Maelstrom (Destroyermen)

It's an interesting idea - two American destroyers and a Japanese warship caught in a 'squall' wind up on an Earth where humans *aren't* the dominant species. Heck, I'm not sure humans even developed on this version of our planet. Seems evolution decided two species were better than one - a particularly nasty reptilian one called "Grik" and a fairly peaceful mammalian one called "Lemurians". The first book (Into the Storm) setup the situation, Crusade developed it a bit further with some really good battle scenes and the Americans getting in on the side of the Lemurians while the Japanese are mostly unwilling allies of the Grik. Maelstrom carries it further with relationships developing between the native civilizations and the humans and some really good battle scenes. Anderson also brings in another group of humans - descendents of a trio of British "Indiamen" who came through the same squall back in the days of the Revolution who've setup a British-style government with a Governor, military, etc. He doesn't do much with this new crew with one exception - the Governor's daughter who plays a pretty major role in the concluding battle.

All in all, a decent effort but no real comparison to S.M. Stirling's "Change" novels. Characters don't seem as 'developed' as Stirling's and except for the battle scenes which are excellent, the plot really doesn't 'move'. Unlike Stirling's novels, I can't seem to become emotionally 'invested' in the situation.

My husband is picky on the books he finds interesting. He liked this series so much he blew through the first two books, the third one was ordered after he had already read the other two and came within a week. =) It was also in excellent condition.

He writes well but puts in way more information than is needed. Sorta drags the story down to the point of boring. I was looking for something different and this is certainly a different type of story line. Just feels laggy to me.

First two books were good although the second one spent a bit too much time rehashing the first book. This one was a good 25% useless repeating and restating what had already been said. Author appears to have gotten lazy and is reserving filler material to create pages. I'm done with this series.

Maelstrom concludes a trilogy that ranks up as one of the best fantasy series I’ve ever read. Trapped in an alternate dimension, Captain Reddy is now the Supreme Commander of the allied forces made up of American Destroyer Men and various Lemurian nations against the reptilian Grik and the Japanese in their unholy alliance. Reddy and his team recruit more Lemurians to their alliance, and in the process come across human descendants of another ship that landed in this world a couple hundred years ago, along with Grik that aren’t as evil as their enemies. All of this leads up to an epic battle to settle the score as they have to deal with the overwhelming numbers among the Grik, who now have armed their ships with cannons, and the more modern and powerful Japanese battle ship.

I always hesitate when I read the final chapter of a series that I really enjoy. I’m always wary that it’s not going to live up to the legacy created by the previous books in the series. Maelstrom, although not quite as good as the first two novels, certainly finishes the trilogy strong. I liked the introduction of the human descendants of the ship that crashed into this world, even though they didn’t play much of a role in the conflict. I liked the buildup to the final battle, and the epic final battle itself, which was well-conceived and well-plotted. The book was a little overly long for my liking, and I thought that it was a little slow in spots, but otherwise I thought it was a fitting conclusion that readers of the series will enjoy.

Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity

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 FanLit.

Taylor Anderson's third book in this series continues to impress and entertain. This is not great literature (although Anderson is a first rate writer and storyteller), but it is great entertainment. Anderson continues to throw in enough twists and turns to keep things interesting and fresh.

This series centers on a weird storm that sends two obsolete American destroyers in the early days of WWII to an alternate universe. This universe, although similar to our earth, has subtle geographic differences. There are not so subtle differences in the inhabitants of this world. There are two sentient races, the Grik who seem to be eveloved velociraptors, and Lemurians, who are evolved giant Lemurs. The Grik are the epitome of evil -- they want only to wipe the Lemurians, their historical "prey," from the face of the earth by killing and eating them. The Lemurians are peaceful by nature, but formidable warriors when pressed. The Americans are thrust into this world just as the Grik have rediscovered the Lemurians in the equivalent of Indonesia centuries after the Lemurians fled from their original home (Madagascar). The Lemurians and Grik are fighting with wooden ships and pre-gunpowder weapons. The Americans come to the aid of the Lemurians with their awesome "modern" ships.

