The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan)

Tom Clancy

Awesome thriller written in the heyday of the Cold War. The Russian captain of the Red October...more

Awesome thriller written in the heyday of the Cold War. The Russian captain of the Red October attempts to defect to the United States without the majority of his crew knowing. As he sails across the Atlantic with angry Russian fleets following, Jack Ryan, an American/British CIA/historian dude figures out that the Red October is trying to get into the U.S. Who will get to the sub first? Will the Russian commander ever be able to hide his secret from his crew? Will Jack Ryan ever buy that Barbie doll for his daughter? Well, the majority of these questions are pretty much ignored for the first 150 pages, which made the book start slowly. But suddenly steam picked up and the book was an "unputdown-able" thriller (in the words of President Reagan.) So if the beginning of the novel leaves you bored, don't worry. It gets a LOT better and incredibly interesting.   hide

Meet Jack Ryan. He's an analyst for the CIA, in a time where the relations between the Soviet...more

Meet Jack Ryan. He's an analyst for the CIA, in a time where the relations between the Soviet Union and the USA are rapidly dropping. His hobbies include his family, keeping fit, and helping state-of-the-art, top-secret rouge Soviet submarines defect to the United States without letting the Soviets find out. Tom Clancy's first Jack Ryan book is one of his best. Even if you don't read the book, watch the movie. It's one of those very rare cases where the movie doesn't ruin the book in any way whatsoever.   hide

The first book that made Tom Clancy's name was by far and away the best. I great (if a tad...more

The first book that made Tom Clancy's name was by far and away the best. I great (if a tad farfetched) storyline and a thirlling spy tale that keeps you interested. Progressively as the series on Jack Ryan's exploits went on, it became less fun and more overt flagwaving, losing much of its appeal...   hide

Didn't even know there was a movie.... anyways, this is one of the best books i've ever read....more

Didn't even know there was a movie.... anyways, this is one of the best books i've ever read. There's not much more to say. Clancy is really just amazing, absolutely amazing, and this is possibly his greatest book. One of my top 10 ever.   hide

My main issue with this book is that so much of the tension is based on wondering about what the...more

My main issue with this book is that so much of the tension is based on wondering about what the main character is actually up to, but Clancy kind of gives it away way too soon. That bothered me, but aside from that, if you're into this genre (have to admit I'm not particularly), it's pretty good.   hide