Into the Storm

Destroyermen, Book 1

By: Taylor Anderson

Narrated by: William Dufris

Pressed into service when World War II breaks out in the Pacific, the USS Walker---a Great-War vintage "four-stacker" destroyer---finds itself in full retreat from pursuit by Japanese battleships. Its captain, Lieutenant Commander Matthew Patrick Reddy, knows that he and his crew are in dire straits. In desperation, he heads Walker into a squall, hoping it will give them cover---and emerges somewhere else.

Familiar landmarks appear, but the water teems with monstrous, vicious fish. And there appear to be dinosaurs grazing on the plains of Bali. Gradually Matt and his crew must accept the fact that they are in an alternate world---and they are not alone. Humans have not evolved, but two other species have. And they are at war.

With its steam power and weaponry, the Walker's very existence could alter the balance of power. And for Matt and his crew, who have the means to turn a primitive war into a genocidal Armageddon, one thing becomes clear: They must decide whose side they're on. Because whoever they choose to side with is the winner.

Battle stations! Listen to more in the Destroyermen series.©2008 Taylor Anderson (P)2008 Tantor

Good story and a fantastic narrator

But, there's a lot of foul language. If that kind of stuff doesn't bother you, then you owe it to yourself to get this book.

An intriguing, but unsatisfying start.

Into the Storm, is a beginning of a story without an ending. Which , given the following 6 books already written at the time of this review is apparent. It feels as though this was a book that was written and forced to be broken up so you don't have the "decisive" victory to conclude the saga of the internal narrative inside the the broader Destroyer men story.

Had I Listened to this when it was the only book in the series I would have been disappointed. but knowing there is (quite a bit) more to come I feel it makes a good foundation for an epic tale.


To the Narration, William Dufris is an excellent narrator with a limited range of distinctive character voices (to my ear 3-4 male, 1-2 female). However his ability to keep his voice active makes him easy and enjoyable to listen to.

Worth the Listen!!

I liked the idea of this book, very interesting.
Storyline was good, and could have been better, but still good. And the narration was good.

But the issue that i had with this book was a combination of the book itself and the narration, I got lost couple of times and confused. This story was told through three groups, and though the main group and the most focused one was the USS Walker, still when the narration switched to other group i got so confused and didn't know what was going on for 10 minutes. (that happened once or twice)

I hope the rest are written and narrated better than this one, and looking forward to see what will happen.

If you like these stories which talk about alternative realities, then you will like this one.

Outstanding!

William Dufris is a fantastic narrator and the story is captivating from beginning to end.

The Final Countdown? Or maybe not.

What made the experience of listening to Into the Storm the most enjoyable?

The narration was excellent.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Most: Sailors out of their element for a long period of time.
Least: Planet of the Apes aspect.

Which scene was your favorite?

There is a point where the "modern" WWII sailors have to board an 18th century ship.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Complete bewilderment.

Any additional comments?

There was an 80's movie with Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen called "The Final Countdown" when a modern aircraft carrier goes through a weird water vortex and ends up fighting in the battle of Pearl Harbor. This chaffed me from the beginning, the similarity of sailors and time travel I mean. In fact it still does right NOW.
The book starts out as the destroyer men are fighting a vicious battle against the Japanese in a retreat during WWII. They go through a strange squall and.....

The similarity definitely stops there!

The WWII sailors are suddenly in a place that is more like "The Planet of The Cat people" and "The Land Before Time". It turns out to be a parallel universe in which these cat/monkey/people are fighting a war against an evil enemy that are like walking human/raptor dinosaurs.

Yeah, I'm just as confused as you are.....

Nevertheless, the sailors befriend the cat/monkey people and decide that they will help fight the evil human/dinosaurs. What choice do they have with no other resources and the human/dinosaurs eat everyone/thing.

The narration was excellent. There are numerous (at least 12) characters and the narrator does an amazing job of making them different and distinct. With so much happening that is crucial.

Despite the narration, these are my major issues.

First: this is slow reading. I can usually read one of these books in 3-4 days. It took me over a week and a half just because I couldn't bring myself to continue.

Second: I don't care for, or rarely EVER sympathize with non human characters.

Third: Most of the character flaws and personalities are cliche (to me) Ie. The captain is drawn to the head nurse/doctor, it's a "burden of command" similarity that I am sick of. And the issue of so many sailors with NO women in port BUT womanlike creatures with breasts?

Anyway, the book leads into the next one, so I will probably venture the next book just to test the waters further. If it gets into the question of bestiality I am definitely NOT reading the third.

I love this entire series!

First of the series and my least favorite book of the four I have listened to, but still very good. Alternate history and military SCI-FI fans will love these books! I have listened to the first four and I enjoyed them all.

Preposterously funny and grippingly romantic

What did you love best about Into the Storm?

The Space/Time travel of an outmoded Destroyer from WWII to a parallel earth is an over-the-top premise, but the author makes the travails of the destroyermen and their unfailing courage and ingenuity believable and consistent. So the story is not about the strange and dangerous world, but about the characters, of course the heroes are outnumbered, beset, betrayed, but they all refuse to give up. Their ideas and knowledge shape the world around them for the better. It's light reading, but I liked it. I am currently waiting for the 7th book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked Chak Sa'b Aht (hope he spells that way), a Lemurian "alien" from the parallel earth that has a successful career in the new 'Maahrines' which has a perfect sense of Humor.

Which character ??? as performed by William Dufris ??? was your favorite?

The likeable Rogue of the Chief Gunner's Mate Silva Character is always a highlight in these books.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed out loud several times and although I did not actually cry, the poignancy of several scenes and the gallantry in the face of death, doom and destruction the main characters face, choked my throat on several occasions.
The cynic in me knows that there's a severe element of Deus Ex Machina, of sacrificial deaths to put the hero through the wringer without terminating the story, of the naive Good vs. Evil structure. But despite all that You are pulled inside the world of the Destroyermen.

Any additional comments?

The Destroyermen have an impact out of all proportion to their small number on the entire World of the parallel universe. The author makes this feat believable in spite of a sceptical reader.

Great Story, but strange segues in narration

I'm loving the story. It's captivating and fun.

One reason for the 4 star rating is because the narrator moved from one section to another without even a breath in between. It's a bit confusing to be listening about one group of characters and then another group with no segue to mark the change.

Decent all around

This is a pretty good story and narrated pretty well. I am looking forward to hearing the second book in the series once it comes out. I enjoyed this audiobook.

Well done! Taylor Anderson does his research.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Fun listen!
A Well written steam punk americana Book!
If you like ww1 and ww2 trivia, naval tradition... cool story... Great audio Book