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kathydavie's review against another edition
4.0
Tenth in the Destroyermen science fiction-military alternate history series and generally revolving around Captain Reddy and the USS Walker. The primary focus in Straits of Hell is on keeping Grik City and beating the Dominion.
MY TAKE
Straits of Hell is composed of more battles, and the primary reason it took me four weeks to read. I kept picking it up and reading a few chapters before I put it down again for days. It was fearsome to read as I kept worrying about the outcomes of the different battles and who would die next. The story touches on the new groups that have been introduced in past stories, and we do learn more about the group behind the sinking of the Allies' sub. It is not promising for our side.
The League are a terrifying group who want to become friendly with the Japanese. They want to take over the world — with the right kind of people — and are concerned about the Allies winning any of their battles, hence the sinking of USS Respite Island in Deadly Shores, 9. They seem to have a powerful technology (for their time) and have been listening in on everyone!
Having abandoned Esshk, Kurokawa must rein in his own tempers having realized that he needs to keep his few surviving officers on his side. It's a treat to read, especially when he goes groveling to Esshk.
I guess I should have known how the next Celestial Mother would be chosen. Jesus. You'll laugh at Esshk's maneuverings that push Ragak into his boastful fate, although I was surprised at how well his army did.
I do like Choon! The situation in Alexandria is too frustrating for words, and Garrett and Choon both hound the emperor for his lack of decision.
Circumstances will teach Rebecca, Nig-Taak, Matt, and others to allow for their emotions and not to take past encounters as set in stone. Circumstances will also, lol, teach Shinya's forces that he doesn't tolerate incompetence. Nerino has also learned that war is not beautiful, although Don Hernan wallows in the blood and suffering as "cleansing". I suspect the Allies will be able to convert the Doms simply by how the Allies care for their wounded.
There's a thoughtful piece when Matt discusses with Bernie what he thought Gray, what all of them, are fighting for, and it may start with one's immediate ship and shipmates, but it truly is for the grand scheme.
Geerki has grown quite a bit since he first joined with Rolak. He's almost a person, as he says, and he's quite firm in his dealings with the civilian Grik, quite sneaky in fact.
It's a combination of battle, weapon upgrades, better tactics on the part of the Grik and the Doms, the terrifying way in which the Allies learn them, and Walker keeps falling apart.
THE STORY
Along with the Lemurians and Imperial allies, Matt Reddy's old Asiatic Fleet destroyer USS Walker and his crew fight to keep the reptilian Grik, a race growing in supremacy, from reconquering the Lemurians' ancestral home on Madagascar. Reddy and his crew are exhausted, far from reinforcements, and wildly outnumbered, so the odds seem greater than ever before.
As for the fate of the Americas, Don Hernan and the evil Dominion have gathered to annihilate the forces behind the walls of Fort Defiance while a shadowy power with an agenda all its own rises with chilling resolve.
As the war teeters on a knife-edge, a tipping point may have been reached at last — and cold steel and hot-blooded valor will remain the ultimate weapons.
THE CHARACTERS
The complete character list is too long for Goodreads, so you'll have to visit the review for Straits of Hell on my website if you want to see it (it won't post until July 19, 2015.
The Grand Alliance is forming up as a United States of the allies. Adar is its Chairman, High Sky Priest for Salissa and Baalkpan, and High Chief of Baalkpan. Commander Alan Letts is helping Adar set up the new constitution in Baalkpan Bay.
Grik City, Madagascar is…
…the Lemurians' ancient homeland that had been occupied by the Grik. It's where the Celestial Palace, dubbed the "Cowflop", is located and was taken by the Allies in Deadly Shores. And where the Celestial Mother was killed.
First Fleet South is…
…led by USS Walker, a destroyer that fell through a hole in the universe while fleeing an overwhelming Japanese task force. Lieutenant Commander (Captain) Matthew Reddy commands the Walker then and now. He's also the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in this world. Nurse Lieutenant Sandra Tucker Reddy is Matt's wife and the Alliance's Minister of Medicine. And pregnant.
