The Hunt for Red October
Synopsis of the Storyline
Tom Clancy is a talented writer who has taken the time to develop his skills, “Hunt for Red October” proves that. This accounts for his success in writing fifteen New York Times bestselling novels. He manages to bring out the human element in warfare without losing the excitement of the chase or the drama of battle. He is particularly good at creating fully developed characters on both sides of the conflict, leaving his readers concerned and conflicted as the plot unfolds. However, I felt somewhat let down by Capitan Tupelov of the Soviet submarine V. K. Konovalov; he did not appear up to the same caliber as many of Clancy’s other antagonists.
I liked that the book reflected the real world events of the mutiny on the Storozhevoy and the sinking and salvage of K-129. Knowing this made me want to learn more about both the era and the technology existing at that time. The painstaking research paid off when in the political atmosphere of that era, Ronald Regan who was president at the time the book lavishly praised it.
The story was great, and I love how Tom Clancy builds his characters. However, but he spent too much time in the subplots and cross plots that ran simultaneously developing the settings for his next novel. I thought the contrast between the Soviet Captains Tupelov and Ramius showed this most clearly. Captain Ramius is a fully developed character; I felt his pain at the loss of his wife. I empathized with his anger at a system that let her die and did not stop the politically connected doctor from practicing on, and perhaps killing others. When he takes that thinking a step forward, he decides that his corrupt government does not deserve the power to upset the delicate balance of power between nations I fully related to his icy resolve. Next to him, his former student Captain Tupelov is like a caricature rather than a character.
