The Hunt for Red October is a good novel for so many reasons. First of all, Clancy's book is not entirely fiction, he is a military "insider" and there is some truth to this story, and even if most of it is "made up" it's still very realistic, because what takes place is probably what "would have happened" had the scenarios been in place. This is a good book, nothing against Clancy or the book, but the movie was even better. Yes, this is a rare case that the film was even better than the book, so read it and also see the film!

Of the Jack Ryan series of books by Tom Clancy, The Hunt for Red October, Tom Clancy's first successful effort, is my favorite. The characters are well-developed and Clancy brings the reader up to speed with military jargon and the thought process of the US and Russian military and political leadership. Clancy does a good job of explaining actual submarine warfare tactics and equipment limitations and vulnerabilities without being over-technical. The plot twists are nicely used to keep the story interesting. Even without such twists, the concept of a renegade "enemy" submarine with extraordinary capability was enough to attract and hold my interest.

It took me a while to get used to Clancy's style of jumping around to pick up on developments from all the different angles, but it was not very difficult to keep track of things if you do your reading over the course of just a few weeks and don't put down the book for too long.

Finally, I would tell fans of the movie that there is much more of the story to enjoy if you read the book and you will still find it interesting even if you remember the ending.

An excellent book by an excellent author. This book jerks you out of your La Z Boy and right into an adventure. Courtesy of your Kindle...Well researched and presented. A genious wrote this book.

I have always loved the movie the hunt for the Red October so I decided I would read the book that the movie comes from and I was just blown away with the amount of detail that is in this book. I'm no navy person but it sure felt like Tom Clancy is or he did some excellent research before writing this book. The thing that I love about this book as with other books that are adapted into movies is that you get more storyline and detail with the books. Although the story line is a little different than the movie. You'll still go for one great adventure when you pick up this book and start reading!

As Clancy's first book, this novel is unsurpassed in terms of suspense, technothriller insights and geopolitical gambits. His lead character, Jack Ryan, makes his debut in this book, setting the style for his subsequent books. The key skill that Clancy possesses is the ratcheting up of the stakes on an epic level. This book set the bar for this newly formed genre. It is essential reading for the Thriller Espionage writer.