Rising Tides: Destroyermen [Hardcover]

Taylor Anderson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Destroyermen | Publication Date: February 1, 2011

View our feature on Taylor Anderson's Rising Tides.

In Taylor Anderson's acclaimed Destroyermen series, a parallel universe adds a extraordinary layer to the drama of World War II. Now, as Lieutenant Commander Matthew Reddy and the crew of the U.S.S. Walker continue their battle for both freedom and survival, the stakes become much more personal...and much more perilous.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The intrigue-heavy fifth installment in the saga of a temporally displaced WWII destroyer and crew moves from southeast Asian jungles to Hawai'i dueling grounds. Capt. Matt Reddy is faced with the dual tasks of breaking the treacherous Honorable New Britain Company and securing an alliance with the slave-keeping Empire. Doing so, however, incurs the enmity of the Holy Dominion, displaced colonial Spaniards who practice a blood-drenched sort of Catholicism. While Matt struggles with moral ambiguities, the younger officers gain more responsibilities and face the fatal consequences of mistakes in command, and Lt. Sandra Tucker leads imperial heir Princess Rebecca and a boatload of Company escapees across a dinosaur-crammed Pacific island. Anderson continues to broaden the scope of the story, but never lets the philosophy drown out the action, tossing in a full-scale naval battle and a volcanic tsunami for the twin climaxes. (Feb.)
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About the Author

Taylor Anderson is a gun maker and forensic ballistic archeologist who has been a technical and dialogue consultant for movies and documentaries. He has a master's degree in history and teaches at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. Anderson is the author of the historical work The Life and Tools of the Rocky Mountain Free Trapper. William Dufris began his audio career doing radio plays, audiobooks, film/animation dubbing, and language tapes in London, where he lived for thirteen years. While there, he had the honor of sharing the microphone in a number of BBC Radio plays with Kathleen Turner, Sharon Gless, Stockard Channing, and Helena Bonham-Carter. These experiences led him to cofound two audio production companies: The Story Circle Ltd. and Mind's Eye Productions. He has also acted on stage and television in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. William is the original voice of Bob (and Farmer Pickles/Mr. Beasley/Mr. Sabatini) in the popular children's show Bob the Builder for the United States and Canada (Series 1–9). He produces, directs, acts and engineers for his audio theatre company, Rocky Coast Radio Theatre. He has been nominated nine times as a finalist for the APA's prestigious Audie Award and has garnered twenty-one Earphones Awards from AudioFile magazine, which also named him one of the Best Voices at the End of the Century, as well as one of the Best Voices of the Year in 2008 and 2009.

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Roc Hardcover; First Printing edition (February 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451463889
• ISBN-13: 978-0451463883
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #66,749 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Taylor Anderson is a gun-maker and forensic ballistic archeologist who has been a technical and dialogue consultant for movies and documentaries. He has a Master's Degree in History and teaches at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Keep writing them, I'll keep reading them, February 13, 2011

By 

azog - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rising Tides: Destroyermen (Kindle Edition)

I have no major complaints on this volume. It pretty much keeps up with the prior volumes, and we start to get more and more into the heads of the terrible Grik. Thankfully the book ends with the conflicts being unresolved, which means there will be more to come, and I look forward to reading more.

There was no preface matter, which kind of made it a bit hard to bite in to. At this stage in the story, we're following at least four separate plot lines, and it can be a bit cumbersome at times to keep things straight. For instance: two different crews salvaging two different vessels, as well as a group of castaways. One of the salvage crews meets up with the castaways in a manner which felt rather rushed to me, under circumstances I would normally find unbelievable.

The Kindle edition could use a wee bit more editing, as random capitalization appeared in italicized phrases.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Excellent Work, February 6, 2011

By 

William Meinert (Monroe, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rising Tides: Destroyermen (Hardcover)

Taylor Anderson has joined the ranks of Harry Turtledove and John Ringo as a master of alternative history fiction. His latest book wraps up neatly the threads spun in his last book, and now his fans are left dealing with the implications. Others have detailed the plot, and I see no need to go into it, but suffice it to say that any history buff, military buff, and World War 2 buff can and should read and enjoy these books! Like many of his fans, I will now wait in breathless expectation for the next book in the saga. Well done, Mr. Taylor, Well done!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent, February 6, 2011

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rising Tides: Destroyermen (Hardcover)

WWII USS Walker Navy destroyer Captain Matt Reddy leads his crew to Hawaii. They and his new friend New British Imperial Navy Commander Jenks face a difficult task of rescuing two women from a traitor. For Reddy and Jenks the abductions are personal as Nurse Tucker and Princess Rebecca are the victims. However, their effort to obtain help from the Honorable New Britain Company fails. The pair realizes the New Britain Company is dishonorable and must be destroyed before a velvet coup d'etat occurs. Reddy also must forge the Grand Alliance with the New British Empire; though he loathes the latter's slavery policy as an inhuman abomination.

The pact with the Empire angers the displaced Holy Dominion colonial Spaniards. Worshippers of a blood sacrificial form of Catholicism, they vow to slaughter Matt and his crew. Meanwhile Reddy's junior officers are delegated to having responsibilities that lead to unfortunate and in some cases avoidable deaths. The leaders learn under this under the baptism of fire, but face the moral aftermaths of sending people to die.

As the war remains heated in this parallel Destroyermen universe, the officers of the USS Walker obtain a taste of decision making in combat when they know they will send young people to their deaths. Adding to that gut wrenching horror is inexperience leads to errors compounding the deadly count. Eisenhower understood this when he ordered D-Day knowing thousands of young men would never go home and as president carefully used the military something his successors never learned. Besides the anguish of sending people to die even for a worthy cause, Taylor Anderson provides an incredible battle at sea that will have readers in awe rereading it and ponder nature's involvement in the war with the destruction of Talaud Island.

Harriet Klausner