Days of Infamy [Hardcover]

Newt Gingrich (Author), William R. Forstchen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 29, 2008

“Absolutely brilliant! Fast paced and filled with tension and suspense. Every page resonates with the momentous events and great personalities of World War II – and scenes so carefully crafted you feel like you’re there. This is a ‘must read’ for all who look at history and wonder: “What if…” -- Oliver North, Lt. Col., USMC (Ret.), host of War Stories on the Fox News Channel

In 2007, bestselling authors Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen launched a new epic adventure series about World War II in the Pacific, with their book Pearl Harbor: A Novel of December 8th, 1941, which instantly rocketed to the New York Times bestseller list.

Gingrich and Forstchen’s now critically acclaimed approach, which they term “active history,” examines how a change in but one decision might have profoundly altered American history. In Pearl Harbor they explored how history might have been changed if Admiral Yamamoto had directly led the attack on that fateful day, instead of remaining in Japan. Building on that promise, Days of Infamy starts minutes after the close of Pearl Harbor, as both sides react to the monumental events triggered by the presence of Admiral Yamamoto. In direct command of the six carriers of the attacking fleet, Yamamoto decides to launch a fateful “third-wave attack” on the island of Oahu, and then keeps his fleet in the area to hunt down the surviving American aircraft carriers, which by luck and fate were not anchored in the harbor on that day.

Historians have often speculated about what might have transpired from legendary “matchups” of great generals and admirals. In this story of the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, the notorious gambler Yamamoto is pitted against the equally legendary American admiral Bill Halsey in a battle of wits, nerve, and skill.
Days of Infamy recounts this alternative history from a multitude of viewpoints---from President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill, and the two great admirals, on down to American pilots flying antiquated aircraft, bravely facing the vastly superior Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft. Gingrich and Forstchen have written a sequel that’s as much a homage to the survivors of the real Pearl Harbor attack as it is an imaginative and thrilling take on America’s entry into World War II.

Praise for the first book in the Pacific War Series, Pearl Harbor:

"A thrilling tale of American's darkest day."
--W.E.B. Griffin

"Masterful storytelling that not only captures the heroic highs and hellish lows of that horrific day which lives on in infamy--it resonates with today's conflicts and challeneges."
--William E. Butterworth IV, New York Times bestselling author of The Saboteurs

"A politician and a novelist, each an accomplished historian in his own right, are emerging as  master authors of alternative history.  In this “what if” treatment of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen combine their talents to make the diplomacy as suspenseful as the combat, even for readers who know what happens next–or think they know."
--Dennis Showalter, former president of the Society of Military Historians

"This book is not only a great read, it is a fascinating historical story that applies today in Iraq as it did in the Western Pacific in the late 30s and 40s."
--Captain Alex Fraser, USN (Ret.)

Editorial Reviews

Review

PHENOMENAL PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHORS NEWT GINGRICH AND WILLIAM R. FORSTCHEN

PEARL HARBOR

“A thrilling tale of America’s darkest day.” —W.E.B. Griffin

“Begins what will be a fascinating alternative history of the war in the pacific.”—Roanoke Times  

“The authors’ research shines in accurate accounts of diplomatic maneuvering as well as the nuts-and-bolts of military action.”—Publishers Weekly

“The authors skillfully mix historical and fictional characters in an enjoyable and thought-provoking tale.”—Library Journal

"Masterful storytelling that not only captures the heroic highs and hellish lows of that horrific day that lives on in infamy—it resonates with today’s conflicts and challenges.”—William E. Butterworth IV, New York Times bestselling author of The Saboteurs

“A politician and a novelist, each an accomplished historian in his own right, are emerging as  master authors of alternative history.  In this “what if” treatment of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen combine their talents to make the diplomacy as suspenseful as the combat, even for readers who know what happens next–or think they know.”
—Dennis Showalter, former president of the Society of Military Historians

“This book is not only a great read, it is a fascinating historical story that applies today in Iraq as it did in the Western Pacific in the late 30s and 40s.”—Captain Alex Fraser, USN (Ret.)

“Gingrich and Forstchen have done it again. Building on their successful collaboration on their Civil War trilogy that so skillfully combined real history with fiction, they have with Pearl Harbor happily inaugurated another new series. You will not want to put it down, but when you finish you will look, as I do, with great anticipation to the next book.”—Chief of Police William J. Bratton, Los Angeles Police Department

NEVER CALL RETREAT

“With each book in their ongoing alternate history cycle, Gingrich and Forstchen have gone from strength to strength as storytellers. Unabashedly, this is a work of popular historical fiction; it aspires to entertain, first and foremost, but it has passages of genuine depth and poetry which elevate it above many other specimens of its peculiar sub-genre.”—William Trotter, The Charlotte Observer

“The authors’ research is impeccable…the reader is left believing it could really have happened this way.”—Booklist

GRANT COMES EAST

“An exciting alternative history of the Civil War. Character depictions are vivid, detailed, and insightful. One of the best novels of the Civil War to appear in recent years.”—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