The third entry in the series builds up to the seminal battle, when the Grik attack the primary Lemurian land settlement. (Most of the Lemurians are sea-going, living on gigantic wooden sailing ships known as Homes). The Grik are aided by a Japanese battle cruiser that was sent to the alternate universe in the same event that transported the Americans. Anderson writes great dialogue, his plot moves quickly, his battle scenes are gripping and the result is always in doubt. No one -- or thing -- is safe in these cataclysmic battles. This book is well paced and the final battle is monumental.

There is a new twist added in this book. The Americans and Lemurians are introduced to the descendants of East India Company Englishmen who suffered the same fate a hundred or so years before. Their descendants have establsihed an apparently thriving colony somewhere to the east. They will presumably figure prominently in future installments.

This book -- and the entire series -- is highly recommended. It is well written, well paced and offers believable, well-developed characters. I hope that Anderson continues the story with future installements.

Formerly Lieutenant Commander of the WWII battle destroyer USS Walker in this other earth he and his crew landed in; Matthew Reddy was promoted to Supreme Commander after the recent events against the more modern Japanese battle cruiser and the Grand Swarm of the reptilian Grik (see CRUSADE and INTO THE STORM). Still he knows the recent victories will not prevent the Grik abetted by the Japanese from swarming all over his crew and their allies the pacifist Lemurians.

To win the war and not just delay the inevitable, Reddy leads his sailors into the deadly deep seas; home to "mountain fish" who can eat the Walker in one bite. However, he also has found unlikely allies in Grik who oppose the war and other displaced humans who like the Walker sailors entered this other earth at some time or their offspring. Still he knows in the end he must lead his puny forces in battle against an invincible armada.

Once gain it is the incredible naval battle scenes that makes for a great military science fiction thriller (and saga). The story line is action-packed from the onset, but it is the war at sea especially that is fun to follow. Taylor Anderson uniquely combines the big picture battles with in depth look at how the crew and others psychologically cope with maiming and death of friends and bunkmates knowing they can be next. Especially interesting is Reddy who knows he is sending people to their death and realizes this will haunt him and his future decisions forever; this is mindful of Eisenhower with his D-Day decisions impacting his later presidency especially his belief to avoid land wars in Asia. MAELSTROM is an excellent military sci fi.

Harriet Klausner

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.

This is my second time through the series. Wanted to refamilarize myself with the story & characters before the newest book arrives in July, 2013. I think that Maelstorm remains my favorite of the series. The story is interesting, the characters are complex and continue to "grow" (even the Grick), and the interactions ring true, Our whole family reads this series. I recommended it to anyone who enjoys history/alternative history, military themes, or simply a great story.

I bought this book almost a year ago and after reading the first two in the series, I almost dreaded slogging through it. I actually bought it before book two but when I started reading it, I realized I'd missed a bunch of things that were not in the first one so I had to get book two. Since book two, Maelstrom has sat on the shelf waiting until I had absolutely nothing else to read. Since I spent the money, I would force myself through it and hope things improved after the first 30 pages or so.

The actual story, when he gets to it is quite good. He draws a highly imaginative world that is a cool take on alternate worlds. He has drawn a group of interesting characters, though there are just too many of them. Captain Reddy seems to be the main character, but it is hard to tell as so many others are in there that it is like there are just snippets of his parts throughout the book to tie it all together.

The first half of the book really drags. Not only does he rehash much of what happened in books one and two, but he goes into introspection with a multitude of characters. His writing style also doesn't leave much blank space on each page and with 30 page chapters, very few scene breaks, and solid words page after page, I wouldn't be surprised if there were 200K words crammed into its almost 400 pages. I guess if you were buying word count, you would get your money's worth. However if you are looking for the story to move a bit, skip to page 200 or so where things actually start to happen.

I like that in each book, he adds in more and more about the world outside their little Baalkpan group including other humans and more dames. I also like that there are other Grik-like creatures that are not hostile.

