Any novel that in its wake produces an entire new genre and turns the author into one of the best-selling authors of all time must be viewed as one of the great stories written. The Cold War is long since over and it is still a gripping read. The art-book crowd might poo poo on this book, but fiction is about storytelling and Clancy tells a story in a way that had not been successful prior to this. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, than the long list of techno-thriller writers are a testament to how powerful this book really was. ( )

My First clancy book...read it more than a dozen times! ( )

This was truly an excellent book. Like all the Clancy novels, it has the perfect mix of tension, action, politics, and heavy detail that I thoroughly enjoy reading. The Hunt for Red October is a novel written from Clancy's basic structure of Jack Ryan. A man who, “lives on the edge,” who doesn't listen to his boss, who talks too much, and how makes the kind of decisions that in real life would get one killed. It is fantastic. I love the importance to everything. Looking back, there is foreshadowing everywhere. Finishing the entire book, and then going back makes it almost as if it's been highlighted. For instance, the saboteur, he points him out with a red arrow on his head for crying out loud! You'd never know it though, until you've gotten to that point in the plot line. I love being able to remember minute details I noticed before finishing the book, and then feeling like a spy when I realize my intuitions were right. Even though I've never been in a situation like that, nor have I met any person that mimics any these characters, I still feel like saying, “Ha! I knew it was you all along!” when I do finally get to the last page. It is disappointing, however, knowing that there is a successor to this novel while you're reading it. I say that because as a reader, one knows it has to end well, if nothing else because the character is still alive in the following novel. That being said, it is still one heck of an adventure! ( )

Military/political books are not usually on my reading menu. I don't like politics (probably because I either have very strong convictions that cause rows, or I simply don't know what to think on whatever issue), and this story is saturated with political maneuvering and posturing. But Clancy is such a well-known name, and has so many books out... after awhile, seeing them at every library booksale makes you wonder if you're missing out on something. Add to that a few recommendations from friends online, and you have a recipe for wisewoman to read something way off the radar.

I surprised myself by somewhat enjoying it, too. Oh sure, there are tons of military acronyms and terms that flew right over my head (and under it, too, in the case of submarines), but Clancy does try to explain things without becoming too cumbersome. A friend of mine who has been in the armed forces and who enjoys Clancy's books recommended that I read with Wikipedia standing by to help with the more obscure terms, but I'm just not that motivated. I don't know if looking things up would have improved my experience or if it would have bored me.

There were some slow parts in the book where it seemed nothing much was happening except complicated explanations of submarine history and warfare. And there are a lot of minor characters. It's hard to know who to bother remembering for future reference and who it's safe to forget. But once you get the main people down, it's not too bad. I enjoyed getting into the heads of submarine commanders. I confess it's not an occupation I've given much thought.

The movie version starring Sean Connery is also fairly good, though I did catch myself thinking there's a lot of setup and dialogue, with much less action than you might expect in such a film. The film does streamline the original story quite a bit.

Overall, I found the book a worthwhile read, but I don't think I'll be rushing out to buy more Clancy books. If they fall serendipitously into my bag at a library booksale, that's quite another matter. This won't be a favorite of mine, but it was tolerably entertaining, and I'm glad to have read it. ( )

The best book on submarine warfare since Run Silent, Run Deep ( )