Fire on the Waters [Paperback]

David Poyer (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Simon and Schuster, NY (2001)
• ASIN: B000UZXVKQ
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good historical novel, August 25, 2001

By 

Jon R. Schlueter (Grand Terrace, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fire on the Waters : A Novel of the Civil War at Sea (Hardcover)

I sometimes think that David Poyer is a well-kept secret of a growing cadre of devotees. In my opinion, his best work so far is Thunder on the Mountain. It is an historical novel of the Depression era, describing a wild-cat strike at an oil refinery in Pennsylvania. This book succeeds brilliantly in the same way: it evokes an era. Mr. Poyer has done his homework, and many threads of the Civil War era are articulated in this book, particularly the confidence of Northerners at the outset of the Civil War that the rebellion of the Southern states would promptly be put down, which was the prevailing opinion at the time, as strange as that may seem to us who know how cataclysmic that struggle turned out to be. I admire Mr. Poyer's novels of the modern Navy. But here he goes beyond his characteristic acumen in developing characters, as his protagonist wrestles with the elemental struggle of liberating himself from dependence on his wealthy father, through the epiphany of horrendous loss of life in warfare. As always, the dialogue sparkles. This is a worthy book, and I share other reviewers' eagerness for the publication of further works in this trilogy.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars David Poyer earns another Bravo Zulu with Fire on the Waters, July 16, 2001

By 

Bill Hunteman (Virginia Beach, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fire on the Waters : A Novel of the Civil War at Sea (Hardcover)

Fire on the Waters, the latest from acclaimed author David Poyer, earns a well deserved Bravo Zulu (Naval Shorthand for Outstanding Job)for the superb job he has done on this Civil War tale of two navies. His ability to keep multiple sub-plots moving, nautical and period details both accurate and interesting, and keep a lively pace are once again showcased to their fullest extent. His ability to keep a plot twist hidden until the last instant was just one more thing that kept me reading until the wee hours of the morning. I could not put this book down. His characters are sympathetic and interesting, and most importantly, believable. I have read most of Mr. Poyer's books, and once again he has not disappointed me. My only regret is that I have to wait for the next one to come out. This book, like all his books, leaves me eagerly anticipating the next. Mr. Poyer is an outstanding author of Naval Fiction, both contemporary as well as historical, and he has successfully crossed into other genres as well. I highly recommend ANY book he has authored. Bottom line: BUY THIS BOOK!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Navy Classic, September 8, 2002

By 

david e. meadows (Frederick, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fire on the Waters : A Novel of the Civil War at Sea (Hardcover)

David Poyer has once again demonstrated his leadership talent in telling an unique Navy story. This novel will be a Navy classic alongside such books as the Sand Pebble. It brings into the reader's face the struggle between those who wore the uniform between their allegience to their respective states or to their country. It was only after the Civil War that Robert E. Lee is said to have remarked that before the war he was a Virginian and afterwards he was an American. This novel is a glimpse into that gray area just before full hostilities broke out. It is captivating and it will keep you turning pages. If you can only read one historical Navy fiction this year, then this is the one.
CAPT David E. Meadows, USN
Author of THE SIXTH FLEET series