Fort Defiance is…
…part of the Eastern front fighting the Doms off Central America. General Tomatsu Shinya is commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force. Colonel James Blair is one of the Imperials.
Second Fleet Task Force 11 is…
…off the coast of Costa Rica, conducting a probe of the Dom fleet. It's led by Admiral E.B. Hibbs on his flagship, HIMS Mars. Midshipman Varley is part of the Mars. Lieutenant Ruik-Sor-Ra captains the USS Simms. Lieutenant Gaal-Etkaa is his exec.The HMIS Icarus, a square rig steamer, is captained by Lieutenant Parr. Other ships include Finir-Pel, Mertz, Tindal, and Captain Grimsley commands the Achilles.
Second Fleet will be led by…
…High Admiral Harvey Jenks, and Rebecca insists on coming along. The Mithra will become his flagship. Surgeon Commander Selaas-Fris-Ar is Keje's daughter and chief medical officer for all Second Fleet.
Alexandra, Republic of Real People is…
…in southern Africa and sounds like our Cape Town. The kaiser, their ruler, is Nig-Taak. The Gentaa are a human-Lemurian hybrid who keep themselves apart and have set themselves up as an exclusive labor class. Inquisitor Kon-Choon is chief of intelligence for the Republic and a passenger on Donaghey. Corporal Meek is Doocy's son. General Marcus Kim is commander of the land forces of the Republic.
The Enemy
The Grik homeland is…
…Sofesshk in East Africa and is ruled by Regent Consort Ragak. The Hij are the ruling class. The Uul are warriors and can follow basic commands. First General Esshk has power struggles with Ragak, who will lead his own army to recover the Celestial City. The Chooser has proclaimed Esshk Regent Champion until a new Giver of Life can be chosen from the candidates Esshk managed to rescue from Madagascar. General Ign is the commander of the "new" warriors.
The Holy Dominion are…
…ruled by a bloodthirsty religion. Don Hernan de Devina Dicha is a Blood Cardinal, second only to this Supreme Holiness, and totally whacked. He "boosts" morale by threatening unholy torture unto death if any man fails him. General Ghanan Nerino is the former commander of His Supreme Holiness' Army of the South, the Army of God, who will be given a second chance. His Supreme Holiness, a.k.a., the Messiah of Mexico, Emperor of the World, is their ruler.
Zanzibar is…
…the headquarters for General of the Sea Hisashi Kurokawa who has too much in common with the Grik. General of the Sky Hideki Muriname, the last surviving pilot from Amagi, finally believes that Kurokawa is mad. Lieutenant Iguri is Muriname's executive officer. Commander Riku is the head of Ordnance. Signal Lieutenant Fukui handles communications. Tatsuma was Kurokawa's personal yacht and is an insult to Kurokawa when it arrives in Zanzibar.
The League of Tripoli is…
…an alliance of European countries with the French, Italians, and Spanish the powerful ones and the Germans a secondary ally. They control the Mediterranean, a chunk of North Africa, and have a toehold in Italy, France, and Spain.
Lemurians, a.k.a., 'Cats, are native to this new world, and while of a pacifist nature, have readily turned war-like to protect their people from the Grik. Homes are the great ocean-going ships each clan lived on. The Grik are a lizard-like people who eat each other and any prisoners they take. They revel in war and conquest. This war with the Allies is forcing them to re-think some aspects of their culture.
THE COVER and TITLE
The cover is fiery with deep reds and oranges in the night sky and the reflected yellows of weapon bursts on the churning waves with a collage of the ships that take part in the battles: a destroyer, brigs, a dirigible, and planes.
The title is the ferocity of the last battle. It's the Straits of Hell where the fate of Grik City will be decided.
MY TAKE
Straits of Hell is composed of more battles, and the primary reason it took me four weeks to read. I kept picking it up and reading a few chapters before I put it down again for days. It was fearsome to read as I kept worrying about the outcomes of the different battles and who would die next. The story touches on the new groups that have been introduced in past stories, and we do learn more about the group behind the sinking of the Allies' sub. It is not promising for our side.
