Book II, Crusade: Destroyermen

At one point while reading this I was wondering when I could catch my breath, because there was no break for an end to the chapter. Then I scanned ahead, and found that these chapters were 100 pages... This is the second book, and ROC is a big publisher, but have they let their editorial staff go? The author has an idea, and a story. But he has problems.

First is believability which I pointed out after the first book, these guys are going to be making and creating things way beyond their capabilities to do so. Time to go read Lest Darkness Fall, which only builds from one believable addition to the next. Or Stirling and his Island in the Sea of Time, or even the Lost Regiment series. But here, well they can really do anything and will do anything, and the original complement of US navy men will die about 3 times over, like bullets in a Stallone movie, no need to reload.

Sure one can believe the men that the author does sacrifice, but when our hero is overwhelmed outside of the line of protection, he and two other very powerful figures in the story, miraculously survive. NOT! We suspend our disbelief so often, don't write stupid also. But Anderson does.

Back to a criticism of the language, I previously said how impossible it would be to use Latin as the intermediary language and within days have it so that you can translate every complex thought direct to Lemurian, which humans can make the sounds. Now we have the reptilian Grik translating for the Japanese...

The voracious fish, batter apart one guy in a few hours, but another guy can be down under water for a great deal longer fixing the prop and he gets of alright.

An Editor should have sat down with the author and said some of this is working, but the rest, the genre has assumptions and this shows in amateur way how Anderson is breaking them. Again back to Lest Darkness Falls. It is a classic not because it is so old, but because you can't poke holes in the science the way this one is sinking under them.

The last mistake that Anderson makes is speechifying. Most people don't give speeches. Those that do, it is hard to keep track of key points to say without reflecting on notes. Try it. Anderson's heroes can have long soliloquies of speechifying. Which then leads us to Tell and don't show, because there are two states in which he writes, long speechs, or long paragraphs of exposition.

Good action, lousy writing. Middling book for a read only once.

Finally! What a great adventure. I have loved reading Si-Fi adventure since I was a kid, starting with wonderful books by Andre Norton. The last decade or so I has seen a real lack of authors who know how to create a real adventure instead of just a hack em up constant fight story or boring military or political intrigue as the main flow of the story.

This book has well developed character who are easy to get to know, with enough military fighting to keep it interesting. The main flow of the story is the adventure, so refreshing. I am going to order the second book right away and can't wait to get back into the story. I really appreciated the authors knowledge of WWII and the actual history that was interwoven into the story as well.

On a side note to the author, it looks like they are starting to believe that the Brontosaurus was a real dinosaur after all.

Taylor Anderson's first novel in his Destroymen series was one of the best novels I've ever read, so the bar was set high for Crusade. Fortunately, Taylor Anderson delivered with an excellent sequel. The world he created is a fascinating one where two naval destroyers from World War II are badly damaged in a fight with a Japanese naval ship, landing in an alternate world, where they take the side with the peaceful Lemurians against the dreaded lizard creatures, the Grik. As Captain Reddy gets his crew ready for an offensive against the Grik, they discover that the Japanese vessel they had been fighting against has not only also made it into this world but is aligned with the Grik. The task before them becomes incredibly daunting, if not possible.
What I liked about this novel is first, the terrific characters in the story. Anderson does an excellent job of sculpting well-defined characters, both human and Lemurians alike. There are great side-stories intermixed with the main conflict. One thing that I liked better about the sequel was that although there was some struggle, I thought things went a little too easy for the good guys in the first novel. This time the tasks they had to face were incredibly rough to the point where I had to wonder how they were going to survive in a realistic fashion. That part is still to be determined. Finally, the situation that Anderson has created is one where I found myself really pulling for the Destroyermen and the Lemurians. There were terrific fight scenes and good transitional scenes. All in all a well-done sequel definitely worth reading.

Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity

With his second book in this series, Taylor Anderson fills in some of the holes of the first book, and provides another fast moving, highly entertaining alternate reality story.

This book continues to focus on the crew of two obsolete American destroyers that were somehow sent to another dimension at the height of naval engagement with Japanese forces in the early days of WWII. The ships are actually WWI surplus, hopelessly outclassed by the modern Japanese ships they faced. However, in the new reality, where wooden ships are the order of the day, the American ships rule the waves. At least for awhile.

The new reality where the Americans (and an Australian civilian with unique and helpful talents) find themselves is populated by two sentient races -- evolved lemurs, or Lemurians, who are naturally peaceful, and evolved raptors, or Grik, who are inherently evil. The Americans ally themselves with the Lemurians, and are thrust into a war even more vicious than the one they were forced to leave.

The primary addition to the story provided in this book is some background on the Grik, both culturally and from a strategy standpoint. While the Grik are perhaps caricatures of evil, that is probably not an unrealistic portrayal of evolved carnivorous dinosaurs.

This book rates five stars not because it is great literature (it's not), but because it's great entertainment. The book is very readable; the dialogue continues to be crisp and authentic; the plot is logical and believable. While not all of the characters are developed fully, many are. No one is portrayed as Superman or Sir Galahad; these are generally very real characters. Other reviewers have suggested Pournelle and Stirling have done better. To each his own, as the saying goes. Anderson in my view is far better than Stirling and every bit as enjoyable as Pournelle.

