The Hunt for Red October

Written by Tom Clancy

Narrated by Lance C. Fuller

The runaway international No.1 bestseller that launched Tom Clancy’s spectacular career – became a blockbuster film – and introduced Jack Ryan.

THE HUNT IS ON…

Silently, beneath the chill Atlantic waters, Russia’s ultra-secret missile submarine, the Red October, is heading west.

The Americans want her. The Russians want her back. With all-out war only seconds away, the superpowers race across the ocean on the most desperate mission of a lifetime.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Feb 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9780008277253

Tom Clancy

Since the phenomenal worldwide success of ‘‘The Hunt for Red October’, his controversial, ground-breaking first novel, Tom Clancy has become one of the world’s fastest-selling thriller writers. Three of his novels have been made into highly successful films: ‘The Hunt for Red October’, ‘Patriot Games’ and ‘Clear and Present Danger’. He is also the author of several non-fiction books on military subjects, and the co-creator of the ‘Op-Centre’ series. He lives in Maryland, USA.

Reviews for The Hunt for Red October

[Ruan Bezuidenhout · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Appreciated the in-depth description of military equipment and its workings. Could relate to terminology used, however it could get laborious when this is explained with every single mechanical item (almost).

Included some twist-and-turns I certainly didn't expect. Great start to the series and would definitely recommend.
(Initially thought the voice of the narrator wouldn't capture me, but quickly grew to loving how he took me through the journey!)

[benfulton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The first of the great thriller novels that make an attempt to have highly authentic descriptions of the relevant technology. I always have a feeling when I pick up a Clancy that at some point he went to someone in the military and said, "What's your nightmare scenario?" and then picked and poked out all the little details to figure out exactly how the scenario might play itself out, which is how you get nuclear explosions at the Super Bowl or planes flying into the White House. Maybe the question that was the genesis of this book was more like, "What's your dream scenario?", because if you asked this of a sub commander, wouldn't it be to get your hands on the latest Soviet technology for a really good going over? Not to mention the skipper of the ship itself.But again, the real draw is the descriptions of the technology. The way the sonar man first finds the sub; operations on board fighter jets and destroyers; all of it rings with such authenticity that you feel you're really there and that these guys are really pros.What you lose for this, of course, is that the characters are way underdrawn. Offhand I can think of exactly one highly-placed member of the military in a Clancy who was a jerk - surely there are more in real life - and the rest all appear to be more or less supermen. But that's ok, there are other books to read if you want Insight Into The Human Condition. Read this one for the action and suspense, because it's a page turner. Don't be surprised if you stay up way later than you planned to finish it. I did.

[atimco-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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.

[mausergem_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Marko Ramius, a senior USSR submarine captain, is unhappy with his government after his wife's death and decides to defect to America along with his submarine , Red October. The Russians find it out and send their entire navy fleet of shops and submarines to hunt him down. The Americans guess Ramius' intention and try to help him and succeed.The novel reads like an itinerary of the American military prowess. A serious joke of a book.

[choccy_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

?Somewhere under the Atlantic, a Soviet sub commander has just made a fateful decision. The Red October is heading West. The Americans want her. The Soviet want her back. And the most incredible chase in history is on?.?Ah, one of my favorite authors of all time. The incredible Mr. Clancy. I loveee political-military-espionage-techno-thrillers! And Clancy is definitely the man for it. I?ve fallen in love with his works since years ago, been collecting them, until now he sells more books to me compared with other authors. Well, except Enid Blyton.The Hunt for Red October is his first novel, published in 1984 (I wish I could read when I was three). It is also deemed by many as one of his best works. I fully concur.The plot is magnificently built, the characters (besides the famous Jack Ryan) are awesome, the accuracy is so genuinely believable, and what I like most is perhaps the submarine warfare and all those stuffs. (FYI, Das Boot is one of my all time fave war movies).?Conn, sonar, the enemy bearing is one-nine-two.??Preparing to fire. Flooding tubes. Outer torpedo tube doors are open.??Recheck firing solution!??Torpedoes in the water port side!??Left full rudder! Prepare countermeasures!??Brace for impact!?HELL YEAH!Totally riveting! Breathlessly exhilarating! I bet you?ll find difficulties to put it down.PS: The movie (starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin) is kinda good. But I still recommend the real thing, since it?s far more complex and exciting.

