Tom Clancy’s classic 1984 thriller redefined the espionage and Cold War novel and became a box-office Hollywood film starring Sean Connery.
12.00 noon UK Time
Goldster Book Club
Red October is a new Russian submarine, more sophisticated than anything in the American naval arsenal. But its captain wants to defect to the West, taking the submarine and all its secret technology with him. The tension develops into a double hunt as both the Russians and Americans hunt down the Red October. Clancy’s skill was to turn the intricacies of a techno-thriller about sonar and propellers into a captivating read that evokes the atmosphere of working on a submarine. The reader comes away with a sense of understanding about sonar bleeps, Tomahawk missiles and nuclear reactors. The American hero is Jack Ryan, the CIA agent who refuses to carry a gun, and went on to star in many more of Tom Clancy’s block-busting spy thrillers. Tom Clancy, then an insurance agent, did not submit The Hunt for Red October to a mainstream publisher, but to the Naval Press Institute which asked for him to cut about a hundred pages and then bought it for five thousand dollars. It was then discovered by legendary New York literary agent, Robert Gottlieb, who turned it into a best-seller, not least by getting it into the hands of President Ronald Reagan who described it as ‘the perfect yarn’ and ‘unputdownable.’ With talk of a New Cold War and Russia flexing its muscles once again, Humphrey looks forward to a really lively discussion on this classic thriller.
Leave a Reply