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The Hunt for Red October Audiobook
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(3.00) - 181,434 listener ratings
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Plot Summary
It's 1984, and Marko Alexandrovich Ramius finds himself working for a totalitarian government much like the ones portrayed in the book of the same name. A Lithuanian submarine commander for the Soviet Navy, Ramius is captaining the Red October, a Typhoon-class nuclear submarine. He has recently lost his wife Natalia at the hands of an incompetent doctor, and was deprived of justice because that doctor had connections in the government. Natalia's death is the final straw for Ramius, who has been dissatisfied with Soviet rule for quite some time. He decides to pilot the Red October away from the Soviet Union, and defect to the United States, along with his officers.
A plan is hatched, and the political officer on board the ship is executed. Ramius sends a letter to his wife's uncle, informing him of the plan to defect. The letter is intercepted by government officials, who immediately send the Northern fleet to sink the sub, pretending that they are on a search and rescue mission.
Meanwhile in America, Jack Ryan, CIA analyst extraordinaire, has just returned from London with photos of the Red October in tow. His analysis determines too late that the sub is equipped with a stealth drive, which makes it impossible to detect with Sonar. When Ramius engages the stealth drive, Ryan connects the dots and realizes the intent to defect. He immediately sets out to make sure that the Red October and her crew arrive safely in America. And so The Hunt for Red October begins.
Tom Clancy is a celebrated American author of spy novels. His award-winning books, set during and after the Cold War, portray a fascinating culture of intrigue and espionage, as well as cutting-edge military science. In addition to his own books, Clancy has given various ghost writers license to use his name for similar books, movies, and video games. A native of Baltimore, Clancy is a part-owner of the Orioles, and serves as Vice Chairman of Community Activities and Public Affairs.
"I branched out of my Grisham/Cussler/Crighton reading material and added Clancy for the first time since reading Rainbow Six freshman year of college. I don't know that I had ever actually read this one. It was good. Not exactly as I remember the movie, but a pretty fascinating read, especially considering it was written nearly 30 years ago. Then it is kind of amazing to think of the empire Clancy spawned in the 90s, from books to movies to video games. Now, on to Patriot Games."
— matteo (4 out of 5 stars)
Publisher Summary
Don't Miss the Original Series Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan Starring John Krasinski!
The #1 New York Times bestseller that launched the phenomenal career of Tom Clancy—a gripping military thriller that introduced the world to his unforgettable hero, Jack Ryan—nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.
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.
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Quotes
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“Listening to narrator Scott Brick is such a pleasure, and this spy thriller from the 1990s is no exception. Brick portrays brilliant CIA analyst Jack Ryan in the manner of a world-weary veteran. His laconic, partly humorous, and vaguely disillusioned tone captures the essence of Ryan. While the Cold War is over, Clancy’s suspenseful story and well-crafted characters are relevant even today, especially the character of a younger Putin. Brick’s Russian accent adds to the story’s atmosphere, and he handles the convoluted plot well, subtly slowing his pace to allow listeners to digest the material. This pairing of outstanding plot and spellbinding performance promises listeners an entertaining experience.”
— AudioFile -
“Gripping narrative…Navy buffs and thriller adepts have been mesmerized.”
— Time -
“The plot is coherent, the reading easy and the matrix of encompassing detail almost frighteningly genuine. Mr. Clancy has done a terrific job describing the deadly cat—and—mouse game played by submariners.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“Absolutely terrific: entertaining, suspenseful, and masterfully written…superlative.”
— Washington Times -
“Flawless...frighteningly genuine.
— The Wall Street Journal -
Remarkable...intricate and nerve tingling.
— Clive Cussler -
Gripping narrative...Navy buffs and thriller adepts have been mesmerized.
— Time
Awards
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New York Times bestseller
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A New York Times audio bestseller
The Hunt for Red October Listener Reviews
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" Really loved this series. The plot was so amazing and intricate but somewhat easy to follow. So worth reading again and again "
— Mindy, 2/18/2014 -
" The original Clancy and a great read. Some of his others are slightly better (Without Remorse) so I gave this one 4 stars but really is 4.5 stars. You can't go wrong if you pick this up and start reading. "
— Bill, 2/5/2014 -
" A TC classic makes the senses focus on the edge reality of war, stresses of death. "
— Don, 1/27/2014 -
" I like submarines. "
— Jonathanstray, 1/26/2014 -
" Waaaaay better than the movie. Standard Clancy: exciting escapist reading. "
— Sean, 1/25/2014 -
" Haven't read much Clancy but this one was worth it. "
— Martha, 1/24/2014 -
" I read this book a long time ago (back in junior high)...at the time, I admit I did not have the technical knowledge of sub capes or understanding of military tactics, but it was a cool read then...now, I am not so sure that I would dig Tom Clancy. The Jack Ryan series, at least the early works, were stronger then the later ones, where Jack Ryan eventually evolves into the President...that starts getting a little beyond belief...Jack Ryan as a CIA analyst...that was a little more plausiable "
— Scott, 1/22/2014 -
" Very disappointing. This turns the "book is better than the movie" rule upside down. So much was changed from the book to make the film, yet it's definitely best to stick with Alec Baldwin for this story. "
— Ed, 1/18/2014 -
" Good book to kill time with. Very long though. The movie did it justice. "
— Dave, 1/14/2014 -
" Fantastic story with incredible detail and twists. "
— Cecelia, 12/1/2013 -
" Interesting insights into submarine life and cold war maneuverings. Also very ra-ra USA. "
