I read the book when it was first published, and loaned it out, never got it back

I bought another copy from a bookseller and just finished it

I must admit I really enjoyed the book much more than the movie

Although the film was 'true' to the book, the book was far and away better

I will have to re-read the book but I absolutely love the movie, despite that moron Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan.

I’ve read the book twice and thoroughly enjoyed it both times. I served in the Navy nuclear power program and thought Clancy hit on some sensitive information the first time I read it. Back in the day, ‘Confidential’ was stamped on the top and bottom of every page of every manual - even the blank pages.

Loved the movie as well.

IIRC, in the book the Akula class sub was rammed by the October instead of being torpedoed. I remember wishing they'd have kept the book's version.

There were some major diversions from the book. I thought Ryan was overplayed in the movie and Tyler underplayed.

All in all, as good as the movie is, the book is far and away better.

And yes I thought ramming the titanium-hulled sub was better than a torpedo.

Back in the mid 1990s, I traveled intl a lot and read all of the Clancy books because there was no (we had no) cell phone, internet and the TV was in a different language. I'm thankful for that now.

I liked to have watched the movie so I could better keep up with the incredible pace of new characters Clancy would introduce in the first chapter or two. I would take notes on the inside cover, because if my trip ended before I was done, I might not get back to it for a bit.

The books were always better, because there was always more to the books.

Do we really need a new thread on this same topic?

https://sigforum.com/eve/forums...840003974#7840003974

quote:

Originally posted by Dakor:
Do we really need a new thread on this same topic?

https://sigforum.com/eve/forums...840003974#7840003974

that's the nature of forums...

I have to say that it is one of the best books I've ever read... I could not put the damn thing down.... and I had to go out and buy coffee cups with no handles afterwards...

I used to head to the book store every time a new Tom Clancy or Robert Ludlum novel came out.

Downloading stuff onto a Kindle sure is convenient, bit it just ain't the same. I guess I'm a dinosaur.

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
There were some major diversions from the book. I thought Ryan was overplayed in the movie and Tyler underplayed.

Yes, there were differences between the book and movie. There HAS to be with any book-movie adaptation. Different media force the creator to tell the story in different ways. I mean, few people would like to see the characters stare blindly into space as they do a voice-over to recite their inner monologue to explain what they are thinking. The best I think I've seen was Ryan's shower scene, where he's talking to himself: "How do you make people want to get off a submarine? How do you make people want to get off a nuclear. . . submarine. . .?"

quote:

All in all, as good as the movie is, the book is far and away better.

And yes I thought ramming the titanium-hulled sub was better than a torpedo.

I agree on both counts.

That ending was WAY different in the book. In the book, they hid the Red October in a river, some Soviet spy satellite analyst detected heat signatures there (one large, two small) thinking it was an Ohio-class boomer protected by two attack subs, and they sent the Alfa-class sub after them to try to salvage SOMETHING from the whole mess (being able to track and record the sounds from an Ohio would be a big deal). Only when they got close did the Sovs figure out it was Red October. USS Dallas and (IIRC) Pogy tried to chase the Alfa away, but they had no right to attack it (act of war, and all that). Red October plowed over it, sinking it in relatively shallow water (I always thought it was stupid in the movie that the first torpedo launched by the Alfa hit the hull before the safeties allowed it to arm; as if an experienced sub captain would make such a stupid mis-calculation). They discussed the fact that there were probably survivors on the Alfa, but to rescue them would reveal the fact that the US had Red October. So, they did nothing to rescue the crew (although it was stated that the US would certainly dive on the wreck later to get even more intel on Soviet subs).

Naturally, this is a MUCH more complex plot line than used in the movie. I like the book ending better, but I have to admit they probably did the right thing in changing it for the movie.

I actually consider this movie to be the best book-to-movie adaptation I've ever seen. The only movies that comes close are Fellowship of the Ring or the first two Harry Potter movies. There are some book movies that are practically un-recognizable (as the Without Remorse thread indicated). . .

"I would have liked to have seen Montana..."

quote:

The best I think I've seen was Ryan's shower scene, where he's talking to himself: "How do you make people want to get off a submarine? How do you make people want to get off a nuclear. . . submarine. . .?"

for me this was where they overplayed Ryan

Skip Tyler came up with the plan and relayed it

Ryan didn't come up with the idea

I found this on youtube yesterday: The making of The Hunt for Red October. I found it quite interesting.

https://youtu.be/2_epfA20dOY

In the early nineties, I worked at AT&T Federal Systems in North Carolina. Back then, we manufactured components for underwater listening systems including the SOSUS net, LUSC system, and towed arrays. I think everyone working there had a copy of the book on their desk. Although I never read the book, I was told that Clancy described these systems in great detail. Absolutely loved the movie!

quote:

Originally posted by randyman:
I think everyone working there had a copy of the book on their desk. Although I never read the book, I was told that Clancy described these systems in great detail.

Clancy did make some good guesses. I am certainly not an expert on submarines, SOSUS/sonar, spook ops, etc., but reading his material on missile warning and nuclear detonation detection systems (particularly in Sum of All Fears), I do know that he was kind of close to how things worked, but he had made some significant errors.

quote:

Originally posted by Hound Dog:

quote:

Originally posted by randyman:
I think everyone working there had a copy of the book on their desk. Although I never read the book, I was told that Clancy described these systems in great detail.

Clancy did make some good guesses. I am certainly not an expert on submarines, SOSUS/sonar, spook ops, etc., but reading his material on missile warning and nuclear detonation detection systems (particularly in Sum of All Fears), I do know that he was kind of close to how things worked, but he had made some significant errors.

I'd guess that he had some official gov't/DOD/CIA/whatever "assistance", and that came with some stipulations about what he could NOT include.

I still have my hardcover copy of the book which I purchased in 1985-ish. Back in the 1980's to 1995-ish I re-read the book probably 10 times. Loved it!

I need to dust it off and read it again very soon.

Another book I have, which seems to be not well known but I believe to be an excellent book, is Arc Light by Eric Harry. I highly recommend you read this if you can find a copy. I think I'll pull it off my bookshelf and add it to my stack of books to read soon. Here's a link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arc_Light_(novel)
.

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
There were some major diversions from the book. I thought Ryan was overplayed in the movie ...

It's normal for movies to diverge from books. They're trying to cram a lot into ±2 hours.

As for the Jack Ryan character: Say what you want about him, but I've always felt Alec Baldwin was the best on-screen Jack Ryan character of them all. Harrison Ford I always felt to be completely wrong for the role and the actor/character in the Jack Ryan series on Amazon Prime isn't even remotely close. (I've never seen Affleck in The Sum of all Fears.)

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
As for the Jack Ryan character: Say what you want about him, but I've always felt Alec Baldwin was the best on-screen Jack Ryan character of them all. Harrison Ford I always felt to be completely wrong for the role and the actor/character in the Jack Ryan series on Amazon Prime isn't even remotely close. (I've never seen Affleck in The Sum of all Fears.)

arric barrwin is a world-class douchebag, but he was a very skilled actor. He did an outstanding job in Red October.

I thought Ford was decent in Patriot Games, but I didn't much like anything about Clear/Present Danger. Likewise, I thought Sum/Fears was a HORRIBLE adaptation, and I hated nearly everything about that one, too. . .

I thought red October was very good I liked them both the book and the movie.

It is always interesting when people do research and find "classified" stuff in the public domain.

I remember in the 1970s a physics student designed an atomic bomb that could be built for $2000. Using public information.

I heard that later the feds classified his research paper.

https://www.nytimes.com/1976/1...-2000-atom-bomb.html