“Gingrich and Forstchen have produced a very readable entry into the literature of speculative history. It will be interesting, perhaps even thrilling, to see how the military strategy and political maneuvering plays out in the next installment.”—Civil War Book Review

“A good yarn. The authors provide apt historically plausible detail to give substance to the premise.”—Washington Times

“What the authors come up with is as rivetingly plausible as what they devised in the previous novel. Notably original.”—Booklist

“The Gingrich and Forstchen ‘what-if’ take on the Civil War gathers some steam. The battle scenes continue war-lovingly rendered.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Unabashedly, this is a work of popular historical fiction; it aspires to entertain, first and foremost, but it has passages of genuine depth and poetry that elevate it above many other specimens of its peculiar subgenre.”—Charlotte Observer

GETTYSBURG

 “Sure to become a Civil War classic to be read and remembered.”—W.E.B. Griffin, author of Retreat, Hell!

“Surprisingly plausible, written with compelling narrative force and meticulous detail.”

—The Atlanta Journal Constitution

“Gingrich and Forstchen write with authority and with sensitivity.”—St. Louis Post Dispatch

“[Gettysburg] is believable and beautifully written...every bit as good as Michael Shaara’s The Killer Angels. Not only do Gingrich and Forstchen bring the characters to life, and often horrible death, but they do so with memorable observations on the ways of war and vivid, technically accurate descriptions of frightful Civil War combat.”—The Courier Journal (Kentucky)

“An eye-opener...filled with gore, smoke, heat of battle and a surprise ending. The writing is vivid and clear. A ripping good read.”—Washington Times

“Well-executed alternative history. The authors show thorough knowledge of the people, weapons, tactics, and ambience of the civil war. A veritable feast.”—Publishers Weekly

“As historical fiction this stands beside The Killer Angels. As an alternative history of Gettysburg, it stands alone. The mastery of operational history enables the authors to expand the story’s scope. The narrative is so clear that the action can be followed without maps. And the characters are sometimes heartbreakingly true to their historical originals.”—Dennis Showalter, Former President of the Society of Military Historians

“Gettysburg is a creative, clever, and fascinating ‘what if?’ novel that promises to excite and entertain America’s legions of Civil War buffs.”—James Carville

 

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Review

"Absolutely brilliant! Fast-paced and filled with tension and suspense."-Oliver North, LtCol., USMC (Ret). host of War Stories on the Fox News Channel

"Fascinating."-Roanoke Times

"The authors` research shines in accurate accounts of diplomatic maneuvering as well as the nuts and bolts of military action."-Publishers Weekly

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 369 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; First Edition edition (April 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312363516
• ISBN-13: 978-0312363512
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 5.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #566,549 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "What if" things had been done differently at Pearl Harbor?, April 13, 2008

By 

Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Days of Infamy (Hardcover)

I previously picked up a copy of Pearl Harbor by Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen. Much to my surprise, it was far better than I expected, and gave me a greater appreciation of Pearl when we visited Hawaii last year. I was recently contacted by the publicist for an advanced reader copy of their follow-on novel Days of Infamy. Of course, I accepted. :) As with Pearl Harbor, it's a well-written historical novel that looks at how the Japanese/American conflict might have played out if the Japanese had made a few different choices in their strategy.

The novel covers a four day period after the initial two attack waves on Pearl Harbor. In this alternative history, the Japanese lead a third wave over the islands along with a coastal bombardment with two of their battleships. This has everyone thinking that an island invasion might be imminent, when in reality it's a ploy to draw out the carriers that fortunately happened not to be docked in Pearl during the attack. Due to a complete and total destruction of the communication facilities, there is little intel that the US can use to figure out where the Japanese fleet is, how large it is, and what their plans might be. Likewise, the Japanese don't know where or exactly how many carriers the US has available or where they were if not docked at Pearl. It's a chess match between Halsey and Yamamoto that involves millions of tons of naval and aerial equipment, tens of thousands of lives, and quite possibly the fate of the free world. The story also involves James Watson, a cryptographer who lost a hand in an earlier conflict, and is not well-equipped to be part of a battle zone. His wife and mother-in-law are Japanese, and that brings an additional burden to his work. The social backlash against *all* people of Japanese descent in the US is starting to whip up, and he can't guarantee that those he loves will be safe from marauding bands of thugs seeking revenge.

Since the timespan covered in this installment of the story is much smaller, there's not as much character development as there was in the first episode. More of the action is focused on the battle strategy and the actual attacks from both sides. Still, there is plenty of personal material here to keep you interested in the characters. Watching people overcome (or be overwhelmed by) their prejudices is a strong theme covered. I was also struck by how much warfare has changed since then. It was possible back then to be within 100 miles of each other and still not know what was going on. Now with satellite imagery and other technology, war is fought at a completely different level.

