I enjoy Robinson's books, and I enjoyed this one, but I fear he has started a downhill run.


HMS Unseen   October 24, 2004
 2 out of 5 found this review helpful

This is the second time I have purchased the Audio Book of HMS Unseen; only this copy was read by Kerry Shale, and not David McCallium. I loved it.

HMS Unseen is a far fetched story however Mr Shale brings each character alive to the listener. At times I had to laugh out at the funny bits and could have shed a tear at the sad bits. Listen and Enjoy, this is indeed entertainment.


Simply well written and exciting   July 27, 2004
 1 out of 7 found this review helpful

An extremly well written and exciting adventure. A must read for those who are really into exciting material. The detail of the events throughout the book are well detailed yet does not bore you. Frankly a must read!


4/5 for the first half, 2/5 for the ending   May 19, 2004
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

"HMS Unseen" follows on from "Nimitz Class" & "Kilo Class". Basically master terrorist Commander Benjamin Adnam returns, steals another submarine & starts waging war against the US. This is great... much as you should deplore Adnam he's a bit like the "hero" in "day of the jackal"....he's bad, but secretly you want him to get away with it. The opposition, especially Admiral Morgan are so wooden that Adnam is the only interesting character featured.

Sadly, half-way through the book Adnam suffers a total personality change & starts stalking his ex-girfriend. It all seems totally out of character & leads up to a very weak & anti-climatic ending. The book is rather padded out- the main characters can't have a meal without Robinson gushing praise over their choice of wine. Likewise he bulks out the book with overlong (if very accurate) descriptions of the west coast of Scotland. This does nothing for the plot & if anything slows down the pace of the story.

There's several minor, but irritating continuity errors- at one point Adnam stops for "egg & chips" at a service station, but half an hour later "the sausage & chips he just ate were laying heavy on his stomach". It doesn't spoil the story, but it does make you wonder how quickly Robinson rattled off the book.

I did enjoy the book & it is still worth reading, but it doesn't quite match up to the earlier books. It's still much better than Dale Brown or Tom Clancy's recent books though.


Outstanding workmanship.   April 26, 2002
 3 out of 5 found this review helpful

Another Patrick Robinson thriller with all our old friends from his previous books.

The plot unfolds with his usual emphasis on miltary terminology and single minded brilliance. However about halfway through this book you will have a very good idea of whats going to happen, based on previous form.

It is a gripping read though, and if you liked his other works then you will want to read this one. If you're new to Patrick Robinson then ensure you read Nimitz Class and Kilo Class first.

All in all a good, enjoyable read.