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Typhoon
The Typhoon is the largest submersible ever built. As big as a World War II aircraft carrier, it is the crowning achievement of the Soviet Union. The leviathans sank into decay with its demise and in exchange for hard currency, the new Russian Federation promised to scrap them. But one has escaped the cutter's torch. Now something big and wicked is coming out of the Barents Sea. Only USS Portland, her aggressive captain, his conflicted Exec, and the first woman to serve aboard an American sub stand in its way. Locked in a struggle that pits American technology against a wily Russian captain, neither side can afford to lose, yet only one ship, one crew, can win ...
432 pages, Paperback
First published March 10, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
February 22, 2011
The Baikal is a Typhoon-class Russian ballistic missile submarine. It’s huge, the size of a WW II aircraft carrier, and the United States paid Russia to destroy as part of the reduction of nuclear weapons. The Chinese, eager to force a confrontation over Taiwan, have their own plans for the sub. They have paid corrupt Russian officials to deliver the sub to them, and, unbeknownst to the sub’s volunteer crew, it’s loaded with 20 nuclear tipped ballistic missiles. (This puzzled me as the sub would have trimmed differently with all that weight on board; surely the captain would have noticed the difference. Ah well, it’s fiction.)
There’s another sub in the water, the Portland, an American Los Angeles-class attack sub with a dysfunctional captain, a rebellious crew, and a woman lieutenant who speaks Russian. She and the captain, commander Vann, who has a very checkered past, get off to a bad start, and things go downhill from there. Everyone seems to have an ax to grind. An admiral at Norfolk wants Vann to prevent the Russian sub from making it through the Bering Straits, and issues orders with enough leeway to give the Vann an excuse to torpedo the Russian sub. Lots of interesting maneuvering under the ice and tricks to fool sonar.
The issue of women aboard subs is not handled with any subtlety. Scavello, the female Lieutenant, seems to have little to do and the enlisted men nothing better than to complain about the soap she uses. White does a nice job of portraying the devastation and poverty facing the Russian Navy, in fact the Russians come across much better than the Americans.
If you liked The Hunt for Red October (I did, about the only Clancy I do like,) you’ll love this cat-and-mouse sub chase and the little assorted side-plots. Several Amazon reviewers compained that the book was a mish-mash of Clancy's novel and Crimson Tide. Picky, picky. I love the technical detail, the more the merrier.
Robin White is listed as the co-author of the very excellent Hostile Waters with Peter Huchthausen. I could not verify that and the Huchthausen book lists an R. Alan White. If anyone knows if these authors are the same, I'd appreciate knowing.
There’s another sub in the water, the Portland, an American Los Angeles-class attack sub with a dysfunctional captain, a rebellious crew, and a woman lieutenant who speaks Russian. She and the captain, commander Vann, who has a very checkered past, get off to a bad start, and things go downhill from there. Everyone seems to have an ax to grind. An admiral at Norfolk wants Vann to prevent the Russian sub from making it through the Bering Straits, and issues orders with enough leeway to give the Vann an excuse to torpedo the Russian sub. Lots of interesting maneuvering under the ice and tricks to fool sonar.
The issue of women aboard subs is not handled with any subtlety. Scavello, the female Lieutenant, seems to have little to do and the enlisted men nothing better than to complain about the soap she uses. White does a nice job of portraying the devastation and poverty facing the Russian Navy, in fact the Russians come across much better than the Americans.
If you liked The Hunt for Red October (I did, about the only Clancy I do like,) you’ll love this cat-and-mouse sub chase and the little assorted side-plots. Several Amazon reviewers compained that the book was a mish-mash of Clancy's novel and Crimson Tide. Picky, picky. I love the technical detail, the more the merrier.
Robin White is listed as the co-author of the very excellent Hostile Waters with Peter Huchthausen. I could not verify that and the Huchthausen book lists an R. Alan White. If anyone knows if these authors are the same, I'd appreciate knowing.
