Rise to Victory

This book is as good as the people who are recommending it. I could not put it down once I started it, finishing it in one day. The details about submarines are very realistic, as are the discussions of the Indonesian archipelago. The author definitely provides an insider's perspective about submarines, as well as their use on intelligence mission. He writes about normal people, some of whom become heroes, and at least one that fails as a human being, just like real life. I enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who enjoys military fiction.

Most submarine novels these days go way beyond the realms of believability, but this novel has brought the genre back down to earth. First of all, the battle scenes were the best I've ever read, and I think it's because the story is written from the perspective of the submariners. We only get to see what they see, and feel what they feel. The enemy is out there, and unknown. And there's no wacky jump to the perspective of a cruise missile or a torpedo to fill in the action scenes. No, Cooke doesn't stoop that low. He uses the fine (and lost) art of good fiction writing to keep it "real". His style kind of reminds me of Douglas Reeman, if anyone remembers him from the 70s who is now the writer of the Alexander Kent series. When I got through with this book, I really felt like I had been at sea on a submarine for several hours (or that I at least knew what it would be like to be on one). The premise of the novel is unique, in that it doesn't involve some secret super agent that somehow knows how to do everything from defusing a bomb to performing emergency brain surgery, and manages to save the world from a band of terrorists bent on nuclear, biological, or chemical holocaust. No, this novel actually involves believable people with believable faults and a believable storyline which involves a lot of stuff I've seen on recent headlines, like arms suppliers to terrorists and open seas piracy. If you're looking for a good submarine story, then look no further. If you're looking for a spy novel, this is not it. All in all, the book had a good story, lively dialog, and lots of submarine stuff, which I really like, so I give it an A+. My compliments to Mr. Cooke for such a great sea novel, and I hope he continues to put them out. I also enjoyed his other novel, Pride Runs Deep, set in WWII. If I had one criticism of this book it would be the title. "Rise To Victory" sounds more like a Tony Robbins seminar than a submarine novel, but now I'm getting into minutia... Pick it up. It's good!

I could not put this book down. I enjoyed it thoroughly from cover to cover. This book was a excellent blend of the modern day thriller mixed with a good naval fiction story.

What a terrific read. The book should definitely be in hardcover. A very engaging story that captures your interest the moment you pick it up. Mr. Cooke really seems to get that a little technical detail goes a long way, especially with his wonderful storytelling capability. Rise to Victory truly immerses you onboard the USS Providence and gives you a front row seat to the action!

In just a few days, I devoured R. Cameron Cooke's latest book RISE TO VICTORY. The most compelling aspect of the book is that you are reading a story about individuals versus a technical manual. Unfortunately, many of the sub-story authors have gone over to the dark side of filling their pages with technical babble and forgetting character and story development. Mr. Cooke is settings an example of how to write a sub story! He draws in the reader to read every word. As a reader, you do not have to skip paragraphs and sometimes pages of hyper-technical jargon that is suppose to impress the reader with just how much the author knows. RISE TO VICTORY is an interesting story about a new sub commander and his crew and the interpersonal connections. The story reminds you how small the sub community is and how everyone depends on their fellow crew members to survive. Most impressive is that Mr. Cooke relies on storytelling and does not fill the pages of his books with cut/paste from technical manuals nor does he fill his pages with smut and sex. Thank you Mr. Cooke for sharing your talent with the rest of us who enjoy a good story. The only small downside was the lack of naval women included in the story.