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The Shark Mutiny

The Shark Mutiny

List Price: $25.95
Your Price: $17.65
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Nothing new and nothing special
Review: I thought it could not get any worse then the last book and while it hasn't, this one is not any better either.
The author loves SEALs to a rather uncomfortable degree and his lead characters share an extreme right wing, almost racist view about almost anyone who is not in the US military. Perhaps you could forgive this if the plot and the writing were of a high standard but they aint!
I have a real fear that this reads like the first of a two part book, many things are left unresolved (like the Chinese take over of Taiwan) and there may be more to come. There are much better things to read then this, don't waste your money.
Personally I think Mr Robinson should change tack and perhaps his passion for the SEALs should be undertaken alone while reading Soldier Of Fortune in the bath and not inflicted on the rest of us!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Overall, a great read! Why the one-star reviews . . .?
Review: OK, many people panned this latest instalment from Pat Robinson. And my views on his work don't go without gripes - my main one is that he insists on going into great detail on what each character eats and what wine they drink, where it came from, etc. And Admiral Morgan's snide comments about Arabs can get tiresome. It still takes place in the SHARK MUTINY. The story, however, is superb! An expansionist China forms an ally with Iran to control the oil pipelines and tanker routes from the PErsian Gulf. Three supertankers are sunk by a Chinese sea-minefield. Admiral Morgan, meanwhile, in his office at 1400 Pennsylvania Avenue(WHAAAT? 1600, you mean, but let's just let Pat Robinson off for that one, OK? It was probably just a typo!!), suspects foul play. In between seeking authorisation from the flaked-out President for military action and drinking lots of vintage wine, he calls upon Lieutenant Ramshawe, his young NSA naval intelligence petty officer to gather intelligence to plan a covert SEAL mission to destroy the new Chinese oil refinery in Iran and a naval base and geothermal power station in Burma. Oil prices are rocketing due to the Chinese taking over the Gulf.
Ramshawe is a strong character and perhaps when Morgan retires(or dies from alcohol poisoning or is shot by one of his hated 'towelheads') this person has a lot of potential for future novel inclusion. The SEAL missions are set in motion. These parts of the book are the best, Robinson shows his knowledge of SEAL tactics and hardware well here and also it's the part where you feel you're really there, he describes the locales well and above all very suspenseful indeed! However both ops go belly up when the sub USS SHARK's commanding officer snaps under the stress of command and becomes irrational, jeopardising the lives of the SEALS who are left to fend for themselves on two very dangerous missions. One dies returning to the sub, and the crew of the SHARK rebel and throw Commander Reid in the brig.
Commander Reid is court-martialled. This, sadly, spoilt the ending a little as the court martial dialogue - well, let's just say that this could have easily come from ALLY MACBEAL or a bad episode of JAG! It had RULE 11 FRIVOLOUS LAWSUIT written all over it! I suspect Robinson was not able to complete as per the publisher's deadline. Hence the 4-star rating. But let me say that this book is purely a work of fiction, set in 2007. Sub commanders going insane in combat and a mutiny farfetched? You never know one day. China threatening the West's oil? Could still happen, given the unstable situation in the Middle East and how easily alliances there can be formed or broken. This political angle was very intriguing indeed and a little bit more original than the usual CHINA-versus-USA scenarios.
So, all in all, this is well worth a read if you ignore the flaws and concentrate on the scenario and the brilliantly described SEAL missions. And don't forget the glass of wine!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Disappointing
Review: An extreme letdown from the USS Seawolf, which I rated as a 5 star. This book was obviously written either to meet a deadline or for the money alone. The dialogue is stilted and unrealistic. The plot is ill-conceived and awkward, being forced and uneven. In addition, the grammatical errata in this book is far beyond what can be normally expected.

This is probably his worst book. His references to President Bush as a "g----- flake" and "g------ ignoramus" while portraying Teddy Kennedy as a hero also seemed out of place.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Outta the World, the way I like it
Review: after reading most of the reviews, not just about the book, but about the author. let me sidetrack and talk about the WWF first, wanna talk about predictability, WWF's the one, and does it attract legions of fans? why? i would say it is because of the plot, champions vs champions, father vs children, some kinky bras and panties match, or a realy hilarious referee match, or a good-old-days match where we get to see the old birds in a royal rumble.
same goes to the book, one thing for sure, i dont think all submarines commanders are handsome, like Capt. Boomer. His books brings me into a fantasy, i like Adml. Morgan, DA SOB, if fact, the ridiculous whatever stuff aside, PR good, he's darn good with description, i remember reading off one of the reviews, and i must agreed with it, his words and sentence structure brings me right into the submarine or the battle ground, when i start, i simply cannot stop; it's like watching a movie, who would like to watch Harry Potter in parts of 30 mintues each?

as for the court martial, well, i love what Capt. Boomer said to the defence counsel. i work as a lawyer in singapore, and court proceedings are boring, how i wish courts can function like that!! *tsk-tsk* just a suggestion thou. *laughs*

one more important thing, i had a good time laughing while reading the book, there were a few occasions when i bursted out laughin on the train while reading the book, Adml. Morgan's a funny man.

Overall, i would say that PR is good, this is a fantasy military thriller cum comedy, with lots of fantastic descriptions and crude language. i am definitely eagerly waiting for the next book. PR's done a good job.

