Red Storm Rising
by Tom Clancy, T CLANCY · first published 1983
51% recommend46% neutral3% critical
Why HN recommends it
Gripping Cold War techno-thriller depicting a conventional World War III, with realistic detail on tank, naval and submarine warfare, a wide cast, and a plausible timeline. Suits fans of military what-if stories.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Terrorists attack the USSR, they respond by attacking western Europe to replace the oil assets destroyed by the terrorists. Who will win?
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Mentions per year
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A bit off-topic, but maybe some experts could answer a question? I've recently re-read Clancy's "Red Storm Rising", the sections on submarine (and anti-) warfare are really interesting (I understand some of it may be simplified/fictional). E.g., how the Mark 48 torpedo can be set to and launched in "hunting mode",…
on “A submarine's weakness: its software?” ↗Dammit The first book by Clancy I read was "Red Storm Rising", I picked it up at 6pm and read until 3am. Some of the titles of chapters would have made great band names such as "Frisbees in Dreamland". I wish they had actually made a movie of one of his books…
on “Tom Clancy has died” ↗"Red Storm Rising" was Clancy's best, probably because of the co-authorship by Larry Bond. The book is engrossing due to its depth of detail and realistic timeline. Clancy also credited Bond's warfare sim, "Harpoon",…
on “Tom Clancy has died” ↗Tom Clancy's old books (not the garbage that used his name recently). Start with Red Storm Rising and then go through the Jack Ryan series beginning with The Hunt For Red October. You'll find his political views slightly odd if you're younger, but his military knowledge is unparalleled. Edit: for…
on “Thunder Run to Seoul: Assessing North Korea’s War Plan” ↗Yeah I agree. Clancy movie adaptations seem to have all been downhill since Hunt for Red October. Arguably his books too, although Red Storm Rising is still my favorite (and probably impossible to make a good movie of, the scope is too large and Russia too competent.)
on “US has lost at least three nuclear bombs that have never been located” ↗Red Storm Rising was what turned me on to Clancy. Then again, in the 1980's the idea World War III was a bit closer to home.
on “Tom Clancy has died” ↗For those interested, Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising presents a pretty accurate account of a major modern day tank battle/ground war between two advanced armies. It's also a great Cold War era novel. Basically, short-range (1-4 km) anti-tank guided missiles…
on “Russian WW2 parade: A tank-spotter's guide” ↗> Well, there isn't much use for a navy in a land war with Russia anyway. Read Tom Clancy's 1980s novel Red Storm Rising, which seemed pretty realistic to me. (Former U.S. Navy carrier officer here.)
on “The U.S. Navy’s Big Mistake: Building Tons of Supercarriers” ↗When Corporations Rule The World - David Korten Neuromancer - William Gibson Red Storm Rising - Tom Clancy
on “Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?” ↗Messiah, by Boris Starling Red Storm Rising, by Tom Clancy First Among Equals, by Jeffrey Archer
on “Ask HN: What is your favorite fiction book?” ↗Tom Clancy's Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising. I think most people usually don't consider Tom Clancy to be a science fiction writer, but these two books (his best two by far, FWIW) both feature speculative technology central to the story. Red October…
on “Science Fiction vs. Science Fantasy” ↗I thought and continue to think early Clancy is excellent — basically everything that became a movie with Harrison Ford or Alec Baldwin, plus “Red Storm Rising” — but even before he brought in the ghost authors, his reactionary politics started to get in the way of the stories. Yeah yeah, I can stand a feckless Democratic pol who just cares about getting elected…
on “John le Carré's 'The Spy Who Came in from the Cold' is the ultimate spy novel” ↗Similarly the Clancy book Red Storm Rising really holds up well, and weirdly may be one of the best primers on Russian military practices, culture, and capabilities as the force was constituted during the first year of their full scale invasion…
on “Hunt for Red October 1990 (2016)” ↗It's Red Storm Rising, and there was a board game. I dug out mine just the other day: http://imgur.com/KEh3Y95 I really loved the whole scenario. It's the only time I've read a book with a ton of characters, outside of LOTR,…
on “Tom Clancy has died” ↗…weapon out to where it is...during all that time of which the carrier is free to maneuver and take other counter measures. It becomes a game of cat and mouse. It's rather dated now, but the classic book "Red Storm Rising" illustrates some of this and how it plays out.
on “A whole age of warfare sank with the Moskva” ↗