The Hunt for Red October
The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancyby Tom Clancy
Tied for most recommended of 7 thriller novels
Recommended for realistic submarine and military detail, a gripping story, and a film adaptation with a strong cast.
Recommended for realistic submarine and military detail, a gripping story, and a film adaptation with a strong cast.
7 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Film adaptation with strong cast
“I loved the film. Sam Neil writes hilariously about the filming.”
Comment from 1 Dec 2025 in “The Life Hunt for Red October” “That film has so many great actors.”
Comment from 26 Aug 2026 in “Tim Curry has died” Realistic military and submarine detail
“I loved the film. Sam Neil writes hilariously about the filming.”
Comment from 1 Dec 2025 in “The Life Hunt for Red October” “some of what he wrote in Red October I only knew from classified sources”
Comment from 3 Jul 2026 in “Gun Mistakes in Fiction Writing: Handgun Edition”
Other thriller novels people recommend
The four most recommended other thriller novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Hunt for Red Octoberby Tom ClancyThis page | 7 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Freedomby Daniel Suarez | 7 | 1 | 88% | 4 | — | — |
| Reamdeby Neal Stephenson | 6 | 2 | 75% | 3 | — | — |
| Kill Decisionby Daniel Suarez | 3 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| The Da Vinci Codeby Dan Brown | 3 | 2 | 60% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
All 8 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Scott Pilgrim, Hunt for Red October, Neuromancer, Dune grade content”
“That film has so many great actors.”
“His character’s death (a change from the book) added emotional weight to the story.”
“I know he "couldn't put it down."”
“some of what he wrote in Red October I only knew from classified sources”
“my other go to favorite of the submarines in Hunt For Red October”
“If Tom Clancy wasn't on the payroll of a US state agency, he should have been.”
“I loved the film. Sam Neil writes hilariously about the filming.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.