December 19, 2012
When I first picked up this thick tome, I hoped it wasn’t going to be one of those military submarine stories that takes place entirely underwater. I had recently read two other submarine novels, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to read another right now. Even with this prejudice, and even though this entire book took place aboard two military submarines, it took little time to win me over, and I likely dented the cover gripping it during the climactic scenes.
The Los Angeles-class submarine Portland is spying in Russian waters when it gets caught and has a noisemaker attached to its hull. In its retreat to safer waters, the Portland nearly misses the passage of a behemoth Russian submarine, the Tyhpoon-class Baikal. Baikal had supposedly been sold to the USA and sent to scrap, but after cannibalizing the rest of the Russian fleet, Baikal is seaworthy and ready for sale to the Chinese. All her crew has to do is evade the Americans and sail her through the tight, shallow confines of the Bering Strait. It’s not easy hiding such a huge submarine, however, and a tense game of cat and mouse ensues.
The Russians should be the bad guys, but they are not. The crew of Baikal are with only one exception fine men, their captain caring and brave. Alexander Markov is making his final voyage as a submarine captain, after which he will take his bonus and retire with his wife and child. His co-captain, Genady Fedorenko, is little more than a government overseer, but is also hiding a secret the American government somehow knows about that could sink Baikal.
Portland’s captain, Commander James Vann, is a man on a mission. After a Russian sub ran him aground a few years back, he was lucky to get command of a hard luck boat like Portland. Vann’s discipline turned the boat around, but his singleminded vendetta and determination to sink Baikal at all costs have his junior officers closely watching him. The navy also stuck him with the first woman to sail on a submarine, a challenge his sexist nature is not prepared to meet.
I didn’t think the story of two submarines hunting and evading each other in the polar seas would be very exciting, but I was quite wrong. From the dramas that unfold among their crews to the heart-stopping chase and collision scenes, this book is a real page-turner. I especially liked the way the author didn’t automatically paint the Russians as villains, instead choosing less obvious villains among both the American and Russian crews, which created tense drama on both boats. I wanted just about everybody to succeed at their missions, yet it seemed impossible with the conflicting agendas at play. A good read from start to finish with warm, likeable characters and a bit of international intrigue, I highly recommend this excellent book.
The Los Angeles-class submarine Portland is spying in Russian waters when it gets caught and has a noisemaker attached to its hull. In its retreat to safer waters, the Portland nearly misses the passage of a behemoth Russian submarine, the Tyhpoon-class Baikal. Baikal had supposedly been sold to the USA and sent to scrap, but after cannibalizing the rest of the Russian fleet, Baikal is seaworthy and ready for sale to the Chinese. All her crew has to do is evade the Americans and sail her through the tight, shallow confines of the Bering Strait. It’s not easy hiding such a huge submarine, however, and a tense game of cat and mouse ensues.
The Russians should be the bad guys, but they are not. The crew of Baikal are with only one exception fine men, their captain caring and brave. Alexander Markov is making his final voyage as a submarine captain, after which he will take his bonus and retire with his wife and child. His co-captain, Genady Fedorenko, is little more than a government overseer, but is also hiding a secret the American government somehow knows about that could sink Baikal.
Portland’s captain, Commander James Vann, is a man on a mission. After a Russian sub ran him aground a few years back, he was lucky to get command of a hard luck boat like Portland. Vann’s discipline turned the boat around, but his singleminded vendetta and determination to sink Baikal at all costs have his junior officers closely watching him. The navy also stuck him with the first woman to sail on a submarine, a challenge his sexist nature is not prepared to meet.
I didn’t think the story of two submarines hunting and evading each other in the polar seas would be very exciting, but I was quite wrong. From the dramas that unfold among their crews to the heart-stopping chase and collision scenes, this book is a real page-turner. I especially liked the way the author didn’t automatically paint the Russians as villains, instead choosing less obvious villains among both the American and Russian crews, which created tense drama on both boats. I wanted just about everybody to succeed at their missions, yet it seemed impossible with the conflicting agendas at play. A good read from start to finish with warm, likeable characters and a bit of international intrigue, I highly recommend this excellent book.
