loved it

one of the best books I have listened to also book 2 exellant loved it

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Where does Pride Runs Deep rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book is in my top ten books that I've listened to through audible.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It has many good characters but centres around the main two, the captain and the ensign.

What does Tim Campbell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Although the narrator reminded me of the boss in 'Team America' it was narrated well and was easy to tell the different characters apart.

Any additional comments?

I really do hope Audible continue with this series.

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I Liked It

I started reading R.Cameron Cooke's submarine stories backwards. What I mean is that according to release dates, Wolf pack 351 was the most recent of his books within that genre and that was the one I read prior to this. This book features a different central character from Wolf pack 351, namely one Jack Tremain.

Interestingly, and something I like, this book has the story spread over two main characters, so we get to see two perspectives within the boat. The other main character from which we experience life aboard a submarine is that of Ensign Wright. The juxtaposition of fresh faced new officer and experienced sub commander is a nice touch. I wasn't aware of this at the time of reading Wolf pack 351 and in retrospect it makes sense that the author of this series of books was a former submariner himself. In my opinion, those are the people that write the best submarine fiction as they have an in depth understanding of submarines, how they work and their operations. This is put to good use here as the reader is taken on a tough journey of discovery as Ensign Wright is thrust into the unforgiving world of a submariner. As I read, I felt the man's dog tiredness, the unrelenting workload and constant need to learn as he worked towards gaining his Dolphins, the revered and respected pin worn with pride that marks a qualified submariner.

NOTE: Anyone interested in modern nuclear-powered submarine thrillers also written by a former submariner, then may I recommend the books by Michael DiMercurio.

The author's experience comes into play here in many ways and one I really liked was his knowledge of Pearl harbour and its layout etc. We get a real feel for the base, which was another nice touch.

As in Wolf pack 351, Tim Campbell narrates, so nice to have consistency here. Oddly, my only complaint about Campbell's reading of Wolf pack 351, namely his overly rapid delivery at times, appears not to be here.

Once the main plot kicks in, the pace is perfect. The sense you are there in the middle of the Pacific on watch for enemy aircraft is very well dne and the action set pieces are equally well delivered. Cooke doesn't spare us any gory details when the bullets and torpedo start flying, so be advised if you're of a more delicate disposition.

Cooke correctly includes the problems that plagued the U.S navy with the submarine launched Mk 14 torpedo, although the problem was two-fold and Cooke does not appear to mention the depth keeping fault. however, to be fair, by the time this story is set, maybe that aspect of the Mk 14's issues had been resolved, leaving only the problem of premature detonation and duds present to deal with. There's good overall historical accuracy here, although there are some glaring errors. To b fair, the only technical error I noted was the stated top underwater speed of the Gato/Balaao class boats as 11 knots. All sources I've seen state the max underwater speed was approximately 8 knots.

One tactical issue I had was how much periscope time the Captain had in broad daylight when close to enemy destroyers. I also felt that as soon as torpedo's were launched, he failed to move off track immediately to get as far away from the firing point as possible. he would linger to observe rather than down scope, move off track smartly and then worry about observations.

Also, there were some odd errors or quirks in the writing. Ensign Wright was driving a 1949 convertible in 1943. The love interest, Margie, is referred to as Margaret once. Is Margie short for Margaret? Also, how does one fold their arms "in front of their face" as the Captain did in the ward room in one scene when talking to the torpedo chief.

Oddities aside, I really enjoyed Pride Runs Deep and it's a very good insight into the world of the World War II U.S submariner and the brutality of war in general.

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I’m an ex uk submariner and I first read this book when I qualified and keep re reading/ listening to it

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