Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Reviews of The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4)

The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4)
The Hunt for Red October - Jack Ryan, Bk 4
Author: Tom Clancy
ISBN-13: 9780425083833
ISBN-10: 0425083837
Publication Date: 10/1/1985
Pages: 480
Rating:
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 192

4.2 stars, based on 192 ratings
Publisher: Berkley
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

30 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on
Helpful Score: 2
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.
reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 11 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Clancy at his finest.
reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 495 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
The book that started it all and I think the best.
reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 14 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I love this movie, and the book is even better!
reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 87 more book reviews
I think this is Clancy's best.
reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 17 more book reviews
THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, Tom Clancy
Publisher's Note
Both the Americans and the Soviets commence an intense naval search when a trusted and skilled Soviet naval officer defects--using the USSR's most valuable nuclear submarine as his escape vehicle.

I thought this was an excellent book. The movie was done well, also, with Sean Connery as the Russian captain.
Artist7464 avatar reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on
Excellent thriller to keep you on the edge.
Farmerswife avatar reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 52 more book reviews
"Remarkable...intricate and nerve tingling"--Clive Cussler
reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 15 more book reviews
Book is always better than movie. Tom Clancy's first great novel.
reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 911 more book reviews
A renegade Soviet sub commander is sailing West toward defection, while the Americans and Russians scramble to find the missing ship before the other, in a new edition of the classic suspense novel that introduced Jack Ryan.
reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 48 more book reviews
Another review describes this item as an audiobook, unabridged, on 10 cassettes. There's obviously some confusion, because this ISBN is a hardcover book.
reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 3 more book reviews
Fantastic adventure, excellent storytelling, intricate plot. Well-known book.
lynxxmarie avatar reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 165 more book reviews
Action packed suspense that's fun to read!
Elle avatar reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 15 more book reviews
Wow. Awesome read.
reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 5 more book reviews
The book was in good condition. Fast shipping.
Kibi avatar reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 582 more book reviews
Clancy at his best!, August 11, 2002
Reviewer: K. Wyatt "ssintrepid" (St. Louis, MO United States)

It is the height of the cold war. A soviet missile sub commander has, along with several other officers, decided to defect with the Soviet Union's latest nuclear submarine. Captain Marko Ramius has been planning this since the unfortunate death of his beloved wife. She was, in effect, left to die due to the mistakes made by a drunk doctor and poor medical system. He is so confident that he and his officers will succeed that he even sends a letter to the overall commander of the soviet navy telling them pretty much what he's going to do.
So begins the best military/political action thriller novel this reader has ever read. Tom Clancy wove together so many events, plots and sub plots into this novel that it was destined to be a best seller. If you've not read "The Hunt for Red October," I highly suggest you get a copy as soon as you can get your hands on one. Thank you very much to Tom Clancy for this masterpiece.
reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 15 more book reviews
Second best book that Clancey wrote with Red Storm Rising being the best.
reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 48 more book reviews
The book the movie is based upon. Submarine lost in miles of ocean and the US wants to find it before the Russians do.
scoutmomskf avatar reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 2541 more book reviews
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.
reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 8 more book reviews
" Top military and intellegence personnel on both sides of the Iron Curtain are reading a remarkable work of fiction ~a new thriller so gripping in its action and so convincing in its accuracy that the author is rumored to have been debriefed by the white house."

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.....
Tom Clancy.
reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 42 more book reviews
This book is in fair condition,yellowed pages,but very readable.It is was printed in October 1985.
answerquest avatar reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 197 more book reviews
Back cover: Top military and intelligence personnel on both sides of the Iron Curtain are reading a remarkable work of fiction-a new thriller so gripping in its action and so convincing in its accuracy that the author is rumored to have been debriefed by the White House. Its theme: The greatest espionage coup in history. Its story: The chase for a top-secret Russian missle sub. Its title: The Hunt for Red October.
reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 2 more book reviews
Another great read by Tom Clancy. This book has been well read, but is still in good condition.
SunnyBrook avatar reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 147 more book reviews
A thriller so gripping in its action and so convincing in its acuracy that the author is rumored to have been debriefed by the White House... Remarkable, Intricate, and Nerve Tingling.
reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 3389 more book reviews
I remember this story - so very good
reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 249 more book reviews
Somewhere under the Atlantic, a Soviet sub commander has just made a fatefuol decision. The Red October is heading West.
The American's want her. The Russians want her back. And the most incredible chase in history is on.
reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 134 more book reviews
Somewhere under the Atlantic, a Soviet sub commander has jsut 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...
reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 46 more book reviews
My husband & father both loved it.
reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 244 more book reviews
autographed copy of a classic!
reviewed The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 4) on + 13 more book reviews
Boxed set that includes this book plus Patriot Games and in original box. Good but not perfect condition.