November 1, 2025
tl; dr;
A pretty damn good thriller
Full review
"Typhoon" refers to a massive late Soviet-era ballistic missile submarine. Here's a picture that shows you just how big it is (makes Das Boot look like a bathtub toy).
To avoid spoilers, let me evaluate this thriller on my personal thriller-meter:
* Did it keep me up past my bedtime? Almost. By around page 50 or so, it becomes a page turner.
* Did it have a novel (i.e. new) plot to me, the reader? Close. As it involves a cat-mouse game between a US attack sub and the Typhoon (named "Baikal" in the book) off Murmansk and then elsewhere, that wasn't particularly novel. But there were nuances and twists that made it original.
* Were the characters fleshed out with believable dialog? Having not served in either the Soviet or US sub fleet, I can't be sure but believable enough for me. As the book was written in 2003, White adds a groundbreaking female crew member (Russian linguist) with the inevitable gender clashes. This is important to the plot but doesn't dominate the story.
* Were there technical details that seemed "real"? I trusted the author to have done research into the interior layout, sub capabilities, crew roles on both Soviet and US boats. It certainly seemed real enough to me. A true submariner might have scoffed at points but I never did.
* Would it make a great movie? Definitely yes - the book is told equally from the point of view of both Soviet and US sub with bit parts from high command and ancillary characters from other national jurisdictions. Plenty of kinetic action involving ice, torpedoes, counter-measures, and lots of flashing lights and alarms.
I read this in 3 days and it was way better than a disposable beach read. If you like your thrillers to "run silent, run deep", "the XO has the con", and "battle stations!, battle stations!" - this is for you.
Quibble: The author includes a map of the northern Russian coast / Arctic Sea as the events take place there. Sadly, many of the place names in the book that play an important part are not noted on the map - Chukchi Sea anyone?
Quibble 2: Given that the novel takes place on the subs, and the subs have decks and compartments, and action takes place all over these boats, a cutaway diagram of a Typhoon and Los Angeles class sub would have helped the reader.
A pretty damn good thriller
Full review
"Typhoon" refers to a massive late Soviet-era ballistic missile submarine. Here's a picture that shows you just how big it is (makes Das Boot look like a bathtub toy).
To avoid spoilers, let me evaluate this thriller on my personal thriller-meter:
* Did it keep me up past my bedtime? Almost. By around page 50 or so, it becomes a page turner.
* Did it have a novel (i.e. new) plot to me, the reader? Close. As it involves a cat-mouse game between a US attack sub and the Typhoon (named "Baikal" in the book) off Murmansk and then elsewhere, that wasn't particularly novel. But there were nuances and twists that made it original.
* Were the characters fleshed out with believable dialog? Having not served in either the Soviet or US sub fleet, I can't be sure but believable enough for me. As the book was written in 2003, White adds a groundbreaking female crew member (Russian linguist) with the inevitable gender clashes. This is important to the plot but doesn't dominate the story.
* Were there technical details that seemed "real"? I trusted the author to have done research into the interior layout, sub capabilities, crew roles on both Soviet and US boats. It certainly seemed real enough to me. A true submariner might have scoffed at points but I never did.
* Would it make a great movie? Definitely yes - the book is told equally from the point of view of both Soviet and US sub with bit parts from high command and ancillary characters from other national jurisdictions. Plenty of kinetic action involving ice, torpedoes, counter-measures, and lots of flashing lights and alarms.
I read this in 3 days and it was way better than a disposable beach read. If you like your thrillers to "run silent, run deep", "the XO has the con", and "battle stations!, battle stations!" - this is for you.
Quibble: The author includes a map of the northern Russian coast / Arctic Sea as the events take place there. Sadly, many of the place names in the book that play an important part are not noted on the map - Chukchi Sea anyone?
