On Seas So Crimson

Usurper's War Collection No. 1

De: James Young

Narrado por: Jennifer Jill Araya

Adolf Hitler is dead. Great Britain lies prostrate, subdued under a storm of poison gas and incendiaries that have turned the great city of London into a blazing abattoir.

For RAF Squadron Leader Adam Haynes, London’s destruction is the nightmare outcome of years spent fighting the specter of Fascism. Getting out of England one step ahead of the Nazis, Adam embarks on a continent-spanning odyssey that will put him at odds with his former employers, his family, and all three of the Axis powers.

Thrust unwillingly into combat between the fleeing Royal Navy and the pursuing Kriegsmarine, Lieutenant (j.g.) Eric Cobb makes a decision that changes the course of history.

In the Pacific, Rear Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi witnesses firsthand the myriad opportunities that Germany’s victory has provided for Japan. After suffering ignominious defeat at the hands of the Soviet Union in December 1941, the Emperor has forcibly removed the militarists that saw his nation almost driven from the continent. With the Navy now dominating the cabinet, Japan’s government cast its gaze southward to the oil rich Dutch East Indies. Yamaguchi, as the new head of the Kido Butai, must develop a plan that prevents American interference while simultaneously husbanding the Imperial Japanese Navy’s strength for a single, great Decisive Battle.

Combining the first two Usurper’s War novels into one omnibus, On Seas So Crimson provides over twenty-five hours of critically acclaimed alternate history. If you’re a fan of World War II and “What if..?” this audiobook is definitely for you.

©2014, 2015, 2016 James Young (P)2024 James Young

Alternate WW2

This a review of the audible version,
I loved it. I am a fan of alternative history, especially the "counter factual" and this story is very compelling and well researched. The author clearly spent a great amount of thought and research on recreating naval battles in the pacific. I had zero issues believing the alternate timeline or events. For me, one of the strongest parts of the book was the realistic battle descriptions. I was enthralled for those sequences. The pacing for combat descriptions was excellent, and found myself "following along" in the naval and air battles. It inspired me to research actual battles.

As this this 2 books in one, I believed the second strongest part was the narrator's subtle use of different voices. There are many characters, which are 1940s military types, and could very easily be all the same. As the story progressed along, I found myself getting the feel of different characters because of the voices the narrator used. Personally, I am much more of a fan of story instead of characters, and was prepared to "gloss over" various characters, which I did not do in this book, so the narrator did me a great service in the voices.

So, detailed and smooth battle descriptions along with good voice selection made this a very enjoyable listen.