[ewalrath_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've read this book over 20 times since I was 11. The simplistic US = good, USSR = Bad is pretty bizarre but it's an intricate plot and every character who gets a name is interesting, even if they're not realistic. And heck, the movie has Alec Baldwin doing a Sean Connery impersonation.

[ed0jones · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Having read this while in the US Navy back in the mid 80s I still remember this as a great book that really captured military life. It was a page turner marathon read. But later Clancy books left me cold. The main character Jack Rayan(?) became a superman. Found better writers, but this first book was great.

[ricday_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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

[ko40370 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I tired of the fact that every single character in the book, no matter how minor a player, was a genius in his field or at the top of his class, etc. And I don't believe there was a single female character, except Jack Ryan's wife was mentioned, but she was never heard from, that I recall. Not a very balanced novel. The hunt that comprised the last 20% of the book was very skillfully done, and very exciting, however.

[kellswitch_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is not normally the kind of book I read as I hate political thrillers and conspiracy stories in general, but I really enjoyed this one from beginning to end. It's the only Clancy novel I own.I found the situation believable as written, the characters believable and engaging and I found myself very caught up in what happened to them and caring about the outcome.I found the technical language and naval slang used in the book very easy to follow as written and felt it added to the story without excluding someone like me who normally has no idea about things like this.

[rolyaty · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Read this book in my Sophomore year in High School and it propelled me into a world of adult fiction, starting with the rest of the Clancy novels. Loved this book.

[doondeck · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Still the best Clancy book

[davidtaylorjr-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Clancy's first book is an action packed fun read. Language may not be safe for younger readers so parents judge accordingly. The book is a compelling story from the Cold-War Era!

[pratalife · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

5 stars for the story of course, but the audio recording (available from NLB) is not the best. After loading on my iPod, there was a definite warble, and I didn't particularly like the narrator's voice characterisations

[ursula_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was my first Clancy novel. I found it a bit of a slow starter, but I've been told that Clancy books tend to be that way. The first 50 pages or so were very dense with people and information, but after that, you know everything you need to follow the plot the rest of the way through. Suspenseful, I would definitely read others.

[brendanpmyers · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was March, 1984 when I read a blurb in Time Magazine about a book that was all the buzz in Washington, D.C. Written by a sometime insurance salesman, it was a Cold War thriller about submarine cat and mouse in the Atlantic between the United States and the U.S.S.R.

What the "buzz" was about was the possibility that the young bureaucrat who had written the book had somehow gotten hold of classified information. Some felt the book was so detailed in its description of cutting-edge submarine technology, he had to have had inside information.

So I went down to the bookstore and bought what must have been a second or third edition hardback of the book, and remember being truly impressed by the sheer quality of the book itself. From the dustjacket to the stitching to the sheer . . . tightness of the book, it was clear Naval Institute Press put out a fine product.

The now familiar plot goes that the Soviet Union launches a new submarine named the Red October that ostensibly, because of new cavitation technology, is inaudible to Americans, thus making it a potential game-changing "first strike" weapon. A young naval commander named Jack Ryan has a theory that the commander of the new sub might very well be planning to defect to the United States, taking his sub with him.

In terms of the book, yes, the plot intrigued me, and yes, I liked the Jack Ryan character. But what had so impressed all those folks in D.C., all those details about submarine technology, those I found a little . . . boring. Just thought it was too much, is all.

When he put out his next book, Red Storm Rising, I immediately went out and bought it in hardback, brought it on a plane, tried to get into it, and just could not suspend my disbelief that there could be ANY scenario in which the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. would ever fight a conventional, non-nuclear war. I put it down not even half-read, and never read another Clancy. Enjoyed the hell out of the movies, though.

At any rate, I hadn't at all intended to leave my thoughts on this book, or on Clancy, however hearing the news today that Tom Clancy had passed, I thought I'd jot a few things down.

And of course, it turned out Tom Clancy had no special access to classified information while writing The Hunt for Red October. He simply did his homework.

RIP, Mr. Clancy. You certainly did something right.

