Customer Reviews

Red Storm Rising

5 star:		(230)
4 star:		(52)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

A few years ago, for reasons I couldn't remember if my life depended on it, I bought a book that didn't have to do with sports. It was Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising. At the time I didn't have any knowledge whatsoever of military happenings in the world. I remembered the Gulf War as a nuissance that the news had aired for a month instead of sports (gasp!). Until RSR, I hadn't read a book that was longer than 300 pages. Sound familiar? I'm writing this review for those of you who are like I was.

The first time I read Red Storm Rising, it took me about a week. I don't remember why (I have a terrible memory, don't I?), but I loved it, even though I didn't understand most of the jargon and tactics. I then embarked on a week of net-surfing to learn everything I could about the weapon systems Clancy described. I even borrowed a book from the library about the Cold War, and this is at age fifteen (my friends thought I was nuts). Then I read my new favorite book again, and I actually understood a lot of the air, land, and sea combat sequences.

Anyway, one book doesn't make an addiction, so the next trip to the bookstore I bought "The Hunt for Red October". Take a look at its reviews and guess how I reacted to it. I was officially hooked on techno-thrillers.

Today, I have every book in the Tom Clancy collection (except for the Net Forces and Powerplays), and I loved every one to one degree or another. I also have all or nearly all of Larry Bond's (who was a co-writer with Clancy on Red Storm Rising) and Stephen Coonts' books. These writers, along with Clancy, do their homework when writing their books. I haven't detected a single error in their military jargonizing (I may be wrong), and they spend a lot of time (couple hundred pages) developing the story, instead of just saying, "stuff happened, now let's get to the action!". There are also a bunch of new authors who have this skill (ie. - Patrick Robinson, James Cobb) who you should check out if you like Clancy, Coonts and Bond.

P.S. - If you really liked Red Storm Rising and you want more Cold War era NATO-USSR war books, be forewarned; there aren't many good ones. If you see one called "WWIII" by Ian Slater, don't touch it with a ten foot pole. It's a series of books, and he evidently has no knowledge at all about military hardware and international politics. Check out his reviews (I've never seen so many 1 stars).

I had originally picked this book up right at the beginning of Desert Shield. Being in the Army and working on a post where we were processing soldiers/units to go to the desert and working very long hours. It took a couple days to get through the first 150 pages or so. On the day that I reached the chapter where you're sitting in cockpit with the pilot of a stealth fighter and he's going in on an attack run, I couldn't put it down from there. This was and is the best World War III scenario ever written. If you've not purchased and read this book, do so immediately! Thank you to Tom Clancy and Larry Bond for one hell of a book!

I will not discuss the plot here. I just believe that this novel is Clancy's best. If you like to read about Soviet vs NATO conflicts (both strategical and battlefield scenarios), here is THE book... The plot is so good and so well written that you will not be able to put this book down even after you have finished reading it.

This is the second book written by Tom Clancy which establishes him as a powerful storyteller, a global tactician of power politics and of military technology. Did he have a crystal ball with which to read the future? It seems he zoned in on the possible effects of Muslim terrorism *way* before the "real world" woke up to the truth ...

An Ajzerbaijani Muslim student received special treatment at the Moscow University for his loyalty due to his good standing in the Communist Party. After 15 years in the Party, he attained the respect of his comrades, a good salary, an automobile and an above average position in his chosen field of study ... but beneath the suface ... he was seathing with anger ... plotting revenge on the very people who provided him the opportunities for success. He blew up the largest oil producing field in the Soviet Union ... crippling the Soviet economy. The Politburo met to deal with the consequences - the possible collapse of the Soviet Union. US satellite intelligence picked up the seismic event and discovered the oil field was destroyed. Another noteworthy discovery was: a shortage of car and truck batteries. At the same time, the Soviets were engaging in Peace Talks in Vienna, Austria. The Foreign Minister gave a press conference where he spoke of "deeds not words" as he described the Soviet's committment to reduce and destroy nuclear weapons. This included a deadline of three years and site verification. Plus the Soviets
proposed all signatories, USA, France, China, and the UK join in the negotiations. The "maskirovka 1" by the KGB had begun (masquerade 1). Another suspicious intelligence discovery made by the USA was four colonels in the Soviet Army were executed for falsifying "readiness" reports. Not long afterwards, an unusual bombing incident occcured in the Kremlin, exactly before the Politburo was to meet. Innocent children died ... the incident was attributed to terrorists, in an odd twist of fate a CNN cameraman caught the explosion on film, right when it happened. Also, US intelligence gathered information showing the Soviet submarines were maneuvering ... allegedly practicing tactics. The combined findings of these intelligence reports could lead to no other conclusion but the invevitable: the Soviet Union was planning World War III. The reasons were self-evident ... they faced economic disaster by losing their fundamental source of energy, their largest oil field.

