• Maelstrom

  • Destroyermen, Book 3
  • By: Taylor Anderson
  • Narrated by: William Dufris
  • Length: 17 hrs and 46 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (2,409 ratings)

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Maelstrom  By  cover art

Maelstrom

By: Taylor Anderson
Narrated by: William Dufris
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Publisher's summary

Lieutenant Commander Matthew Reddy, along with the men and women of the U.S.S. Walker, are once again at war. Having sided with the peaceful Lemurians against the savage, reptilian Grik, they now find themselves scrambling to prepare for the attack that is sure to come, searching for resources to support their forces - even as they look for allies to join their struggle.

Meanwhile, the Japanese juggernaut Amagi, also trapped in this strange world, is under Grik control---with her fanatical commander approaching madness. And soon they will have amassed a force that no amount of firepower and technology will be able to stop.As the raging conflict approaches, Reddy, his crew, his allies, and his loved ones face annihilation. But if there is one thing they have learned about their new world, it is that hope - and help - may be just over the horizon.

Battle stations! Listen to more in the Destroyermen series.
©2008 Taylor Anderson (P)2009 Tantor

What listeners say about Maelstrom

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    1,573
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  • 2 Stars
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

More battles.

A few slow spots here and there, but that is to be expected. I really am enjoying this series.



FYI, people complaining about AUDIO books prices when comparing them to a paper back book. Think for a second. The audio book must be produced, scripted to a point, and a GOOD actor hired to read the book and act out all parts. Don't whine about an audio books price

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

As bad as the first two were good

I can't remember when a book has disappointed me as much as this one did. In the first two books the author developed characters and plot lines that were original and interesting. In this book the monologues, dialogues and mental monologues drag on and on. You could skip the first half of the book and miss nothing at all. Then when the final battle comes in drags on and on in such confusing detail you reach the point where you don't care anymore who wins just as long as it will get over. I finally ended up listening to hours of it in the background as I did other things. It's as if the author has fallen so in love with the world he has created that he is rapped up in minutia that only he could care about.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Fascinating story continues to expand and evolve

I was somewhat undecided whether to continue listening to the series because of a series of reviews stating that in Malestrom, the story of the destroyermen had become boring and uninteresting. I did not find this to be the case. I remained fully engaged by the story which continued to unfold in interesting ways. The characters in the story continued to develop which to added depth to the alternate world in which the story takes place. I enjoyed this book just as much as I enjoyed the first two and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the first two books in this series.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Need a break from the series? take it now

The first two books were great, this was is okay, but starts out really slow. Not much happens the first few hours, just more recap on what happened in the first two books. Any character or event that's tied to something that previously happened each gets a 10 minute recap. This might actually be good if it has been a while since you read the first two books, if not, the first quarter or so of this book is pretty boring.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Not as good as the first two.

I felt like most of what I am listening to is repeats from the first two books. I loved the two first books but not enough to enjoy hearing events from them being retold over and over. Taylor Anderson is not the only author that does this, but it's frankly annoying and boring. The usual excuse seems to be catering to new readers, but you shouldn't be starting with the 3th book in a series anyway.

Besides that, the story is still good, even though at times it may drag on a bit when a character goes on with some long monologue or thought. Perhaps I just have a preference for action.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Boring

Loved the first, liked the second. I find the third barely tolerable. Did I really pay for this, what was I thinking. Winded, repetitive, became so contrived and I found the story to fall apart.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Oh No! More Grick...

Third in a series for a WWII destroyer conveyed into a strange world evolved very differently. In this installment, our destroyermen heroes travel to the Philippines in an attempt to garner allies and conduct a massive defense of their allies' home. I admit that I'm addicted and can't wait to listen to the next book.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A little slow to start but what a battle!