[ccookie_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First lines:~Captain First Rank Marko Ramius of the Soviet Navy was dressed for the Arctic conditions normal to the Northern Fleet submarine base at Polyarny~I don't know how realistic this book is but it certainly seems to be a realistic depiction of what life might be on a nuclear submarine. The tension of the chase, the espionage, the creativity of how to deal with 'keeping a Russian submarine' that a defector has brought to the American shore was really, really amazing.Having said all that, I think that I liked the movie better than the book. And it takes a lot for me to say that I liked a movie better. I almost always like the book best. I have not read anything else by Tom Clancy but perhaps I will pick up another. He really seems to know what he is doing!

[speesh-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

First of all.

This isn't the story that was fined as The Hunt for Red October. Don't go reading this expecting to see the film playing in your head.

Second, the title is perhaps misleading. Though on second thoughts, maybe not. Not in the very last section of the book, maybe. You see, it depends on who you think should be doing the hunting. You think you know before you open the book. But it isn't them, is it?

Set in the good old pre-Berlin Wall collapse of Communism, Cold War days, this wants to be a tense, detailed, almost revelatory - if you consider how little was actually known about 'them', by 'us' thanks to the fog of misinformation and fear - tale of fugue and subterfuge, seamanship and stealth. But it isn't. Tense, that is. The film is much more so, but the book just isn't. It's too long drawn out. OK; there are some tense moments, but they're few and far between. I think if you (are old enough to have) read the book before seeing the film, you might well have thoroughly enjoyed both. Maybe you'd think the film actually improved the books dynamics and tension? You'd be right. Having seen the film before just now reading the book, I can certainly see and understand why they did what they did.

While Jack Ryan is to some extents the 'hero' of The Hunt For Red October, it's a close-run thing. There's no one who really distinguishes himself (I can't think of any female characters) here. Except perhaps the Sonar man 'Jones'. It is he who actually finds 'Red October' after all, and if you're thinking of the title from an American perspective, it gives reason to wonder why it's called 'Hunt' and not 'Following Of'. But Jones is 'just' an unlisted man and Jack Ryan is of course Clancy's once and future king. As I thought the above, it struck me that it really didn't fit that other characters praised Ryan to the skies for his contribution. That doesn't work unless you're an author grooming your main character for the future. Then the Russian skipper 'Ramius', apart from setting the whole thing going of course, and some tricky ducking and weaving at the end, also has less of a role than you would have imagined, coming to the book from Sean Connery's 'Captain Ramius' of the film. Understandably really, as you wouldn't get Sean Connery out of bed to play the book's Ramius, that's for sure. Not enough to do. Unless the money was (Scottish) tax-free, I guess.

In fact, I would say the book is more of an ensemble piece. And all the better for that. The main star, rather obviously, is Clancy himself. Not so much for writing the thing, but for the obvious enormous amount of research into all things submarine and naval - on both sides of the Iron Curtain - he clearly did. Just and astounding piece of work when you begin to realise it.

With the book, the good stuff happens after Ramius has actually handed over the Red October. That can hardly be described as a spoiler, as the cover on the (first edition?) paperback I have (plundered from the library of a deceased family friend) has; 'Russia's most advanced missile submarine. Brand new...undetectable...and heading straight for the U.S. - TO DEFECT!' Well really, as the really tense, exciting stuff happens after the Russians have in effect defected, with that give-away, you can pretty much skip the first 300 pages I'd say. It is only after that, that the actual 'Hunt' for Red October begins. But you can see why they changed the story structure for the film, especially moving the final phase from post- to pre-defection, as it were.

To be honest, when you think about it; it is hard to criticize or evaluate effectively really. As I can't think now how much work I myself was doing in the imagining of the characters - of Ryan and Ramius especially - and how much I was using the film's/Alec Baldwin and Sean Connery's portrayal (though as Harrison Ford played Jack Ryan subsequently and more often, his face and mannerisms kept appearing in my head). The film director's ideas, as opposed to how good, or how vivid Tom Clancy's book's characterisations were. A bit unfair on Clancy really.

In short, an interesting curio, if you've seen the film. A kind of verbal equivalent to the 'behind the scenes' extras that come with DVD/Blu Rays these days. An interesting exploration of Cold War secrecy and politics if you grew up around the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall - and all in all, probably a more interesting read if you haven't seen the filmed version.