The League are a terrifying group who want to become friendly with the Japanese. They want to take over the world — with the right kind of people — and are concerned about the Allies winning any of their battles, hence the sinking of USS Respite Island in Deadly Shores, 9. They seem to have a powerful technology (for their time) and have been listening in on everyone!
"…Gravois and his superiors have their own plans, always, that are rarely respectful of those they consider to be in their power."Their behavior in Africa is reprehensible. They treat the Republic as if it were a child needing their tyrannical guiding hand.
Having abandoned Esshk, Kurokawa must rein in his own tempers having realized that he needs to keep his few surviving officers on his side. It's a treat to read, especially when he goes groveling to Esshk.
I guess I should have known how the next Celestial Mother would be chosen. Jesus. You'll laugh at Esshk's maneuverings that push Ragak into his boastful fate, although I was surprised at how well his army did.
I do like Choon! The situation in Alexandria is too frustrating for words, and Garrett and Choon both hound the emperor for his lack of decision.
Circumstances will teach Rebecca, Nig-Taak, Matt, and others to allow for their emotions and not to take past encounters as set in stone. Circumstances will also, lol, teach Shinya's forces that he doesn't tolerate incompetence. Nerino has also learned that war is not beautiful, although Don Hernan wallows in the blood and suffering as "cleansing". I suspect the Allies will be able to convert the Doms simply by how the Allies care for their wounded.
There's a thoughtful piece when Matt discusses with Bernie what he thought Gray, what all of them, are fighting for, and it may start with one's immediate ship and shipmates, but it truly is for the grand scheme.
Geerki has grown quite a bit since he first joined with Rolak. He's almost a person, as he says, and he's quite firm in his dealings with the civilian Grik, quite sneaky in fact.
It's a combination of battle, weapon upgrades, better tactics on the part of the Grik and the Doms, the terrifying way in which the Allies learn them, and Walker keeps falling apart.
THE STORY
Along with the Lemurians and Imperial allies, Matt Reddy's old Asiatic Fleet destroyer USS Walker and his crew fight to keep the reptilian Grik, a race growing in supremacy, from reconquering the Lemurians' ancestral home on Madagascar. Reddy and his crew are exhausted, far from reinforcements, and wildly outnumbered, so the odds seem greater than ever before.
As for the fate of the Americas, Don Hernan and the evil Dominion have gathered to annihilate the forces behind the walls of Fort Defiance while a shadowy power with an agenda all its own rises with chilling resolve.
As the war teeters on a knife-edge, a tipping point may have been reached at last — and cold steel and hot-blooded valor will remain the ultimate weapons.
THE CHARACTERS
The complete character list is too long for Goodreads, so you'll have to visit the review for Straits of Hell on my website if you want to see it (it won't post until July 19, 2015.
The Grand Alliance is forming up as a United States of the allies. Adar is its Chairman, High Sky Priest for Salissa and Baalkpan, and High Chief of Baalkpan. Commander Alan Letts is helping Adar set up the new constitution in Baalkpan Bay.
Grik City, Madagascar is…
…the Lemurians' ancient homeland that had been occupied by the Grik. It's where the Celestial Palace, dubbed the "Cowflop", is located and was taken by the Allies in Deadly Shores. And where the Celestial Mother was killed.
First Fleet South is…
…led by USS Walker, a destroyer that fell through a hole in the universe while fleeing an overwhelming Japanese task force. Lieutenant Commander (Captain) Matthew Reddy commands the Walker then and now. He's also the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in this world. Nurse Lieutenant Sandra Tucker Reddy is Matt's wife and the Alliance's Minister of Medicine. And pregnant.
Fort Defiance is…
…part of the Eastern front fighting the Doms off Central America. General Tomatsu Shinya is commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force. Colonel James Blair is one of the Imperials.