— M, 11/23/2013 -
" This was the first book I read by Clancy several years ago. One of my favorites and the movie with Sean Connery is just riveting. The book kept me on the edge of my chair. I read it in 5 days as I recall. "
— Reid, 10/26/2013 -
" i like all the clancy books. what's most impressive about re-reading this one after having read the others is how many characters and storylines are introduced in this first book. "
— Charlie, 10/19/2013 -
" Read it while I was in high school. Probably the first political thriller I'd ever read. Now the genre is one of my favorites :) "
— Adam, 10/10/2013 -
" Probably the best Jack Ryan book, it's a thrill ride and almost Melville-esqe introduction to espionage and the sub fleet. "
— Pierce, 10/8/2013 -
" Re-read. Movie was better, believe it or not. "
— Jan, 9/6/2013 -
" Great Cold War book. A lot of action and what I like about any book is to feel you are there...first time on a submarine. "
— Dan, 6/16/2013 -
" A favorite that was just as good the second time around. "
— Diana, 4/23/2013 -
" espionage classic "
— Paul, 2/26/2013 -
" I watched the movie before I read the book and later heard the book was better than the movie. So, since I enjoyed the movie, I went out and got the book. I liked the book better than the movie, but the actors in the movie did a good job of bringing the book to life. "
— Jill, 1/22/2013 -
" My father was the one who turned me onto Tom Clancy's writing and except for the fact that the technical stuff is way over my head .....he's amazing detail keeps you on the edge of your seat! "
— Heather, 12/31/2012 -
" What an awesome book...So much better than the movie. I do not know what took me so long to read this one. "
— Dennis, 12/14/2012 -
" I know this is supposed to be fantastic- but it's a guy thing I think. "
— Sharon, 12/12/2012 -
" This has the potential of being a page turning, but there is WAY to much detail about subs and the mechanics of how they work. it board me, but the plot was good. "
— Brenbren13, 4/9/2012 -
" Great Book .. too long. "
— Amed10, 3/13/2012 -
" Definitely Clancy's best. Brilliant Cold War thriller. "
— Will, 3/5/2012 -
" Not my kind of genre, but enjoyable. "
— Damien, 11/8/2011 -
" Clancy at his best! Clancy's early novels were so good to read, though I've lost much interest in his latest novels. It becomes frustrating when authors 'lend' their names to others. You can't do wrong with early Clancy, even my 80yr old mother enjoys 'stealing' my books. "
— Ross, 8/3/2011 -
" I liked that the book was technical. Being an engineer in the defense industry understood it easily. The reader was the best I've heard. I had some trouble following the story line, but would re-read it. "
— Kym, 7/22/2011 -
" an entertaining read. subs. toured the u-505 at the museum in chicago, knew folk who served on subs, fast black and they never come back. good read. "
— wally, 7/7/2011 -
" Exciting. plot evolves quickly, loads of interesting characters, some meorable some not. Engages the reader with a balance of exposition and dialogue with excellent prose. Good narration in third person. Well structured as ever with Tom Clancy. "
— Katy, 5/23/2011 -
" It was kind of long-winded and lost my interest early the writing was good but the story was boring! Not enough action. "
— Andy, 5/20/2011 -
" Classic thriller and one of the best from this author. It started me reading him. Recommended to anyone, even if you don't like the genre, because it's so good you will get drawn into it anyhow. "
— George, 5/19/2011 -
" Entertaining read. I look forward to reading more Clancy. It's definitely something outside of my comfort zone, reading about a military setting etc. However, I learned a few things. "
— David, 5/13/2011 -
" A fabulous book that should be on the shelf of all-time great thrillers. I think this may have been his first; if so it was an amazing debut. The movie was just as good, largely because they stuck faithfully to the book. And who doesn't like Sean Connery in a role like that? "
— Geoffrey, 5/13/2011 -
" Read this book in the far distant past, but I remember it as a real thriller/page turner. "
— Sassy, 5/10/2011 -
" This was always a favorite thriller. Re-read it recently and found it lacking in the details because it was overkill by today's standards. And the technology is somewhat outdated by current books. But for it's time it was the best of this genre. "
— Dick, 5/7/2011 -
" I named my dog after Tom Clancy! "
— Cynthia, 4/26/2011 -
" Brilliant. My first Tom Clancy book. Probably the best book I've read this year. Highly recommended "
— Nneka, 4/20/2011 -
" Probably the best book to movie of all time. This was one of the few movies I ever watched after reading the book that was faithful to the book version. "
— BamaGal, 4/16/2011 -
" Of all the Clancy novels, this is far and away my favorite. It has just the right balance of story over detail and expert timing in the shift between all the characters and situations and tactic. "
— Nicholas, 4/12/2011 -
" I haven't seen the movie... but I think this book would have been more exciting to read 25 years ago (closer to when it was written). Lots of outdated cultural and technological references. "
— Katherine, 4/5/2011 -
" Well, the movie is excellent and this is one of those cases where the book just has a lot more detail than could be fit into the 120minute movie. It's fascinating to read the details of naval protocol and order of battle as well as CIA assets and methods. Read the book the watch the movie. "
— Tomc, 4/2/2011
About Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy (1947–2013) was the author of numerous #1 New York Times bestselling novels, including The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, The Cardinal of the Kremlin, Red Rabbit, Teeth of the Tiger, and Red Storm Rising. His nonfiction work includes Into the Storm: A Study in Command, Every Man a Tiger, and Battle Ready. Clancy was the co-founder of Red Storm Entertainment, a video game developing company responsible for the successful Rainbow Six series, Ghost Recon series, Splinter Cell series, and others.
About Scott Brick
Scott Brick, an acclaimed voice artist, screenwriter, and actor, has performed on film, television, and radio. He attended UCLA and spent ten years in a traveling Shakespeare company. Passionate about the spoken word, he has narrated a wide variety of audiobooks. winning won more than fifty AudioFile Earphones Awards and several of the prestigious Audie Awards. He was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine and the Voice of Choice for 2016 by Booklist magazine.