The Hunt for Red October

The Hunt for Red October

First edition cover
Author	Tom Clancy
Audio read by	Fred Herbert
Language	English
Series	Jack Ryan
Genre	Techno-thriller Military fiction Spy fiction Historical fiction
Publisher	Naval Institute Press
Publication date	October 1, 1984
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Hardcover, Paperback)
Pages	387
ISBN	0870212850
Followed by	Patriot Games

The Hunt for Red October is the debut novel by American author Tom Clancy, first published on October 1, 1984, by the Naval Institute Press. It depicts Soviet submarine captain Marko Ramius as he seemingly goes rogue with his country's cutting-edge ballistic missile submarine Red October, and marks the first appearance of Clancy's most popular fictional character, Jack Ryan, an analyst working for the Central Intelligence Agency, as he must prove his theory that Ramius is intending to defect to the United States.

The Hunt for Red October launched Clancy's successful career as a novelist, especially after then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan remarked that he had enjoyed reading the book.^[1] A film adaptation was released on March 2, 1990, and several computer and video games based on the book have been developed. The book was instrumental in bringing the book genre of techno-thriller into the mainstream.