The Hunt for Red October

Submarine warfare. Cold War. Defection.

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Also why is the office guy on the audiobook cover? They already made a whole movie adaptation!

Ok, that’s basically all you need to know. The Hunt for Red October is a masterpiece I think, though it does have some shortfalls.

First, the bad.

There’s a ton of technical jargon when it comes to submarines. How sonar works, how the low-sound propulsion system operates, etc. It can be a bit boring.

It’s a little too long. Some characters and scenes could’ve been cut in the name of brevity, even if it meant that things wouldn’t have happened 100% accurately. I think the movie does a good job of this, other than the end.

Now, a possible hot take, though I don’t think so.

This book is extremely masculine, and that’s ok. It’s about a submarine captain from the USSR steaming his way to the US border during the Cold War, with both countries entire naval units searching for them. The crews for the Red October and the various vessels Jack Ryan, our main character, visit, are entirely male. It is an exercise in masculinity. Excessive posturing, almost outrageous planning, the fact that they are in submarines. It almost hits you over the head with it. So if you go in knowing that, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

All that to say, I think everyone will like it. People of all genders like action movies, and that’s what this is. Wrap the American flag around your shoulders and imagine how cool it is that these submarines are fighting.

You’ll like this if you:

like to watch big explosions.

like a good ol spy story