Vengeance: At Midway and Guadalcanal

By: Leland Charles Shanle

Narrated by: Thomas Block

A diverse and rich cast of characters reveals the sacrifice and frustrations of war. A no-holds-barred accounting of the actual battles, shown through the eyes of the novel's characters, uncovers mistakes and even incompetence at the highest levels. Vengeance shows the disastrous results of these decisions on the lowest common denominator: the war fighter. Closely following the actual battles of Midway and Guadalcanal, the listener gets an insider’s view so vivid the smell of cordite will hang in the air.

©2011 Leland C Shanle Jr. (P)2015 Leland C Shanle Jr.

WWII - from cockpit dogfights to jungle warfare

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The author provides great insight into naval aviation, yet presents the intricate details so that they're thoroughly engaging.

Any additional comments?

I have read many of Mr. Shanle's books, and listened to Mr. Block's narration, and this is a well-paired collaboration.

Listen to this it's great

Just finished Vengeance. I really enjoyed this audio book. The story was excellently developed with a wonderful mix of back story and action perfectly spaced.
Mr Blocks narration was its usual engaging and enjoyable performance. The quality of the sound was crisp, clear and uniform throughout.
Great job to author, narrator and publisher.

The unequaled Naval flight training experience!!

Would you consider the audio edition of Vengeance: At Midway and Guadalcanal to be better than the print version?

yes

What was one of the most memorable moments of Vengeance: At Midway and Guadalcanal?

David's last night wildcat training flight out of NAS El Centro to San Clemente and back. learning first hand how the wildcat handles at altitude after being told "be careful".

Which character – as performed by Thomas Block – was your favorite?

Good job on all characters, especially Lt. Stutsman and Capt. Bradley.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

David's first sighting of the modified aircraft carrier, Wolverine, when he realized that was where he was going to land.

Any additional comments?

Will written story. Makes you feel like you are right there witnessing everything as it happening in front of you.

Disjointed story, 2-D characters, no ending?

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

This book is probably best for a young person who knows little or nothing about flying or WWII history and has a very short attention span. It's also a poor choice for Audio as the author inserts a date-time group every two or three sentences, which get annoying quickly.

Has Vengeance: At Midway and Guadalcanal turned you off from other books in this genre?

Not sure what this genre is supposed to be. Is there a genre called "disjointed comic-book style with no character development and location/character changes every fourth sentence"? I have read and listened to a wide range of historical fiction and mostly enjoyed them and how they built believable characters and placed them in historical times and events to let the reader experience it as if they were there.
I don't think the author of this one ever really decided what he wanted this book to be. I also wonder if it was edited by the author only. Some of the flight instruction part was accurate and condensed well, but the rest was very chaotic.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Thomas Block?

Probably not unless the reviews by many others were stellar and I had read other books by same author. I will not try any more by this author, no matter who narrates. There was also a good bit of inconsistency in pronunciation of the names of people, places and even ships. Not all of these were Japanese either.

What character would you cut from Vengeance: At Midway and Guadalcanal?

I gave up at chapter 13. People and places kept switching so fast for no apparent reason that I didn't get a chance to know anything about any of the characters. The editing and continuity of this book is terrible. It needs a good editor who can make it flow and doesn't shift everything every few minutes. The writing level also seems more intended for a very young reader/listener, both with very simple sentence construction and with lack of any of the nastier details that go with war at sea or in the jungle.

Any additional comments?

Very disappointed. Usually books I get here are better written, edited and performed, even if the content is not for me.

I've read better Greek Tragedies .

What a terrible let down ending.
I want money my back.
Author is very weak.