Like most, I've been aware of Tom Clancy for many years and have enjoyed a number of the movies based on his book. However, it wasn't until I just finished The Hunt for Red October (his most famous book?) that I can say I read one of his novels. This was his first book, the one that made him famous, and supposedly even got a presidential shout-out. That was enough to make me curious.
The setup is fantastic: a Soviet submarine captain, might be defecting with the most advanced sub in their fleet. The Americans and the Soviets both scramble, and in the middle of it is Jack Ryan, a CIA analyst who would go on to star in a whole series. It's a pretty simple set up but the book really does a nice job of slowly building tension and keeping the reader engaged.
The story absolutely has its strengths. Ramius is an interesting character, and Jack Ryan is a good “thinking man’s” hero who pieces things together without ever firing a gun. There are moments of real tension where you feel the weight of what’s at stake, and the chess match between navies can be fun to follow. I was also fascinated by just how patriotic this book ended up being. Not surprisingly as it was written mid Cold War, but wow, Clancy really makes you not like the Soviet Union while detailing all the advantages of America.
But this book is also a lot. Clancy is famous for technical detail, and wow, he really doesn’t hold back here. There are entire stretches that feel more like a submarine manual than a thriller, and while it’s impressive, it slowed me down. On top of that, there are way too many characters to keep track of. Every few chapters a new captain, commander, or analyst pops up, and it’s not always clear if they matter in the long run. I found myself thinking this was a 5 star book about a third of the way in and that number kept diminishing as I continued.
Overall, if you love military detail and don’t mind following a huge cast of characters, you’ll probably enjoy it. For me, it was more of a mixed bag, worth reading, but not the masterpiece some make it out to be. Still, this book deserves the credit, as I found it engaging for the vast majority of the read. It’s smart, suspenseful, and very much of its time, and I can see why it made such a splash when it came out.