Rating: 
Summary: Irrelevant details
Review: After first reading Kilo Class, then Nimitz Class, I had high hopes for HMS Unseen. My brother-in-law felt the same way. He only got through the first chapter, and gave up, calling it extremely boring. I decided to give it a try. It was a very slow read. I appreciate the fact that writers carry over characters from previous books. It makes for interesting character development. However, the hero of this story, Admiral Morgan is way too one dimensional not to mention extremely rascist, and unlikeable. The villainous super-terrorist, Ben Adnam, is too perfect, never making any mistakes. While it was interesting to delve into the mind of a terrorist, the Adnam character was a little too sympathetic to be a real villain. Robinson also goes too far with very detailed descriptions of irrelevant things such as meals, and incidental scenery descriptions at the expense of plot, technical explanations, and character development. I'm always searching for a good techno thriller author, and after having read some good ones like Clancy, Brown, Coonts, Herman, Coyle, etc., I have to say that I will stop reading Robinson after this book. The book cover has the nerve to mention Mr. Robinson in the same category as Clancy. I don't think so! There is simply no comparison.Thanks for reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Great...Until the very end
Review: Amazing plot and beginning. This is the first Patrick Robinson book I've read, and will read others. However, while the beginning and middle were filled with excitement and suspense, the end seemed to grind to a halt. Still, a very good book.
Rating: 
Summary: good but not great
Review: This is a rather enjoyable novel, at least the first time through. The technical errors and the problems with the characters keep me from giving it a higher rating. The author makes it seem like placing a SAM system on a submarine is an incrediblly unique idea that only the brilliant terrorist Ben Adnam could think of. Wrong. There are at least two classes of Russian submarines that carry SAM systems, including a version of the KILO. Then there are the character problems. Can this Adnam guy really be that good? He beats everybody with ease, and nothing ever goes slightly wrong with his plans, even though they are highly complex. And I find it hard to believe that the President would order an attack on Iraq that would lead to massive drought, famine, and starvation.
Rating: 
Summary: Hard to put down
Review: An excellent naval warfare book. I have never liked navalbooks. This is the exception. A spell binding book that starts andends with a bang. Ben Adnam shows that he is a force to contend with. First he disposes of Saddam's hit squad. He then joins forces with Iran. His next stroke is to steal the H>M>S> Unseen. He then wages war on the airways of the world. Patrick Robinson has shown great imagination with this book... This bokk could easily have been titled"Ben Adnam, The MOst Dangerous Terrorist on Earth". His revenge on Iraq was amazing. Buy this book if you don't but anything else this year.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it
Review: For my birthday about five years ago i was given a book Nimitz Class. The book grabbed me from the beginning and i was hooked to Patrick Robinson. This book like all of his can sometimes drag on for about twenty pages put when you get past them he doesen't let you go...pick this up
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing book!
Review: This is a truly dissapointing book!The main technical idea(fitting a sam launcher on the back of a submarine) is quite interesting,but the author is a very poor writer when it comes to describe people.This is what in my opinion makes Tom Clancy a far superior techno-triller writer.Patrick Robinson has a very mono-dimensional view of the world full of racism toward not-english-speaking countries and Arabs in particular.Do not buy this book!
Rating: 
Summary: A disappointment
Review: As others have said, this book is quite unreal and chauvinistic. The submarine missile attachment itself is plausible enough -- it's the other stuff that's disappointing -- such as the constant repetition of how the admiral (alone) is deciphering these obscure clues to figure out what is going on, US officers _constantly_ referring to Arabs as "towelheads," and what each person is eating and what wine is being served -- yet US intelligence almost ignores the sat photos of the Iranian sub base, and makes a major military decision based on the unconfirmed word of a known terrorist. There are other bloopers such as the discussion of whether a civilian might get a Congressional Medal of Honor "for marksmanship" -- not to mention the idea that the press gives up on any realistic investigation of the missing planes, and Congress holds no hearings. Nor is the author troubled to have the US President consider launching a cruise missile attack to cause a major flooding and starvation in another country, thinking that the attack could (and should) be denied -- or to consider putting an international terrorist on the US payroll, while giving him free reign in the US.
The only redeeming feature is that it provides some portrayal (however unrealistic at the end) of the terrorist mind.
The only question presented by the eight or so glowing five-star reviews dated March 16th through April 5th is whether they were written by the author, or his immediate family.
Rating:
Summary: Brillant
Review: I Really Like this book and the part of the terrorist I think that it was good portrail of the character. Same with the portrail of Admiral Arnold Morgan.
Rating:
Summary: enjoyable
Review: I enjoyed this book despite the fact that the main character isa terrorist who commits terrible crimes. You still have a certainsympathy for him. I would have liked to learn more about his background and upbringing. Maybe more was told in the other books. Another reader mentioned racist and homophophic remarks sprinkled throughout the book. There is a racist and homophobic character in the book. (There are certainly enough in real life.) The remarks are a little hard to take considering they come from one of the "good" guys. Some of the plotting was odd. You couldn't help but think that a few hours of CNN coverage and an appearance on Scotland's Most Wanted would have had the terrorist apprehended, and in custody long before he was finally caught. It was interesting how all of the governments ended up acting the same. There was little difference between the military dictatorship, the religious rulers and the democratically elected leaders. C.S. Lewis said "The most dangerous thing you can do is to take any one impulse of your own nature and set it up as the thing you ought to follow at all costs. There is not one of them which will not make us into devils if we set it up as an absolute guide. You might think love of humanity in general was safe, but it is not. If you leave out justice you will find yourself breaking agreements and faking evidence in trials 'for the sake of humanity' and become in the end a cruel and treacherous man." It seems that this is true even for love of country. END
Rating:
Summary: Good Story... But...
Review: HMS Unseen is a relatively interesting read, but the plot plods along in places. I was also surprised by the racist and homophobic comments that peppered the book (this is my first Patrick Robinson book). I still wanted to finish the book, but I wouldn't put Robinsin in a class with Tom Clancy.
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