The Hunt for Red October

Rating:
Summary: Exciting but fundamentally flawed
Review: I don't want to trash a really good book, but one aspect of this book is really off the mark. Tom Clancy's research is legendary so I don't know how this got by him. Captain Marko Ramius is the Lithuanian-born commanding officer on the Soviet nuclear submarine Red October. That's the problem right there. The Soviets would never, ever, ever, ever, ever let a Lithuanian (even a half Lithuanian) be captian of anything....ever. It never happened, it never would. So that ruined the beginning of the book for me.

Rating:
Summary: The Hunt for Red October
Review: If you are a person that is looking for an adventure. Someone that is looking to get lost in a book. Then you should read The Hunt for Red October. It is a suspenseful, adventure filled, mysterious ride that will leave you on the edge of your seat at every turn of a page.

I have read the book and it took me in so quickly that I couldn't put it down. Tom Clancy is an excellent author that captures the reader in the moment of the scene and almost lets them experience it for themselves. The characters are so finely detailed that you think that you have known them all your life. It is just amazing how Clancy does it and is able to do it throughout the book. This is a suspenseful adventure that keeps you thinking. Basically, this book was wonderful, and so was the movie. Clancy's technical information was amazing. He must have spent numerous hours researching for this book.

I have been reading a John Grisham book but that doesn't even come close to Clancy and his brilliance. Clancy writes with such restriction but is so free at the same time. He really knows how to build up to a fight scene or major conflict. If I had to suggest an author it would definitely have to be Clancy but second it would be Grisham. His plot is clever, with a good plot and characters. Check this book out, it is a great pick.

Rating:
Summary: Taut, engaging, classic Tom Clancy debut
Review: If you want to know why Tom Clancy can get away with pushing off bloated, jingoistic right wing propaganda like "The Bear and the Dragon" off on the public, look no further than "The Hunt for Red October," Clancy's smashing debut. It was this novel that made Clancy a must-read.

Whereas some of Clancy's latest works feel fat, flabby, and opinionated, "Red October" is a lean, mean thrill machine that goes heavy on the action (and the techo-details that would become a Clancy standard), and light on the right wing drum beating. Yes, Clancy comes down pretty hard on the Soviet system, but he doesn't beat us about the head and face with it (as he does with the Chinese in later novels).

You all probably know the plot (who hasn't read this book or seen the excellent film adaptation?), but if anything, the concept of a rogue nuclear sub commander seems far more relevant after the death of the Soviet Union than it did during the depths of the Cold War, when this book was published.

Along with "The Sum of All Fears," this book is my favorite Clancy novel. I only wish he'd go back to this brand of lean, exciting storytelling and give up the Limbaugh-wannabee schmaltz that characterizes his later novels.

Rating:
Summary: Technical Genius
Review: Immediately gripping, this story starts off by introducing a high-ranking and well-respected Communist submarine captain who is planning a bold defection to the US after the tragic and unneccesary death of his wife. The insight into Communist life behind the Iron Curtain is detailed and fascinating, and Clancy masterfully creates psychological suspense as the sub crew, moving steadily west, is led to believe that they have been exposed to a radiation leak.
The book stumbles in the middle when Clancy fragments the story in quick, two page sections between too many perspectives. While the plot moves forward, it becomes difficult to keep track of the ever-growing cast of non-relevent characters. In addition, Clancy becomes somewhat burdened by his love of sharing his technical knowledge of military equipment and strategy in general. Although I understand that 50% of the population - men - may revel in the amount of detail he provides, I felt that it detracted from the overall story.
It's difficult in this day and age to imagine what this period in (recent) history was like, since the world has changed so dramatically in such a short period of time. This book draws a brilliant picture of the strained relationship that dominated diplomatic relations of this era.
Clancy offers a well thought out plot and lots of action. A good read in general, and especially if you enjoy the nitty-gritty details of military life.

Rating:
Summary: Taut, well-told story of cold war drama and intrigue
Review: This is the book that introduced me to Jack Ryan, Tom Clancy's pre-eminent hero of such political action stories as Patriot Games, A Clear and Present Danger, and The Sum of All Fears. I guess if this book wasn't such a fantastic novel, I probably wouldn't have read any of his other stories. But this book truly has it all, and I'm thankful that it introduced me to the Jack Ryan saga.

This book starts out in a menacing-enough fashhion, with the launch of Russia's most powerful new nuclear submarine, the Red October. The captain is one of the USSR's greatest war heroes, Marko Ramius. His mission is to test out new stealth technology intended to confound the Americans, and help win the Cold War.

Arrayed against Ramius and his crew is Jack Ryan and quite a large cast of military personnel (my favorite is the sonar operator known as Jonesy). What follows is a cat and mouse game that's as good as any I've read. The Americans must find out what the Red October is up to, while Ramius is playing a deadly game with both the American navy and his own government.

Ramius's goal is to defect to the West, and hand over the contents of the Red October while not letting his crew know what's happened. It's up to Jack Ryan to determine what Ramius's intentions are before war is declared. Then, it also falls on his shoulders to find a way to get Ramius and the Red October to safety without the Russians finding out.

This is one of those 'edge of your seat' novels that literally keeps you up all night reading to find out what happens next. It's not too long (like some of Clancy's later books become), and it has some very nice descriptions of military hardware and tactics being used by both sides today. His research is impeccable, and his story is fantastic.

This book has been turned into a movie with Alec Baldwin starring as Jack Ryan and Sean Connery as Marko Ramius. While most people see Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan these days (even though A Clear and Present Danger was, in my opinion, a truly awful movie when compared to Clancy's fine book), I thought Alec Baldwin did a good job, and that this was one of the most faithful movie adaptations of Clancy's books so far (we'll see what happens with The Sum of All Fears...).

If high-tech military action and suspense are appealing to you, and somehow you still haven't read this book, do so immediately. It's one of the best by Tom Clancy, and Tom Clancy is the Stephen King of great military fiction.