The Hunt for Red October

Rating:
Summary: Makes you beg for more
Review: This book combines the intelectual end of the analysis with the adventure of the sub hunt. This is a suspenseful adventure that keeps you thinking. Much better than the movie I've read this book twice, and I rarely read books once. The best part is that if you've seen the movie it doesn't spoil the book. A must buy!

Rating:
Summary: Still his best
Review: This, Mr Clancy's first book, still remains his best. Although it deals with a farfetched possibility (the defection of a unit from the Soviet navy by an "act of barratry"), the overall frame is cleverly thought up, constructed and developed; events, in their different locations, are well wedged and studded into their sequence; characters are well portrayed. This book was highly original when it came out, also thanks to the technical knowledge displayed. All following appear to have been dictated by its commercial success: they progressively drag on what might be called "the Jack Ryan saga", with an interlude ("Without Remorse") that gives us the unnecessary explanation of who the mysterious John Clark had been, is and has been up to - and they become progressively tedious as the plots become more unlikely and elephantine. One is led to wonder what Jack's career will be next, now that he is the President of the U.S.A.: although a "Sir", he surely cannot become King of Great Britain, a position the hereditary chain of succession of is much more intricate and populated; he could not be tolerated too well as Czar Ivan Emmetovich Ryanov - what else is left? If a tragic accident were fictionally made to happen, he could remain a widower, and then be pushed up to the papacy by his Jesuit friends at Georgetown University. However, it will always remain a pleasure to read other books by this author, with one proviso: he ought to write them entirely by himself, coauthorship does not become him.

Rating:
Summary: ANOTHER CLANCY CLASSIC
Review: this is a book for all ages. you dont have to be a naval buff to love it. its an intereesting book with realistic material coupled with fiction to make one great read.

Rating:
Summary: Try it - You`ll like it.
Review: A great book, unlike some reviews will have you believe. There are claims that the sides are portrayed as idiots. This is clearly untrue - you only have to look at the initiatives of the Soviet and American officers involved, especially the Alfa's captain at the end. The book is extremely tense as both sides are moments... - no you will just have to read the book to find out what happens

Rating:
Summary: Tom Clancy
Review: Another great book but I tend to read extremlly fast and I found this to be a slow read but nontheless it was great

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Summary: As the NY Times said, "...A whiz-bang page turner!"
Review: Despite the many allegations that this book is unfair to the Soviets, portraying them as crude, belligerent, and even downright evil, I have but one thing to say: well, duh. That's pretty much communism in a nutshell, and Clancy just lets the facts speak for themselves. He's really quite fair in presenting both sides. The reader learns about both sides through the characters, not the narrator. The Soviet characters praise their beloved homeland, while the American characters praise theirs. As Clancy points out, we Americans were not without fault. (I could argue this point a little better, but that would give away too much of the plot.) Point is, it just so happens that we Americans surpassed them in many respects. But before you get to feeling all sorry for the poor widdle Commies, keep in mind that these are the people whose solution to the mutual devastation of nuclear war was their "first-strike capability," whereby the Soviets would use their nuclear arsenal to obliterate the United States, leaving us too crippled to launch a counterattack. Now that's a friendly bunch, eh? Well, I'd love to finish bashing communism, but this is a book review, and they only let me have 1000 words anyway. To sum up, this book is a fabulous read for both sides of the Commie/Yankee Imperialist Pig argument. The plot's fast-paced and well developed, the characters are realistic, and it's the most interesting way to learn about the Cold War and its combatants. He teaches a little Russian, some navy acronyms (which might as well be in Russian), and everything you need to know about a sub. By the way, since I'm taking the Yankee Imperialist Pig side of this issue, I would like to point out that pigs are the only barnyard animals noted for both their intelligence and keen sense of smell.

Rating:
Summary: Suspense marred by propaganda
Review: The Hunt for Red October was OK, but not as good as I was expecting. It was also very difficult for me to see beyond the right-wing propaganda. The Americans were all John Wayne types, except for the liberal congressional aide, who was, of course, a spy. What turned him against his country? Protesting against the Kent State massacre! (He was approached by campus-dwelling KGB agents in the early 70's and fell prey to their sneaky tactics). That wasn't what the book was really about, but the overtones were unmistakable. The main American characters were all pretty much the same person - god-loving, patriotic, cigarette-smoking, liquor-drinking (except the one Mormon, which I think represents diversity for conservatives), family men in the military (or formally in the military), workin' hard for their country, getting ahead in life through merit, not needing government help (although they were all working for the government), classless and free (though they each bore military ranks and lived in secrecy, aboard subs, etc.) The Soviets were all either evil plotters with the exact opposite characteristics, or dupes, or defectors who were somehow being noble, almost patriotic in their treason. Even the way the Americans and Soviets spoke was different (though the book was written entirely in English): the Soviets spoke proper English in complete sentences more or less devoid of slang. The Americans spoke a lazy sort of English, leaving words out of sentences, leaving letters off of words, and employing slang and jargon at every opportunity. It was a little much. The story itself was somewhat suspenseful, but not very (marred, in part, by the propaganda). Few surprises. END

Rating:
Summary: Exciting and Breathtaking.......Absolutely Great!
Review: This book is about a Soviet submarine, Red October, defected to US. Captain Ramius of Red October use his navy tactics to go through the American patrol and also Soviet submarines. Because of a GRU spy sabotaged the ship, Ramius only had the choice of using nonsilenced propellar to travel through water and detected by USS Dallas. Ramius let the crew of Red October out of the ship to the American ship and a few officers stayed aboard. Jack Ryan of CIA and a few officers of USS Dallas entered Red October and drove it to the Norfolk Navy Base. On the way, they met a Soviet Submarine and they end up in a brutal battle. By using Soviet tactics, Ramius easily saved the ship and destroyed the attack sub. To my opinion, this book is great and very exciting.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK!
Review: "The Hunt for Red October" is a Clancy's first and probaly one of his best novels. Tom Clancy takes readers on a amazing hunt for a missile submarine, Red October, in the North Atlantic. And in this novel, CIA Anylst Jack Ryan is introduced. Will the CIA and CIA Anylst Jack Ryan find the Red October in time to stop the missile-sub's captain's, Marko Ramius, plan to demolish the United States with missiles? Find out in Clancy's first and best novel.

Rating:
Summary: First-rate Pulp
Review: If you are looking for a subtle and revealing discousre on the human condition, look somewhere else. But, if you are looking for a smart, thoroughly enjoyable military thriller, "Hunt" is surely it. The "Hunt" builds genuine suspense around an original storyline, and the characters -- notably Ramius -- are the gritty, tough and solid personas one would expect from a Cold War thriller. "The Hunt" is far better than any of Clancy's other books and better than most of Ludlum's spy novels as well. Not only that, it bolsters the [correct] belief that the Soviets were evil and incompetent, and the Americans are just and clever.