Here is the runaway bestseller that launched Tom Clancy's phenomenal career. A military thriller so gripping in its action and so convincing in its...
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Dec 12, 2008
The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy explains just how dangerous it must be to work on a submarine. The better half of this story takes place in the Atlantic Ocean somewhere between North America and Europe, in the 1980s. CIA agent, Jack Ryan finds out just how hard it is to find a submarine that appears to fool even the best sonar men.
Jack Ryan is one of the main characters that I liked in this story. He is a persistent human being in that he is unwilling to giv More...
Tom Clancy explains just how dangerous it must be to work on a submarine. The better half of this story takes place in the Atlantic Ocean somewhere between North America and Europe, in the 1980s. CIA agent, Jack Ryan finds out just how hard it is to find a submarine that appears to fool even the best sonar men.
Jack Ryan is one of the main characters that I liked in this story. He is a persistent human being in that he is unwilling to giv More...
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May 22, 2008
Lance
rated it: 
I read this when I was on the USS Eisenhower. It was so popular with the Squids that I think it replaced the BMR. The thing that really impressed everyone on the ship was how accurate Clancy was with both his research and his story-telling. There was never a "that's not how it happens" moment, so common in media of this type. Engaging story, meticulous research combine for a fantastic read. I recommend this one to everyone.
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Dec 17, 2009
Nathaniel
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Probably my favorite Tom Clancy novel, and certainly my favorite on submarine warfare, this book introduces Jack Ryan as a young and bright CIA analyst faced with a politically explosive situation. Realistic politics, thrilling submarine chases and battles, and believable characters make this come together well.
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Dec 11, 2011
John E.
rated it:
Assuming the Wikipedia entry on the novel to be correct in an unattributed assertion, Tom Clancy hadn't submitted the manuscript of this book, his first novel, anywhere else before giving the U.S. Naval Institute Press a look at it. He was probably lucky in that, as was the press, for Clancy's novel was different enough from other military thrillers of the time that he quite likely would've received rejections and may have given up. (J. K. Rowling, among others, faced the same rejections but per
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Dec 08, 2011
Normacarpenter
rated it:
One of Clancy's earlier books, the good kind that read more richly than the light and profuse fluff of his more recent work.
My favorite aspect of the book is the transitioning, which lends itself to heighten the action for certain situations. I also appreciate the detailed tangents that Clancy can go off in to in order to explain a certain topic to the reader.
I am not going to summarize the book in great detail. The movie does a good job of that, cutting out interesting side commen More...
My favorite aspect of the book is the transitioning, which lends itself to heighten the action for certain situations. I also appreciate the detailed tangents that Clancy can go off in to in order to explain a certain topic to the reader.
I am not going to summarize the book in great detail. The movie does a good job of that, cutting out interesting side commen More...
Dec 07, 2011
Paulinewashington
rated it:
First off, I have to give Tom Clancy credit for really doing his homework for this. He knew his stuff backwards and forwards, as he demonstrated amply. The problem was, he suffered from what I call "Michael Crichton Syndrome," although, to be fair, Clancy was writing first, so he probably invented it. I just read Crichton first. But it translates to: "ALL OF MY RESEARCH, LET ME SHOW YOU IT." The story that Clancy was spinning involved very technical, deeply specialized inform
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Oct 04, 2011
Evan
rated it: 
If you ever want to come across really well in an interview with a Navy Officer, be sure to use this book as the answer for "What is the last good book you read?" This will give the interviewing officer a chance to recount the story of how he once met Tom Clancy on a submarine (every Naval Officer has met Tom Clancy on a submarine at least two times). It's not necessary to actually read the book for this, as you can get by with just seeing the movie, UNLESS the officer starts asking yo
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Sep 29, 2011
Jason
rated it:
I have been working through The Cloister and the Hearth, but I need more modern reading on occasion to keep me going. I am not sure why I picked up Red October from my shelf last week… it was just available and I thought I would give it a shot (despite my earlier, disastrous experience with Clancy while reading Patriot Games).
I like the movie starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin, and submarines intrigue me, and I know Ronald Reagan loved this book... but I has also heard that it was ver More...
I like the movie starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin, and submarines intrigue me, and I know Ronald Reagan loved this book... but I has also heard that it was ver More...
Jun 09, 2011
Joe
rated it:
“The Hunt for Red October” is about the journey of a young man, Jack Ryan, and his search for the Red October. The Soviet Union has just put to use a new drive system for their nuclear submarines. This one, the Red October, has been decided to be piloted by Marko Ramius. Marko Ramius sets out from dry dock with no intentions of coming back. Jack Ryan is offered a job in the CIA after he attains pictures of the new Soviet Boomer, Red October. He seeks the Red October on various ships until the Re
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Apr 29, 2011
Lisa
rated it:
The Hunt For Red October is billed as a "military procedural" with an ingenious tightly woven plot. Overall, this is pretty accurate. On the positive side, the plot is intricate, the characters are interesting, and the pacing is pretty solid. On the negative, the book does stray too far into the procedural realm--sometimes reading like a textbook, and what makes it so good also has tragically dated this book.
