Customer Reviews

Pride Runs Deep (Jack Tremain Submarine Thriller)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What an amazing and captivating treat it was to read R. Cameron Cooke's new submarine book, "Pride Runs Deep."

As a military and navy history researcher, I truly enjoyed the book and the way Mr. Cooke pulled in multiple layers of submarine history. I especially enjoyed the references to the old S-boats in Manila.

One of the ways I measure a good book is - Can I put it down and walk away?

The answer for "Pride Runs Deep" was no! The character development was remarkable and made you cheer for the good guy and want to punch out the jerk. The story developed around the early days for World War II before our Naval forces were fully replenished with new ships from our home front industrial might.

The story does come to an abrupt end after the major battle and does not give any details on the trials and skill it took to return from Japanese waters to Midway. Nor does the book follow-up on many of the crew post-battle and return. I really wanted to know what happened to those crewmembers I grew to respect. Maybe those details are in the next book! We can only hope.

Cooke's book is a sharp contrast to many of today's modern techno-thriller submarine books that tend to wow us with all the jargon and engineering. These new techno-thriller submarine books seem to be based on somewhat unrealistic or believable storylines and fall short in character and story development.

This is not the case with "Pride Runs Deep." This book gives you the feel, information and knowledge of being onboard a World War II submarine without impressing upon the reader, "I know more than you" syndrome some submarine authors are following in today's sub techno-thrillers.

I truly enjoyed the story, the compelling missions and leadership of the men of the USS Mackerel. More importantly, it reminded me to cherish the memory of those young men in World War II who went deep and still remain on patrol.

Thank you Mr. Cooke for sharing your remarkable gift of storytelling with those of us who will never experience the deep!

I've always considered myself a fast reader, but this was the quickest I have ever made it through a book. If I dont like a book from the 1st paragraph, I'll put it aside & not read it. I picked up the this book at 3:00 on a Saturday and was done the next day before 2:00. 11 hours!! Couldnt put it down. No hokey BS catch phrase review here, just a solid & unbelievably entertaining read. Cant wait for his next one.

Briefly - this is a WW II tale of a Pacific Theater "hard luck" submarine, which is reassigned to be placed under the command of experienced and hard-nosed commander, Jack Tremain. Tremain "whips the crew into top-notch shape" and they "see a lot of heavy action". Pardon all of my quote marks, but there are too many such cliche's in the book, particularly in the early portion.

Possibly this book is better than the 3 stars I rated it at. It seems that there are almost two books here - as if author R. Cameron Cooke was learning how to write in the first half of the story, and in the second half he penned a very good submarine adventure yarn.

In that underachieving opening half, Cooke establishes his characters, which seem to be usually overstated. Example - hero Captain Jack Tremain, that steely-eyed lean-jawed killer of the deep. (On the cold war submarine that I spent five years on we would have simply called this guy a pr----. And the atmosphere would be more akin to The Caine Mutiny). The bar room dialogue was unbelievable (were the participants reading from a book?). Cooke rather neglects the enlisted crewmen. Except for performing tasks, they are mostly unaddressed. (A little attention is given to one that commits suicide).

Although the author earned his own gold (officer) dolphins, apparently engineering was not his forte'. For the mechanically minded, it shows through in the book and is occasionally distracting. For example, arguably the eleven bullet holes (and uh, who counted those?) in a main ballast tank is NOT minor damage to be lived with and remedied by only an occasional blow from the ship's air banks . . . because it's possible that THE AIR LOSS EXCEEDS THE CAPACITY OF THE SHIP'S AIR COMPRESSORS on this WW II boat, which are high pressure, LOW VOLUME units. The bullet holes through the pressure hull described in the book (not sure if feasible, but probably would be on a diesel boat) would easily and effectively be repaired by a ship's diver from the OUTSIDE, but not with shoring from the inside as is done in the novel. I believe we saw the "drain pump knocked off of its foundation" on two different battle occasions. Fix that weak link please. I was often distracted from a very engaging part of the story by one of these technical misdemeanors and sometimes felt like calling out, "Bravo Sierra, Mr. Cooke".

Concerning the technical aspect of the book related to weapons, I'm not a weapons expert, but that analysis of the book seemed OK. By the way - the "jam dive" scenario, as described in the book, would seem to have been been non-recoverable. I believe the author took it overly far for effect, but again, it creates an unrealistc distraction.

On the upside, the book is entertaining, and it does contain a wealth of realistic and accurate detail regarding submarine design and operation. Much more so than one usually sees in this genre'. It starts rather disappointingly, what with the cliche's and flaws that I've criticized - but it seems that once the author established his characters and setting, he warmed to his work and wrote a pretty good tale that ends up as rather a page turner in the last third of the book. The author remains true to the characters he created and they become somewhat "lovable" to the reader. The final battle story is a first-class, white-knuckle tale.

I read all of it, and overall, enjoyed the novel. It could have easily been better with a consulting editor to clean up the technical errors, occasional overcharacterizations, and awkward start.

