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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Ponderous and Insulting, April 18, 2005
This review is from: Barracuda 945 (Mass Market Paperback)
Let me preface this by saying that I really enjoyed Nimitz Class, Kilo Class and HMS Unseen, which is why I picked this book up in the first place. Although I checked the book out of the library and haven't had to pay any money for it, I still spent hours of my life reading this book that I will never get back.
To be blunt, I found this book to be highly insulting, and what is more I can't believe that Robinson's editor even has a job. Thrillers of this type have to move at a good clip. Barracuda 945 is ponderous at best. Robinson insists on referring to his characters by their full titles, or even worse, by abbreviated titles, e.g.," Lt. Cmdr. Shakira Rashood then went to the bathroom." His dialogue leads me to believe that he has never had an interesting conversation with another human being, not to mention a relationship with a woman. His characters are incapable of genuine self-reflection, and feel that they need to repeat themselves time and again. In the chapter concerning the deal the Iranians make with the Chinese to purchase the submarines from the Russians, Robinson spends 20 pages in dialogue that essetially runs like this:
"We want you to buy these two subs for us. They are nuclear and very quiet.Undetectable. The Russians will agree, they're broke."
"Yes, you want us to buy an undetectable nuclear sub for you, from the Russians. And they will agree because they're broke."
"Yes, the Russians are broke, and they will do anything for money. And we will give you the money to buy the subs from them. Did we mention that the subs are nuclear and undetectable?"
And so on....
On top of all this, Robinson's poitical agenda isn't just conservative, it's insane. Obviously, the US and the West are the "good guys," and have to protect their interests. But when the National Security Advisor decides the BLOW UP THE PANAMA CANAL acting unilaterally, surrounded by subordinates who essentially say "good idea boss" in the last 50 pages of the book, I think the author's elevator no longer goes to the top. Between this type of demented foreign policy fantasy, and his ramblings about liberals, it turns my stomach to think that he is hoping that people will finish this book and say "Boy, America sure is great!"
Don't do us no favors Patrick.
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
WHY AREN'T NEGATIVE STARS AVAILABLE?, May 6, 2005
This review is from: Barracuda 945 (Mass Market Paperback)
The only reason I gave this book one star was because it is the lowest rating available. Amazon should permit negative ratings, especially for a Patrick Robinson book.
This absurd story begins with the sudden "flipping" of an experienced British commando during a firefight who suddenly "sees the light" and is now an anglo-hating terrorist. More ridiculous is that England, the commando's own country can not seem to locate him but the U.S. quickly starts following his trail; one of many overt political statements from Mr. Robinson.
The author adds an even "more realistic" scenario. A maximum-security Israeli prison housing some of the world's most dangerous terrorists manned by a few poorly trained guards is easily overrun.
Next a Russian submarine sitting in drydock for several years is suddenly thrust into service and manned by foreign nationals not exactly known for their naval ability. The sub, manned by a skeleton crew, evades all detection by the most technologically advanced country in the world. Quite realistic. Even better, after sitting in drydock for lack of money for so long, this submarine never ever has one mechanical breakdown?
This is just the beginning of the book's many insults to the readers' intelligence.
Throughout this ridiculous story are constant overt political opinions by Mr. Robinson who uses his books as his own political soapbox from which to preach his ultra-conservative "Might makes Right" declaration. The story's liberal characters are inserted merely as punching bags for the author's infallible conservativism.
Mr. Robinson's political tirades are at best... juvenile.
I had found Mr. Robinson's earlier works- Kilo Class, Nimitz Class, HMS Unseen and The Shark Mutiny more researched and less implausible but his works deteriorated with each subsequent novel.
Root canal is less painful than reading this book.
If you want to read good submarine techno-thrillers try Joe Buff or Michael Dimercurio
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Horrifyingly bad, December 7, 2003
When Nimitz Class came out, I thought Patrick Robinson had taken the world by storm by bringing the wonderous world of submarine warfare into mainstream reading. The following books have succeeded in going down in style, and up in the barf-o-meter. Kilo Class was good, HMS Unseen OK, USS Seawolf marginal, Shark Mutiny terrible, and now this book that pretends to be good reading. Yuck. I bought this book because I was on a one week business trip to Germany and wanted to take something I could enjoy. I had plenty of free time, but I chose to watch German TV that I could not understand than this book that made me think of how I could have better spent my money. The ending of this book is nothing but a launching pad for the dazzling career of General Ravi Rashood. Gimme a break. Weak plot, weaker motivations. The character of Admiral Morgan is now so over-dramatized. I was actually hoping that the attempted assasination of his character in this book had succeeded. I was disappointed. The good thing about Nimitz Class was it's attention to engineering detail. This book does away with all pretenses to be well researched. Mr. Robinson chooses to employ words such as "zillions of gallons of water" rather than do a quick calculation of his own. And this example is only representative of such shortcuts (just an excuse not to do research). What can I say. I'm a Patrick Robinson groupie. Even if his next book is like this tripe, I'll buy it. But Mr. Robinson, if you can't write anything good, can you please not write anything at all? Please?
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