1st beginning

     Set during the tense times of the Cold War, the daring defection of a top level Soviet submarine captain puts the whole world in danger. Jack Ryan, a CIA specialist, is called in to analyse the situation and help the United States (US) government avoid a military conflict that would disturb the balance of peace between the US and the Soviet Union (USSR). An intense exploration of the problematic peace between the two world powers, the novel keeps the reader in suspense as people at all levels, both military and civilian, race to avert a global nuclear crisis.The Hunt for Red October is a suspenseful novel by writer Tom Clancy. CIA agent Jack Ryan is called in to assist with a problem that could create world chaos if it gets out. The relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union is already on shaky ground. When a Soviet agent with high security clearance decides to, his allegiance to his country and his government in favour of the U.S., top secret agencies panic all over the world. The threat of nuclear war between these two powerful countries seems unavoidable. Agent Ryan must use all of his skill to prevent this dangerous clash from happening.
This quote is very appealing because it portrays a outlook for the rest of the novel.
"The Americans do this for two months, Ivan. Of course, their submarines are far more comfortable.' Despite her huge bulk, the October's crew accommodations would have shamed a gulag jailer. The crew consisted of fifteen officers, housed in fairly decent cabins aft, and a hundred enlisted men whose bunked were stuffed into corners and racks throughout the bow, forward of the missile room." (19)The October's size was deceptive. The interior of her double hull was crammed with missiles, torpedoes, a nuclear reactor and its support equipment, a huge-backup diesel power plant, and bank of nickel-cadmium batteries outside the pressure hull, which was ten times the size of its American counterparts."(57). This quote explains the submarine October describing it's capacity and also the interior, with the various things included inside of it. this quote is significant to the novel because I think it shows the value of the submarine and why it is so important, not only for the Russians but also the Americans to have it. This quote is significant to me because early on you get a sense of the importance of the submarine and why all the events are happening for.