Quibble 2: Given that the novel takes place on the subs, and the subs have decks and compartments, and action takes place all over these boats, a cutaway diagram of a Typhoon and Los Angeles class sub would have helped the reader.
October 8, 2024
Ja, tof! Onderzeeërs !!
June 16, 2025
Cat-and-mouse between Russian and American submarines? Check. Firm commmand of technical detail? Check. More going on than a traversal of Arctic waters? Check. But all that stuff is what I would expect in a novel of this kind.
What makes "Typhoon" an engaging read is that Robin White supplies plot twists along the way (that's not easy when you're working from the "submarine duel" template). White also works to flesh out his characters. Among the Americans, we get to know a captain, an executive officer, a chief of the boat, and a troublemaking Ensign well. Among the Russians, focus narrows to a pair of captains (one experienced, the other not) and an engineering chief.
It would have been nice to know more about a female linguist who plays a pivotal role in the story, and nice to have cutaway diagrams of the involved submarines, but not having those things is disappointing rather than devastating. White tells a good sea story confidently.
What makes "Typhoon" an engaging read is that Robin White supplies plot twists along the way (that's not easy when you're working from the "submarine duel" template). White also works to flesh out his characters. Among the Americans, we get to know a captain, an executive officer, a chief of the boat, and a troublemaking Ensign well. Among the Russians, focus narrows to a pair of captains (one experienced, the other not) and an engineering chief.
It would have been nice to know more about a female linguist who plays a pivotal role in the story, and nice to have cutaway diagrams of the involved submarines, but not having those things is disappointing rather than devastating. White tells a good sea story confidently.
July 28, 2020
This is great read, awesome technical jargon learnt a lot and i picked an in the sub whilst enjoying the action mental games and plot-twists... Would have loved to see illustrations though. Its awesome!!
March 16, 2025
A good read! Interesting for its detail and knowledge of the military background , language (Russian, Chinese) as well of human nature. Exciting story mostly on the high seas with a increasingly tense ending. I couldn't help imagining Sean Connery as Markov, the Typhoon's Commander.
November 4, 2018
Actual rating 4.5 stars. Good action, lots of naval jargon. If you liked "The Hunt For Red October", you'll like this.
July 14, 2019
Whew!! I had to take breaks reading this so I wouldn't have a heart attack.
October 6, 2020
This was an excellent submarine novel. I enjoyed it!
December 22, 2025
An excellent read. Tight drama, with some interesting twists. Worthy of being shelved alongside "The Hunt for Red October".
July 5, 2012
To bring an end to the Cold War (and, no doubt, to reassert its naval mastery of the seas), the American government has paid the Russian government handsomely to retire and scrap its aging fleet of missile submarines. These “Typhoon” class behemoths had the sole purpose of hiding in the vast oceans, ready to launch their nuclear missiles in the event that the Cold War turned hot.
Oversight of the boats’ destruction has been lax, however, and some elements in the Russian government and Navy have made a deal to sell Baikal, a Typhoon-class sub, to the mainland Chinese. A small but skilled crew is chosen to pilot the boat from its Russian port on the Berents Sea to meet its buyers just south of the Bering Straights, a trip that will take Baikal under the Arctic polar ice cap.
As the situation becomes known to the Americans, the USS Portland is tasked with delaying Baikal from making her rendezvous with her Chinese buyers. So the two subs begin a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse under the polar ice.
The plot setup for this book drives the story pretty well, but White’s characters are too one-dimensional to provide any reason to pick this book out of the legion of military techno-thrillers published in the wake of Tom Clancy’s seminal The Hunt for Red October. The characters in Typhoon are given a small personality box—each is either good, violent, loyal, greedy, conflicted, or whatever—and once a character’s motif is established, they all stay true to form. No surprises await anyone keeping tabs on the characters in this story.
