U.S.S. Seawolf [Mass Market Paperback]

Patrick Robinson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2001

Armed with stolen U.S. military technology, the Chinese are producing a frightening new breed of weaponry,led by the ICBM submarine Xia III -- a vessel that just might be able to launch a nuclear warhead across the Pacific Ocean and take out an American West Coast city.

National Security Adviser Admiral Arnold Morgan can't let that happen, and he dispatches the most stealthy hunter-killer submarine in the U.S. fleet, the 9,000-ton ultrasecret Seawolf, deep into the dark, forbidden waters of the South China Sea. But then the unthinkable happens: Seawolf, collides with a Chinese destroyer and falls into enemy hands. A team of cunning Navy SEALs -- the biggest Special Forces assault group assembled since Vietnam -- is sent in to free the captive Seawolf, crew and bring them home. The American Eagle confronts the Chinese Dragon with the balance of world power on the line. Failure is not an option...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Robinson's gripping followup to HMS Unseen pits bellowing National Security Advisor Arnold Morgan against an increasingly brazen People's Republic of China, which has been flexing its military muscle by shooting missiles over Taiwan and threatening a nuclear strike on Los Angeles. In response to this last threat, stalwart Capt. Judd Crocker of the submarine Seawolf is sent on a secret mission to assess the nuclear strike capability of China's new Xia-class sub. When nervous executive officer Linus Clarke inadvertently cripples the Seawolf, the crew is taken prisoner, and the submarine falls into the hands of Chinese Admiral Zhang Yushu, who hides behind diplomacy while using torture and physical abuse to ferret out the Seawolf's secrets. What Zhang doesn't know is that one of the submariners is even more valuable than the sub itselfAa fact that sends Admiral Morgan into a desperate race against time to destroy the Seawolf before its secrets can be revealed, and to effect a seemingly impossible rescue. As usual, Robinson makes the impossible look easy and ratchets the tension higher and higher, until at last a team of SEALS assaults the prison where the Seawolf's crew is housed. But that's not the end of the story. In the novel's final few pages, several well-planted political hints blossom into a series of plot explosions. Given their potential importance to both the story and the life of Robinson's hero, Arnold Morgan, these developments are jarringly abrupt. While this finale is devastating, it feels rushed compared to the rest of this well-paced naval techno-thriller.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"No one does it better -- not even Tom Clancy." -- -- Carlos D'Este, author of Patton: A Genius for War

"Robinson is one of the crown princes of the beach-read thriller. Clear the calendar when you buy U.S.S. Seawolf!" -- -- Stephen Coonts

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: HarperTorch (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061030651
• ISBN-13: 978-0061030659
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (113 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #457,245 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #60 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers > Technothrillers

More About the Author

Patrick Robinson is the co-author of the recent New York Times bestseller, "A Colossal Failure of Common Sense - the inside story of the collapse of Lehman Brothers."

Before that, he co-authored Lone Survivor for Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell which was #1 on the New York Times non-fiction bestseller list for eight months in 2007.

Patrick is also the author of eleven international bestselling suspense thrillers, including To the Death, Nimitz Class, Hunter Killer, and Diamondhead, the first book in his brand new series.

He lives in Ireland and spends his summers in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Horrible..., June 24, 2001

By 

M. Venniro (Las Vegas, Nevada USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: U.S.S. Seawolf (Mass Market Paperback)

I am a fan of the techno-thriller. Sub novels in particular. I picked this brick off the shelf and decided to give it a whirl. Guess what? It kept whirlling all the way to the trash heap. The characters are shallow. The plot is unrealistic. The cliches are abound. I can go on but I would digress.

If you are looking for a truly good SUB novel try Attack Of The Seawolf by Michael DiMercurio. In my opinion the best SUB-Novelist in the biz.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars From a former cold war submariner, February 20, 2006

By 

Jim Boydston "Operatenor" (San Diego, Ca United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: U.S.S. Seawolf (Mass Market Paperback)

This has to be the worst novel I've ever read. It is chock full of divisiveness, bigotry and absurdity, and the author has a rudimentary at best knowledge of submarine operations. The author additionally lacks even a common sense understanding of the development and hierarchical management of staff in the sub service. Pairing a caricature of all that is good in a leader with a caricature of all that is bad in a leader as numbers one and two in command of a submarine is the author's biggest departure from reality.

His use of the story to be a Republican propagandist is not only petty, but maliciously inaccurate.

While being no fan of the Chinese political agenda, I find his characterization of the Chinese in general to be tediously rancorous, and largely completely without basis.

The plot is so absurd that despite an overabundance of violence and action, it is rendered totally vapid. As I read it, I kept finding myself repeating, "You've gotta be kidding!" over and over in my head.

The copy I have was passed to me by a friend, but I can assure you another victim will NOT be subjected to this most atrocious piece of prose. It goes in the trash where it belongs!

41 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superbly written and crafted cant put down novel, June 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: U.S.S. Seawolf (Hardcover)

I was eagerly anticipating the forth of Patrick Robinson's submarine themed novels and was not disappointed. In fact the book was devoured in 48 hours with a some late nights and definitely falls into "can't put down" status.

The U.S. navy dispatches their most advanced submarine, captained by the best submariner, to spy in Chinese waters on their newly launched submarine. Everything goes to plan until the Submarine is captured and towed to a Chinese navy port whilst her crew are imprisoned and tortured. The U.S. national Security Adviser, Arnold Morgan, a fantastically larger than life character that appears in the previous novels, "Nimitz Class", "Kilo Class" and "HMS Unseen", is the pivot between the Political intrigue and the naval options. These options include the rescue of the imprisoned crew by the U.S. seals and the problem of the most advanced submarine in the enemies hand.

Sensitive to providing sufficient detail to ensure authenticity Robinson does not overload the reader with too much technical jargon in the way that Clancy can. A superbly written and crafted "can't put down" novel that I would strongly recommend.