It was a bit slow to start as Mr. Anderson "catches up" new readers with the back story of the previous two books. I continue to enjoy the series because there are so many rich avenues to take it... which Mr. Anderson does. Also, lots of dialog, which I prefer in my stories. And, narrator William Dufris continues a wonderful performance with great diversity in voices. All the "day in the life" dialog throughout the middle part builds to a climactic end with characters you'll come to know, bond with, and care about. Now, on to book 4!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

3.5 stars

There???s just no rest for the weary. The destroyermen have had no time to search for other humans or to try to build their own community in their new parallel world because they???re still busy fighting for their lives. First there???s the Grik ??? the ugly reptilian species who keep attacking and trying to eat them. Then there???s the captain of the Japanese battlecruiser Amagi, who wants revenge on the destroyermen for damaging his ship. Even though they???re clearly no longer in their own world, the Japanese captain is still fighting for his emperor and he also has hopes that he someday might rule this new world in the emperor???s name. To this end, he has allied with the Grik, hoping to use them as a means to his end. His crew doesn???t share his enthusiasm for working with the loathsome Grik, but they???ve been trained to follow the leader. There is one Japanese man, however, who may be willing to risk his life to keep the Japanese technology out of the Griks??? hands.

While looking for more of their own allies, the destroyermen and the Lemurians find a few more humans and learn that there is a colony of them somewhere on this new earth. But they don???t know where, and there???s no guarantee that these humans won???t treat the Americans with just as much disdain as the Griks have. Captain Reddy will have to worry about that later, though ??? they just don???t have the time to deal with those issues right now.

Maelstrom, the third novel in Taylor Anderson???s DESTROYERMEN series, holds up well. Like its two predecessors, it???s exciting, tense, and action-packed. It???s fun to watch the destroyermen learn to be creative and to try to accomplish their goals without many resources ??? building forts and semaphores, creating mine fields, re-engineering faulty equipment, fixing their ship and airplane, and fighting gigantic sea monsters. In general, this story is less optimistic, though. Matthew Reddy???s crew is still completely disciplined, but the never-ending work and the ???dame shortage??? are taking their toll. I thought problems were solved a little too easily in the first novel, Into the Storm, but that is not the case here. Lives and property are lost and the spectacular epic battle at the end of Maelstrom is devastating.

Anderson relieves some of this tension with delightful black humor. In one scene, Dennis Silva and Courtney Bradford go (without permission) to hunt down the super-lizard that ate another crewman. Silva just wants revenge but Bradford, the naturalist, wants to see the lizard. They track it down by following a trail of huge turds, closely examining each to see if it contains their friend. This scene was funny and the audiobook narrator, William Dufris, did an excellent job with it.

Characters continue to develop satisfactorily. Many of our favorites are now moving into leadership roles, though they???re not always confident in their abilities. Captain Reddy is particularly introspective, thinking about how his experiences have made him into a different man. Meanwhile, the cast is freshened up with some new faces, too. A couple of these are hard to believe in ??? such as the too-wise little girls who give noble speeches ??? but they represent hope for the future.

There???s quite a bit of rehash in Maelstrom ??? Anderson reminds us of previous events and rehearses each character???s personality and quirks (e.g., Juan can???t make a decent cup of coffee, the crew loves their Coke machine and hates Vienna sausages, etc), but this was probably not a problem for those who read the books when they came out rather than waiting, like I did, to read them back to back. If you???ve enjoyed DESTROYERMEN so far, you???ll definitely want to read Maelstrom. I???ll be moving on to book 4, Distant Thunders, sometime soon.

Originally posted at Fantasy Literature.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Thrilling Story Line in a Tough Genre

Taylor Anderson's highly imaginative story/series is made even more exciting and entertaining by William Dufris's interruptive reading. This genre of alternate earth is a tough one to keep fresh. With thrilling action, despicable villains, humorous situations, lovable characters and plot twists keeps this book/series moving along. William Dufris's imaginative character/creature voices puts this reading experience on a higher plain. I often find myself taken into the action or chuckling to a situation. I look forward to each book.

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