Oversight of the boats’ destruction has been lax, however, and some elements in the Russian government and Navy have made a deal to sell Baikal, a Typhoon-class sub, to the mainland Chinese. A small but skilled crew is chosen to pilot the boat from its Russian port on the Berents Sea to meet its buyers just south of the Bering Straights, a trip that will take Baikal under the Arctic polar ice cap.
As the situation becomes known to the Americans, the USS Portland is tasked with delaying Baikal from making her rendezvous with her Chinese buyers. So the two subs begin a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse under the polar ice.
The plot setup for this book drives the story pretty well, but White’s characters are too one-dimensional to provide any reason to pick this book out of the legion of military techno-thrillers published in the wake of Tom Clancy’s seminal The Hunt for Red October. The characters in Typhoon are given a small personality box—each is either good, violent, loyal, greedy, conflicted, or whatever—and once a character’s motif is established, they all stay true to form. No surprises await anyone keeping tabs on the characters in this story.
October 26, 2013
I picked this book up in a bargain bin along with another of the author's books so I was keeping my fingers crossed it would be good.
Well I can say that I really enjoyed this book, a good old fashioned cat and mouse game between two subs; one American and the other Russian. I enjoyed the plot and the characters and there was enough development of the story so I felt engaged and keen to see how the story would finish.
I look forward to reading the second Robin White book called "Hunters In The Sea". If it is like "Typhoon", I won't be disappointed or bored rather I may have trouble putting it down!
Well I can say that I really enjoyed this book, a good old fashioned cat and mouse game between two subs; one American and the other Russian. I enjoyed the plot and the characters and there was enough development of the story so I felt engaged and keen to see how the story would finish.
I look forward to reading the second Robin White book called "Hunters In The Sea". If it is like "Typhoon", I won't be disappointed or bored rather I may have trouble putting it down!
March 19, 2013
This was a page turner of a military story. The two submarines came to life for me as the crews fought to find each other, to follow orders, and to search for the best outcome. The technical information was great. Presented throughout the story but not over done or incomprehensible. The characters were well-drawn through word and deed so you didn't need to know much of their history to become involved with them. Loved that sense of being blindfolded and tuning your senses to their most senstive.
December 29, 2014
I had to wait a couple of days after finishing reading Typhoon before writing this review, so my heart rate could slow down. This is the single most suspenseful edge-of-the-seat book I have ever read, and I am so NOT a submarine fan or a techno military thriller fan or a machinery person. You could not pay me enough money to even tour a docked sub - well, especially after reading this. Damn, this is a good book!
July 3, 2008
This is a book right the same calibur as Red October if not better. We gave the Russians billions of dollars to scrap their Typhoon submarines, which during the cold war were the biggest and most powerful subs in the ocean. The Russians scrapped all but one and sent it on a secret mission across the top of the world to tip the balance of power in a new Cold War.
November 10, 2012
Typhoon was one of the best naval warfare books I have ever read. Well, I have not read that many to be fair, but Typhoon was a mixture of action and facts. It taught you enough, may it be true or false, I don't know, to actually make it feel like a nonfiction book with action. This book is actually a fiction, and I recommend this book to teenagers and up.
August 6, 2009
Superb plot,(in the style of "Red October". Facinating story of an American and Russian submarine duel in the depths. A must read.
Read
June 8, 2011Russians, Chinese, Americans - large sub up for sale...w/nuclear weapons on board
July 30, 2011
Really good.
December 27, 2011
Borrows heavily from Clancy, with a little captain Ahab muxed. Lacks the underlying drive that makes you keep turning pages.
February 10, 2013
Very exciting book. Too bad the "happy ending" of every little detail becomes predictable in the end.
June 12, 2014
easy to read, took me about half way through to get really interested and then was galloping through the pages. ending was with getting to.
March 1, 2015
This is The Hunt For Red October on steroids with better dialogue.
March 13, 2015
Big let down, so slow. DNF.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews