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: The Hunt For Red October
Summary: 5 Stars
The Hunt for Red October By Tom ClancyTom Clancy has written many excellent books in his time, but I consider this as one of his best. I feel that it is a wonderful read. The story is mainly set around the submarine "Red October." The story is that a prototype Russian Nuclear submarine sets sail. But the captain and the crew decide that they want to defect to the side of the Americans. What follows is a gripping story of how Red October tries to get across the Atlantic to America. In which they are forced to battle many Russian submarines. But the Americans have already realised that Red October is going to defect and are racing to reach it before the Russians can.
I felt that this story was a brilliant read as Tom Clancy goes into a lot of detail about what the Submarine is like and I feel that he has taken a lot of time to research what the object that he is writing about is called in real life and in the proper military term. I feel he also has taken a long time to think about some of the characters he has had to introduce, such as the captain of Red October, he has had to think about his background in the military, and he has had to make this background sound realistic.
All in all I think that this book is a brilliant read and I strongly advise anyone to read it because it is superb.
Book Review: Great story that holds up well
Summary: 4 Stars
I've never been a great Clancy fan--I had to read Clear and Present Danger for a Poli Sci class and found it to be interesting but fatally long. I was intrigued enough to try Patriot Games but never made it through. I pretty much then took a pass at Clancy--his novels are overly long; the characters never develop, taking second place to the technical details; and the technical details are overwhelming. I'm actually quite interested in military hardware, but instead of making it interesting, Clancy just seems to recite a laundry list of things he found out about a particular piece of equipment.That said, THfRO shines through all of these drawbacks. It is very engaging. You see little of the characters--only Captain Ramius seems to have any personality at all. Even Jack Ryan seems cut-and-pasted. But the action sequences are better than the movies. When the first nuclear sub explodes, Clancy somehow makes all the information we were supposed to learn in Sophomore Chem class jump alive. The final confrontation takes a good thirty pages or so, and you're riveted to every page. It's a hard subject to tackle, and Clancy's freshman writing abilities is surprisingly fresh.
You'll find yourself dragging through some parts, yes, but there's a reward for sticking with it.
Book Review: Amazing tech thriller
Summary: 5 Stars
The Hunt for Red October is a fast paced tech-thriller from the mastermind of Tom Clancy. It a very exciting read that often feels too real for the reader's own good- you almost feel as if you're reading some sort of top secret file that you somehow picked up by mistake. In that lies the magic of Tom Clancy's thrillers: it's all in their believability.
The plot revolves around Tom Clancy's signature character, CIA pencil pusher Jack Ryan, as he attempts to assist a Russian submarine captain - Captain Marko Ramius- who along with a group of his personally selected officers wishes to defect to the United States, bringing with them the latest vessel in the Soviet Navy, a nuclear submarine with a new propulsion system known as Red October. It becomes a race against the clock as American and British naval forces compete with the Russian navy to see who can apprehend the super-sub.
This is a book that will keep you interested from beginning to end and has enough details to feel believable without ever getting boring. Clancy knew how to keep his story interesting and he never seems to steer away from the exciting core of his story.
P.S.: The exciting movie adaptation is also worth checking out.
Book Review: Taut, engaging, classic Tom Clancy debut
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Book Review: The Hunt for Red October
Summary: 5 Stars
The Hunt for Red October, by Tom Clancy, features a lot of action and suspense. I enjoy this novel for a number of reasons. Primarily, I am interested in this book because of the explanation of what the Soviet Union was and what principles the Soviets stood for. I also think that learning about submarines and what the crew of a submarine experiences is fascinating. Next, the main character, Jack Ryan, is a great person to read about. He is put in many tough positions, and he always uses his intelligence to succeed. I want to root for Ryan because of the way he persists and prevails throughout the novel.I feel that a number of different types of people will enjoy this book as much as I do. Specifically, I recommend this novel to anyone who has a great interest in the CIA and the governments of other countries, especially people who like to know extensive inside information about how governments work. Also, people who think that submarines are interesting, as well as warfare between sea-faring vessels, will enjoy this book. In general, this book has a lot of suspense, so people who enjoy action and drama may like this book even if the Russian politics and submarines are not highly fascinating to them.