1942
A Novel
-
-
4.2 • 54 Ratings
-
-
- $10.99
-
- $10.99
Publisher Description
December 7 is “the date which will live in infamy.” But now Japan is hatching another, far greater plan to bring America to its knees. . . .
The Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was a resounding success–except for one detail: a second bombing mission, to destroy crucial oil storage facilities, was aborted that day. Now, in this gripping and stunning work of alternate history, Robert Conroy reimagines December 7, 1941, to include the attack the Japanese didn’t launch, and what follows is a thrilling tale of war, resistance, sacrifice, and courage. For when Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto sees how badly the United States has been ravaged in a two-pronged strike, he devises another, more daring proposal: an all-out invasion of Hawaii to put a stranglehold on the American Pacific Fleet.
Yamamoto’s strategy works brilliantly–at first. But a handful of American soldiers and a determined civilian resistance fight back in the face of cruelty unknown in Western warfare. Stateside, a counterassault is planned–and the pioneering MIT-trained aviator Colonel Jimmy Doolittle is given a near-impossible mission with a fleet of seaplanes jury-rigged into bombers. From spies to ordinary heroes and those caught between two cultures at war, this is the epic saga of the Battle of Hawaii–the way it very nearly was. . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
U.S. Army captain and intelligence officer Jake Novacek leads the charge against Japanese forces in the latest historical thriller from Conroy (1945), a speculative narrative in which the Imperial Army attacks and occupies the Hawaiian Islands. Soon after the invasion, Jake is secretly sent to the Big Island to ensure the safety of Comdr. Joe Rochefort, a code breaker who is instrumental in U.S. efforts to take back Hawaii. Jake leaves behind a budding friendship with Alexa Sanderson, a Pearl Harbor widow and pacifist, who, during the occupation, is chosen to be the mistress of Col. Shigenori Omori, leader of the Japanese secret police. As the U.S. Navy plans a counterattack led by physically compromised President Roosevelt, Jake and Alexa struggle to stay alive. Multiple passages devoted to military strategy distract from the far more effective action sequences, especially Jake's guerrilla actions in occupied Hawaii. The book ends up an engaging alternative history lesson, but its many harrowing scenes of torture and brutality border on the distasteful; fans of Tom Clancy and
Customer Reviews
A great read
Fast paced and plausible. This could have happened. I really enjoyed it
Great Read
I've now read a few of his books and I've greatly enjoyed them all. They are pretty easy to read and follow once you get past the historic twists and the building of a new history. One thing I truly love about these books is how he utilizes the men of history in them and keeping them true to who they are. Thanks for the fun reads!