Most helpful customer reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A good yarn, Nov 29 2007
This narrative presents one of the most frightening deceptions in modern history; Captain Marko Ramius intends to defect to America, while his crew remain loyal to the Soviet Union.
This deception is made doubly daring by the Soviet Navy's claim that he is a renegade who threatens independent missile launch. Luckily, the crew believes him after his sub is fired upon by a Soviet aircraft, narrowly escaping.
He says, "if they were really shooting at us, we'd be dead." This study in the psychology of leadership presents a fascinating conclusion: though there are only 12 officers aboard, the 180+ enlisted men obey them faithfully, simply because the naval code requires it. Apparently, that's what has the navigator so worked up when he exclaims, "we could have a mutiny on our hands."
The possibility of a renegade or "rogue" launching nuclear weapons is quite real. In today's new world order, that possibility is increased dramatically, as evidenced by the recent crisis in the formerly Soviet Chechnya. Some of the new states in the Commonwealth have nuclear weapons which were strategically placed by the Soviet equivalent of the Strategic Air Command.
Thus the Soviet ploy of telling the U.S. that the missile launch was imminent was actually a shrewd move. In this way, the U.S. would have to destroy the sub or else let on that top officials knew Ramius's true intentions, alerting the Soviets that their leadership had been penetrated by CIA.
However, since Ryan acted alone and used his own instinct, the U.S. was able to simulate the destruction of the sub and take it to Norfolk, VA, where it may remain today.
Interestingly enough, President Reagan endorsed this book when it was first published, implying that the story is true. If such a tale is indeed fact, it would mean certain doom for the relationship between the U.S. and Russia if made public, as shown in Executive Orders.
Some day, we will know the truth (in 2035, when the 50 years expire). It would be really great to one day walk aboard a Soviet ballistic missile submarine, not so much as an object of conquest, but as an intriguing representation of the nuclear threat that could have destroyed everyone on earth.
Would also recommend the novels: DEBT OF HONOR and INTO THE STORM, along with Patterson's YOU'VE BEEN WARNED. Loved all of these and would highly recommend them.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A thriller, Aug 28 2005
The book is full of action , suspense, drama and amazingly moving characters . Also recommended: Putin's Russia, Union Moujik,Kremlin Rising
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2.0 out of 5 stars
Exciting but fundamentally flawed, Jul 17 2004
I don't want to trash a really good book, but one aspect of this book is really off the mark. Tom Clancy's research is legendary so I don't know how this got by him. Captain Marko Ramius is the Lithuanian-born commanding officer on the Soviet nuclear submarine Red October. That's the problem right there. The Soviets would never, ever, ever, ever, ever let a Lithuanian (even a half Lithuanian) be captian of anything....ever. It never happened, it never would. So that ruined the beginning of the book for me.
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