U.S.S. Seawolf

I have read all previous novels by Patrick Robinson ("Nimitz Class", "Kilo Class" and "HMS Unseen")and I found them excellent. I've just finished his latest book, "USS Seawolf", and I must admit, it was a major disappointment. First what was good: You learn quite a lot about American military and the naval forces (particularly about submarines). On the other hand, the way Robinson dealt with his characters wasn't all right at all. People participating in the story were complete cliches without any connections to reality. The American staff was highly professional, failureless, overly patriotic, not selfish at all, everybody were close friends to each other and had the same opinions, whereas the Chinese, the "enemy" in this novel, were described as personificated evil we know from children's stories. Additionally, it seems that every second Chinese in this book was an idiot and was completely unable to carry out the simplest assignment. The Americans, for their part, seem to be able to easily destroy the Russian and the Chinese Navies at the same time. I really doubt that the USA are so strong. If they are, why did it take the West some 40 years to win the Cold War?
Arnold Morgan, the National Security Advisor, is indesputably the main personnage in "USS Seawolf". This fact doesn't explain though why it's him who makes all difficult decisions. Though I don't know every paragraph of the American Constitution by heart, I am quite sure that it is the President who ultimately decides whether to start a war or not. Actually, I think even the President mustn't do it on himself; there is a Congress after all. This was one example of an obvious logical mistake in the novel. I assure you, there are many, many more.
At the end a few words concerning story and style. The plot of "USS Seawolf" offered nothing new; it was mainly the same stuff as in "Kilo Class". The only difference was the emprisoning of the crew of the US submarine. But then there were once more the SEALs who liberated the "brave Americans", in the same fashion as in "KIlo Class". Robinson's writing style isn't the most ideal either. His storytelling is very monoton; it has remained the same since "Nimitz Class" (with the only exception in "HMS Unseen"). He describes his characters in a very one-dimensional way. We miss important parts of them, like how they spend their freetime or something like this, and that's the reason why we never quite understand them.
So, I repeat it, I was quite disappointed by this book. I can only hope the next one will be comparable to "HMS Unseen", Robinson's finest yet.

I think it was John Le Carre who wrote that there is something unhealthy in a country fascinated by its special forces, and Admiral Morgan is the epitomy of this unhealth. With the geo-political ignorance and cultural insensitivity of a dyslexic amoeba, he constantly seeks military solutions to the errors of his military-industrial complex, and beware if you are not a white, Christian, Annapolis-ringed member of the Club.
Having read all of Patrick Robinson's novels, from the excellent Nimitz Class to the thoroughly racist Kilo Class, I cannot say I like the direction his books are now taking.
With a few token caustic remarks about media hacks and money-chasing lawyers, the book blunders from one improbable scenario to another, linked only by a few cardboard characters and the inevitable submarines.
The crass ignorance and brutal behaviour of the Chinese, compared to the virtues of the Taiwanese, is highlighted, whilst forgetting that the original inhabitants of Taiwan, the Formosan aborigines were kicked out by those noble Chinese as they fled mainland China with their millions and gold. Technical epxerts will no doubt find some errors, in abbreviations and even the use of a pelagic sub for inshore work, while the torture scenes are so carefully written to avoid upsetting anyone, but lack realism.
Betraying his European origin, there a few token Brits who are admired by the Club, and some SAS guys who accompany the SEALs on a mission, though it would have been more appropriate for the SBS, the naval version, to have gone along.
Like in Tom Clancy's world, all the US weapon systems work perfectly, whilst everything Chinese is derided as copied or useless. The fearless submariners and warriors are all muscular, loyal, intelligent, hunks of manhood, going against the snivelling yellow peril. No wimpy management types or pugilistic womanisers of the Dick Marcinko world in this book, and even the single military-challenged officer seems to exist in one dimension, a long way from reality.
This book will no doubt be popular with the red-necks in Oklahoma or Montana, or wherever they dress up in camouflage fatigues, and carry paint guns and M-16s; but it presents a sad polarised view of the world, and those tunnel-visoned military types who inhabit it. The Chinese are dishonoured by this myopic writing, whilst the plot, with its ultimately weak and involved President, is nothing more than excuse to quote weapon names and specs and arcane killing techniques. Even the twist in the tale at the end is out of place, but about the book's only redeeming feature. At least Tom Clancy writes a good book, but this is too racist, too single dimensional and not even a good story.
The Honorable School Boy will be turning in his grave.

Robinson has wasted a great deal of paper to trash the Chinese as laundrymen, the (US) Democratic Party a treasonous fools, the (US) Congress as obstructionist idiots. How the righteous military establishment gets anything done is beyond me. I picked up this book because, as a former deck officer, I usually enjoy a good sea-going yarn. I closed the book when I found that Oliver North, thinly disguised as Col. Hart, was the Second Coming instead of someone who should have been stripped of his commission.

I am still catching my breath after just finishing USS SEAWOLF. I shudder to think about what would happen if the Chinese did in fact get SEAWOLF the most advanced submarine ever constructed. The book was masterfully written, Robinson didn't stay too long on a subject and always kept you guessing. I resisted skipping to the end to see how things turned out. If you read one submarine book this year make it USS SEAWOLF. Patrick ol'boy if you read this i can NOT WAIT for a sequel...

