Rating:  Summary: Good read, but could have had better details and ending Review: In Kilo Class, Patrick Robinson did some good writing. I enjoyed reading the book during the escapades of Hurricane Floyd and it kept my on the edge on my seat. He did have some technical flaws in the book suck as a Super Cobra being used as a transport helicopter. Also, I'm not one to believe that a Tiawanese naval vessal would kill more than half the people onboard a research base just for showing up at an island. It makes for a good plotline, but it's not quite believeable. Also, the ending could have been MUCH better than leaving off where it did. He ended the story way to quickly and I, plainly put, was not satisfied with the way the book ended compared to how Robinson built up the book. It was, however, a nice book to read and I enjoy his style of writing in this book. I plan to read Nimitz Class soon and hope that it can get up there with this book and have a hopefully better ending. But one last thing. I greatly enjoyed the antics of NSA Admiral Morgan. He was a riot and a good comic relief in the book in my opinion. Poor ol' Charlie...
Rating:  Summary: I wish I had the money back I paid for this book Review: Mr. Robinson obviously knows little of the military and even less of the Middle East. As a career Naval Officer I found his lack of technical knowledge distracting. Even with this limitation, if Mr. Robinson was a better writer the story might be more engaging. The characters are shallow, predictable, and very unbelievable. Had I not been stuck in an airport overnight with nothing else to read, I would not have gone past the first 50 pages. But I did make sure I threw the book away so no one else would waste his or her time. Do not waste your money on this book.
Rating:  Summary: A great sequel to Nimitz Class Review: Robinson has followed up with an excellent second book to Nimitz class.The storyline is fairly tight. The subplots are all interwoven. It was a good piece of fiction. However, it would not fly in reality. The Geo-political structure in the world would not allow the US to get away with the destruction of another national power's military on their own soil.
Rating:  Summary: Best of the best Review: Tom Clancy, watch out, Patrick Robinson is on the rise. This is his second book in the series, the first being "Nimitz Class", and the following installments being "HMS Unseen", "USS Seawolf" and "The Shark Mutiny". Honestly, I can say it is one of the best, most entertaining novels I have ever read. Packed full of military goodness, but not enough to make you go damn bonkers (Clancy?), pure action-adventure adrenaline, and excellent characters and narrative, everybody should give "Kilo Class" a read-through. You quickly begin to love National Security Advisor Admiral Morgan for his spirit and vigorous way of handling things. He doesn't take any [stuff] is putting it mildly. However he's not all extreme, and actually had depth and character, most of which is explored in later books. The story involves the Chinese purchasing ultra-quiet Kilo Class submarines from the Russians. Admiral Morgan could not let this happen since they couldn't afford to be blocked out of the Taiwan Strait. It brings an issue brought forth time and time again in the news - the fact the China wants Taiwan as its own. Without saying too much, the effort involves a pulsepounding race underneath the Arctic Circle by the American submarine Captain Dunning, and a riviting undercover operation by a group of Navy SEALs deep in the heart of Russia. I have talked with people who are actually in the Navy who have read this book and they tell me it's as close to real-life global operations as it comes. (The next book in the series, "HMS Unseen", however is a little far fetched.) Apparently stuff like this actually happens. Of course we, the public, don't know about it. I enjoyed this book a lot better than any Tom Clancy novel just for the reason that it was a novel more based on story and not a behemoth textbook on military hardware with a story thrown in. "Kilo Class" is the perfect sit-down-and-read-straight-through novel. It makes you want to keep reading because it's so exciting and thorough. Great praise is due to Patrick Robinson.
