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Summary: "Run Silent, Run Deep"
Review: This book is great. Michael Dimercurio goes into such technical detail about everyting on a submarine that is feels like you are right there with the characters. I have read all of his books and they are all very good. I like how he uses the same characters in the series of books, you can see them mature and change with time thoughout their lives. Highly recommended.
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Summary: A Great Book and Author
Review: This book is great. Michael Dimercurio goes into such technical detail about everyting on a submarine that is feels like you are right there with the characters. I have read all of his books and they are all very good. I like how he uses the same characters in the series of books, you can see them mature and change with time thoughout their lives. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Tops Harry Homewood and Edward L. Beach!
Review: This book was best of all of my collection, in fact prompted me to go back and start reading the others. You get connected to the naval officers involved in the book, and in the past books. The book invokes anger for things that happened to the good guys, and happiness when it is avenged, as well as a tear when the officer's wife passes. The book can pull out emotions and get you sailing onboard a USS Naval submarine in the future. You feel the anxiety of a torpedo leak, water rushing into a submarine, all of the fears of every submariner are felt. What you don't feel are the long drawn out days as the author has a way of skipping them without making it a fast forward type of book. Basically as real as it gets, and his weapons in the book are not too far from reality, in fact may be real some day soon. In addition, the author has been VERY well in communicating with his readers and answered EVERY email I sent him.I will buy all of his books and continue the saga of the USS Devilfish and crew. Scott
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Summary: THREAT VECTOR
Review: THREAT VECTOR is a great read! DiMercurio always offers far more than a mere techie treat. His novels are real novels, with a sound story line, with characters who come off the pages and with a special kind of vision about future weaponry that makes sense. His plots are intricate, twists are frequent and in this book he writes sypathetically of a Ukrainian "enemy" sub commander. Along with Adm. Pacino and other DiMerurio regulars, there is a mysterious Russian ex-admiral, who, I hope shows up in other stories. Pick this one up--you won't put it down.
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Summary: Addictive Reading!
Review: THREAT VECTOR is the latest in a series of highly compelling sub thrillers from former submarine officer Michael DiMercurio. With the attention to detail and the recreation of atmosphere that can only come from personal experience, DiMercurio takes you into the shadow world of deep-stalking nuclear subs and gives you the conn. Superb storytelling, supported by technical information that never gets in the way of the yarn. Get this one, and beware: DiMercurio's naval thrillers are highly addictive reading!
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Summary: Another winner from DiMercurio
Review: Threat Vector is the latest riveting underseas adventure from ex-submariner Michael DiMercurio. Particularly interesting is the fact that Dimercurio can so seamlessly weave submarine warfare with science fiction to deliver such an entertaining tale. As far as the plot goes, 'Threat Vector' is too similar to some of his other books to garner 5 stars. Despite his fantastic way of involving the reader with the characters and warfare, I'm getting tired of his standard plot, ie., a new super weapon/sub appears and takes out all the enemy except for great super weapon sub that eventually triumphs. I think Mr. DeMercurio you can mix it up a bit more in future books. I also read somewhere from some reader that all the warfare lends these books a bit unfocused, and I sort of agree with that. Perhaps a central story without so many mass deaths from book to book would make the story tighter. Nevertheless I was totally entertained by 'Threat Vector' and look forward to anything from DiMercurio in the future.
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Summary: THREAT VECTOR DELIVERS
Review: THREAT VECTOR packs a powerful punch, delivering riveting submarine battles and incredibly detailed descriptions of submarine tactics & technology. A definite must-read for those who have enjoyed previous books by the author. The average reader may be intimidated by some of the technical jargon, but there's no one out there who knows more about submarines. Prepare for an education in submarine technology and tactics!
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Summary: Great series of novels !!! Keep it coming !!!!
