The world of military techno-thrillers was virtually created by Tom Clancy, and for me the best of them remains "Red Storm Rising", his speculation about a war that thankfully never happened. In fact, even with various proxy conflicts, there has never been anything after WWII that comes close to the Big One described here, with massive land, air and sea campaigns and the overall outcome dependent on technological dominance in all of them. There has never been, before or since, a book that so convincingly depicts the critical role of resupply across vulnerable ocean routes and the importance of Iceland to maintaining it; the role of deep strikes (air); and the interplay of battlefield sensors. And, as expected from the author of The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan), there are richly detailed descriptions of submarine operations. There is a large, well-drawn cast of characters on both sides.I have never been a fan of such books' efforts to weave a plausible casus belli, and "Red Storm Rising" is no exception, based as it is on an oil crisis in the then-USSR. That said, the interplay within the Politburo is just as gripping as the military combat scenes. Oddly, the Washington scenes are given less attention, perhaps simply because the US is reacting to events begun in Moscow. Warsaw Pact considerations are largely absent; there are no Polish or other WP divisions with questionable political loyalty to worry about here. Nor is much time spent on NATO issues, apart from the obvious German refusal to surrender its territory. This one boils down to a slugging match between the US (and Germans, and a passing nod to the UK) and the USSR.To some extent, these books are almost commercials for whatever the arms industry is flogging for the latest defense wish list. The systems always work as advertised and give our side just enough of an edge to prevail. Would that it were so.These asides should absolutely not discourage anyone from reading "Red Storm Rising". I have enjoyed it immensely roughly every decade, and just finished my third reading. No one could compare with Clancy at his best, who seems to have received some sort of assistance in this from author Larry Bond.