• Retribution

  • The Battle for Japan, 1944 - 45
  • By: Max Hastings
  • Narrated by: Simon Vance
  • Length: 27 hrs and 41 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (661 ratings)

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Retribution  By  cover art

Retribution

By: Max Hastings
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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Publisher's summary

In his critically acclaimed Armageddon, Hastings detailed the last twelve months of the struggle for Germany. Here, in what can be considered a companion volume, he covers the horrific story of the war against Japan. By the summer of 1944 it was clear that Japan’s defeat was inevitable, but how the drive to victory would be achieved remained to be seen. The ensuing drama–that ended in Japan’s utter devastation–was acted out across the vast stage of Asia. In recounting the saga of this time and place, Max Hastings gives us incisive portraits of the theater’s key figures–MacArthur, Nimitz, Mountbatten, Chiang Kai-shek, Mao, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin. But he is equally adept in his portrayals of the ordinary soldiers and sailors–American, British, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese–caught in some of the war’s bloodiest campaigns.

With unprecedented insight, Hastings discusses Japan’s war against China, now all but forgotten in the West, MacArthur’s follies in the Philippines, the Marines at Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and the Soviet blitzkrieg in Manchuria. He analyzes the decision-making process that led to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki–which, he convincingly argues, ultimately saved lives. Finally, he delves into the Japanese wartime mind-set, which caused an otherwise civilized society to carry out atrocities that haunt the nation to this day. Retribution is a brilliant telling of an epic conflict from a master military historian at the height of his powers.

©2007 Max Hastings (P)2008 Random House Audio
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

"Hastings is a military historian in the grand tradition . . . He is equally adept at analyzing the broad sweep of strategy and creating thrilling set pieces that put the reader in the cockpit of a fighter plane or the conning tower of a submarine."--Evan Thomas, The New York Times Book Review

"Compelling . . . To the broad sweep of military events Mr. Hastings adds myriad human stories . . . and he does not hesitate to offer his own keen analysis along the way."--Peter R. Kann, The Wall Street Journal

"The great merit of Max Hastings's many books on war is his skill at bringing the numbers, as it were, down to earth. Through the imaginative power of his writing, we get an inkling . . . of what it must have been like to slog one's way up a cliff at Iwo Jima, or be firebombed in Tokyo."--Ian Buruma, New York Review of Books

What listeners say about Retribution

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  • Overall
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A superb study by one of the world's finest histor

Where does Retribution rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Among the top 5

What was one of the most memorable moments of Retribution?

Discussion of Japanese behavior in China and Philippines

Which scene was your favorite?

Battle for Manila

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no

Any additional comments?

Simon Vance is one of my favorite narrators. His clear diction, pacing, and intonation convey the author's intentions perfectly. Like many English speakers, however, his pronunciation of Japanese proper names is sometimes incorrect. For example, the name "Yamashita" is not pronounced as "Ya-ma-she-ta" it is pronounced as "Ya-ma-sh'ta;" "Yoshiko" is not "Yo-she-ko" it is "Yo-sh'ko;" and the two famous cities. Tokyo and Kyoto are pronounced as two syllables, not three: not "To-key-oh" but "To-quo" and not "Key-oh-to" but "Quo-to."

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12 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A Must Read!

If you could sum up Retribution in three words, what would they be?

Illuminating, Clear, Inspiring

What other book might you compare Retribution to and why?

As we go further away from the Pacific War - now about 70 plus years - new works are coming out all the time. Because of that, it is hard to find comparisons to this work.

Which character – as performed by Simon Vance – was your favorite?

None really stand out in my mind although, when I first heard Mr Vance go into character, I was both surprised and delighted.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Chapter 19 and its crystal clear summary of the events that lead to the dropping of the atomic bomb. There are so many wild and whacky revisions swirling around the decision to drop the bombs and Mr Hastings’ work confidently deals with these theories with his use of historical records and facts and puts emotional opinions aside. He does what good historians do, and that is getting inside the heads of the decision makers of the period bases on primary sources. I recommend his whole work, but if you can only read one chapter, that chapter should not be missed.

Any additional comments?

Mr Vance’s Japanese pronunciation was not perfect and at times it was irritating but overall was better then some of the other readers I have come across.
I recommend this book to everyone who wants to have a ride into and through the period and the huge events that still echo in the country I have called home for over forty years… Japan!

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8 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Historical Must Read! Max Hastings Delivers Again!

Addresses US use of Atomic Bomb without the biased "facts" normally used by advocates/opponents in supporting their opinion of the morale argument to use/withhold the A-Bomb in Hiroshima & Nagasaki at conclusion of World War II. Excellent insight into Japaneese internal politics and this book is definitely a must read for WWII aficionados.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Too much hand-wringing

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The first three quarters of the book are very good. The last quarter is marred by interminable hand-wringing about the use of the atomic bomb. The author seems to have a neurosis about this topic. It ruins what would otherwise have been a fine effort.

Any additional comments?

Dear Max Hastings: Just tell us what happened. We, the readers, can draw our own ethical conclusions; we don't need you to beat us over the head.

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8 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Hastings does it again.

As usual Max Hastings creates a vivid account the World War II battle this seldom seen perspective on the Pacific campaign is unparalleled.

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Fantastic

Simon Vance does an excellent job. The book is fantastic and a must read (listen) for anyone interested in the Pacific War. Read along with Neptune's Inferno, Retribution caps an awe inspiring and essential learning experience.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

another outstanding world war 2 history

max hasting writes some of the best histories of world war 2. wonderful research brings less know facts to light. his writing is easy to follow and comprehend. his strong bias for all things British is the only flaw I can find in all his books.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Details, Details, Details!

Mr. Hastings brings details and the lives involved within stories I've heard often to life. I will definitely be looking for more of his objective, informative and interesting work.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Outstanding work

This is excellent historical analysis of the Pacific conflict in 1944-45. Max Hastings does a wonderful job of bringing in other theaters of conflict such as Burma, China and the Soviet invasion of Manchuria.

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Wow!

A book not delwing too deep into the military operations themselves, this book is rather absolutely packed with personal accounts from the closing year of the war!

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