Books Days of Infamy
Books and Publications Average Rating:

Rating: - A well spun tale of what could have happened after December 7
I was unaware of the "alternative history" approach the authors took in this novel, and was expecting more of a personal narrative from different points of view. Imagine my surprise when Yamamoto launched the third attack wave on Pearl Harbor! As I was reading it, I was thinking, "That didn't happen!!! What are they talking about!?". It then dawned on me that this was an alternative history, and I found it extremely easy to fall into the story and read it avidly.

The book is historically accurate and personally engaging. It is easy to become involved with the characters, with their stories being told against a well-crafted background that places the reader well into the story. The "being there" aura is enhanced by a level of detail and plot development reminiscent of Tom Clancy's better work. This is a hard-to-put-down, an excellent read, and having figured out the genre it lives in, I look forward to reading more in the series.

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Rating: - Great book
This is a great book. Gingrich and Forstchen is a great team and should write more books togther. Well worth your money.

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Rating: - Well Written
This is not one of my favorite authors. His first novel was more like a comic book than a work of Alternate History but my brother disagrees with me in regards to this fellow's work. My brother is something of a fan of his and loaned me his copy of this novel and his preceeding work Pearl Harbor. And I must confess these works are very good. A bit dry for my tastes in literature and rather loaded with minor errors of fact but otherwise well written and very well thought out though I must confess his statements in regards to American racism a bit pronounced to get friendly reviews from critics since the Japanese are hardly saints on this issue as Koreans and members of the Japanese Burukimin untouchable caste and others can attest.

A good though somewhat dull read.

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Rating: - Lots of Action....Not Much Else
"Days of Infamy" reads well. If you like aerial and naval battle action with lots of descriptive blood and guts, this book is for you. On the other hand, if you are hoping to learn something about the facts, the strategies and the personalities of the war, this is not the place.

I thoroughly enjoyed "Pearl Harbor" by these authors. Although it too was alternative history, it seemed to portray the conditions, the rationale and the events leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor quite well. My only real complaint with it was that the authors never explained where the facts ended and the fiction began.

No problem with this one. It is almost pure fiction. The only takeaways from this book are that war IS hell, that Halsey and Yamomoto were gamblers and there was a backlash against Japanese Americans. Oh yes, and that Churchill and Roosevelt talked to each other and Roosevelt made an inspiring speach to the nation.

While I understand that Gingrich and Forstchen are writing alternative history, I still think it would be extremely helpful if they would provide either a foreword, footnotes or an appendix to help the reader reconcile the fiction vs the facts. Additionally, both "Pearl Harbor" and this book contain numerous photos that would be far more interesting if some explanation were provided. A couple of maps would also be useful to help the reader follow the action.

All in all, this is an entertaining read that misses a golden opportunity to educate the reader about much of anything. That was disappointing.