Memphis Reads Archive

Fiction/Adventure

Dean Moore reviews THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER by Tom Clancy (Naval Institute Press, 1984)

Imagine a fully loaded missile submarine with enough fire power to destroy 200 cities. The name of this powerful submarine is Red October.

The Hunt for Red October begins with the launch of Russia’s newest and largest submarine. The newly appointed captain of this crown jewel is Marko Ramius. He secretly plots to defect to the West, planning to take his senior crew and new commission with him. The entire Soviet Navy and the U.S. Armed Services begin to hunt for the submarine, each for their own reasons. This game of cat-and-mouse becomes an extremely intense conflict between the two superpowers.

The Russian Navy is given orders to destroy Red October, while the U.S. Armed Services and secret intelligence agencies are in the hunt for national security reasons and technical military secrets. The plot moves beyond exciting tactical submarine operations to strained international relationships, espionage and deception.

This is a detailed, slow-paced adventure. The chapters are short and move back and forth between characters on different ships as the story develops. The Hunt for Red October is filled with much more description than dialogue. The technical details of the book are impressive. The story keeps the reader on edge from beginning to end, and gives an inside view of U.S. intelligence operations and executive decision making. Adventure readers are sure to enjoy this submarine drama.


Dean Moore, Frayser Branch Library

Labels: Adventure, Reviews by Dean Moore