Jules Verne, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”, 1870 was the topic of an earlier blog post.
Theodore Sturgeon, “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea”, 1961 also was the topic of an earlier blog post.
Here I present: Richard Henrick, “Crimson Tide”, 1995 which was a naval-SciFi thriller.
The book consists of sixteen (16), untitled chapters; and, the first sentence of each chapter is shown BELOW.
Chapter #. Chapter First Sentence.
1. “It was a muted growling sound that caused Vladimir Radchenko to cut short his stride in midstep.”
2. “A world away from the political intrigues of Vladimir Radchenko and his cronies, another toast had just been offered, not to glorify revolution, but instead to celebrate the miracle of birth.”
3. “It was well after midnight when Vladimir Radchenko finally completed the last meeting of a day that had started shortly after sunrise.”
4. “The dawn broke clear and cool: for Ron Hunter, the short night had afforded him little actual sleep.”
5. “Eight hours after shoving off from Delta pier, the USS Alabama finally reached open water and was really to submerge.”
6. “The sixth day of the USS Alabama’s patrol found the warship well out into the deep waters of the central Pacific.”
7. “Hunter had little interaction with Ramsey in the days immediately following their intense wardroom exchange.”
8. “The arrival of the first major snowstorm of the season found Vladimir Radchenko safety ensconced inside the cozy confines of his personal railcar.”
9. “As anticipated, the general announcement of the Alabama’s new alert status was received with great unease.”
10. “Vladimir Radchenko was awakened by the distant crackle of gunfire.”
11. “Frank Ramsey knew from the mere fact that he had managed to remain on his feet that the explosion hadn’t been a fatal one.”
12. “Danny Rivetti knew that there could be no worse time to encounter a noisy pod of whales than the present.”
13. “As the USS Alabama slowly emerged out of the unforgiving black depths that had almost swallowed it, the vessel’s weapons officer began an extensive damage control check of the missile compartment.”
14. “Weapons, conn. confirm target package: SLBM zero-four-eight-niner-three-slash-four … for missiles one through five and twenty through twenty-four, this is the captain.”
15. “Peter Ince really didn’t know what he expected to accomplish with his flagrant act of defiance.”
16. “The frigid north wind blew in icy gusts, and Vladimir Radchenko pulled up the fur collar of his greatcoat in a vain effort to keep warm.”
END. “Then, without a further word spoken, Frank Ramsey continued on to the parade ground to collect his dog, leaving Ron Hunter alone to face a promising future.”
Here I presented: Richard Henrick, “Crimson Tide”, 1995 which was a naval-SciFi thriller.
SUMMARY
Plot.
A political coup in a shattered but still dangerous nation places the United States at deadly risk. Far beneath the ocean’s surface, the USS Alabama receives orders to launch a preemptive nuclear strike against the besieged enemy capital. For departing Captain Frank Ramsey (the protagonist), it is a final chance for glory that no one will deny him. For Executive Officer Ron Hunter (the antagonist), it is a monstrous directive without confirmation that must be disobeyed at any cost, before the world goes up in flames.
A command that cannot be rescinded is about to plunge the USS Alabama into a savage, bloody and terrifying war … with itself.
Actors Gene Hackman (Frank Ramsey) and Denzel Washington (Ron Hunter) star in the film adaptation of the book (shown BELOW).
Jules Verne, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”, 1870 was the topic of an earlier blog post.
Theodore Sturgeon, “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea”, 1961 also was the topic of an earlier blog post.