If you like alternate reality/history with a touch of "starting over" that comes with the apocalyptic genre, you will enjoy this book.

I normally shy away from series, because few hold my attention long enough to reach the third or fourth volume. I picked up "Into the Storm" at the library when I couldn't find anything else that caught my interest, and now I'm hooked. Just pre-ordered the third volume from the store.

Anderson shines by keeping his characters realistic and representative of the Greatest Generation types who would have crewed such vessels at the start of WWII. He hasn't turned them all into sophisticated, culturally-sensitive college grads, nor has he provided them with unlikely skills in martial arts or advanced technology--though I must say the Australian engineer who just happens to have the maps to all the Indonesian oil fields on his person is a bit too convenient.

At times I was reminded of a different Anderson, Poul, not in the writing style, but in the cultural extrapolation of the Lemurian and Grik species. There are also occasional reminders of "Sand Pebbles", another novel about US Asiatic Fleet sailors by Richard McKenna, who was one and who also wrote some SF. If Destroyermen isn't quite classic science fiction or great literature, it's extremely entertaining. I eagerly await the next installment.

A good tale well told.

Good characters, interesting setting, intriguing plot, well handled story telling.

Not great, but quite good. Good enough to be very readable and definitely good enough to make it worth picking up the next in the series.

I was fascinated to see how much of a shambles the intrepid Walker could be made into yet still, somehow, be made to keep going. Anderson knows his ships and he knows the sort of men it takes to run them. By concentrating on that he wrings a compelling tale from the human scale drama.

This is a tale of voracious and implacable enemies, spirited humans being human, and plucky allies all coming together in the most exciting manner possible.

Well worth the read.

US Navy Lieutenant Commander Matthew Reddy and the crew of the USS Walker still struggle to adjust to being on an alternate earth. However, he knows they do not have any time to understand how they were transported and how to get home. Instead he and his team train their local allies, the gentle peace-loving Lemurian, for war against the feral reptilian Grand Swarm of Grik.

However, the scenario turns even uglier for the displaced World War II Americans. A Japanese battle cruiser from their earth has arrived. The War in the Pacific has expanded to this alternate earth.

This is a terrific graphic sequel to INTO THE STORM as readers will believe they are part of Reddy's crew with fully described sea, air and land battles and a typhoon to add to the overall chaos. The story line is filled with action, but the bottom line is Taylor Anderson's deep look at the deterioration of unit and individual values in combat. Does for instance the seven modern day Army Values: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage truly hold up when the enemy has overwhelming fire power that leaves your comrades dead, dying or severely injured?

Harriet Klausner

"Destroyermen Crusade" is the stunning sequel to "Destroyermen: Into the Storm"

LCDR Matt Reddy is again leading the thinning crew of his Great War relic four stacker USS Walker into the fray against the reptilian raptor-humanoid race known as the Grik whose only purpose to to consume everything and everyone in their path.

The Walker, her sister Mahan, their crews and new allies of monkey-cats start an offensive to save their races from the carnivorous enemies who now have Japanese 'allies'.

Taylor Anderson keeps he reading on his feet and turning pages with personnel dramas, global conflict, and the destroyermen's struggles to maintain their technology in the Bronze Age.

This book and this series is really an enjoyable read, I read the whole series in a week and my only regret is that I must now wait for the next book to come out. Well written and interesting details. Truly a great story. The author really takes the time to build up a great story while keeping you interested and involved the whole time. Character development is also great. If you find the summary of the book interesting then you really will enjoy this book and series, although I wish they gave a little less information in the summary as there is a bit of a spoiler, I have learned not to read them in the following novels.

Anderson is producing an excellent new series on multiple levels and Crusade is a fine step beyond the first volume. Two members of my family served on these old, wet ships and their only real virtues were their speed and their crews. Anderson successfully evokes the desperate world of the Asiatic fleet in 1942 and has created a fascinating cast of characters on the protagonist ship Walker and the world around it. Although he has gotten the environment just right, he also understands that all decent war stories are really about the people and the reader soon begins to really care about these lost sailors and their "friends".
He has also managed to fascinate us with a developing picture of the new antagonists - the Grik - as well as the utterly inconvenient reappearance of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the forn of a damaged but operational battlecruiser. There is now a panoply of fascinating possibilies for the third book. Hints have been dropped about possible other humans and the potentially exploitable weaknesses of the battlecruiser types make the third installment something to be anticipated

2nd in series. Deeper character development. As the story continues it gets harder to stop listening. I especially like the way that minor plot lines get tied up at the end of the book yet the story continues. Must read the next one.

If you enjoy fantastic creatures, nation building, and a truely evil enemy, then this series of books is for you. The characters are well defined and the plot is very believable, but not too predictable. Put simply, it's a great read!

