Somewhere under the freezing 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. The chase for the highly
advanced nuclear submarine is on—and there’s only one man who can find her...
Brilliant CIA analyst Jack Ryan has little interest in
fieldwork, but when covert photographs of Red October land on his desk, Ryan
soon finds himself in the middle of a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek played
by two world powers—a game that could end in all-out war.
It has been a long time since I last read this book, but
it was still as gripping a tale as ever. The idea of a Soviet submarine crew
defecting to the US and taking their sub along with them was an intriguing
idea. Staring the story from Captain Ramius's point of view was an excellent
way to set the hook. I loved getting a glimpse of what motivated him to do such
a thing and an idea of what he was up against.
Next up was the addition of the American side of things.
First, the American submarines tasked with keeping an eye on the Russian subs,
tracking them and noting their capabilities. The first inkling of the
difficulties tracing this sub comes when the Russian sub "disappears"
from their scopes. The questions continue as Jack Ryan travels to CIA
headquarters with clandestine photos taken of the Red October and a plan to get
some answers. The intensity ramps up when the CIA receives word that Ramius is
trying to defect, and the whole Russian navy is out to stop him.
The cat and mouse game kept me glued to the pages in
spite of the fact I knew how it turns out. Each time I read it, I seem to pick
up something new or am reminded of something I forgot. Jack's discomfort with
being a "field agent" is evident, but he is determined to succeed. I
loved seeing how his mind worked as he tried to anticipate Ramius's moves. Ramius's
determination to avoid detection by both Russian and American subs kept
everyone on their toes. My favorite parts are the ones with the sonarman,
Jonesy, from the sub Dallas. I love his humor, his intensity, and his dogged
determination.
The tension ramped up as all the moving parts came
together to hide the defection of the Red October. But just when it looked like
all was well, an unexpected player entered the game. The intensity of this
part, with the difficulties posed by rules of engagement and the need to not
start a war, had me on the edge of my seat until it was all over.
One of my favorite things about this book was after Ryan
and the men from the Dallas joined Ramius on the Red October. Seeing these men,
who had been enemies for so long learn about each other and see the
similarities is a lesson that everyone should pay attention to. I especially
liked seeing Jonesy and his Russian counterpart.
The author has an incredible talent for description that
frequently made me feel as though I were right in the middle of the action. The
descriptions of life onboard a submarine were especially vivid and often made
me very happy I could look out a window while I was reading.
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