H.M.S Unseen

Patrick Robinson

Average Rating 6/10 (1 Review)

The deadliest ship in the world - invisible, undetectable... and its just fallen into enemy hands...

A rogue terrorist on the loose, betrayed by his country and seeking vengeance... A submarine that mysteriously disappears... A series of audacious and outrageous strikes against the West...

Admiral Arnold Morgan suspects that one of his deadliest enemies is behind the disappearance of H.M.S. Unseen and the attacks that have shocked and terrified the West. He knows of only one man skilful enough to have orchestrated these breathtaking actions. And Morgan knows that this man must be captured, or stopped - whatever the cost

'H.M.S. Unseen - a brilliantly conceived and breathlessly executed thriller from the 'Rising master of the naval technothriller... Far more smoothly written than Tom Clancy.'

'Patrick Robinson's best book yet... brilliant... a dazzling, page-turning yarn... Be warned: once begun, H.M.S. Unseen is impossible to put down before its dramatic conclusion. Highly recommended.'

Review by Chrissi (300601) Rating (6/10)

Review by Chrissi
Rating 6/10
This was recommended to me by my father who had read it and enjoyed it. He likes things such as Tom Clancy and Clive Cussler, and when I gave him a copy of Matthew Reilly, he came back with this as a recommendation. Now you know how much I enjoyed Ice Station, so I had to give this a go.

HMS Unseen is a story about the terrorists who use subterfuge to get their results. No high profile hijacks for this lot, they operate on a much grander scale. The main character is an Iraqi operative who has been so successful that he has been decorated with medals and now has to escape a death squad sent to kill him.

He is quite a resourceful bloke and decides to get his own back in quite a novel way - he goes to work for the Iranians, and plots several ways to get at America, knowing that the trail will point to Iraq and his masters who betrayed him.

I appreciate that the hero cannot always be a nice guy, but while being a reasonable human being, he is too complicated, and devious. I wanted him to be caught and punished by a greater person, not to give himself up on his own terms.

The detail in the story is incredible, and while I have no knowledge about the specialised weapons systems described by Mr Robinson, he speaks with a degree of authority that lends weight to his descriptions. There were no huge gaps in the plot, aside being rather far fetched, and it makes for good reading.

Unfortunately, having very little affinity or affection for the principal character made it a story that I did not particularly enjoy. It's just not my bag, I am afraid.
Chrissi (30th June 2001)