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: 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.
Book Review: The standard for this genre
Summary: 5 Stars
Of the Jack Ryan series of books by Tom Clancy, The Hunt for Red October, Tom Clancy's first successful effort, is my favorite. The characters are well-developed and Clancy brings the reader up to speed with military jargon and the thought process of the US and Russian military and political leadership. Clancy does a good job of explaining actual submarine warfare tactics and equipment limitations and vulnerabilities without being over-technical. The plot twists are nicely used to keep the story interesting. Even without such twists, the concept of a renegade "enemy" submarine with extraordinary capability was enough to attract and hold my interest.
It took me a while to get used to Clancy's style of jumping around to pick up on developments from all the different angles, but it was not very difficult to keep track of things if you do your reading over the course of just a few weeks and don't put down the book for too long.
Finally, I would tell fans of the movie that there is much more of the story to enjoy if you read the book and you will still find it interesting even if you remember the ending.
Book Review: Clancy's best developed character-the submarine
Summary: 5 Stars
Beginner's luck. This is Clancy's first book and probably his best. This book features Clancy's best developed and most realistic character, the submarine.
The story is well constructed and moves right along. As I started reading this book, I was afraid that the story would drag on with it taking forever for the Americans to figure out the Soviets secret. But that issue is resolved at the right time and the story moves right on to the next stage.
In this book, Clancy concentrates on the action and the technology without getting bogged down too much with character development. The characters are developed just enough for the requirements of the story. It is when Clancy tries to expand these characters in later books that he falls on his face. Even Jack Ryan seems like an interesting, well rounded and realistic character. He is smart, but not too smart and he has real flaws. In later books, he is a one dimensional superhero.
The only other Clancy book that is nearly this good is Clear and Present Danger. That one also sticks to the action with the characters just rounded off enough to support the story.