In this novel, Clancy keeps the reader spell-bound, hanging on every word, wanting to know what happens next. There are three major battlefields: on land in Germany, in submarines under the ocean near Norway, and in the air in Iceland, which becomes the homebase of the Soviet Airforce. It is an exciting experience reading about the events and outcomes of the different battlefields in a fictional World War III. The scenarios are highly probable. The characters are realistic and very human. Most intriguing is the weatherman, a survivor of the battle for the US airfield in Keflavik, who becomes a guerrila soldier in the mountains of the region, providing very significant information via a radio on untraceable frequencies to intelligence operatives based in Scotlan. This is the quintessential "best" of Tom Clancy's novels. It is a most highly recommended contemporary novel. Erika Borsos (erikab93)

Red Storm Rising By Tom Clancy

Red Storm Rising is Clancy's second book and also on of the best. Even thought it was the second book he published, it is the last book in the series I have read. The main plot concerns World War Three. It occurs after the majority of Russia's fossil fuels are destroyed in a refinery fire set off by Muslim terrorists. With the fear of letting the West see them weak, the Russian leaders decide to seize the Middle East. To do this, however, the must distract NATO by attacking Germany. The war is more realistic than some of the battles and wars waged in his other books. Most of those battles have been entirely lopsided for the Americans. In Red Storm Rising however, he shows a much more realistic side of what the war might have been like. He has both NATO and Russia winning major battles and trading punch for punch. The many subplots surrounding the fighting gives you an in-depth look into the war. The war is fought in three major places. The fist part is in Iceland, the second part is in Germany, and the third part is in the Atlantic Ocean. The fighting in Iceland starts of the war. The Russians invade and take over NATO's base on the island. The second part in Germany is the major offensive by the Russians. The third part in the water deals with Soviet submarines destroying supply ships that come from America. That tactic almost won the war for Russia, but some supplies were able to get through and repel the invaders. The book was very good and extremely interesting. There were many different subplots, which let you see the war through people on both sides. It does not portray one side on barbarians, but shows both sides equally. The book was also very interesting because of the different information. He has accurate information about a plane that the Air Force did not officially recognize it had until years after the book was written. It also had a very interesting and unexpected ending that is repeated in another of Clancy's stories.

Let me make it clear that I am reviewing both the hard cover version of this book and the abridged audio cassette version. For long action novels, I often find the condensed version on an audio cassette preferable to the original. Red Storm Rising is the exception. The novel is much better and more enjoyable than the abridgement. This is also my favorite of the Tom Clancy novels, being slightly better than The Hunt for Red October in its story line and realistic plot details.

The book opens with a terrorist attack that cripples the economy of the Soviet Union. The leadership there chooses to believe that the West will devour the Soviets during this period of vulnerability, and the party leaders choose to launch an invasion of Europe. The real objective is to neutralize NATO so that the Middle East can be seized as a source of oil. Think of this as the 1980s update of the Japanese thinking during the 1930s about the importance of having assured supplies of raw materials and energy.

During the Cold War, published articles often focused on three primary risks that had to be overcome:

(1) That a weakened Soviet Union would decide to launch an offensive war to gain resources that its economic system could not provide.

(2) That a threatened Soviet Union would launch a first-strike nuclear attack.

(3) That the KGB and the Soviet Army would abuse their power and use war against the West to gain even more influence.

With the passing of time, we now know that although these were all potential risks, they were low-probability ones. The Soviets were not nearly as strong as the press and our government led us to believe in the United States. Also, they were more frightened of war, if anything, than the West was.

When this book came out in the mid-1980s, it provided valuable perspectives about whether or not the Western high-technology capabilities could counter much of the manpower strength of the Soviet Union, and the likelihood that there were reasonable people who opposed war in both the Soviet Union and in the West. Both perspectives turned out to have a great deal of truth in them. But they came as refreshing boosts for everyone's hopes for peace at the time.

Since there no longer is a Soviet Union, nor a Cold War, why should you read this book? I think the best reason is to understand the importance of placing limits on the power of those who can set war in motion. Also, one's enemies can be deterred by the risk they run by attacking you as much as by a real attack, as long as the risks to them are known. So appropriate levels of strength create the potential for diplomats to do their work.

For those who like battle stories, this one is quite interesting as in develops along the lines of what conventional war in Europe might have looked like in the mid 1980s. Several of the scenarios, such as an attack by the Soviets on Iceland will intrigue you and change your perceptions of geo-politics.

The technology side of the story is even more compelling and interesting than in The Hunt for Red October. You will witness potential uses of many of the weapons and systems that proved to be very important during the Gulf War, such as Stealth fighters, cruise missiles, and AWACs controllers.

After you finish reading this story, I suspect it would be a useful thing to try to come up with ways that the Cold War could have been ended sooner. What were both sides missing? How could the mutual distrust and misunderstanding have been dispelled sooner? The resources that went into weapons that were never used (thank goodness!) could have been far better employed in other ways.

May the peaceful intentions of the peace-lovers always be apparent and encouraging to all!