Rating:  Summary: Another thriller well worth a read! Review: Patrick Robinson has written another winner! For a start, those that gave this book, and also NIMITZ CLASS(Mind candy reading? Sounds fine to me!) one star made me want to read this more. I loved KILO CLASS from beginning to end, it was awesome! The story concerns a group of Kilo Class subs on sale from Russia to China, which must be stopped at all costs before the balance of power shifts in Asia to China's favour. So the US President approves a set of covert strikes against the subs en route - including some very unusual methods involving Navy SEALS on a tourist cruise in Russia! Also, what is the secret of a sub base on a remote island off the coast of Antarctica? Read this brilliant book now! The characters were entertaining, the prose was simple to understand without getting bogged down in too much technobabble, and Robinson proves he had done good research into his subject matter. I look forward eagerly to HMS UNSEEN.
Rating:  Summary: the technology is good, but the rest is not Review: ...the blurb on the back-cover was interesting, so I bought this one and stated reading, waiting for action and intrigue ... and waiting ... and waiting ... All the stuff is there: marines, submarine action ... it just isn't fun ... there is no sence of danger. And the action taken by the American side just to keep China from obtaining some subs ... it's too far out ... I mean, part of every technothriller is political picture, which should be realistic, or at least possible ... well, this one isn't. I mean, can you imagine SEALs going into Russia on a black operation which is not against Russia, but China! And they kill citizens of Russia, destroy Russian ships ... and the Russians lnow who is behind this, they just can't prove it. So they do nothing .... riiiiiiight ... And all this is done to stop chinese from using the submarines in the taiwan straight, because this subs are so powerful, so scaaary!!! So scary, in fact, that one american sub takes a pair of them in a couple of minutes in one scene! And the SEALs operation inside Russia ... it was just dull ... we just had this supersoldiers carrying immense weights this way and that, and then diving and attaching explosives to ships... And no one stopped and thought abought civilians, killed in all this operation. Bottom line: Mr. Robinson knows his subs, but he doesn't know politics, and he doesn't care about people
Rating:  Summary: A Great Sequel Review: Kilo Class is a wonderful sequel to Nimitz Class -- but not only that. The plot is good, and there's not only the ten Kilos that the story is about -- the Taiwanese plans are also very intriguing. To be honest, it is essentially Nimitz Class upside down -- instead of Iraqis sinking the Jefferson, it's the Americans sinking the Kilos. Nothing but terrorism, really... But it's still a great book! Way to go, Patrick!
Rating:  Summary: Awful Review: Simply one of the worst books I've ever read. The characters were all one-dimensional cardboard cutouts; the plot somehow managed to be both predictable and bizarre at the same time; there are a number of technical mistakes; and the writing is sophomoric. The most frustrating aspect of the book, however, was the fact that I found myself actively rooting for the Chinese and Russians b/c the actions taken by the U.S. in the book seem totally unjustified and, dare I say it, unamerican. Robinson has the U.S. kill hundreds of Chinese and Russian soldiers and civilians without any evidence of an immediate and direct threat. Also, if the Kilos are such a dangerous weapon, how is it that the U.S. is able to destroy six of them with relative ease? More to the point, if the U.S. can send commandos to blow them up in the middle of Russia, why can't they wait until the subs are actually in China and do the same thing there? Finally, the book was somewhat racist. The the chinese are frequently referred to as "chinamen," and one of the characters mentions that a minor character who happened to be black (the only black character in the book as far as I could tell) was "the most ambitious black man he'd ever met."
Rating:  Summary: As good as Clancy Review: A great story, I actually read this book before any of his others and even though I jumped in to the "series" in the middle and not the beginning it was still a great read. Great character developement, exciting, and often I found myself thinking "this could happen." I would just hope that if it ever did we would have someone like Arnold Morgan around. A bargain regardless of the price.
Rating:  Summary: Kilo Class Review: In my opinion, Kilo Class is a first-class military thriller. If you enjoy the military and the Navy, read this book! I thought it was brilliantly written and action-packed. The incident with the Russian Kilos being sold to China to retake Taiwan is a real and credible threat in the near future. I think Patrick Robinson hit the nail on the head with this one. Personally, I would recommend even over Nimitz Class, which is one of my favorite books of all time. I would recommend this exceptional book to anyone who even has the slightest interest in the military. You won't be disappointed!
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