Overall, this could have been a dynamite excursion into alternate reality. However, it is written in a style that is tedious and almost hostile to the reader. If Mr. Anderson would just get to the point, throw in more dialogue, and cut down on the rehashing, I think he could have an outstanding series. As it is, I expect he will have a small core of diehard fans, but will never expand much beyond that. I doubt if I'll continue with the series, though it is still tempting. If I see the next one in the bookstore, I am going to leaf through it carefully to see if he has moderated his style. If not, I'll go on to something less tedious. Recommended for hard core fans only.

Or Cat Monkeys depending on whether you are a Deck Ape or Bilge Rat. Wonderful storyline set in a parallel timeline alternate universe. Taylor has always loved the genre so I am glad he is able to write for it now. The fourth book is on its way as are the subsequent in the series. He is working hard on them and I know they will be equally exquisite in historic detail and fanciful story. Yes, Taylor is a personal friend but I would have recommended this series to anyone who loves history and science fiction hybrids. Well researched and written on WWII equipment for those who like the gritty details and wild imagination of worlds for those who admire the foreign climes.

3rd in series. This series just keeps getting better. An adventure/alternate history/military/epic. Mr. Taylor's descriptions of characters and scenery are very detailed without being boring, there really isn't any where that it drags. Do yourself a favor and get the audio version. William Dufris' narration makes the story come alive, he nails the character voices perfectly.

Pros:
This series has a very engaging storyline. That is what first drew me into this series. I am a sucker for alternative universes that pits extraordinary human characters against overwhelmingly evil creatures.
The characters are introduced very well and we get to know them as ordinary folks who are forced into greatness. I've always loved that sort of development of characters.
I also love that the USS Walker is itself, a character drawn along the same lines as the story's human characters. Through the series I've grown to love the ship as it is forced to rise above its obsolete design.

Cons:

Until now (I'm about a quarter way through this 3rd book) the story has moved along at a good pace. I am kept moving along so that I have denied myself a little sleep because I cannot find good stopping points.
That is, up until now.
What is starting to become apparent is what I consider a fatal flaw in so many authors of today's science fiction novels. That is a constant need to "cleverly" work into the story, a cliff notes version of nearly every event in the preceding books of the series. I find this literary device irritating to the point of distraction. I view it as an insult to my intelligence.
I was somewhat forgiving in the 2nd book because the cliff notes that were spoon fed to me were mercifully short. Now I am a quarter way through this installment and every other paragraph is still insulting my intelligence with a review of events I've already read.
When I think of great authors, none of them ever employ this device. The most outstanding example that comes to mind is Frank Herbert whose legacy is nearly destroyed when his Dune series was taken up by his wanting son who deploys this literary device to infuriating extreme.
The other con is a relatively minor one to me. I believe the bad guys (the Grick) could either use a little more face time since the author chose not to go the "mysterious enemy" route. The author is concentrating on the events from the good guy point of view which I can respect. However, in the 2nd book we get introduced to the head bad guys but we have yet to move beyond an introduction. Once you move beyond the mysteriousness aspect of the antagonists, a little more character development is in order. Maybe that will happen a little further in the story.
I will still finish this book and I would normally wait till the end to review it. However, I wanted to jot down my impressions while I am still a little angry. I give this novel a 3 because at this point, it is the most it can get because of the irritating review of previous events still going on a quarter way through the novel. Hopefully, the story will start advancing from this point.

In conclusion, I see great potential in this author. There are many great points in this series. Please stop with the cliff notes. They are starting to ruin this series for me. I don't need them. I am smarter than that. The greats don't do this to their readers.

Great book! I've read the entire series up to #8 so far, they are all really good. Series progresses well, doesn't slow down in the middle like some longer book series. some are 5 stars, some are 4.5 stars, but overall great book and great series.

This is a fantastic series and I highly recommend these books. There is great attention to the detail of the alternate history world. Great battle descriptions and just the right amount. The character development is fantastic and I find myself unable to hardly wait for the next installment.