Second Fleet Task Force 11 is…
…off the coast of Costa Rica, conducting a probe of the Dom fleet. It's led by Admiral E.B. Hibbs on his flagship, HIMS Mars. Midshipman Varley is part of the Mars. Lieutenant Ruik-Sor-Ra captains the USS Simms. Lieutenant Gaal-Etkaa is his exec.The HMIS Icarus, a square rig steamer, is captained by Lieutenant Parr. Other ships include Finir-Pel, Mertz, Tindal, and Captain Grimsley commands the Achilles.
Second Fleet will be led by…
…High Admiral Harvey Jenks, and Rebecca insists on coming along. The Mithra will become his flagship. Surgeon Commander Selaas-Fris-Ar is Keje's daughter and chief medical officer for all Second Fleet.
Alexandra, Republic of Real People is…
…in southern Africa and sounds like our Cape Town. The kaiser, their ruler, is Nig-Taak. The Gentaa are a human-Lemurian hybrid who keep themselves apart and have set themselves up as an exclusive labor class. Inquisitor Kon-Choon is chief of intelligence for the Republic and a passenger on Donaghey. Corporal Meek is Doocy's son. General Marcus Kim is commander of the land forces of the Republic.
The Enemy
The Grik homeland is…
…Sofesshk in East Africa and is ruled by Regent Consort Ragak. The Hij are the ruling class. The Uul are warriors and can follow basic commands. First General Esshk has power struggles with Ragak, who will lead his own army to recover the Celestial City. The Chooser has proclaimed Esshk Regent Champion until a new Giver of Life can be chosen from the candidates Esshk managed to rescue from Madagascar. General Ign is the commander of the "new" warriors.
The Holy Dominion are…
…ruled by a bloodthirsty religion. Don Hernan de Devina Dicha is a Blood Cardinal, second only to this Supreme Holiness, and totally whacked. He "boosts" morale by threatening unholy torture unto death if any man fails him. General Ghanan Nerino is the former commander of His Supreme Holiness' Army of the South, the Army of God, who will be given a second chance. His Supreme Holiness, a.k.a., the Messiah of Mexico, Emperor of the World, is their ruler.
Zanzibar is…
…the headquarters for General of the Sea Hisashi Kurokawa who has too much in common with the Grik. General of the Sky Hideki Muriname, the last surviving pilot from Amagi, finally believes that Kurokawa is mad. Lieutenant Iguri is Muriname's executive officer. Commander Riku is the head of Ordnance. Signal Lieutenant Fukui handles communications. Tatsuma was Kurokawa's personal yacht and is an insult to Kurokawa when it arrives in Zanzibar.
The League of Tripoli is…
…an alliance of European countries with the French, Italians, and Spanish the powerful ones and the Germans a secondary ally. They control the Mediterranean, a chunk of North Africa, and have a toehold in Italy, France, and Spain.
Lemurians, a.k.a., 'Cats, are native to this new world, and while of a pacifist nature, have readily turned war-like to protect their people from the Grik. Homes are the great ocean-going ships each clan lived on. The Grik are a lizard-like people who eat each other and any prisoners they take. They revel in war and conquest. This war with the Allies is forcing them to re-think some aspects of their culture.
THE COVER and TITLE
The cover is fiery with deep reds and oranges in the night sky and the reflected yellows of weapon bursts on the churning waves with a collage of the ships that take part in the battles: a destroyer, brigs, a dirigible, and planes.
The title is the ferocity of the last battle. It's the Straits of Hell where the fate of Grik City will be decided.
trike's review against another edition
3.0
It seems odd to say "not much happened" in a 400-page novel about a global war between humans, sapient dinosaurs and talking lemurs, but that's how this one feels.
After the big push to invade the Grik seat of power in Madagascar in book 9, here in #10 we find our intrepid heroes trying to hold it against the dinos' attempt to take it back. Simultaneously over in Central America we see the other major front against the super-Inquisition as they attack the stronghold held by our Destroyermen/Lemurian contingent, Fort Defiance.
This book mostly seems like Anderson's refighting the Alamo or Masada or something, except we know the good guys are going to win. Not a lot of tension in that. At this point it was mostly a case of playing Which Secondary Character Gets Killed Now? The answer: very few. Mostly we lose inconsequential characters by the thousands.
