Blazing Star, Setting Sun

The Guadalcanal-Solomons Campaign November 1942-March 1943

By: Jeffrey Cox

Narrated by: Lance C Fuller

Bloomsbury presents Blazing Star, Setting Sun by Jeffrey Cox, read by Lance C Fuller.

From popular Pacific Theatre expert Jeffrey R. Cox comes this insightful new history of the critical Guadalcanal and Solomons campaign at the height of World War II.

Cox's previous book, Morning Star, Rising Sun, had found the US Navy at its absolute nadir and the fate of the Enterprise, the last operational US aircraft carrier at this point in the war, unknown. This second volume completes the history of this crucial campaign, combining detailed research with a novelist’s flair for the dramatic to reveal exactly how, despite missteps and misfortunes, the tide of war finally turned.

By the end of February 1944, thanks to hard-fought and costly American victories in the first and second naval battles of Guadalcanal, the battle of Empress Augusta Bay, and the battle of Cape St George, the Japanese would no longer hold the materiel or skilled manpower advantage. From this point on, although the war was still a long way from being won, the American star was unquestionably on the ascendant, slowly, but surely, edging Japanese imperialism towards its sunset.

Jeffrey Cox’s analysis and attention to detail of even the smallest events are second to none. But what truly sets this book apart is how he combines this microscopic attention to detail, often unearthing new facts along the way, with an engaging style that transports the reader to the heart of the story, bringing the events on the deep blue of the Pacific vividly to life.

©2020 Jeffrey Cox (P)2020 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Great Narrator, but book gets lost in details.

The narration is spot on, and I thought I knew everything about Guadalcanal, but this book. goes way beyond, Very interesting read.
However, the author gets bogged down in too many details..

Cox seems to feel the need to name every destroyer, ( several times ) every squadron, every pilot ( both sides ), every torpedo
For me, the book looses it continuity, the book does not flow. To be constantly interrupted by every minutiae
of the battle was extremely frustrating...

Great book

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves history. Pleasant in tone and informative.

Great Story Narration So So

This is a great story but the narrator mispronunciation of words is bothersome. This narrator is better than the first volume’s narrator though.

Enjoyed the story but not the narration

A continuation of the author's story of the Guadalcanal Campaign in 1942 and '43. The story is pretty good and well known. This time it is for someone looking to become more familiar with the operations around Guadalcanal in 1942 and '43. The narration was substandard. One recurring theme was the mis-pronunciatan of the ship's name, USS HELENA, named for the City of Helena Montana not the womans name. There are odd mid sentence breaks or breaks within words. Overall the book does a good job of presenting a story of the tribulations and frustrations for both sides during the Guadalcanal Campaig Get a map handy to be familiar with all of the unique named.

great book, frustrating narrator.

the narrator is constantly mispronouncing names and locations throughout the book. it'd quite jarring and sometimes confusing to hear the names of places, people, and ships butchered throughout a historical work.

Outstanding !

Ii thoroughly enjoy how this author takes this particular slice of time during WW2 and presents the reader with details & facts that practically put you in the moment(s). This was such a pivotal series of battles in the Pacific theater that, in my humble opinion, completely deserves to be told in depth. This is actually my second time through ! I truly appreciate this style of historic non-fiction !

I enjoyed it and would listen to it again.

it was easy to listen to and enjoy. A lot of good history.
thank you

HBO needs to do a multi year series on Guadalcanal

This is the 20 th book I’ve listened to on WW2. I am totally intrigued by the story Guadalcanal. Some books I have listened to are more ground based or ship based. This one is more oriented to the air war. However it is very balanced with details of land sea and air details. It also gives insight into the Japanese view. I heard story lines that were not in other books. The battle of the Bismarck Sea is one example . What this book really made clear to me was the desperate nearly existential battle that Guadalcanal was. We know who won but this book really brings home the doubt many people must of had about its outcome. This campaign was not a forgone conclusion: so many times the IJN and IJA stuck it to the US.
The Americans Brits and Aussies who fought were all heroes. I fear we would not have the grit and tenacity that these brave souls had.

This book could be used for a HBO series with a cast of thousands. How about it Steven and Tom. “The Pacific”was great but we need more!!!!

Fine addition to my library

Not much else to say other than it is a fine book by Mr. Cox

Details

Lots and lots of details. Maybe better read. Narrator was very good with all the Japanese.