I have read the first two books and couldn't wait to get my hands on the third. I am a 55 year old grandmother and this was not the type of book I would normally read, but they were fantastic. I enjoyed going to this scary new world that Mr. Anderson created. I loved reading about these characters that showed such heroism in the face of great adversity. The mixture of history and science fiction was a great balance. I thought Mr. Anderson did a superior job making the characters "human" even if they were not. My only problem will be waiting for the next installment of this wonderful story. I read everyday of my life, and few times have I enjoyed a story as much. Thank you Mr. Anderson for the pleasure these books have brought me. Mr. Anderson is a consumate story teller, the like of which I have rarely seen.

Taylor Anderson writes like John Ringo - and as a matter of fact the Grik seem to be a pre-space Posleen of the Ringo The Legacy of the Aldenata series, also known as the Posleen Wars. Anderson does a nice job. Great reading.

I rate the first two books a strong five. Taylor Anderson is an excellent writer and I eagerly waited for the third book of the trilogy.
I enjoyed Maelstrom until I reached two thirds of the book. I was thinking that there was very little time to make anything of the girl in the boat plus other items of interest. (I don't wish to give away anything to some one who has not read the other books).
I was right about the ending. Everything was crowded into the last couple of chapters.
According to Mr Anderson's website, Destroyermen is listed as a trilogy.
If that is the case, Maelstrom is disapointing. If Mr Anderson is going to continue the "trilogy" (3) then the book is 5 STARS.

Taylor is a great friend and spins a great yarn! Escape from the troubles of this world, and enter an alternative world filled with action, love, adventure, and many surprises to be discovered along the way. Taylor has created it for you...now, get busy!

Nearly a third of this book is rehashing what happened in the previous two. I think it is important to carry new readers along, however, an incredible amount of time is wasted with retelling every little detail of the previous books.

Kindle version of this book suffers from formatting problems often just a sentence or a paragraph per page.

Still - what is new information is creative and interestingly written.

I travel quite a bit and love to settle in with a good novel on the plane or at the hotel. The problem is I could not put the book down until my eyes burned from fatique. It's one of those books that makes you not want to turn on the TV. It's that "i can't wait to settle in and read the next chapter. I really can't wait until the next one. More I need more..hurry..

I first thought to give this book a little higher rating and then I thought of the things that still gnaw at me about this book and the series.

Density... If you open this book and flip through the pages you will see great swaths of exposition and not a lot to break them up. This is poor writing and a disservice to we readers. One thing is that action does not happen without people speaking. Especially in this environment. That has to be balanced with endless meeting dialogue. Somewhere the author does not know the balance.

Infinite resources. Despite trying to put drama into this, the modern needs of our navy are met.

Inconsistency. Flashies are there to eat up the Grik who fall into the sea, but for Lemurians at night they won't?

Vocal cords. Amazingly more and more of the various leaders can speak without the aid of translators. Sure an American can learn spanish. But has the author ever gone to the zoo? How many OOK's can he make with his voice box and how many words like implacable would you use if you did not use the language it was in on a regular basis.

No one really dies. The author tells about the americans dying out, but there is always another around that can do the same job that the dead one had done. An infinite supply of americans.

No, unlike stories that make sense in this genre, like Forstchen's lost regiment where he had hundreds of skilled men who could start rebuilding a society when they transferred over to their alternate world, here Anderson has too few Americans doing way too much with an ally that is too advanced as well. I can buy that the Lemurians are tool users. I just can't buy that they can adopt and intergrate across the entire species in a year.

Then here is the biggest reason to say to the author, write better. He promised to end this series as a trilogy and suddenly the story doesn't end. It could have, but he didn't. He put too many elements in for the next book which was already being written by the time this was released. If a trilogy, be honest. He could very easily of destroyed the enemy in such a way that never would we need another part of this story again. That is the worst form of telling a story. They do end. This one should have.

If you like a kind of fantasy/alternate history book, the Destroyermen series might be for you. I can only assume you read the previous books in the series, so you know the feel. Maelstrom is as good as the others and has some plot twists/foreshadowing. Enjoyable book.

I found the third book in the series to be an action packed continuation of the previous two adventures. I had a hard time putting the book down and certainly look forward to the fourth book in the Spring of 2010.