Review: The Hunt for Red October - Tom Clancy

Tom Clancy! A name that many people think is the title of a game. But it is much more than that.

Thomas Leo Clancy Jr., better known as Tom Clancy is one of the leading names in espionage literature. His characters are charismatic and more focused on the real world than those of Ian Flemming, author of James Bond.

For those who do not remember Tom Clancy, just name a name: Jack Ryan!

The intrepid character who, in addition to the books, has already been played by actors such as Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Chris Pine. Currently transformed into a Prime Video series: Tom Clancy's: Jack Ryan, with John Krasinski playing the character.

Therefore, the name Tom Clancy is beyond a game title.

The first book in the Jack Ryan series was Hunt for Red October (1984), which turned into a great film played by the young Alec Baldwin as the main character and with Sean Connery's always remarkable participation as the Russian captain Ramius. The film was released in 1990.

In addition to being the first book in the series, it is also the first released by Tom Clancy, as well as his first theatrical adaptation. Many first!

The story is a technological thriller with doses of International Relations.

Its reference points and comments from the military universe are totally plausible, as well as the entire context covered by international policies. Especially in terms of "defection". Here Tom Clancy addresses it in such a simple way by showing us that people, mainly military, who decide to flee their country and seek asylum in another, are not as simple as shown in other films and literature. Just like not everything is powered by bullets and exotic places.

The universe shown to us is the real one, where people sit on chairs and have long debates about whether they are really deserting or just wanting to drop bombs in the country. Recalling that when this story was written, the world was plunged into the Cold War, a silent struggle between the USA and the extinct Soviet Union.

Nothing at that time was black and white. Much less gray. Everything was a matter of interpretations that could change at any moment. And Hunt for Red October, the name of Ramius' submarine, is a little bit more than that.

This book was so well written, showing how the CIA, KGB and other military institutions work, that Tom Clancy became the main reference name as an author among the American military. And it was highly praised by former President Ronald Reagan, which made The Hunt for Red October an absolute success.

Hunt for Red October it is a book with characters that we bonded from the beginning, no matter which side of the border he is on. Jack Ryan is fascinating and we grew up and learned from him about the world of espionage and international relations. In addition to immersing ourselves in a technological world totally existing and viable in the military sphere.