[brettjames · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the fountainhead of the modern military thriller. If Clancy hadn't written this, we'd still be reading Alistair MacLean and Jack Higgins (not that that would be so terrible.)

[durgaprsd04-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A gripping thriller

[santhony_35 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is Clancy's first novel (to my knowledge). As such, it ushers in an almost original genre, the military technothriller. This novel will have you awake well into the early morning hours, engrossed in the story. Clancy follows this effort up with 5-6 equally outstanding efforts before essentially running out of things to say.

[csayban · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[cebellol · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As much as I wanted this to be one of my favorite books (esp since the movie is up there in my top 15 or so), I was underwhelmed. I mean, the man did his research, don't get me wrong. I learned more about Alpha and Victor class subs than I'd ever care to know, but it was often too technical to keep me interested. I actually had to put it down frequently, just because I was getting so tangled up in the technical aspects of the subs and the espionage that I was starting to lose the story line. I am not a naval historian, nor do I really know anything about any sort of engineering, so perhaps that's why Clancy lost me.

That aside, the story itself was good. I thoroughly enjoyed Raimus; I wish we were privy to more of his private thoughts and actions and such, but otherwise, he was a well developed character unlike Jack Ryan. Ryan felt very... one dimensional. I just feel like I wanted so much more out of his character other than being really smart and terrified of flying. I was also a little disappointed that Skip didn't have a bigger part in the whole charade. I can't quite put my finger on why.

ALSO! I want to know what the hell happened to the Russian contact. I can't remember his code name off the top of my head, but they were so worried about getting him out, and never said if he agreed this time or not! With his poor health, it was definitely a possibility, but *poof* nothing.

Overall, it was a good book, but (sadly) the movie was better.

[jpsnow · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Perhaps it's because I already knew the (rather different) story, but this wasn't as gripping as some of his later works. The writing was less formulaic and it does introduce the characters for further development in Jack Ryan's world.

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's been years since I've read this, but I remember it as compelling, interesting and impossible to put down.

[csweder · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What can I say, I am a Jack Ryan fan.

This was a great book, but the movie was (as usual) terrible in comparison. Clancy's books are wayyyy too long to turn into movies, I think.

[bcrowl399 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My favorite Tom Clancy book. If I could give it 6 stars, I would.?Even if you saw the movie, you should read the book.

[ecw0647 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I know I really should not have liked this book. The writing is pedestrian, not much characterization, a fanciful plot, but damn, it's a page-turner and great story.

[mendoza_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As someone who grew up during the cold war I appreciate the suspense and dread of the possibilities of this novel - at the time it was written.Clancy singlhandedly made me grow to enjoy the whole military government espionage genre. The Hunt For Red October is one of my favourite.Somewhere under the Atlantic, a Soviet sub commander has just made a fateful decision: the Red October is heading west. The Americans want her. The Russians want her back. And the most incredible chase in history is on....THis is a non stop adventure ride filled with suspense. As enjoyable read now as much as it was over 20 years ago.

[john257hopper · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Hunt for Red October was my first Tom Clancy novel, prompted by his recent death. I can't say it will be the first of many and it may indeed be my last (though I own the sequel The Cardinal and the Kremlin in paperback, so I may read that at some point). The basic storyline is probably familiar to many, due to the rather good film starring Harrison Ford as the Soviet submarine commander who pulls a trick on his superiors and defects to the USA along with his officers and his prize submarine. This storyline is a perfectly reasonable and dramatic basis for a novel set in the Cold War and there are some tense and dramatic episodes. However, it is over long for this premise and there is just, for me, too much technical jargon about the workings of submarines of various types and of different kinds of weapons and sonar systems. The characters also mostly come across as rather flat and stereotypical - though there is some back story given for the main American character, Jack Ryan, a recurring character in Clancy's novels, he still does not really convince me as a naval historian turned CIA agent. The Soviet Captain Ramius is somewhat more developed, though I found it hard to feel sympathy for him given his wanton personal murder of a fellow officer in chapter 1 in order to lay the grounds for his secret mission to defect. So not a winner for me all round.