Review of Kursk Down
1 posts
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Kursk Down" by Ross Smith.]
Underwater warfare is unforgiving. Submarines, for all their power and size, are fragile. Naval powers put rules in place for a reason. Protecting the crew and their very expensive equipment is a distinct priority. Sub commanders Tom Brennan of the USS Toledo and John Rourke of the USS Memphis are rightly concerned when they receive orders to violate proximity protocols while shadowing the Russian Federation’s submarine Kursk. A massive vessel armed with a new ‘supercavitating torpedo’ capable of a staggering 200 knots, Kursk is demonstrating the weapon for visiting Chinese officers with the hope that China will invest in modernizing Russia’s post-Soviet navy. A series of unfortunate events leads to the Kursk sinking with no survivors, the Toledo being badly damaged, two helicopters being shot down, and a furious Russian Navy seeking vengeance while trying to avoid an escalation into open war. Chinese spies, Russian defectors, and some pretty big egos also combine for a wild, tension-filled, action-packed thriller that held my attention from the prologue to the epilogue.
Author Ross Smith presents interesting technical information on the ships and weapons, along with vivid descriptions of the sounds, smells, and temperatures. Emotions contribute greatly to the story. Fear, anger, guilt, and hope are powerful elements effectively utilized. The specter of Death hangs over many of the scenes, testing the mettle of commanders and crew as the disaster unfolds. Smith maintains the tension well. Many of the characters elicit sympathy in the reader, and it’s not always clear who to root for in all the excitement.
There are a few issues with the editing that impact my recommendation rating. The full technical names of equipment sound very awkward in dialogue. Most orders would use a shorthand or slang term. For example, “Launch the Ka-27PL Orel” would likely be shortened to “Launch the Orel.” The translation for various Russian words doesn’t really have to be provided every time the word appears. Knowing that ‘Pyotr Velikiy’ means ’Peter the Great’ isn’t really relevant after the name’s first appearance. The inconsistency in the spelling of names gets annoying; ‘Pyotr’ becomes ‘Petr’ randomly, sometimes within the following paragraph. Commas are often misused, being present or absent when they shouldn’t be, changing the meaning or readability of the sentence.
Kursk Down is a creative and satisfying military thriller that I recommend to teen and adult audiences alike. There is very mild profanity, no sex, and lots of action. I liked the book, but the editing issues reduced the rating to 4 out of 5 stars.
******
Kursk Down
View: on Bookshelves |
Underwater warfare is unforgiving. Submarines, for all their power and size, are fragile. Naval powers put rules in place for a reason. Protecting the crew and their very expensive equipment is a distinct priority. Sub commanders Tom Brennan of the USS Toledo and John Rourke of the USS Memphis are rightly concerned when they receive orders to violate proximity protocols while shadowing the Russian Federation’s submarine Kursk. A massive vessel armed with a new ‘supercavitating torpedo’ capable of a staggering 200 knots, Kursk is demonstrating the weapon for visiting Chinese officers with the hope that China will invest in modernizing Russia’s post-Soviet navy. A series of unfortunate events leads to the Kursk sinking with no survivors, the Toledo being badly damaged, two helicopters being shot down, and a furious Russian Navy seeking vengeance while trying to avoid an escalation into open war. Chinese spies, Russian defectors, and some pretty big egos also combine for a wild, tension-filled, action-packed thriller that held my attention from the prologue to the epilogue.
Author Ross Smith presents interesting technical information on the ships and weapons, along with vivid descriptions of the sounds, smells, and temperatures. Emotions contribute greatly to the story. Fear, anger, guilt, and hope are powerful elements effectively utilized. The specter of Death hangs over many of the scenes, testing the mettle of commanders and crew as the disaster unfolds. Smith maintains the tension well. Many of the characters elicit sympathy in the reader, and it’s not always clear who to root for in all the excitement.
There are a few issues with the editing that impact my recommendation rating. The full technical names of equipment sound very awkward in dialogue. Most orders would use a shorthand or slang term. For example, “Launch the Ka-27PL Orel” would likely be shortened to “Launch the Orel.” The translation for various Russian words doesn’t really have to be provided every time the word appears. Knowing that ‘Pyotr Velikiy’ means ’Peter the Great’ isn’t really relevant after the name’s first appearance. The inconsistency in the spelling of names gets annoying; ‘Pyotr’ becomes ‘Petr’ randomly, sometimes within the following paragraph. Commas are often misused, being present or absent when they shouldn’t be, changing the meaning or readability of the sentence.
Kursk Down is a creative and satisfying military thriller that I recommend to teen and adult audiences alike. There is very mild profanity, no sex, and lots of action. I liked the book, but the editing issues reduced the rating to 4 out of 5 stars.
******
Kursk Down
View: on Bookshelves |
You are not logged in. Please log in or sign up to view members replies, participate in the discussion, and access more features.
