Rating: 
Summary: Better than listening to Terry Gross . . .
Review: I had this on tape from the library and it seemed better than listening to NPR. Also, I'm terribly interested in subs. But this book was thin on submarine action: instead it focussed on high level power politics. I can't decide who got the most JIm Crow depiction, the Chinese (shown as ceremonious deadly boobs), the Russians (grim rigid Slavic boobs) or the Americans (incredibly foul mouthed and homicidal cowboy boobs.)
This or Terry Gross? I still can't really decide.
Rating:
Summary: A Horrible Book
Review: If zero stars were an option I would have taken it. Where to start? Well, I think the first problem is actually with a previous review that said that the technical problems didn't matter. I am an aerospace engineer and I work for the Navy, so the glaring technical problems with this book were so incredibly distracting, that it was one of the reasons (one of many actually) why I didn't even finish the last 100 pages.
With respect to the technical issues - let me just point out one thing that was so stupid that it really stuck with me. These seals are waiting in the rain for a B-52 flying at 32,000 feet to drop these cannisters. As they wait, they actually wait to hear the noise of the aircraft and in fact do hear it. Let me tell you something, aircraft flying at 32,000 feet are not heard. You could have a SQUADRON of B-52s flying at that altitude and in clear daylight and you won't hear ANYTHING. Never mind the fact that they were in a storm.
I also have to echo the sentiments of another reviewer that said that they ended up rooting for the Russians and Chinese in this story. The American military was portrayed as a bunch of murderers. Attacking without provocation and conducting illegal acts that would have been grounds for war.
Both Russia and China came across as a bunch of bumbling idiots without any back bone. Well, no sense in going on, because I could go on and on about this idiodic book. Save your money and time and stay away from this awful book.
Rating: 
Summary: GREAT, FAST, FUN READ!
Review: It's a year later & I still remember the action & plot - with as many books as I read that doesn't happen often.
I enjoyed it very much!!
Many of the other reviews suggest this book had flaws or wasn't
realistic enough - SO WHAT?!
I read for enjoyment - not geopolitical reality or complete portrayal of every nation or people.
If you read for enjoyment & want an action/military read
I think you will enjoy this!!
Rating:
Summary: Kilo Class - An exceptional second novel!
Review: After having read Patrick Robinson's first military thriller, "Nimitz Class," it became quite obvious that Patrick Robinson is in the same league with Bond, Clancy, Coyle and all of the other great authors of military/political thrillers! With that in mind, I anxiously picked up "Kilo Class" and dove right in.
While "Kilo Class" starts similarly to other novels in the genre, kind of slow paced in the scenario setup, it quickly picks up the pace and one soon finds themselves enmeshed in a plot that is angling in from three different directions all heading towards the ultimate conclusion.
En route to the ultimate conclusion, one finds that Patrick Robinson's writing with this novel is even better than it was in "Nimitz Class" as the pacing is extraordinary and the detail of the novel is exquisite while at the same time, he doesn't become mired in the details as "other" authors have a tendency to do, making it clear that Patrick Robinson is aware of the fact that the important aspect of the novel is the human story and not the tools they use...
The Premise:
Patrick Robinson, in "Kilo Class" brings back Vice Admiral Arnold Morgan as the NSA (National Security Advisor) to the President. Just as in "Nimitz Class" this characters curmudgeon's demeanor is quite suiting to the story. Admiral Morgan, through various means of intelligence, discovers that the Chinese purchase of ten Kilo Class Russian made submarines are about to start being delivered.
Given the tactical situation where the Chinese, who are already in possession of two of the ten Kilo Class submarines, cannot secure the Taiwan Straight unless they have more Kilo Class submarines which are considered to be among the most silent submarines ever made, Arnold Morgan, with Presidential authorization, sets out to ensure that the rest of the submarines are never delivered.
What follows from there is extraordinary military/political thriller which literally takes you around the world in Arnold Morgan's quest to destroy these submarines before they're delivered, along the way he covers the use of Navy SEALS and gripping submarine warfare...
I highly recommend this novel to any and all fans of the genre as I'm sure they'll find it as intriguing as I did. {ssintrepid}
Rating: 
Summary: A flawed book from a flawed author
Review: Patrick Robinson really needs to put a little more thought into what he writes or fire his editor. For instance, the USS Columbia must make a run across the Arctic Ocean but they don't have the proper maps so an airplane is sent to drop off the maps to the submarine. However, while the command staff of the sub is waiting for the plane they plan out their route using maps that they should not have had according to Robinson. The book needs lots of improvement. It is not very realistic. The Russians and the Chinese are portrayed in this book as very dull and uncreative people. If this were true in real life the Cold War would have ended much sooner. Furthermore, many of the characters are portrayed too perfectly. Admiral Morgan is by far the best character of the lot. He has an actualy interesting personality. I also thought that the pace of this book was good although, it definately had its flaws. The book was predictable and Robinson's mistakes distracted from the overall plot and tone of the 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.
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