Beyond the fact that war with the USSR is no longer the dire th More...
Beyond the fact that war with the USSR is no longer the dire th More...
Apr 03, 2011
Anila
rated it:
Damn, Marko Ramius is an awesome character.
Just sayin'.
Real review:
Well, I've finally read a Clancy book. Yay me?
It reminded me a bit of the Honor Harrington series, which I guess makes sense. They're both military, after all; one has spaceships and the other has submarines and other than that the genre conventions seemed about the same. AND THEY BOTH HAVE ONE REALLY ANNOYING HABIT: The 'action action action loooooongwiiiiiinded descriiiiiiption of teeeeec More...
Just sayin'.
Real review:
Well, I've finally read a Clancy book. Yay me?
It reminded me a bit of the Honor Harrington series, which I guess makes sense. They're both military, after all; one has spaceships and the other has submarines and other than that the genre conventions seemed about the same. AND THEY BOTH HAVE ONE REALLY ANNOYING HABIT: The 'action action action loooooongwiiiiiinded descriiiiiiption of teeeeec More...
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Apr 25, 2010
Jack
rated it:
It is the height of the Cold War. A recent intelligence development has led the United States government to believe that the captain of a Soviet missile submarine intends to defect to America. This is the predicament facing Jack Ryan, an intelligence analyst for the CIA, in Tom Clancy’s: The Hunt for Red October. The book is a great example of a classic rivalry: America and the Soviet Union. As well, a rivalry appears between Jack Ryan and Marko Ramius, captain of the Red October. However, emb
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Oct 28, 2009
Rich
rated it:
The Hunt for the Red October is a tense and suspenseful book. It stars Captain Marko Ramius, a senior Lithuanian submariner and captain of the Soviet Unions' newest submarine: The Red October. Red October, boasting a revolutionary new propulsion system, allowing it to travel silently, is capable of being used to devastating effectiveness in a Nuclear War. Knowing this, and due to his own past with the Soviets, Marko secretly kills the Political officer on board, burns his orders, and steams towa
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Sep 30, 2011
Vegasbookworm
rated it:
Title: The Hunt for Red October
Author: Tom Clancy
Date of Publication: 1984
Genres: Technothriller, Military Fiction, Espionage
Style: 3rd person omniscient
My Rating: 6.5 out of 10
Tom Clancy is a household name when it comes to popular fiction in the United States. Considered the father of the TechnoThriller, the majority of his books are bestsellers, many of them adapted into movies, and he even has two popular video game series franchised under his More...
Author: Tom Clancy
Date of Publication: 1984
Genres: Technothriller, Military Fiction, Espionage
Style: 3rd person omniscient
My Rating: 6.5 out of 10
Tom Clancy is a household name when it comes to popular fiction in the United States. Considered the father of the TechnoThriller, the majority of his books are bestsellers, many of them adapted into movies, and he even has two popular video game series franchised under his More...
Sep 05, 2010
Jorge
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jul 05, 2009
Karla
rated it:
My husband was a submariner and this book rang true from start to finish. We both read this book many years ago, even prior to the movie, and were amazed at the knowledge Clancy had of the US Navy sub force. It is well researched and given the time frame in which it is set, entirely plausible. After living life with the military in a time when you only knew what the Navy thought you had a "need to know", it was relatively easy to imagine that the premise this story is built on could
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Oct 20, 2011
Joy
rated it:
This was my first taste of Tom Clancy, and I'm eager for more! The Hunt for Red October paints an international picture of political and military affairs and the secrets they make and defend, spanning the globe from the United States to Great Britain to the Soviet Union. I won't give any spoilers here, so that's all I will say. You will enjoy the twists and surprises along the way!
At first glance the overwhelming number of names, places and terms combined with some in depth description More...
At first glance the overwhelming number of names, places and terms combined with some in depth description More...
Jul 03, 2010
An Excellent Thriller With A Little Lag: First of all, Jack Ryan is a brilliant character, and Tom Clancy (for the most part) is a very good author. That being said, this book has elements of good and bad in it. THE GOOD. This book's story line is wonderful, twisting every which way in a succesful attempt at engaging the reader. Another high point is the character development, which I felt was a strong element in this novel. The third main standout in my mind is the kind of adrenaline that can f
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Sep 10, 2010
William Clay
rated it:
It was a brilliant idea. A really well executed story. Hard not to enjoy it.
But... Tom Clancy is difficult to read.
There's nothing that can be said in 2 pages that he can't turn into 20 pages... whether it's the internal machinations of the Politboro in Moscow or the workings of the Red October itself with all the ranks and characters that are crucial but yet difficult to remember or distinguish between.
