- Destroyermen (book series)
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The Destroyermen series is a series of alternate history books, written by American writer and historian Taylor Anderson. The six books in the series so far are Into The Storm, Crusade , Maelstrom, Distant Thunders, "Rising Tides", and the most recent book Firestorm.
The books chronicle the adventures of the crews of the destroyer USS Walker (DD-163) and the Japanese battlecruiser Amagi, in the early stages of the War in the Pacific during World War II, being transported to an alternate Earth. This earth is the same geographically as the one they left, but evolution took a different turn eons ago.
Contents
Plot summary
Into The Storm
Main article: Into The Storm (book)In Into The Storm, the story begins during the Second Battle of the Java Sea. The destroyer USS Walker (DD-163) is a destroyer of the United States Asiatic Fleet, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Matthew Reddy. The Walker was a part of the surviving ABDACOM fleet, consisting of the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Exeter, HMS Encounter, and the United States Navy destroyers Pope, and Mahan, all of which were fleeing from Japanese Naval forces. However, the Japanese forces closed range, and opened up on the small Allied fleet. The Exeter took a major hit, and ordered the remaining four destroyers to leave the crippled Cruiser.
The destroyers were systematically sunk, starting with the Encounter, followed by the Pope shortly thereafter just as happened in the real naval battle. The surviving Destroyers, Walker and Mahan then encountered the Japanese battlecruiser Amagi. Seeing no other option, Lieutenant Commander Reddy commanded the pair of destroyers to stage a torpedo attack, which sinks an accompanying destroyer, and badly damages the battlecrusier, before the ships were enveloped in a freak squall, and transported to an alternate world, where humans never evolved.
There are two races, the Lemurians, evolved giant lemurs from Madagascar, who are peaceful farmers and fishermen, and live on huge oceangoing houseboats called Homes. Walker's captain, Lieutenant Commander Matthew Reddy, meets with the Lemurian leadership, and forms an alliance with them to fight the other race, the Grik, who are at war with the Lemurians. The Grik are possible descendants of the dinosaur, Velociraptors.
Crusade
Main article: Crusade (book)In the second book, Crusade, Reddy, and the crew of Walker, are training the Lemurians how to fight. The Amagi is now under Grik control, and her captain is half-mad.
Maelstrom
Main article: Maelstrom (book)By Maelstrom, Reddy, his crew, and their Lemurian allies, are fighting the Grik. By Distant Thunders, the tide is turning.
Distant Thunders
Main article: Distant Thunders (book)Rising Tides
Main article: Rising Tides (book)Firestorm
Firestorm will be book 6 of the series. It has been released.
The 6th Chapter in the series follows the Growing threat from the 'Dominion', a Grik / Jap Superweapon, and the arrival of more ships through the 'Squall', including a Japanese destroyer...
See also
References
- "Review of Destroyermen: Into the Storm in Specialty bookshelf: reviews of science fiction, mystery and children's titles". Rocky Mountain News. August 1, 2008. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=RM&p_theme=rm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=1224BAD6227AD3F8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
- Review of Into the Storm. Alternate History.com. August 25, 2010.
- John Ottinger III. Book Review: Destroyermen – Into the Storm by Taylor Anderson. August 25, 2010
- Book Review – Maelstrom.
External links
Categories:- Alternate history book series
- World War II novels
- Parallel universes (fiction)
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