Rating: 
Summary: A Riveting Tale
Review: A riveting, spellbinding tale by the master of Techno-Suspense. This book is a modern classic that created a genre and redefined the benchmark for suspense novels. Written by a master storyteller with an excellent grasp of modern technology (I work for a defense contractor, I know) this book is a must read. You won't be able to put it down.
Rating:
Summary: A classic technothriller-- recommend some others
Review: I'm not really sure why the two reviewers below would even bother to read this book. If you don't like the subject matter, read something else, but don't criticize something that is what it sets out to be. I also highly recommend Bob Mayer's Special Forces series (try CUT OUT, DRAGON SIM-13 or ETERNITY BASE) for realistic special operations fiction.
Rating:
Summary: RIVETING! EXCITING! A NON-STOP THRILLER!
Review: I think that "The Hunt For Red October" Is an excellent book, the politics weren't very deep like in "Clear and Present Danger" And the action was very good, but at the same time not fake, but REAL. And when I found out about Clancy getting in serious trouble for writing this book because it was an incident both sides of intelligence, the KGB AND CIA, tried to cover up. It was good enough, but when I found that this incident really happened, It just made the book even more exciting, The plot is also excellent, and the way Clancy writes the book with the action in the sky and under the water is very thrilling, you really can't stop in the middle of a chapter with this book. This book is a must buy!
Rating:
Summary: Riveting (on tape as well as book and movie)
Review: Recently I had a long drive ahead of me on little sleep. Fortunately I saw a late-night bookstore and bought this audiobook. I had read the book before (and seen the movie three times), but got the tape because there wasn't much selection at this store (it wasn't amazon.com ;) For that trip, and for the next several weeks of my long commutes to and from work, I was riveted to the tape. The great characters, plot and action made this a compelling story. I ENJOYED being stuck in traffic as I listened to the tapes. Unabridged was definitely the way to go. I never know what was left out of an abridged tape... and feel vaguely unsatisfied at what should be a complex story that's conveniently wrapped up in 2 hours -- if I wanted that, I'd watch TV. Is Tom Clancy militaristic? Somewhat, certainly, though he doesn't seem to favor nuclear weapons. Is Tom Clancy pro-American? Sure, though I don't feel it gets in the way of good writing. Does Tom Clancy spend too much time rhaspodizing the technology? Maybe, though it didn't bore me on tape, which is a good test (no skimming possible). I couldn't find Cardinal of the Kremlin on unabridged tape, so my next one will be Clear and Present Danger instead.
Rating: 
Summary: US wants war and the sooner the better
Review: Tom Clancy wanted money and fame. OK, he got them. And now, when hopefully the cold war is over, this book and others like it will continue to spread wrong information about the military power of USA compared to other countries, ideas of hate towards russians and entire ex "eastern block". People, who have been brought up with such ideas as Clancy expresses, vote for militarists, when it comes to decision. Clancy and his heroes like "little and effective" war - his pilots want to shoot, his submarine officers want to shoot, and their targets are half-human robots with no brains at all and inferior submarines / planes /ships. Only russians have (wonder how they can) some weapons that ARE effective (of cource they are not covered in the novel) and so all the merry and nice US officers cant shoot... Maybe Clancy worked with information about submarines, but he never bothered to understand people. Not only he describes russians as a whole nation of stupid people, he doesnt give any better picture of US citizens. The book is quite well written, of course, but still one can-t overlook the purpose. And this is quite clear: Clancy wants us to believe, that America wants war. Sad. Militarism remains militarism, not depending on what country-s flag it waves.
Rating:
Summary: Militaristic Crap
Review: Poor Tom Clancy. Why? Because he is very narrow-minded and an ultra-patriot. Which, incidentally, is quite apalling. First, he is racist. The use of "evil Russians" as villains is stupid. The whole "kill the capitalist dogs" thing gets old very quickly. Also, he portrays the Russians as back-stabbing fiends. I seriously doubt that they would kill off each other in high command. Furthermore, the whole concept of an entire sub defecting is absurd. Wouldn't the crew figure out what was going on? Also apalling is the murder of the ship's Co-Captain. Wouldn't tying him up suffice? Revolting. But that isn't the worst part. The worst part is the deification of the U.S. military. Do THEY ever make mistakes or kill off their own men? Of course not! Why? Because America is such a great nation that it can NOT possibly err. Also, Clancy's repetitive use of military jargon gets confusing and annoying. If I wanted a book on how the military works I would read non-fiction, not FICTION. Thus, this novel is ghastly and should be thrown away.
Rating:
Summary: A classic in the thriller field.
Review: Great idea, good characters and an excellent story. Based on a real incident that was covered up by both sides intelligence services, this book obviously had a lot of inside help in the writing. You want to read some other trillers with 'inside' help, try Bob Mayer's special forces series. Start with EYES OF THE HAMMER for four books here at Amazon and then the rest in hardback. Exciting, fast-paced and the way it really is.
Rating:
Summary: A Rattlin' good yarn- realistic and believable!
Review: This narrative presents one of the most frightening deceptions in modern history; Captain Marko Ramius intends to defect to America, while his crew remain loyal to the Soviet Union. This deception is made doubly daring by the Soviet Navy's claim that he is a renegade who threatens independent missile launch. Luckily, the crew believes him after his sub is fired upon by a Soviet aircraft, narrowly escaping. He says, "if they were really shooting at us, we'd be dead." This study in the psychology of leadership presents a fascinating conclusion: though there are only 12 officers aboard, the 180+ enlisted men obey them faithfully, simply because the naval code requires it. Apparently, that's what has the navigator so worked up when he exclaims, "we could have a mutiny on our hands." The possibility of a renegade or "rogue" launching nuclear weapons is quite real. In today's new world order, that possibility is increased dramatically, as evidenced by the recent crisis in the formerly Soviet Chechnya. Some of the new states in the Commonwealth have nuclear weapons which were strategically placed by the Soviet equivalent of the Strategic Air Command. Thus the Soviet ploy of telling the U.S. that the missile launch was imminent was actually a shrewd move. In this way, the U.S. would have to destroy the sub or else let on that top officials knew Ramius's true intentions, alerting the Soviets that their leadership had been penetrated by CIA. However, since Ryan acted alone and used his own instinct, the U.S. was able to simulate the destruction of the sub and take it to Norfolk, VA, where it may remain today. Interestingly enough, President Reagan endorsed this book when it was first published, implying that the story is true. If such a tale is indeed fact, it would mean certain doom for the relationship between the U.S. and Russia if made public, as shown in Executive Orders. Some day, we will know the truth (in 2035, when the 50 years expire). It would be really great to one day walk aboard a Soviet ballistic missile submarine, not so much as an object of conquest, but as an intriguing representation of the nuclear threat that could have destroyed everyone on earth.
Rating: 
Summary: Foolish Pride
Review: I entirely enjoyed this book and am I dedicated follower and Tom Clancy. The story adopts a role of two submarines chasing each other through the depths whilst a Russian surface fleet hunts them both down. The storyline of the book is well staged and adequately researched. Once again Tom Clancy has proved that he has the ability to captivate an audience.
Rating:
Summary: A big powerful novel!
Review: Clancy really did take us all by storm. This novel is the best techno-thriller I have read so far!
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