As for tom clancy, especial tom clancy, time to retire, cos he's getting old, and longwinded. i spent 7 days reading his novel, of which 5 were used to count the dialogues, to determine who's speaking, recalling all those weird names, and falling asleep on the book.

maybe it is me who had enough of logic and facts, and whenever i lay my hands on an author like PR, i go crazy for it.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Naval "technothriller" from the knowledge of a grocery night
Review: Tom Clancys books were great because when they did deviate from plot to focus on technical military insights, they were correct, interesting to those in the military as to how detailed his information was, and informative to the general public. This cheap british knock off author held his own in the first two books by writing about britain as much as possible, and probably had some great coauthoring. Since then his plots have devolved, his characters never evolve, and continue to be trite stereotypes of american regions (not all Kansans are ranchers, nor all new englanders lobster fisherman) and also misses the most obvious details of military protocol and technology, the public is best served by treating every detail in his books as fanciful fiction (just like all of those of us serving on submarines know it to be) Hopefully his publisher will stop promoting and printing this trite ... and find a new author to spend their efforts on.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Getting worse and worse
Review: I initially enjoyed Robinson's first two books, but ever since HMS Unseen they have gotten steadily worse to the point of rediculousness with The Shark Mutiny. Many other readers have pointed out the glaring flaws with the court martial already, and the ending of this court martial left me feeling like I had just re-read USS Seawolf.

Secondly, the manner in which Capt. Cale Dunning acted in "deciding" the fate of Dan Headley is hardly what one would have expected from him given his own actions in Kilo Class which nearly cost him a court martial himself.

Finally, I think Robinson needs to get back to the point of view of Nimitz Class and Kilo Class which were told more from the point of the commanders in action, rather than spending half of Shark Mutiny listening to Adm. Arnie Morgan musing to himself without even speaking to anyone to convey his thoughts.

Escapism it may be, but don't waste your time on this one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Shark Mutiny
Review: The Shark Mutiny
By: Patrick Robinson
This is a Military Science Fiction Novel
In the year 2007 the Chinese Navy has gone through a great buildup and with the ally with Iran they have created a vast minefield stretching along the Straight of Hormuz. When several oil tankers mysteriously explode in the Persian Gulf Admiral Arnold Morgan, the President's National Security Advisor deploys five carrier battle groups, 80 percent of the US active Navy. At the center of this mission is the USS Shark, which is 30 years old and a nuclear submarine this mission is confronted with the first mutiny min the modern history of the US Navy.
My personal reaction to this novel is a extremely good one, from the many military novels I have read this is one of the better ones. Patrick Robinson uses his clever military knowledge and a interesting story plot to catch and keep the readers interest. On page 354 Robinson writes, "It was 0150 when the SEALs began their advance on the Chinese dockyard. The 12 black-clad figures walked steadily toward the bright neon glow of the lights of the main complex." This sentence is one of my favorites, because it uses such great descriptive detail, it actually feels like you are there attacking the dockyard with them.
I loved this book I thought it used great description and it also had a great plot to follow. This book does have its drawbacks; because of the topic nature some ethnic groups might not like some of the dialogue he inserts in the novel. It also is probably liked more by males than females. It also might be more for the teens and adults, because it is long and it is a tougher read than some smaller books.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Ever hear of the Air Force?
Review: Shark Mutiny is an entertaining book, as long as you don't let yourself be bothered by numerous typographical errors, choppy editing, and an unbelievable plot. Although I am not familiar enough with Naval operations to know how accurately he portrays them, I do know that if China invaded Taiwan, it would take far more than a crippled carrier and over-extended Navy fleet to prevent any U.S. involvement at all!! Geez - hasn't this guy ever heard of the U.S. Air Force? Not once is any service other than the U.S. Navy ever mentioned, which goes to show that he has a basic misunderstanding of how we fight. (hint - we fight as a joint force, with Navy-only operations increasingly rare).

Despite these serious shortcomings, Shark Mutiny is entertaining and a quick read. Just don't try mislead yourself into thinking that you're getting any insight into how things are really done in the U.S. military.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: It's Not the Navy, It's An Adventure
Review: I must confess a fondness for Patrick Robinson novels. I am sure I read them with less than a critical eye because the author spends a part of his time on Cape Cod each year, and professes a love for the Cape Cod Baseball League. Nimitz Class was the author's best. This novel is pure escapism; like going to a Saturday afternoon movie on a rainy summer day, the reader is forced to suspend reality and a critical eye to be entertained. Robinson spends an inordinate amount of time in the book dealing with the Chinese naval strategy and cultural desire to reclaim the island of Taiwan. The time would have been better spent developing the basis for the mutiny on the submarine. As it was, the mutiny was such a small part of this book that I wondered constantly throughout the novel why it was so titled. There are too many pieces to the puzzle in this story to have it hang together nicely; there is a submarine commander who thinks he is reincarnated; the too long to describe childhood relationship between the Navy SEAL and the submarine XO officer; the National Security Director's reluctance to involve the President in foreign policy decisions; and the Chinese navy's strategy to regain control of Taiwan. Look, if it's accuracy you want, then this isn't the book for you. But, if you want an adventure, this might be just what the doctor ordered.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Third rate novel
Review: From the opening pages where Robinson lionizes one of the most cowardly, immoral men to ever sit in the US Senate to the final pages this is one of the most poorly researched and written books I have ever read. If I could give it a negative rating I would.


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