I didn't buy the notion that the leader of the royal Imperial contingent, Princess Rebecca, went along on the invasion against the Dominion in Central America, and it felt convoluted to get Reddy and the rest of the Destroyermen off the Walker to participate in the battle on Madagascar. It feels too much like Princess Leia and Captain Kirk ignoring protocol and common sense in order to put them in the midst of the fighting.
Especially when we have so many interesting new wrinkles in the world, which are practically glossed over. Humans from yet another alternate Earth! The League of Tripoli! Savage Lemurians! Lemurian/human hybrids! The Grik without their Celestial Mother for the first time in generations! Isak taming a baby griklet!
So many avenues to follow, so many new players on the field, yet we get more of the same. And the real problem is that the battles don't actually resolve anything. They just serve to eliminate cannon fodder. All the Big Bads are still in play. The one truly significant death in the entire book takes place off-screen!
There is also the annoyingly constant use of ellipses to signify a character searching for a word. The problem is that EVERY character does this, and it even occurs in the prologue, which is an excerpt from a book written by Bradford 15 years after the events of this story. Courtney would never do that. It makes the characters all seem the same and it becomes a crutch. Oh well. You don't read a book like this for style.
It was entertaining enough, but at this point I kinda want Anderson to kill off Reddy or someone, just to shake things up. Either that or get some of these new folks front and center.
After the big push to invade the Grik seat of power in Madagascar in book 9, here in #10 we find our intrepid heroes trying to hold it against the dinos' attempt to take it back. Simultaneously over in Central America we see the other major front against the super-Inquisition as they attack the stronghold held by our Destroyermen/Lemurian contingent, Fort Defiance.
This book mostly seems like Anderson's refighting the Alamo or Masada or something, except we know the good guys are going to win. Not a lot of tension in that. At this point it was mostly a case of playing Which Secondary Character Gets Killed Now? The answer: very few. Mostly we lose inconsequential characters by the thousands.
I didn't buy the notion that the leader of the royal Imperial contingent, Princess Rebecca, went along on the invasion against the Dominion in Central America, and it felt convoluted to get Reddy and the rest of the Destroyermen off the Walker to participate in the battle on Madagascar. It feels too much like Princess Leia and Captain Kirk ignoring protocol and common sense in order to put them in the midst of the fighting.
Especially when we have so many interesting new wrinkles in the world, which are practically glossed over. Humans from yet another alternate Earth! The League of Tripoli! Savage Lemurians! Lemurian/human hybrids! The Grik without their Celestial Mother for the first time in generations! Isak taming a baby griklet!
So many avenues to follow, so many new players on the field, yet we get more of the same. And the real problem is that the battles don't actually resolve anything. They just serve to eliminate cannon fodder. All the Big Bads are still in play. The one truly significant death in the entire book
Spoiler
-- General Nerino --There is also the annoyingly constant use of ellipses to signify a character searching for a word. The problem is that EVERY character does this, and it even occurs in the prologue, which is an excerpt from a book written by Bradford 15 years after the events of this story. Courtney would never do that. It makes the characters all seem the same and it becomes a crutch. Oh well. You don't read a book like this for style.
It was entertaining enough, but at this point I kinda want Anderson to kill off Reddy or someone, just to shake things up. Either that or get some of these new folks front and center.
brandt's review against another edition
3.0
A bit formulaic. The author hits the same beats the same way. The world has expanded a bit and we learn of a new threat. But very little else happens that didn't happen in the last book. The western fleet are still in Madagascar and the Eastern Fleet are still in the same area in South America. I almost feel as if the author should have written one book on the western front and the other on the eastern one rather than cut them in half and put them in two different books. I really hope more happens in the next one.
brandt's review
3.0
A bit formulaic. The author hits the same beats the same way. The world has expanded a bit and we learn of a new threat. But very little else happens that didn't happen in the last book. The western fleet are still in Madagascar and the Eastern Fleet are still in the same area in South America. I almost feel as if the author should have written one book on the western front and the other on the eastern one rather than cut them in half and put them in two different books. I really hope more happens in the next one.
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