Bathtub Admirals

Anyone who has read Heller's Catch-22 (or Stephenson's Cryptonomicon) will recognize the style, and the author clearly acknowledges Heller's ancestry. Still, this book is shorter, less shark-jumpingly outrageous, both funnier and sadder than Heller's novel. Follow the US Navy career of Jack Hogan as he makes it from youthful Cold-War "Hawkeye Man" Lieutenant (junior grade) to disillusioned Commander, forced to take the fall for the latest retarded exercise blunder -- in a Navy that has no other enemy left except politicking, incompetence, inter-service rivalry and the looming swamp of the War on Evil. Contains deliciously explicit language, adult scenes and references to people like "Admiral Fix Felon" (pulling Fix Felonies of course), "Senator Ex-Prisoner-of-War", "Senator Tailhook", and "General F. Lee Kent" (SACEUR during Allied Force) and tall Sea Stories. Disclosure: Haven't been near a Carrier, ever.

I wasn't really sure what to expect when I first started in on this book. As a former carrier aviator during the period in which the book is set, I often find myself disappointed by many of the authors in the military genre who seem to keep cranking out "naval thrillers" that all to often seem to involve poorly developed characters trying to stave off World War III. I found Bathtub Admirals to be refreshingly unique in that it was the most accurate depiction of shipboard life on a carrier that I have ever read in a work of fiction. That said, one should not mistake this for anything close to a dry or antiseptic read. This book is first and foremost a comedic satire. While the accounts of shipboard routine were spot on, the witty and profane dialogue realistically captures the camaraderie shared between shipmates on a long cruise. This left me thinking wistfully back to old friends and good times spent at sea, while at the same time reminding me exactly why I decided to get out! The clear, dialogue-driven writing style makes Bathtub Admirals a real page-turner. If I were back at sea, I probably would have powered through this book in a few days on the transit back home from an overseas deployment. As it is, I ended up devouring this book over the course of a few late nights over a long weekend, and found myself disappointed to arrive at the end. Cdr Huber has hit a home run with his debut novel and I am already anticipating his next effort.

huber's blog at pen and sword is an entertaining, cynical, and credible analysis of current day foreign policy and how it relates to the military, especially to naval matters. so it is only fitting that he would put together a novel that captures that essence. bathtub admirals feels like a first novel in some ways.. it is a little uneven in tone.. sometimes it is a bit surreal, and sometimes it can't decide if it wants to be a satire, tom clancy novel, or a moving portrait of someone caught in the system, but the author set out to intertwine those things in a fascinating manner! and he really pulls it off when all is said and done.. in a lot of ways it pretty much seems like a thinly-disguised autobiography which only adds to the mystique. the characters (and their ability to drop some crazy profane language) are rich and hilarious, and the technical details about military matters are also interesting and add an authenticity to the whole affair that really makes it shine. it is very sad and really insightful about human relationships at times too, which is surprising and welcome for an ostensibly 'military' book.. overall i highly recommend it, i love finding a book that i can't put down and end up plowing through in a day!

Being retired Navy, I'm always a bit suspect when given military novels. I've been disappointed on more than one occasion. However, my wife took a leap of faith and bought me "Bathtub Admirals" recently. I must say that this is the first book in a very long time that I actually could not bring myself to put down once I started it. Anyone who was in the military in the 1980's and 1990's will immediately recognize the "Through the Looking Glass" twisted logic world we lived in during those years. Hilarious, insightful, riveting. I hope there is another novel in the works by CDR Huber. Thank you for an incredible reading adventure! Bill "BC" Combs CDR USN (Ret)