Dauntless: Novel of Midway and Guadalcanal

I just finished this book. I can't say enough about it. I absolutely loved it. I had a hard time putting it down. My only complaint would be that it couldn't last longer. I suppose that's what the sequel is for, which I just ordered. I enjoyed all of the characters. They were fun and interesting. It was nice to have the Japanese perspective. The book follows a Japanese pilot as one of the main characters, which adds a great touch. The book is extremely detailed and boasts tons of great information about the battle of Midway and Guadalcanal. Reading it can bring you great exciting moments, funny moments, but also very sad ones. All in all, excellent book. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.

Barrett Tillman is uniquely qualified to write this very exciting and authentic historical novel, which is far above the typical techno-thriller. And the author's comment is correct: the Kirkus Review does totally miss the point - scared but plucky young aviators are not inserted as a stock literary device, but because that's precisely who fought these titanic Pacific clashes. The true life heroism and sacrifice so well depicted is probably just incomprehensible to many "elites" today. Tillman is far more sympathetic in describing his Japanese sailors than most war authors, and is fair to the brave young men on both sides. Most of all, this is a great read - engrossing and informative.

When I read both "Dauntless" and Barrett Tillman's follow on novel "Hellcat". I could almost smell the distinct odor that permeates a warship. A mixture of lube oil, ozone and red lead paint that I have only smelled aboard US Navy ships. From my vantage point of having spent a large portion of my adult life aboard aircraft carriers, from the mid 60s through 1990, I can say Tillman has captured the feel of the ship. Barrett Tillman has the unique ability to take those tactile and emotional cues and pack them into the pages of the book. There are several excelent books that tell stories of the battles of Coral Sea, Midway and the Eastern Solomons from the historian's point of view, but Tillman tells you what it must have felt like to be there. Tillman knows his subject matter. He restored and flew a WWII Dauntless. He has spent a great amount of time with the men who fought these battles. I suspect that, the reason his books have the feel of being there is that Tillman is an expert at pulling that out of these vets and alowing the rest of us to experiance what they experianced. He transmits the excitement of being in a dangerous situation, and the fear of seeing the thing that might end your own life. He has captured the terible feeling of loss, when you know a friend is gone for ever. The only thing I don't like about "Dauntless" is that it's out of print! I can't see why "Dauntless" isn't still on the shelves. I had to really search for it. When I found it, I found my self saying, "just one more page" at 3AM. Some publisher is missing a good bet here.