I'm new to this author but I got the book for free (Thank God I didn't waste money on it.) From the beginning I was getting into what I thought was going to be a good read. It started out well and then quickly went down hill. Too right-wing, Clinton started it all, Chinese are "Little Pricks", etc. The ending was a GREAT letdown. What happened to Linus? Why did Judd commit suicide, what happened to the Chinese C in C? All questions with no answers. I think I'll skip this author from now on.

I somewhat shamefacedly admit to being caught by the jacket blurbs on this latest effort of Mr. Robinson's and by the dedication to SEALs and special operations. So it was with some hopefulness that I read the book. I had previously attempted his earlier works, but found them so ridiculous that I couldn't go on. In this case after the first few chapters I developed a case of "Oh, come on" followed by "Give me a break!" Like the earlier works, I found this novel to be juvenile and the plot and characters unbelievable. Take for example the XO of the SEAWOLF who is depicted as going to panic stations at the drop of a hat. Not only is he no support at all to the skipper but we're asked to believe he's also some sort of CIA operative? In the first place, nuclear boat crews are very carefully screened and someone with the propensities demonstrated by this character would never be aboard, much less in a position as critical as an XO. But, hey, it's just a novel, right? Another problem is that it is abundantly clear that Mr. Robinson knows very little about the U. S. Navy's ranks or the responsibilities of its sailors and officers. Not only are most of the ranks abbreviated incorrectly, but he also seems to want to use Royal Navy terms for the US job functions. "Captain's writer" instead of "yeoman," for example. I won't even begin to catalogue the inaccuracies with the SEALs, although I did find the idea of a team skipper having another officer as a "bodyguard" particularly annoying. Doesn't anyone read for accuracy before these novels are published? In any event, this is like a kid's Saturday matinee movie, but duller... and too long for what it is. I know that Mr. Robinson will continue to make money with these yarns, but I would suggest that he deal with the Royal Navy and make the characters British, because surely he understands them better, and offer the reading public something more realistic, escapist or not.

U.S.S. Seawolf is not a bad book at all. In fact, it was one of the most entertaining, if not original stories I have ever read. It is about a disaster in which the world's most advanced and deadliest submarine, the U.S.S. Seawolf (SSN-21) is captured along with it's crew by the Chinese, revealing some incredibly powerful technology to the Chinese. Then there's the diplomacy, then the rescue. Pstrick Robinson's excellent research has paid off, as tons of technology and military details are featured, even better in the way Tom Clancy does it. Robinson at least makes it easy to understand, while Clancy just shows off his knowledge without realizing that most people don't get what he's talking about.
However, the story itself is poorly written. The characterization is completely unrealistic, as they are all featured as geniuses, and incredibly immature. The amount of swearing rivals Tom Clancy at time. Even more, there is an almost overwhelming amount of racist remarks towards and about the Chinese. He hates these people, doesn't he? Moreover, he features the Chinese as overly ambitious, not too smart, and irrational. All the while, the Americans are shown as strong, as always making the right decisions, and there being no conflict. The miltiary and government officials are almost worshipped in the novel, as anyone who's a civilian is scorned upon and insulted. This sense of patriotism and ethnical prejudice is simply rude and uncalled for.
Again, the novel is not bad. The story is very entertaining, but the words that made the story offensive pretty much ruined the whole book. All Robinson has to do next time is not offend anyone.

I have read all of the Patrick Robinson books and have enjoyed them even though Robinson verges on the edge of serious right wing political militarism. This last book is not only on the verge as his other books have been, this one falls off the edge into significant political right-wing claptrap. This author is too good to let himself drift into the blind espousal of such ideology. Thus I was disappointed in this book. The story is fun; it kept me interested; it stretched credibility a little too often. But those lapses are hallmarks of such books. What pushed me over the edge were the constant references to pro/redneck/republican/Limbaugh generalities. The Oliver North-like colonel was too much. I will read one more of Robinson's; hopefully he can rise above this god-awful ideology.

Let me be clear: I am a fan of Patrick Robinson. Nimitz Class and HMS Unseen were wonderful novels.
Unfortunately, USS Seawolf does NOT even come close to his previous quality of novels. First, characters are overly simplistic and, to a large extent, needlessly racist. The author's constant derogatory remarks regarding the Chinese was EXTREMELY offensive and did not serve the story. Second, the ending was awful. The story did nothing to allude to the sudden abrupt change in character. Third, the book was highly predictable (with the noted exception of the ending, which did not follow any sense of logic).
Overall, this was a disappointment. If you have not read his previous books, spend your money on those instead, and forget all about USS Seawolf.

Wow.
This is all that needs to be said. I am simply amazed by his originality and imagination when it comes to the fourth book focusing on the Navy under the administration of John Clarke. The plot is simple and realistic. The suspense is razor-sharp. The characters are excellent. This is perfection of fiction!
Building on current events occuring at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Robinson masterfully weaves a tale of Chinese theft representing a threat to our shores in the form of a XIA III, a SSBM "boomer" that the Chinese claim is capable of hitting Los Angeles from its dockyard.
Every event in the book prompted a reaction or outburst from me. When XO Clarke went nosing around the towed array sonar, I was screaming "No! YOU IDIOT! DON'T DO IT!" at the book. Only well-written books can prompt such a reaction from me. I was resigned to the Seawolf's fate, as the men in the book were.
The pulse-pounding writing describing the Special Forces operation used to rescue the crew amazed me, even for Robinson. The actions of the President disgusted me, and the tragedy occuring at the end of the book saddened me.
Only a few writers have ever provoked such an emotional response from me.
Robinson has now become one of those few.