You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed the book, even if I keep seeing the movie in my mind while reading it! Very detailed descriptions of submarines, as well as military and CIA protocols, made it interesting for me who normally likes non-fiction. I can't give it 5 stars, for while I appreciate the amount of knowledge and research it would take to write a story so true to the facts, sharing all of that information with us takes away from the flow of the story a little. I will probably go on to read another Tom Clancy novel in the future and continue in the series.
adventurous
challenging
informative
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
i would not have finished this without the audiobook but we got there.
did i understand everything that was happening? no.
am i still giving this shameless piece of american military propaganda 5 stars? yes.
consider me entertained.
did i understand everything that was happening? no.
am i still giving this shameless piece of american military propaganda 5 stars? yes.
consider me entertained.
Way too much technical information, jargon, and unnecessary dialogue. While many of the conversations feel "real", there's a point where "real" becomes "too real" and therefore "boring" - have you listened to people talk? We are not nearly so interesting to listen to as the stylized and minimalist dialogue of most movies and books.
But even ignoring that, I just cannot get past the technical info dumping. I appreciate the amount of research that must have gone into this... but I don't need to actually read all of it. I have always believed that it is important for the author to understand what they're talking about and to have all the details worked out, but that the reader should only be told what they need to know. And I don't need to know how a submarine's engine works, nor do I need to know specifically how the Red October's engine works, only that it is quiet. 70 pages in and I know more about submarines and the military than I do about any of the characters other than possibly Ramius, let alone what the plot of the novel actually is.
Marko Ramius seems like an interesting character (the only one so far), but he is largely drowned out by info dumping and unnecessary details.
I rarely say this, but I think I'll just watch the movie on this one.
But even ignoring that, I just cannot get past the technical info dumping. I appreciate the amount of research that must have gone into this... but I don't need to actually read all of it. I have always believed that it is important for the author to understand what they're talking about and to have all the details worked out, but that the reader should only be told what they need to know. And I don't need to know how a submarine's engine works, nor do I need to know specifically how the Red October's engine works, only that it is quiet. 70 pages in and I know more about submarines and the military than I do about any of the characters other than possibly Ramius, let alone what the plot of the novel actually is.
Marko Ramius seems like an interesting character (the only one so far), but he is largely drowned out by info dumping and unnecessary details.
I rarely say this, but I think I'll just watch the movie on this one.
This is my first Tom Clancy book. I was impressed by Clancy's grasp of the technical details of submarine machinery and US and Soviet politics during the Cold War. A lot of it went over my head, but I was caught up in the gripping plot before long. A definite thumbs up.
Another terrific Jack Ryan adventure. I know it's rather unlikely and kind of cheesy that Ryan, who continues to insist he is a professor and/or an analyst, continues to find himself right in the middle of every adventure, but it really just works. Having read several of these books now, it's interesting to see the trends that emerge: Clancy is fond of name-dropping and place-dropping in his books. Idaho is casually mentioned several times (with regards to the nuclear site there), as are Mormons. It's fun.