Nimitz Class has a decent plot, a lot of interesting technical information about submarines, carrier fleets, and Naval operations. ON the surface this book had the potential of being a Tom Clancy class Naval thriller. However, the author dropped the ball by rushing his story telling.One would think that a terrorist/spy/mole could be found simply by going to a naval base in Scotland and examining the records of all who had passed through their special submarine school. The author rushes the tale of a related seal mission into a short chapter.Instead of storyline and characterization we have a rushed summation of a hunt for truth after a ship evaporates (nuclearly speaking) outside of the Gulf of Hormuz. The characters sit around and discuss the need to obtain information, only to have the information practically handed to them on a silver platter. Jack Ryan never had it this easy when he was an analyst for the CIA.Was this book worth reading? Yes, but just barely. The author has written a number of books relating to naval operations and seems to know his technical stuff, but in this case he was unable to bring about enough tension to the story. Final resolution is rushed and leaves the reader wondering why he didn't provide better details. As much as Clancy has lost his touch... sorry.. I'll stick to Clancy over this author just about any day.
Even with a third reading, the book moved at a good pace. The characters and character development were believable, as were the various levels of relationships; the characters and emotions were relatable. I thought the author did a great job with this novel.This novel involves an unthinkable scenario - a diesel-powered submarine manages to infiltrate a Carrier Battle Group's various screens and manages to sink a Nimitz-class carrier [previously believed to have been impregnable], followed by the mystery of discovering who dunnit and why. I remember having a powerful emotional response the first time I read the book; it was not quite so strong this time around, but it was still there. The antagonist is a brilliant mastermind trained by the British and claiming to have an Israeli background. The United States lashes out against the most obvious target [due to the nation having a missing submarine]. In the end, though, it is careful detective work, interagency and international cooperation, and a younger brother seeking justice (view spoiler)[ in conjunction with a miraculous break in the case (hide spoiler)]
Lots of "technico" in the first book of this military thriller series. But, the book lacks character development; the good guys are all the greatest and smartest of their type and are completely flawless. With such great personalities, potentials, educations, and intellects one can only wonder why they all end up in the military and are not running some super-profitable hedge-fund. Not every author can be a John le Carre, but a little more humanity would go a long way toward making the characters who populate this book real and sympathetic.In addition, we would be better served if he political issues in this thriller were presented with more sophistication.
—David Rubin
I don't often give up on a novel I've started, but after 125 pages I set this one down and opted to read something else. Nimitz Class has a decent premise for a thriller (the unexpected destruction of an aircraft carrier in a nuclear explosion), but eventually I got the sense that its true aim is to proclaim that the American battle group (i.e., an aircraft carrier and accompanying vessels) is, by threat of violence, the single greatest force for peace in the world. One way to make that claim would be to portray the chaos that results in a battle group's absence. But the first quarter of this book mostly does it with characters who repetitively agree with each other about the importance of their world-dominating military presence. The story is driven by a fascination with the technical specifications of the tools of war and an exaggerated faith in military might. There may be an exciting plot in there somewhere, but I didn't get that far.
—David
Listened to this on audio book several years ago. As a Tom Clancy fan, I thought it would be similar to his writing--nope! Starts off strong, but Robinson moves the story too quickly. Just like the movies "Independence Day," "Sum of All Fears" and others, the plot includes events with massive casualties and there is no discussion of even the public's reaction. "Well, 5000 naval personnel have just been wiped out...let's carry on with our work..." Written four years before 9/11.Suddenly, we know who the culprit is and it's just a matter of time before the US Navy wipes him out. Very little character development. Not near the quality of a Clancy thriller.
—P