If Mr. Cooke was indeed "learning as he wrote", I look forward to a superb second novel from him.

"Pride Runs Deep" is an outstanding first book by R. Cameron Cooke. Set in the Pacific Theater during World War II, Lieutenant Commander Jack Tremain is given the unenviable task of commanding the USS Mackerel after the attack submarine's previous commander has been relieved for cause. The crew is externalizing their poor performance as a string of bad luck and Tremain must right the attitudes and actions of the crew while leading them in enemy waters. After successfully completing the objectives of his first and supposedly last mission aboard the Mackerel, Tremain is ready to move on to a bigger command assignment. However, before he could leave he is set up by his leadership to stay on for one more mission; a mission that could strike at the heart of the Japanese war machine but also one that the Mackerel may very well not return from.

The story and its format are somewhat similar to the late 40's movie "Twelve O'Clock High" starring Gregory Peck. In both the movie and this book, a WWII military unit confronts leadership challenges in the face of combat. The commanders of these units must overcome a myriad of situational problems to successfully achieve their mission. The movie is so true to leadership dilemmas in combat that it is still used today in military schools as a case study for military leadership. The book offers a number of "what if" scenarios for teaching military leaders of any uniform. Cooke deftly tackles many of the standard military issues: mission verses people, leadership dynamics, blind adherence to regulations, what it is like being "the new guy" , integrity, crisis management, grief in a wartime environment, and suicide to only name a few.

A very gripping piece of refreshing fiction, skillfully penned by a submariner who makes you feel part of the Mackerel's crew. Within a few chapters, his complex and flawed characters can sway your emotions from outright disdain to sympathetic compassion. It is well written, easy to understand, and paints a detailed picture of what is happening on board the submarine and in the battles without being overly technical. Geared to a military audience, it does not discriminate if you enjoy fictional drama. A quick read you will not want to put down.

I recommend this book.

I'm an active duty Navy Submariner and have spent most of my career in submarines. The little details Mr. Cooke added (the smells, standing duty, qualifying) in this book gave me chills. I could not put this book down. So much of the story rang true and caused me to recall some of my own experiences. My wife (also a Navy vet who maintained subs) also enjoyed this book. A definite must read from a guy who has been there.

My experience was the same... I started this book at 3:30 on a Thursday, finished it the same night about 9:00pm. I could not put it down. This book reminds me of Alistair MacLean's HMS ULYSSES... and the author has some of MacLean's skill at placing you right there...

Library bookshelves are crowded with WWII submarine tales. Do we really need another? What could a newcomer possibly do that hasn't been done before? I picked up Pride Runs Deep at a used book sale-a low-risk experiment. But after a totally satisfying reading experience I'll be first-in-line for R. Cameron Cooke's next effort, due in January 2006. Pride Runs Deep is one of the most enjoyable, well-crafted books I have read in years. Why? First, the story is well-conceived and maintained. It is not simply a passive retelling of a series of naval battles with staple characters wining in the end. I like how Cooke focuses on only a few believable characters, and uses them successfully to advance the story. Other books in this genre often change the point-of-view so often that chapter headings are needed to help the reader keep track of where he is in the narrative. For example, many action/adventure novels switch back and forth between the protagonist's and the enemy's perspective. But Cooke avoids this crutch, keeping his focus on a set of characters we come to care about. We identify with them; we join in the perilous search for elusive clues as to the enemy's whereabouts and intentions. In addition to a good story, credible characters, and a skillful narrative, perhaps Cooke's strongest suit is his technical knowledge about submarine warfare. It's obvious he knows how a WWII sub really operates, and shows how individual judgments and actions made in the stress of warfare could make life and death differences. I give this book an A+.

New skipper takes over hard luck sub during WWII and goes out to kick butt. This book probably would have been a John Wayne movie a few decades ago. The action is taught, the plot moves along at a decent pace, and it is definatly a page turner.

CJ Leach has said it all very well in his review above. I agree completely.The negatives are "simple" characters", near cliche situations (relationshipwise, not action), and some tech details - well, the author is a nuke sailor, not a diesel boat sailor. But he has done very well and I'll read his other work.

Nit-picky details: the boat is called 244, and crew appreciates the good work the builders at Electric Boat did. EB built govt plan style boat. Then later, mentions it was built at Portsmouth (different construction plans/style entirely). Says it's a Balao.

The real 244 was an EB Gato with different name. If it were me, I would have not mentioned the # and left it at the fake name, and straightened out just which type of boat she was: EB Gato or Portsmouth Balao.

But good action, imaginative stuff and reads pretty well. Finished in 3 days of lunches and night reading.

I normally don't read WWII submarine books, but once I started to read, I could not stop. It is more than just a book about submarines. The author develops characters you truly feel you know, and care about. Great action scenes and the suspense from chapter to chapter will not let you put it down. Truly thought-provoking . . . loved the author's historical notes at the end too. A great read for the military person OR civilian like me. Highly recommended!