If you haven't yet read Pearl Harbor by these two authors, do so before this book comes out. That will lay the groundwork for what continues here. For fans of alternative historical novels, this is a great read.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars After Pearl Harbor, Yamamoto goes for the American carriers, May 9, 2008

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Days of Infamy (Hardcover)

With their "Gettysburg" trilogy, Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen played out how the Civil War might have ended if the Confederates had won the pivotal battle between North and South in the first days of July 1863. Despite the assumptions of critics who leaped to the conclusion the authors were closet Southern apologists, the trilogy basically validated the argument that Forstchen laid out in an essay in "Alternate Gettysburgs" that Robert E. Lee and the Confederates could not have taken Washington, D.C. and that the losing the war was inevitable (although I should not that Forstchen posits a Confederate victory at Gettysburg on the second day while the trilogy he co-authored with Gingrich shifts the pivotal battlefield to Union Mills). With their World War II series, Gingrich and Forstchen take a similar approach. "Pearl Harbor: A Novel of December 8th" rewrites history so that the Japanese surprise attack is even more devastating, and in "Days of Infamy" start playing out what happens after that point.

The crucial change in the historical calculus at the heart of the first book in this series is that Admiral Yamamoto accompanies the task force and personally leads the attack, and consequently the Japanese launch a third attack wave against Pearl Harbor. By blocking the entrance to the harbor, destroying the largest dry-dock, and setting the fuel farms afire, Pearl Harbor is put out of business. I can certainly quibble with the title, because FDR was right: the day of the sneak attack was a "day of infamy," and what Gingrich and Forstchen come up with for the next few days (when the novel ends it is only December 10th) does not constitute additional "days of infamy." But I had trouble making the title of the first volume work and still enjoyed reading the book.

"Days of Infamy" is the more interesting book because Gingrich and Forstchen are now making everything up instead of just setting up their point of divergence from history. The Japanese ambassador in Washington still does not get the declaration of war delivered in time, so Americans are still outraged by the attack, but the key point they focus on this time around is that the attacked missed the American carriers. Having knocked Pearl Harbor out of commission, Yamamoto wants the two carriers. Equally important, Admiral Halsey on the "Enterprise" and Rear Admiral Newton with the "Lexington" are eager to hit back despite the odds (six Japanese carriers in a battle group versus two American carriers hundreds of miles apart). There is nothing Yamamoto can do about the diplomatic foul up, but he has a plan to get the American carriers and baits a trap for them. The Americans know that it is a trap, but after what happened on December 7th they have to strike back despite the long odds. This naval chess match takes up most of the action of "Days of Infamy."

I do not know as much about World War II as I do about the Civil War, but so far in these books I do not have a sense that the authors are indulging in having key details of history repeat themselves. This is one of the pitfalls of alternative histories that authors have to beware, trying to have their cake and eat it too when it comes to rewriting history (i.e., I really, really, really wanted General James B. McPherson to survive their version of the Civil War). What are more fascinating are when the authors play off of history (e.g., Bohunks), and when they come up with rationales for cleaning up some things (e.g., Eleanor's brief little chat with FDR).

Taken together "Pearl Harbor" and "Days of Infamy" comprise the opening act of this series, and I wish they had been one book because the whole point of such a story is to get to the point where things get different and that is pretty much where the first book ends. I have no idea how many volumes will be involved, but there is no way this is a trilogy (my assumption is that the end game is going to involve the invasion of Japan simply because the authors are not going to want to dig a giant hole with their alt history and then pull a couple of atomic bombs out of their hat). I think the next volume will be the pivotal one in the series because it essentially replaces the Battle of Midway by being about the attempt to stop the Japanese from taking all of the American possessions west of Hawaii. The authors have something of an advantage in rewriting the war in the Pacific because nothing they come up with as fiction could compare with the true history of the Battle of Midway, but coming up with something comparable for the next volume will be key.

38 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Second in a Great Alt History Series, April 29, 2008

By 

Mark R., Whittington "author of Children of A... (Houston, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Days of Infamy (Hardcover)

The first book in this series, Pearl Harbor, was just the opening act in a days long horror that will set the Pacific ablaze as two of World War II's greatest commanders, Yamamoto and Bull Halsey, clash in the greatest naval battle never to have happened. It is the narrative genius of Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen that makes one think that the battle in Days of Infamy must have happened.

Days of Infamy is also a meditation on one of the essential truths of war. Whatever the issues, whatever the cause, whatever the failure that led up to it, the one thing that is true of every war, especially World War Two, is that young men die decades before their time. There is plenty of such death in Days of Infamy, much of it heartbreaking.

In Days of Infamy young pilots take off from the pitching deck of a carrier with the dawn, knowing that very likely they will not live to see the dusk. Some face that prospect with resolution, some with terror.

Even more horrendous than the terror of battle thousands of feet over the Pacific, taking minutes or even seconds to resolve, is the horror of the aftermath. Days of Infamy tells about burning ships, taking on water, and crews desperately trying to keep them afloat and operational, or at least moving toward some form of refuge. Death by fire or death by water is the fate of too many long after the din of battle stills.

In Days of Infamy Gingrich and Forstchen have done it again, as they did with their epic Gettysburg trilogy, and have captured what war is like, in all of its horror and glory, by showing the reader events in another World War Two that never happened, but might have.