Into the Storm

Destroyermen, Book 1

By: Taylor Anderson

Narrated by: William Dufris

Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Pressed into service when World War II breaks out in the Pacific, the USS Walker---a Great-War vintage "four-stacker" destroyer---finds itself in full retreat from pursuit by Japanese battleships. Its captain, Lieutenant Commander Matthew Patrick Reddy, knows that he and his crew are in dire straits. In desperation, he heads Walker into a squall, hoping it will give them cover---and emerges somewhere else.

Familiar landmarks appear, but the water teems with monstrous, vicious fish. And there appear to be dinosaurs grazing on the plains of Bali. Gradually Matt and his crew must accept the fact that they are in an alternate world---and they are not alone. Humans have not evolved, but two other species have. And they are at war.

With its steam power and weaponry, the Walker's very existence could alter the balance of power. And for Matt and his crew, who have the means to turn a primitive war into a genocidal Armageddon, one thing becomes clear: They must decide whose side they're on. Because whoever they choose to side with is the winner.

Battle stations! Listen to more in the Destroyermen series.

©2008 Taylor Anderson (P)2008 Tantor

Excellent alternative military history series

Great series, especially for an old distroyer sailor. Only negitive is the narator mispronouncing "Forecastle."

Solid start, but...

I love war and time travel / alternate history stories so this book is right up my ally. Taylor Anderson does a good job sucking you into the storyline. When I got finished with this book (while I was not happy with the "buy the next book to see how this book ends" ending, I did buy book 2. Then I book book 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. After each book I got more frustrated with the writing style. This ARE NOT stand alone books and could be best described as chapters. After book 7 I have stopped. My honest recommendation is just not to start the series, I wish I had not. Below is my book 7 review (no spoilers):

This IS NOT a "normal" book series. On most series, each book is stand alone with a small tread running trough each. So while it is always better to read in order, each book is satisfying on it's own. that IS NOT the case with the Destroyerman books. Each of these books would be better described as chapters. They DO NOT stand on their own and there is no conclusion at the end of each book, just the set up for the next.

Because of the continuing story, nothing every gets settled and you never feel satisfied at the end. I think there are at least 15 books in this series and I just cannot see myself going much further (after finishing #7). I would feel differently if these were more in the style of say the "Bosch" series, same characters (plus or minus) different situation and each book stands on it's own. If that were the case, I am sure I would listen to all of the books. As it stands now, while I (in some ways) want to continue, it seems like more of a chore than excitement for the next book.

As for me, even though I am interested in the characters, I am jumping off this boat since there is absolutely no conclusion in site.

Interesting concept, excellent narration

An unexpected time warp in the middle of WWII to a fantastic paleo past, replete with suspected evidence ood others' travels. Narration is excellent and voice characterizations lens reality to the story. The ending promises further adventure.

Awesome novel

Needs to made into a TV series or movie. Awesome novel and story line. love the series of books.

Great Story

It needs more voice actors. 1 guy can't do it justice. It's to bad. Sad.

Naval Fantasy

i was recommended this book by a friend and i could just not turn it off after i started. i loved the grounded Navy history intertwined with the breathtaking fantasy world.

THE TAILESS ONES

IF THEY SINK THE BOTTOM HALF, THE TOP HALF GOES TOO.
When you start listening you may think, you have read this book before. That is because Taylor pretty much borrows from other writers, to write one of the most predictable books, I have ever read. At first you may think you are listening to Master and Commander, but then you are listening to William Fortschen's Ralley Cry Series. In Fortschen's little known book, a Civil War ship full of solders goes into a storm and comes out in an alternative world. That book was no where as popular as this, but it is a much better book. Then you enter Doyle's The Lost World, the characters in the book even mention Conan Doyle and The Lost World.

Then in the Spirit of a Clint Eastwood western the warrior Americans teach a peace loving people how to protect themselves or was that The 13th Warrior?

This is not a bad book and I got it because of the high rating it had, but it is not anything new. For the less read it may be pretty good, for the experienced reader, it may seem a little cliche.

I would have loved this in my teenage years

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Depends on their age. Most of my friends, even the ones who still read Sci-fi and fantasy, are in their 50's now and, for them, I probably would tell them to pass it for better books unless they were looking for pure "mental chewing gum." It some ways this series reminds me of the old Lin Carter books from the early 1970s; mildly enjoyable and easy to read, just as easy to put down and move on to something else.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The most interesting aspect of the story was the premise; a beat up WWII destroyer going into a (somewhat) parallel universe where it is far more powerful in the grand scheme of world affairs.The least interesting aspect of the story for me was the stereotypical depictions of the characters and their dialogue. Characters are mostly one dimensional, have predictable behavior, and rarely break out of stereotyped decisions. This can be pretty annoying if you're expecting something deeper.

Have you listened to any of William Dufris’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No, I doubt it. I wasn't a big fan of the 1980 film, "The Final Countdown."

Any additional comments?

If what you you're looking for is an entirely light story you can listen to, miss parts of, and come back to without feeling like you're out of the loop, then this might fill that bill. It's easy, predictable, non-strenuous fare. If you're looking for something that will engage you in the characters and the plot on a deeper level, then you might want to look elsewhere.

Kind of fun

I had this series in my wish list for some time. When they dropped price of first book to $6, I tried it. Good strategy because now I am hooked. Interesting concept with good narration. It a combination WWII book, Distopia novel, and SCIFI. If you like any of those genres you will like this. I had images of pirates of the Caribbean and Alien in terms of movies. Also combines some British naval action which is another genre I enjoy. So if you like series like Master and Commander or Horatio Hornblower you may like this.

Poor Narration

I am surprised and disappointed that the Taylor Anderson doesn't know how to pronounce a simple conatraction - and there are many in this story. He sounds like a small child that hasn't learned how to speak correctly.

Rather than "couldn't" he says "coulddent" and "wouldn't" he pronounces as "woulddent". Alwasy adding an additional "d" and "e" in the word.

Because there are so many contractions in the book, it is very annoying and ruins the story. The narration makes the story come alive normally but not in this case.