The Final Storm: A Novel of the War in the Pacific (World War II)

Mr. Shaara admits that there are more stories to tell than he can fit into any one of his books. But, he manages to see each period he writes about from more angles than one might think possible. After his outstanding three volumes on the US Army in the African and European theaters of WWII, he covers the last months of US involvement in the Pacific war. In the introduction, he begins by telling the story of the first four-plus years of the Pacific war in less than ten pages. Few authors could do this successfully, but he carries it off smoothly. The first chapter covers an instance of submarine combat. Suspenseful and informative. The bulk of the book shifts to the battle of Okinawa. As Mr. Shaara says, he has a special respect for the "the men who carry the rifle", and it shows. He follows Pvt. Clay Adams through the entire campaign, giving you a glimpse into a seemingly endless series of bloody actions. How did these men hold up under the constant stress? You learn how the nature of the Pacific war differed from the combat in Europe. (I have too much respect for all the combatants to say any part of the war was "worse" than another part, but there certainly were differences.) As we continue to see in the wars of the 21st century, bombing or artillery alone almost never win a battle, or a way. People with rifles inevitably have to take, and hold, territory held by the enemy. It is never easy and always ugly, but America somehow finds exceptional men who will get the job done. As always with a Shaara novel, you get to hear a "voice from the other side". A high ranking Japanese officer survived the battle of Okinawa, unlike many of the other battles for Japanese held islands, and you hear the story of the Japanese defense. Telling the story from both sides of the conflict is something the author excels at. The reader's understanding is so much more complete when both sides are presented in the same volume. Finally, the story of the bombing of Hiroshima is told. Most accounts of the development of the A-bomb center on the scientists in New Mexico. This book tells a story that is often overlooked, that of the air crews who trained for a year to drop this new kind of weapon. Plus, you get a taste of some of the infighting at the upper levels of the Army Air Corps. By the end, you have an idea of the outstanding crew of the Enola Gay, along with the strong and stable character of the man who commanded them, Paul Tibbets. This work is "Historical Fiction", but it does not stray from the facts. The fictional part is in the thoughts and conversations of the characters. The events and dates do not diverge from recorded history. I read a fair amount of history, but I always come away from a Jeff Shaara novel with the feeling that I have learned something new. He brings out the characters so well, the journey is always interesting. As much as I admire those who triumphed in the Pacific War, this novel gave me even more respect for these men (and women), and what they accomplished. Above all else, this book is simply a "great read". I could not put it down.

As a big fan of Jeff Shaara I looked forward to his wrap up of World War II history with "The Final Storm". I had hoped for a story about the many battles across the Pacific as we pushed the Japanese back, island by island. Instead, the author focused on the last battle, the invasion of Okinawa and then the subsequent atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The author takes us through the Okinawa campaign through the eyes of his main character, Clay Adams, a marine private. Adams relates his story as they defeat the Japanese and take control of the island. We see through his eyes the horror and destruction of this last great battle of the Pacific. Most of the book relates the story in this manner and one of the problems of such a narration is that it gets a bit repetitive. Occasionally he breaks it up with a look at the events through the eyes of the enemy but I think the story bogs down a bit. At the close of this battle, Shaara does a great job in relating the story of the dropping of the Atomic bombs which essentially put a final end to this horrible war. His look at Paul Tibbets the B-29 pilot who dropped the bomb is especially interesting and insightful. Throughout the book, the author gives sketches of other important military men, both American and Japanese, who's inpute affected the battles and the eventual final victory. As a wrap up, Shaara lists all those men and what happened to them and their careers after the close of the war. It's an interesting book and a good look at WWII history. As usual, Jeff Shaara does a great job and I think you'll find this an interesting read.

The book arrived in new condition. I now have all of Jeff Shaara's WWII books. I have read two, and am excited to read the others. They are very informative while telling a story. It makes history entertaining.

After completing his World War II trilogy which tells the story of the war in North Africa and Europe, Jeff Shaara has written this single volume novel about the war in the Pacific. Actually, the book covers only the last few months of the war from February, 1945 to the dropping of the atomic bomb in August and the final surrender of the Japanese. "The Final Storm" focuses on the brutal 82-day battle to capture the island of Okinawa from the Japanese. The story is told from both the American and Japanese points of view. Private Clayton Adams, the American, is a Marine who battles for months against the Japanese, who will never surrender and who will use any tactic to kill as many soldiers as possible. General Mitsuru Ushijima is the Japanese commander. Unlike some of his subordinates who believe that victory is possible, Ushijima knows that he can only delay the inevitable defeat, and he does all that he can to make the Americans suffer. There are also a few chapters that describe the overall American strategy from the point of view of Admiral Chester Nimitz, the American naval commander. However, most of the chapters are written from the point of view of Adams and Ushijima. We read about the horrible fighting conditions that the Americans had to endure and the constant dangers that they had to face. From the Japanese perspective, we come to understand why they would not surrender. The last part of the book tells the story of the dropping of the atomic bomb from two points of view. President Harry S. Truman, who made the decision to use the bomb, hopes that it will end the war and avoid the need to invade Japan. Colonel Paul Tibbets, who has been selected to pilot the "Enola Gay", the bomber which he names after his mother, has to first keep the objectives of his mission secret and then has to command his crew to drop a bomb which may end up destroying them along with Hiroshima. Shaara's style of writing historical fiction is very realistic. Many of the events in the book come from veterans, who are acknowledged at the front of the book . He is historically accurate, including facts, maps and events taken from the published sources. The only thing missing is telling the story from the point of view of an ordinary Japanese foot-soldier. Finally, the book shows that after seeing America suffer over 50,000 casualties on Okinawa, Truman made the right decision.

Jeff Shaara schafft es wieder einmal, Geschichte aus Sicht der Amerikaner plastisch und einleuchtend darzustellen. Der Krieg gegen Japan und sogar der Abwurf der Atombombe werden nachvollziehbar erklärt. Wieder ist es Shaara gelungen, neben einem gut recherchierten Kriegsroman auch amerikanisches Denken und Fühlen zu vermitteln. AP

Jeff Shaara's "The Final Storm" showed the horrors of front-line battle as it affected the soldiers who represented the 'sharp end of the spear' in combat. The author's blend of real and fictional characters produces a very readable account of history, especially when the tale describes the procedures required to make the first atomic bomb ready for use over Hiroshima. He describes well the tension and detail associated with this pivotal mission. I have read all of Jeff Shaara's World War 2 books, finding them to be a good read. "The Final Storm" did not disappoint me. It was a worthwhile reading experience.

Excellent series. Read them one after another.

Interesting,thoroughly researched and well written.Very easy to connect with the characters and understand what they were going through.

Gripping story about pushing the limits of human suffering and endurance on the battlefield. This is advertised as fiction, and I hope it exaggerates the historical realities. What a terrible waste war is.