gamasutra.January 21, 2000. Archived fromthe originalon August 4, 2001.RetrievedOctober 6,2018.
  14. ^"The History of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six".Xbox Wire.March 31, 2015.RetrievedOctober 6,2018.
  15. ^Packwood, Lewis (April 16, 2018)."The bizarre tale of how Tom Clancy sold his name to videogames".PCGamesN.RetrievedOctober 6,2018.
  16. ^"Ex-NL exec Goldman talks jobs with AMG".variety.March 4, 1999.RetrievedApril 29,2024.
  17. ^"West pursues 'Prisoner'; Spielberg scribbles".variety.November 15, 1999.RetrievedApril 29,2024.
  18. ^"Par Classics joins Burns in 'New York'".variety.August 7, 2000.RetrievedApril 29,2024.
  19. ^"Par will show 'Remorse'".variety.October 31, 2000.RetrievedApril 29,2024.
  20. ^"Dish: Myers goes for the 'Gold'".variety.September 5, 2001.RetrievedApril 29,2024.
  21. ^"Cappello colors 'Rainbow'".variety.November 25, 2002.RetrievedApril 29,2024.
  22. ^"Par fancies a pair of Clancy projects".variety.March 31, 2004.RetrievedApril 29,2024.
  23. ^"Woo on Rainbow Six Movie".ign.June 4, 2004.RetrievedApril 29,2024.
  24. ^"Woo helming Clancy's 'Rainbow' for Par".variety.June 9, 2004.RetrievedApril 28,2024.
  25. ^"Snyder riding 'Rainbow'".variety.March 27, 2005.RetrievedApril 29,2024.
  26. ^Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 11, 2017)."Akiva Goldsman Moves To Paramount; 'Rainbow Six,' 'Ologies' & 'Avengelyne' On Menu".Deadline.RetrievedJuly 12,2017.
  27. ^Gurwin, Gabe (July 13, 2017)."'Rainbow Six' Film In Development, Could Star Ryan Reynolds ".Digital Trends.RetrievedOctober 6,2018.
  28. ^Kroll, Justin (September 20, 2018)."Michael B. Jordan to Play Tom Clancy Character John Clark".Variety.RetrievedOctober 6,2018.
  29. ^Kit, Borys (January 17, 2023)."Chad Stahelski to Direct Michael B. Jordan in Paramount's 'Rainbow Six' (Exclusive)".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedJuly 19,2023.
  30. ^"Rainbow Six Film In Works From John Wick Director And Michael B. Jordan".Kotaku.January 17, 2023.RetrievedJuly 19,2023.
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