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 just because of the details. Not all of the details were bad though, many of them made this a really realistic story to my ears. It was just a lot. If anything happened where other authors would have just went on with one side of the story, Clancy went to every side of anyone that could have thought something about that event. It was amazing how well thought out this book was. I don't know if I could actually recommend this book to anyone and still have my credibility but I will say this, if you can find the audio book, listen to it before you try to read it. I found myself spacing out at some parts and still got the whole picture from the story. Frank Muller made this book for me though.