The Hunt for Red October is a big, wide-ranging novel with plenty of good topics for discussion presented in it. In fact, the biggest challenge to a discussion leader may be to keep the discussion of the novel focused. A discussion could easily wander through the technology of modern warfare to advanced technology in general and its effect on people, from cold war politics to international rivalries to internal American politics and how America's politics affects and is affected by international affairs, from Clancy's technique for structuring the novel to whether characters shape events or are shaped by them. Any major aspect of The Hunt for Red October could be discussed and debated for hours.

1. Why is the Red October's propulsion system as important as it is? Why are the Americans and Soviets worried about being able to hear each other's submarines?

2. How improbable is the plot?

Could...