The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan)
by Tom Clancy
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Book Reviews of The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan)
Book Review: Red October review by Henry B.
Summary: 3 Stars
It is December ,1986, and Captain Marko Ramius, Russia's most trusted submarine commander, is taking their newly developed submarine, Red October, to sea. It has the most technologically advanced propulsion system in the world. It is ultra quiet and can easily disappear form any vessel tracking it. Once at sea Ramius drops all Soviet orders and heads towards the United States. America and Russia are baffled. The U.S. hopes for a defection, but fears a covert Soviet attack. Is the U.S. in store for an attack or has Russia just lost its top submarine?
Personally, I thought The Hunt For Red October was a decent book. It wasn't as good as it was hyped up to be, but it wasn't bad. I was told that the novel was extremely action packed but found that the action mainly occurred in the end. To me this was disappointing. However, as the novel progressed it got better and better. It takes numerous boring chapters of detailed military analysis to build into the action packed hunt for Red October, but if you stick with it the end really pays off. The military procedures were extraordinarily realistic, but I felt they were not important to understand the plot of the novel. However, if you are intrigued by realistic military procedure then I definitely suggest you read this book. What I did enjoyed about the novel was that some of the setting takes place on a submarine. I like submarines and they have always fascinated me because of their mystery and power. Another thing I liked about the novel was Clancy's realistic portrayal of submarines. He makes you feel like you are on the sub mixed up in all the chaos that is going on. On the downside, the novel constantly changed location which I found confusing.
The book is said to be an easy read. I disagree with that. For me it was extremely confusing, and I found my self constantly getting lost. The confusing part to me was the insane military code and procedure along with the constant change of location. The individual locations where the story takes place are interesting, but too much jumping back and fourth left me feeling like a sub lost at sea.
Book Review: Dreams of Freedom
Summary: 5 Stars
Reader's Response to NovelThe harsh prospect of a nuclear holocaust keeps readers of Tom Clancy's The Hunt for the Red October, glued to the pages. This novel has been well written and the sheer suspense involved coerces the reader to continue reading.
The action begins as Soviet submarine Captain Marko Ramius decides that he wants to defect from Russia to America. When the American CIA ascertains this, Ramius is already halfway across the Atlantic in his stolen sub, and analyst Jack Ryan is called to the case. Can a rogue submarine captain escape from the entire Soviet Navy to gain his freedom?
Unforgettable characters such as Captain Ramius and Jack Ryan force you to think about what they discuss in the book. Ramius wants his freedom and is willing to do anything to get it. Ryan has many personal boundaries that are dying to be broken so he can experience life to the fullest. After reading this book, we Americans will finally grasp the colossal freedoms that we enjoy with democracy. Also, the reader begins to cogitate what individual boundaries limit them and how best to supersede them. Stirring text and insights into the characters' own heads give the reader a need to continue reading onward. When Clancy takes the reader on a journey inside Ramius' head, the sad reality that permeates throughout the Soviet Union becomes reality. Clancy explains the hardships and the utter lack of dignity that an everyday citizen is supposed to bear. The amazing thing about the authorship of this book is that it makes the readers want to know more about the situations occurring. Somehow, the reader begins to feel emotion for the characters as they experience good times and bad.
All in all, The Hunt for the Red October is a fascinating, gripping book that keeps the reader on his toes. This novel manages to examine various ideas and situations that all readers are able to apply in some way to their own lives. I highly recommend The Hunt for the Red October for anyone wishing to learn more about themselves and a little bit about nuclear submarines.
Book Review: Hunt For Red October is a Thumbs Up
Summary: 4 Stars
The Hunt For Red October is a good novel. Clancy really did a great job in setting up his characters and he also created a very interesting plot line throughout the entire book. Another thing I liked about the book was the lack of boring filler parts. Many novels are rittled with such long intros and strings of chapters in which a part of the book is explained or set up. The thing I did not like so much about the book is the fact that is sort of long. I prefer shorter books. However, Clancy did a great job of keeping me, the reader, interested, so it didn't seem so long.
This novel was interesting throughout the better part of the book. Though I had some difficulty following the plot line of the selection, it was still interesting and kept me reading. The characters also just seemed to come alive as I read the book. Tom Clancy did a great job in setting them up. Most of the time I am not that interested in the book due simply to the fact that the author did not set up his or her characters well enough. Without the connection to the characters, I lose interest in the book entirely. This was not the case with this novel. I felt as if I was right in the midst of the action while I was reading, and I credit that to Mr. Clancy's superb setup of the characters.
The thing about the book I did not like so much was the fact that it was kind of lengthy. There were a few parts that most likely could have been reduced and condensed into a shorter portion and been every bit as effective. The parts that drag on seem out of place, due to the void of such boring parts through most of the novel.
On the whole, The Hunt For Red October is a well written and well constructed novel. The war theme is sure to keep most all readers interested and the book also is pretty action packed, leaving only a few drawn out parts. Dispite the length, the book will not take forever to read, either, due to the great content. On the whole, Tom Clancy's The Hunt For Red October is worth four stars out of five. I would recomend it to all.
Book Review: A techno thriller of grand porportions!
Summary: 5 Stars
It's at the height of the Cold War. The Soviets have build the submarine, the Red October. Deadly and almost silent with a new propulsion system, commandeered by Captain Marko Ramius, the Red October is heading West. The reason? It's up to the Americans to find out. At first, the American government immediately jump to the conclusion that the Russians are planning to attack the United States. But then strangely enough, they find out that the entire Russian naval and air commands are trying to find the "Red October": there orders, to sink the submarine! Lone CIA analyst, Jack Ryan has a different idea that is almost too impossible to believe! The hunt is on!!Now this is a book worth the reading! Not only is the book a suspensful and thrilling read, the plot is so well constructed that it's almost impossible to believe that this never really took place. Down to the last detail, Tom Clancy gives us a story which will have your eyes glued to every single page and make the time fly past.
Clancy's characters are fully developed and I'm most thankful for that. There are times when I read a very detailed book with so many characters, and even while reading, I forget the characters and have to turn back to find out 'who in the world is that?' But not so in this case, From the main characters, Jack Ryan, Marko Ramius, the President, and etc., I still can probably start reading the book again and remember most of the characters.
When you finish this book, I can most definitely guarantee it won't leave you feeling disappointed. But don't stop there! Tom Clancy is the author of many more novels which will give you the same feeling of delving into some sort of hidden story waiting to be opened up. Also, be sure to check out the 1990 movie based on this book:
"The Hunt for Red October" (1990) - Basically the same as the book. Understandably though, not all the characters, incidents, and details aren't included in the movie. Still a great movie, I can highly recommend it. Starring Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn. PG-13
Book Review: As the NY Times said, "...A whiz-bang page turner!"
Summary: 5 Stars
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.