_Red Storm Rising_ is undoubtably Tom Clancy's finest book. It depicts an all-out war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact in the mid-'80s. While the political reasoning behind the Soviet invasion is a bit far-fetched, the description of modern-day land, sea, and air combat is riveting. In contrast to some of the one-dimensional characters in Clancy's other work, this book features two unforgettable ones: Lieutenant Mike Edwards, codenamed "Doghouse", an unlikely hero who leads a squad of Marines trapped in Soviet-occupied territory, and General "Pasha" Alekseyev, who commands the Red Army with brilliance and courage in spite of his own mixed feelings.

If you like Clancy's other books, you will love this one. And if you have found some of his more recent stuff to be tedious and overly political, give _Red Storm Rising_ a try so you can see him at his best. My mom and I have very different literary tastes, but even she really enjoyed it after I convinced her to give it a shot.

_Red Storm Rising_ has no rivals in its description of modern naval combat. And only _Red Army_, by Ralph Peters, surpasses its incredible look at World War III on the ground. I just purchased the hardcover version to replaced my overused paperback. Its a classic that will be enjoyed by readers of all tastes.

The big question of the 70s and 80s - what would happen if WWIII broke out? Tom Clancy and Larry Bond posed this question with one qualifier - strategic nuclear weapons would not be used.

To best understand and enjoy this book you need to know a couple things, one of which is the aforementioned purpose. You will also need a good map of Iceland and if you don't know your Atlantic Ocean and European geography you probably will want a general map of the area as well.

Clancy (along with Bond) has to solve the following problems to make the agreed-upon scenario work:

1. How do we have a war in the 80s with no nukes?
2. How can a war start without a nuclear retaliation?
3. What new technology would make a difference, and how much?
4. In a more modern war, how much does human judgment, ingenuity, emotion, and error play a part in the outcome?

Sure, the story is dated. Some have complained about that, but isn't any war novel dated after just a few years? Anyway, Clancy answers the questions brilliantly, and relatively quickly. The last part - how does the human factor come into play since there are no nukes - is played out throughout the book.

I reveiewed "Without Remorse" earlier, and I must inject a statement I made then as well. If you haven't experienced some of the things Mike Edwards had in his past (this will become clear upon reading the book) then you might consider some of his internal monologue to be contrived or unrealistic. I personally found the whole "Iceland sequence" to be a terrific internal story.

The character development is for a purpose in this book. Sometimes Clancy will have us know a character well and then he will die suddenly, and never look back - his way of relating one of the great horrors of war, and brilliant writing. I found myself wanting to yell at the book, "That's not fair!" when such an incident occurred, then I looked back in retrospect and realized that having that response was entirely Clancy's doing. He wants the reader to know that some things are beyond your control. He shows that little victories, even those of individuals, can turn the tide of an entire war. He wants you to understand that the bad guys can be tactically brilliant as well as the good guys. And, most of all, he is able to have the reader identify with characters from both sides and see their point of view.

I still can't put this one down. I loaned it to a friend, and he liked it so much that AFTER he read it and returned it, I bought it for him for his birthday, and he appreciated the gift! I have reread it many times and you know, I have a couple hours right now... This is Clancy's best, followed closely by "Without Remorse." Enjoy!

Red Storm Rising is one of the best Clancy books that I've read. He does a magnificent job of showcasing a show down between the old Soviet Union and NATO. I thought that the reason to go to war (oil) was quite plausible, especially in retrospect from current events. I especially liked that he took the time to explain why the war was happening, not just because they needed more oil, but because the Soviets needed supplies from the West that they couldn't get for several years. I thought that it highlighted the distrust between the Soviets and NATO very well. It isn't just a great overall how WWIII would be fought, it also has a human side to it, switching between the war in Europe and a group of people stranded on Iceland. I loved the tactical detail of taking Iceland and using it to close shipping in the Atlantic, just shear brilliance! The attention to detail on the battlefield and the intricate plot make this book a must read. It is a bit long, but not as long as some of his other novels. I find that the length allows the plot to be fully developed and details to be used. A must buy!

...then "Red Storm Rising" was the hook that converted interested readers into die-hard Tom Clancy fans back in the mid-1980s.

In this, Clancy's second book, he really hits his stride as the master author of military techno-thrillers. Clancy uses a layered story-telling approach in his version of WWIII; Warsaw Pact and NATO forces face off in western Europe and in the Atlantic while the USSR makes a bold bid to solve an energy crisis precipitated by terrorists.

The story unfolds quickly, and the ride doesn't slow down until the last page of the book. The reader is taken along for action on and under the Atlantic, on the ground in Iceland and the European mainland, and in the air, as Soviet and NATO military machines try to outfox and outfight each other.

This is story-telling on a global scale. If you've never read a Tom Clancy novel this is a great one to try first.

If you're looking for a grand adventure, I highly recommend this book!

5 stars all the way!

If you like this Clancy book, you will probably also enjoy some of his others..."The Hunt for Red October," "Debt of Honor," and "Executive Decision" being the most likely candidates.

If you are more into political intruige I recommend that you try "Patriot Games" and "Clear and Present Danger."

Happy reading!

Alan Holyoak