Customer Reviews

Torpedo: A Surface Warfare Thriller

5 star:		(84)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I MUST start this out by saying that I am NOT the same Jeff Edwards that wrote this book. I am NOT a writer, and other than my reviews, I haven't written anything anyone has ever read since college. With that said, let me start off by saying I was more than a bit skeptical as I was asked to give 'Torpedo' a go. (I must admit I had a good time fooling my wife into believing I had managed to write and publish a book without her knowing about it) I don't know WHY I was hesitant, because over the years I have come to discover that just because someone hasn't published a book DOESN'T mean they aren't better than 99% of the writers currently in print today. Publishing companies are notorious for NOT giving someone new their big break. They are afraid that since the author MAY not be familiar, the book simply cannot sell. How tragic.

One of my ALL-TIME favorite books has GOT to be 'Red Moon' by David S. Michaels. After reading this I had to wonder what simple-minded editor refused to give this guy a contract??? The same is true of 'Torpedo'. Written by someone who has actually BEEN there DONE that, the ring of authenticity rings true on each and every page. Not since Tom Clancy in his writing Hey Day (which was a while ago) has a Military Thriller been this true-to-life.

'Torpedo' really IS catchy with a story that just cannot miss. Everything that makes a good book compelling to read is found here. Nations breaking International Law. Biological attacks on the British Embassy IN the United States. Submarines being smuggled right under the noses of British ships. Ships being sunk for all the wrong reasons. And best of all: An intelligent plot that moves with all the speed of a Tomahawk Missle. I stopped counting all the times I kept asking myself, this didn't REALLY happen, did it? The realism is unprecedented and highly tension-filled -- but in a GOOD way.

I have a simple barometer for determining whether or not a book is really good. If it is the first thing I think about when I get up, and the last thing on my mind when I go to bed, the book is GOOD. 'Torpedo' IS GOOD. It met my qualifications and passed with flying colors. Exciting and highly realistic, this book needs more attention and at the very least, an editor who knows that a book like this DESERVES a chance to be read by the widest audience possible that can truly appreciate good, honest, fun thrillers. Give 'Torpedo' a shot and especially if you have missed the Tom Clancy of old, this will remind you of why you read Military Thrillers in the first place. Absolutely fantastic work...and easily the best first novel since Clancy's 'Hunt For Red October'.

I met the author the day I bought the book, and we hit it off right away. As a retired Naval Officer and Anti-submarine specialist my entire career, I have to applaud Jeff for showing how much ASW is all about people thinking on their own, without the fancy computers. And he also captured the team work required to hunt, localize, and kill the most difficult of targets. The interaction between the officers and senior enlisted on board all of his Navy ships reflect reality...those who have mutual respect and listen to each other inevitably serve on very good ships. I especially enjoyed the way Jeff wrote the book, a sweries of relatively short chapters, each filled with just the right mix of drama and suspense. A hearty salute for this first work...and I am looking forward to his next effort.

An exciting read and a lot of focus on the characters, especially the chiefs and petty officers who actually make the gear work. A realistic look at how officers and enlisted interact and what they do. I loved the entire story, although as a former aviation anti-sub warfare tech (AX2), I was a little upset to see every Lamps helo get blown out of the sky. I hope to see more from this author along these same lines.

Jeff and I were stationed together on the real USS Towers, and she was a great Ship. I found his book, even though fiction, to be so real, as I recognized the systems he spoke of, and the action that happens so real. True professionalism shows through in this writing, in his job while in the Navy, as he knew exactly what he was trying to get across the his readers. A real masterpiece, and I hope someday, a movie is made of this masterpiece.

This is sea warfare at its most daring and prophetic best. Every scene sizzles and excites. Just as buddies in battle bond, so does the reader to every character, and no less to the whip-smart yet strangely patriotic villain pitted against the gambling U.S. president. My bungie test of a superb novel is if the author can hold my attention throughout the first read without my being aware of the writing techniques used. Jeff Edwards propelled me through the pages at supersonic speed, so I resented the stop-dead lurches back into the real world four times with chapter insertions of excerpts from an unpublished manuscript on the "Torpedo: The History and Evolution of a Killing Machine." These belonged under Author Notes at the end of the book. Then I would have been ready and fascinated with such a backgrounder, but not while I was so engaged in the story. Fiction is about entertainment. Education is only a by-product of a good tale that gets the facts straight. Mid-novel, readers don't expect to have lessons shoved in their face. Nevertheless, the story was so riveting that I have decided to forgive this first-time novelist for his over-enthusiastic treatment of the main subject. Instead, his editor needs to be hung upside down by his/her toenails for allowing the intrusions. Here is a techno-military thriller writer, who never overwhelms the reader with the technology of his subject, but rather spreads it like maple syrup over thick, mouth-melting pancakes. William Morrow, Berkley publishers--pay attention!!! This should be a best-selling winner on your shelves. I am giving TORPEDO the five-star rating it so obviously deserves.

Jeff Edwards brings cutting edge naval warfare to life in a frightening adventure. Torpedo moves as fast as its name suggests with an imaginative plot grounded in authoritative technical reality. I'm a slow reader and I ripped through this in two days because it was engaging and flowed well. This book is fun to read and serves as insight into the world of modern naval combat.

I have read all of Clancy, Buff, Robinson and DeMercurio. Each has his own background and style. Buff and DeMercurio, like Jeff Edwards, are ex US Navy and they served in Submarines. As an ex enlisted Submariner I particularly appreciated Mr. Edwards including and acknowledging the existence of and contributions of the crew and not just the Officers. His exposure of the sometimes "dogmatic" approach to dealing with combat situations is far to real and troubling. His understanding of the "real politic" of governments and their leaders is spot on and a bit scary. While I might quibble with the claim that in a one on one situation the surface vessel has a two out of five chance of winning the battle, he takes great care to help the reader understand the reality of antisubmarine warfare from the surface combatent's point of view. This book is really worth reading.
SubSailor

This book was so exciting that I was unable to put it down. The character developement, twists and turns in the story, the intrigue, and Jeff's ability to make you feel that you are alongside the characters as they move through the chapters keeps you turning the pages to find out what happens next. I'd recommend this book to anyone! It's a great read.

The United States Navy is not the world's only maritime force with advanced, high-technoloy weaponry. In Jeff Edwards' "Torpedo," it collides with one of these forces and must fight a kill-or-be-killed little war in the desperate hope of preventing a major one that would be a calamity for the Western world. This is a ripping good yarn, spun by a Navy veteran who knows what he's talking about -- and it shows. "Torpedo" is hard to put down from start to breathless finish.

Roger L. Conlee, author of "Counterclockwise" and "Every Shape, Every Shadow."Every Shape, Every Shadow: A Novel of GuadalcanalCounterclockwise

Awesome! Torpedo pulls you along as it dives beneath the surface, powers through unexpected twists and turns, locks on and then accelerates to attack speed towards its explosive climax.

Torpedo is the second novel by Jeff Edwards that I've had the pleasure to read. He writes with a sure hand, drawing you in with familiar characters. Not since Stephen King have I read an author who can create such believable characters in a few short paragraphs. His prose is by turns witty, eloquent and spare. His dialogue is sharp and believable. I will read every novel this man writes.

Torpedo is so densely packed with the details of military hardward that there is no room for doubt. Torpedo could happen, and that is one scary thought. This book kept me up at night and made me late for work. It's a taut, finely honed scenario. Let's hope Edwards is merely the best new military thriller writer to show up since Clancy and not a prophetic visionary.

--Jak Koke, bestselling author of LIFEROCK (0974573418)