I mentioned in the review of Taylor Anderson's first book, Destroyermen: Into the Storm, that I thought the work defied easy categorization. With its mix of science and military fiction, fantasy, and history, there's a little something for everyone in this book. After reading Destroyermen: Cusade, I think I "get" what the series is about.

Honor.

If you're not steeped in the military culture (or not a resident of Texas) this concept may be a little foreign. Honor, as Taylor has portrayed it in this book, is doing what's right no matter the cost. There is really only one right choice at each branching point in the book-that is sticking by your allies, doing your best to accomplish your goals, and remaining loyal to your men no matter the circumstances. Doing so makes the overall goal of defeating a terrible enemy a reality. Taylor teaches some excellent lessons about what it means to be a man in this series, showcasing this with several of his characters "growing up" during the course of the plot. Young men at high school age could learn a great deal by giving these books a once over.

Setting is just a crucible in which writers place characters to watch them do interesting things. By definition, a crucible is piece of laboratory equipment which is generally used as a container for reactions at high temperatures. Taylor has put the crew of the Walker, a WWI era four stacker destroyer, in a brilliantly designed crucible just to see what would happen. Men of disparate backgrounds, education, and work ethics come together to defend the Lemurian people who facing annihilation at the hands of the reptilian Grik. They don't face simple domination; their people will be broken, harried, and eaten until they are extinct. The Grik are not a pretty enemy, nor is there anything redeeming about their character or culture (at least so far).

Lt. Commander Matt Reddy, now Admiral Reddy at the behest of his Lemurian allies, welds an alliance of many different tribes together, spearheads a logistics drive to outfit them with rudimentary cannon, and uses a paroled Japanese officer and an older Marine sergeant to outfit a company of soldiers based on Roman infantry tactics. As you might guess, being an intrepid reader, all of this preparedness results in a huge battle at the climax of the book. The payoff is well worth it.

Taylor's sense of timing, comprehensible prose, and spot-on characterizations keep the narrative moving at a brisk pace to the inevitable conclusion. There are a few surprises along the way (even one that I totally called), but nothing feels like a deus ex machina. If you like action-packed adventure that hearkens back to the time when heroes were black and white and larger than life, then you cannot miss the novel.

The Destroyermen series is a highly imaginative and entertaining concept, with plenty of heroes and likable characters. My only problem is the tedious writing style.

I don't need to go into the story as that has been done by many other reviewers. I will say that in many ways it is well done. However, it came to the point where I dreaded having to sit down to read some more.

If you are paying by the word, you certainly get your money's worth, as if you do a quick scan through the pages, you will notice not a lot of empty space. Mr. Anderson tends to write very long paragraphs, page after page. It is almost 400 pages and only has 4 or 5 chapters (can't remember which). That, combined with sparing scene breaks doesn't give a very fast or easy read, especially if you read during commercials like I do. I often times found myself caught in the middle of a half-page paragraph as the show came back on. In frustration, I had to save reading this book until early in the morning or when there was no interesting TV on.

Another problem is that he tells a lot, and shows less. Being a struggling writer, I get beat up over telling instead of showing all the time, and this book wouldn't make it past the first very long scene intact. Also, because there are so few scene breaks, he does a lot of head-hopping.

I'll give him points for writing in 3rd person, and his descriptions are vivid and detailed. However, he tends to go overboard with everything and I was left slogging through paragraph after paragraph waiting for something to happen.

There is plenty of action but it is buried within huge chunks instead of bite-sized, easily readable prose.

There is some dialogue, but even that is usually attached to a super-long paragraph, half the time.

Despite all, I already have the third book and want to see what happens next. However, I'm going to wait a few months before I try to tackle it. I've already read a bit into this third volume and it is the same style, so I have no desire to plow right into another one just yet.

Overall, a great and unique story. If you like to get your money's worth of words, then this series is for you. However, if you are expecting a quick or easy read, forget it. Still, I'd recommend it for sci-fi fans and anyone looking for something out of the ordinary.

I have known Taylor for some 15 years, reenacting and shooting cannons with him, and confess to reading Destroyermen out of loyalty to a friend that I had no idea could write. Rarely do I read fiction any more, concentrating mostly on history. Nevertheless, I have been hooked on the series. I appreciate the technical research and knowledge base that went into the series and we have emailed back and forth over, especially, artillery and ballistics issues. The technology "up-transfer" is particularly intriguing to me. What's more, I care about the characters, which I consider the benchmark of a good story. I can't, for instance, say as much about the latest Star Wars series, but can about the destroyermen and the "Cats." I hope you will all read it and make Taylor rich, so he can buy more cannons.

I ordered this title for my Kindle.. having enjoyed the first book in the series. Imagine my disappointment when the copy of "Crusade" I recieved via the Kindle was ...another book totally. It turned out to be a copy of "Crusade" by Robyn Young. I double-checked and checked again -- even the "sample pages" are incorrect. So the store has screwed things up.

Would love the real copy..

A most excellent book! Taylor Anderson makes it fast paced so it doesn't get boring and add plenty of action, a little romance and adventure! What more can you ask for? I'm now on the 4th book in the series and I can't get enough!