Review: well, let me start by saying that i strongly agree with Mark Bruinekreeft from Gelderland, Holland...As a foreigner, he has made an interesting point, the point which almost NONE of the Americans ever make (or, perhaps, they deliberately ignore it). I had read a lot of reviews and saw the very thing which i will explain in a second going down in virtually ALL books, publications, plays, movies etc. What i mean exactly is the usual theam of the American book / movie /novel / play etc. as follows (assuming that the subject is fiction) : America is ALMOST defeated by someone else's genious plot and then (quote) ...."but the only man who can stop him...."It also could be "the only sub commander who could stop him /them", or, "but one man can save the world" (assuming it to be an American of cause:). I think that THAT approach came from the 70's-early 80's, when it was new and popular. This technique is way too old now. And thats what Mr. DiMercurio had done--in a way he came up with a slightly different storyline. Frankly, in his book called "Threat Vector" i was amazed of his use of Russian names. I am Russian myself, so it makes me sort of an "expert witness" here, hehehe:) It seems like he was consulting with people from Croatia, or, perhaps, Chehoslovakia or Poland, but definately NOT Russians. The russian commander's wife's name is Martinique...????!!!???? I dont know, to me it sounds like French, positively not Russian! Check out this one: his 2 y old son's name is Pavel (like himself), but for some reason he calls the baby Pavlevich..??? Names like that could ONLY exist in Croatian region and not Russia. In Russian it could ONLY sound like a middle name and even not that way, but rather PavlOvich, with the "o" in the middle and with the bit on the first "a". And for the life of me i could not understand the main bad guy's last name--Novskovyy...??? what in the world is that???!!! Thats DEFINATELY not Russian last name at all...and about 90% of these "Russian" last names (Russian sub crew) are surreal...By the way, that pretty much summs all my "whynings" about the book. In the end i just wanted to say that someone here said (approximate quote in part) ..."do we need to know whats goin on in the torpedo's nosecone...". Well, i love these step-by-step details! It makes the read intriguing and unusual in a way:) A friend of mine is Russian ex-sub commander (Captain 1 rank), so he told me a lot of things which happen inside of a subs, its very interesting! Besides, i dont know my next assinment yet, i as well might end up in the sub myself (well, American that is)so, i try to pay close attention to all these little details. Another thing--despite from what someone here said, i dont give a rat's rear end about an accurate and true-looking storyline (that would be greatly appreciated but...). That is why this is called fiction--people come up with whatever they wish:) Great work, Mr. DiMercurio--keep it coming !!! Remember that i own every one of your books !!! (please try to get some REAL Russian names next time, ok? or, better else-dont use Russia as a bad guy-use China, like Patrick Robinson does:) Good luck:)
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Summary: All Ahead Flank for Another DiMercurio Winner!
Review: Well, Michael DiMercurio has done it again! Not only that, he topped his last achievement (PIRANHA FIRING POINT) with THREAT VECTOR, a novel that shows that DiMercurio can keep a series alive, fresh and full of new ideas. In addition, it could almost be said that THREAT VECTOR is the "logical" extension of PIRANHA FIRING POINT, especially when it becomes known to the reader early on, that the President has appointed Patch Pacino as CNO (Chief of Naval Operations). This novel also has some bittersweet elements as well. When the Ukrainians sink an American cruise ship carrying the Navy's senior officers, many characters we know from previous installments become casualties. I was sorry to read that many of the characters I liked were gone. About 1/3 of the way through, DiMercurio shows that he also has a sense of humor, too. He has named one of the escorting destroyers the TOM CLANCY; read the novel and find out what he does with this ship. Another thoroughly enjoyable aspect of this book was the way in which Michael DiMercurio combines plausible future developments with what we know is possible today. The explanations and descriptions of future technological advancements are masterful in their simplicity. The "Devilfish" as a weapons platform is something that may not be available right now, but given the dramatic technological leaps being made every day, it is not difficult to conceive its existence 18-20 years from now. Michael DiMercurio also pays a subtle tribute to the naval traditions of the past. If I didn't read incorrectly, he re-introduces an officer uniform that the Navy did away with in the early 1970s. I'm speaking specifically of the service dress khaki officer uniform. It had a khaki coat and instead of the officer insignia on the sleeve cuff, the rank was carried on shoulder boards. I always thought that was a sharp uniform and it was a nice tribute to the USN of the past. That was a nice segue, Michael and I liked the sneaky little way you brought the uniform back. To be sure, this is a submarine story but it also has all the elements of really good science fiction, too. With much of the technology future based, the reader is catapulted into a world that isn't here yet, but could very well be in the near future. Another aspect is that the author has left certain little clues as to where he might go with the next installment in this series. Without giving too much away, suffice it to say, that the reader will still have questions when he finishes with this story. They are good questions, though and the kind that will leave the reader waiting to read TERMINAL RUN (which is the working title of the next book in this series). As I have said in my reviews of previous DiMercurio novels, this author is the master of this genre. If anyone cares to debate it, I'll meet them anytime, anywhere. Tom Clancy's "Hunt for Red October" was written by a lucky and gifted amateur. The Michael DiMercurio novels are thrillers but they're also a tibute to the men of the Silent Service, the same men that DiMercurio served with from 1980-88. Tom Clancy can't make that claim, because he never served in ANY of the armed forces. There is an injustice associated with Micahel DiMercurio's books, however and it is not the author's fault. I really believe that if Penguin Putnam marketed these books differently (starting with hardcover and a much bigger advertising budget) that Michael DiMercurio could have been (and still could be) as big as Clancy or any of the other popular and best selling authors. There is no reason for this and in fact, more than one of the DiMercurio novels should have ben made into a movie. After all, if CRIMSON TIDE, a movie that came out 4-5 years ago could be a hit, ALL of DiMercurio's books should have been considered for production. IF the rest are still ignored, Hollywood should not ignore THREAT VECTOR. The plot premises are plausible and foreseeable and the storyline would adapt well to the screen if for no other reason than there would be a lot of action with believeable and likeable characters. One other thing readers may find interesting about this book. The antagonists do some despicable things but by themselves, they are not all that despicable as people. The reader will find himself feeling a certain amount of sympathy for the Ukrainian sub captain. To me, he was a worthy opponent for both Karen Petri and later, Kelly McKee. He was a captain placed in an extrememly awkward and delicate position by an unscrupulous President. How he leads his men, fights his ship and makes his decisions all contribute to the make-up of a fascinating character. And once again, the critics are wrong; Michael DiMercurio writes action filled sub stories but he also gives his readers well developed characters. I apologize to the critics for my comments. I really do. I just can't find anything NOT TO LIKE about this series and the writer who created it. If Michael DiMercurio is guilty of anything, stories and hours of reading enjoyment. BZ Michael, you've done it again! I'm looking forward to TERMINAL RUN and to your mainstream fiction when that hits the bookstores. Thanks for another great read!
