W. Craig ReedReseñas

Reed, a former submariner himself, details many unknown stories of "the silent service". Of special interest were the many clandestine and secret operations conducted by the "spooks" and underwater divers in the U.S. Submarine Navy.

This is the first book I have read from this author but it won't be the last. It was like an action thriller movie playing in my head while I was reading this book. Yes, rockets being launched is scary but not as scary as a submarine carrying torpedoes. I have always thought submarines were more scarier. Probably due to the fact that submarines can travel under the naked eye undetected.

The two main protagonists, Jon and Kate are endearing. They really are engaging and a bit flawed but this is what drew me towards them. Although, they did have help along the way. They aren't superheroes. The other cast of characters were just as engaging. I just love reading a book where everyone has a part but is contributing.

The last third of the story is where it really picked up. In fact, the last several chapters, you could say were almost nail biters.

COLD WAR lll is a book all the world should read but most especially, U.S. citizens!

We hear so much about “global warming” but as I read the accounting of the U.S., Russia & China’s nuclear powered submarines which penetrate the Arctic Circle frequently, I feel it may have as much impact on “global warming” as anything else! The United States and Britain are seemingly unaware of Putin’s strategy to side track their attention while he is formulating something far more dangerous and crucial to them in hope to control the world oil & natural gas distribution.

Russia and China are very close to becoming partners. If they unite…Read about it! it is very close to happening!

The U.S. administration has turned its back in many ways on protecting this country.

This book also discusses other issues but primarily it returns to Putin’s Russia & China vastly gaining power.

This book is a cry for the U.S. leader and citizens to get involved…Will Putin be the next Hitler…or worse?

W. Craig Reed covers the situation which has been developing for a few years and is close to becoming out of control. There is still time to stop it if we begin to pressure our leaders and are very careful who we elect as our next President…Time is of the essence!

The subject matter is very important and enlightening. It is a little too in-depth for the average person but I give it Four Stars because it is very important the people read it and understand what the world is facing.

Excellent telling of cold war submarine stories. The recounting of the role of Soviet submarines in the Cuban missile crisis is especially interesting.

The author has written a book that is about situation developing over the abundance of natural resources in the Arctic Ocean. With global warming, the Arctic is melting and is opening previously unattainable areas to exploration. The United States, Russia, and China are all rushing to exploit these new areas. It is the author's contention that the U.S. is falling behind the Russians in this area. It seems like the author is trying to create a new Cold War between the Russian and the United States, using the Arctic as his main cause. He demonizes Putin, and places the blame at his feet for the "coming conflict". What he fails to take into consideration is that Putin, as aggressive as he is, will not be there forever. And also the fact that the United States is placing a lot of emphasis on the Arctic also (see recent N.O.A.A. reports). The author argues that the U.S. has to have control of the Arctic Ocean. I ask why? Is the Arctic not adjacent to Russia also? Shouldn't they have as much "control" as the U.S.? It seems the author is clamoring to create an atmosphere where the two countries are again at odds. Perhaps based on his previous military connections, and to advance those connections in the future? I don't know, but I do know that, based on his book, the case for a new Cold War has not been made.

This book is really in 3 parts. The first describes the role the author's father played in tracking soviet subs in the early part of the cold war. The second goes into some detail of the soviet subs deployed to near Cuba during the missile crisis and the third is an assortment of reminisces from the author and others of spy missions conducted in the 70's and 80's. It isn't a complete account but is better treated as a description of "this war without battles or honours only casualties " written by a participant. Definitely worthwhile reading.

this is truely a great read for anyone interested in the cloak and dagger carrys on during the cold war. submarines have never been my thing, but the last two books i have read (chk out other reviews of mine) have really drawn me in.
the chapter on the cuban missile crisis, and incidents involving us and russian subs on covert ops are almost too much loike a hollywood script to be true.
it helps if you have some knowledge into naval terminology, but nevertheless landlubbers will become engrossed in this boolk too.

This nonfiction story of submarine operations during the Cuban missile crisis and the overall Cold War should be a fascinating story. Traitors, conspiracy, secret missions, and near nuclear annihilation. How can it go wrong? I'm afraid that for me, it went wrong in the telling.

While Reed obviously put heart and soul into this book, it just didn't come together for me. Early on, there were two stories about bears and puppies that I didn't expect to find in a book like this, and I hated those stories. However, those were minor in my overall opinion of the book.

On the plus side, Mr. Reed and his father were both directly involved in the story, and I did enjoy learning of their activities. On the negative side, the author seemed to feel he had to give the nicknames of anyone who had one, and they were often mean-spirited. The book jumped between sometimes too-long technical descriptions and telling about the people involved in the missions. In describing people and in dialogue, the writing sometimes seemed clumsy. The overuse of similes was somewhat annoying, and the story felt disjointed to me.

The book made liberal use of acronyms throughout, as is expected whenever military jargon is involved, and the author did explain them the first time they were used. It would have been helpful to have a reference list of them. I would have also appreciated better maps, especially of the movement of submarines during the Cuban missile crisis. The sections of photographs were great.

There have been some active and occasionally heated discussions about the facts of this period, and whether or not the book has all the facts straight. I am not in a position to judge that, but I do find it interesting that there is still so much controversy. This wasn't the right read for me but I think that people more involved in the history of that time will find it an interesting and perhaps provocative book.½

When you encounter a sentence like: "Despite the thickness of his wet suit, the cold still launched his testicles into his throat", you know that you are reading a Guy Book. Written for Guys by a Guy. W. Craig Reed has been reading too much Tom Clancy and too many Soldier of Fortune magazines. His macho posturing spoils an otherwise fascinating book on submarines and submarine warfare in the modern era.

Red November contains stories that are begging to be told by a professional historian. In Mr. Reed’s hands, they read like a poorly written thriller. The chapters are full of B movie dialogue. His foreshadowing is crude and heavy-handed. And I had to ask myself, did every story have to be foreshadowed? After the fifth or sixth "Little did he know…", I found myself muttering "Enough already! I got the idea." If this is the result after an editor went over it, I shudder to think what the original manuscript was like.

Despite the poor writing, the tales he tells are gripping. The unknown story of the four submarines that almost launched nuclear weapons ("Little did he know…" for each sub) during the Cuban missile crisis. The stories behind the sinking of various subs, both Russian and American. The possible raising of a sunken Russian sub. The diving feats at incredible depths of both subs and divers. The near misses. The collisions. This is great stuff.

If the intended audience for this book is armchair warriors, then Mr. Reed has succeeded admirably. I can’t, however, in good conscience recommend this book for the general reader. The history of submarine warfare in the latter half of the 20th century will be written again and better by military historians.

In 1992 Navy Seal George Anders and his team are assigned to a mission in Iraq to track down Fahkir Kaseem. Kaseem is a terrorist who recruited a group of Russian scientists with the intention of creating a biological weapon that could potentially eliminate two-thirds of the world’s population. Unfortunately one of the scientists is brought in against her will and as George and the team spoil Kaseem’s plans he falls in love with Annelia and she’s taken away from him under ill-fated circumstances.

Fast forward sixteen years later and a new bad guy is working on the same bio-weapon and Annelia is taken against her will again.

I usually describe more of the book but I feel like I’d give away too much if I added anymore. The book was action packed from the first page and I kept reading long past the time when I would have put down any other book.

The storyline is unique with an extremely surprising ending. I enjoyed the interaction between the characters especially the Navy Seal team members. The one thing I think the book is lacking is just a little more background to the characters so that they become a little more real to the reader. Other than that I recommend this book for all action and thriller lovers.