It has the rather dubious distinction of being the first book I enjoyed le More...
But... Tom Clancy is difficult to read.
There's nothing that can be said in 2 pages that he can't turn into 20 pages... whether it's the internal machinations of the Politboro in Moscow or the workings of the Red October itself with all the ranks and characters that are crucial but yet difficult to remember or distinguish between.
It has the rather dubious distinction of being the first book I enjoyed le More...
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Jan 30, 2012
Renae
rated it: 
Being completely honest here: the only reason I read this book is because of the movie. It happens to be my favorite film. Ever. So my expectations for this book were pretty high, and, unfortunately, I didn’t think The Hunt for Red October the book quite lived up to The Hunt for Red October the movie. There will also be a bit of comparison between the two, just as a heads up.
What I Liked: One of the big things that struck me was what an excellent job Clancy did with the defectors’ accl More...
What I Liked: One of the big things that struck me was what an excellent job Clancy did with the defectors’ accl More...
Sep 13, 2010
Kenneth
rated it:
Tom Clancy isn't one to shrug technical descriptions aside, and The Hunt for Red October is no exception. Until we're actually told, we're given a legitimately engaging story that has us pondering whether Ramius will attack or defect-the opening pages being particularly eyebrow-raising. Since Clancy is so fond of his military knowledge, we get the usual abundance of them here and it does, as with his other works, impede potentially greater connections with us as readers. Though we do get some
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Oct 30, 2011
Arcadius
rated it:
I’ve read enough books about naval warfare in the Napoleonic era and WW2; thought it was about time to get better acquainted what goes on at sea in our own time.
This Clancy delivers, in spades. Except at the very end, Red October isn’t really a thriller – more of a naval procedural – and the mass of technological and procedural detail he throws at the reader is prodigious. There isn’t much art to this – you get the feeling that no scrap of research has been allowed to go to was More...
Jul 05, 2011
Joe
rated it:
This was my first Tom Clancy book that I have read (listened) unabridged. It was a really good story and he is actually a really good author unlike what some I have heard say about him. This book was incredible about details and technical things that happen on submarines, but that is not necessarily a compliment. I listened to the audio book version with Frank Muller, my absolute favorite reader, and I'd have to say that if I read this book outright, I would have fallen asleep at many parts j
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May 05, 2011
Hilmi
rated it:
Kapten Marko Ramius,bersama-sama dengan beberapa orang pegawai bawahannya ingin melarikan diri daripada Soviet Union (SU). Masing-masing mempunyai alasan mereka yang tersendiri untuk mengkhianati negara mereka sendiri. Bagi Kapten Ramius sendiri,beliau membuat keputusan demikian kerana kecewa dengan sistem politik dan sosial negaranya,sehingga menyebabkan kematian isterinya yang tercinta. Mereka tidak melarikan diri secara bersendirian. Malahan,mereka turut mengemudi sebuah kapal selam balistik
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Feb 05, 2009
Mike
rated it:
I picked this book up again because I was desperate for something to read, and remembered from when I first read it that, while Tom Clancy is not a high-brow novelist, he at least can spin a good yarn. Reading it again was disappointing, though. The plot wasn't quite as crisp or gripping as I remembered it to be; the propaganda machine seemed more prominent than I remembered (the Russians don't come out as bogey men, but they also come out as rather bumbling and hopeless -- the Americans just
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Mar 23, 2011
Brian
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
May 25, 2011
Tracy
rated it:
I'm not a Clancy reader, and I don't think I'll pick up another one of his titles. I saw the film first, and it's really one of my favorite films to watch. If I ran my own nickleodeon, I would pair "The Hunt for Red October" with "Jaws" as an afternoon double feature. The film adaptation did a rather good job of translating the book's story and the film elevated the book's humor and suspense. My main complaints with the book were the unclear technical writing and the draw
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Dec 16, 2009
Colby
rated it:
Tom Clancy's first novel is often praised for being so accurate that it was believed he was debriefed by the White House. This book is excellent! The characters of Captain Ramius and Jack Ryan are fascinating. The story is pulse-pounding. There is nothing bad about this book.
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Nov 15, 2008
J.D.
rated it:
Tom Clancy at his best, long before he entered his Extreme Bloat period. Tight, fast-moving, and suspenseful. This was one of my textbooks on how to write action, especially how to build suspense by cutting back and forth between scenes.
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Jun 25, 2009
Patra
rated it:
This book was so intense that after I finished reading it, I dreamed of chasing submarines all night. This was the first book I've ever read by Tom Clancy and I now highly respect his ability to write. He obviously did excellent research of military maneuvers during the Cold War because you could easily believe this is a true story. Even though this was the first book I have read by Tom Clancy, it will probably be the last one I read. I would highly recommend this book except for the foul la
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