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Summary: Weak plot, bad technology, and lifeless characters sink TV
Review: When a book, set in the near future, starts with the drugging and kidnapping of a naval officer, you might think, "Terrorists." When you find out it was done by the US Navy, "Rogue operation" comes to mind. When it turns out it is by the main stream Navy, you say, "It's in the future, it must be a new order and the hero will set it right." Wrong. It's the same Navy, same country and the Navy is run by officers who care (but not enough to not do illegal activities). What you're left with is, "Is this the best the author can do to build excitement?" At least, that is where I ended up. TV is a novel set almost 20 years in the future. The story follows an industrialist's plan to influence world trade. Being a DiMercurio novel, the action unfolds within a naval framework. While I didn't find the plot particularly believable, it could have provided the necessary framework to build a story. Instead, the author dragged it in several directions which, combined with this book's overall poor execution, submerged the story into the depths. DiMercurio's grasp, or at least presentation, of military and industrial technology is abysmal. I've read one other novel by him and had problems with the believability of the technology he proposed in that book. In this story, a brand new submarine goes from concept to the high seas in days. This isn't credible. In WWII, a Liberty ship was once put together in a couple of days but that was with an experienced team, with all the materials at hand. That's not the situation presented here. The fact that this takes place in the near future doesn't provide any relief. Nothing was presented that indicates future technology affected the process. What the reader is presented with is a scenario that defies acceptance. Other areas are equally poorly thought out. To defeat the Navy's high tech sonar, the approach was to make the object have that same specific gravity of water. How does having an object with the same SG as water prevent sound waves from bouncing off it? This isn't correct science. A new type of fusion weapon was discussed which was triggered by a fission explosion but still only affected things within a few yards. I won't bother commenting on that. Essentially everything presented had either unrealistic development approaches and timescales, or lacked scientific credibility. To present a book that provides cutting edge descriptions of the technology of war is a difficult proposition that requires a lot of research. The author apparently chose the shorter route of using his own creativity. What you end up with is not technology but fantasy and by itself it would have seriously, if not fatally, flawed this work. A different problem with this novel is the plot seems disjointed with the author spending a lot of energy introducing a Russian submarine officer and then doing essentially nothing with him for the remainder of the story. I was left with two alternatives for this. Either the story line changed as the book progress and nothing was done to clean up this loose end or the character was being introduced for use in the next novel. Either way, many pages were spent that could be eliminated and made this a "tighter" story. Exacerbating this slow pacing is DiMercurio's insipid writing style. The dialog wasn't "crisp" nor were the characters distinctly drawn. His attempts to paint life into them seemed hollow and artificial such as the hero, lying in bed and dreaming of his wife, giving an intimate kiss to his dog before waking to full consciousness. Again, we get to the credibility issue. This writing style may work for some readers but it didn't for me. I found TV to be a painful read. The first 2/3s of the story were very slow, with characters I couldn't appreciate and didn't care about, and with scientific lapses and misinformation of epic proportions. Things picked up near the end and if the entire book had been at that same caliber, this review would be a bit different different. As it is, however, this is just a bad novel. While there is probably some entertainment value in finding all the technical flaws in this story, it certainly isn't worth the effort. For readers looking for military technology stories, I'd use one of Amazon's numerous search options to find other books in this genre. When presented your options, choose someone other than DiMercurio. Sight unseen, I venture to say any choice would be more believable and exciting.
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