Into the Storm

Destroyermen, Book 1

By: Taylor Anderson

Narrated by: William Dufris

Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Pressed into service when World War II breaks out in the Pacific, the USS Walker---a Great-War vintage "four-stacker" destroyer---finds itself in full retreat from pursuit by Japanese battleships. Its captain, Lieutenant Commander Matthew Patrick Reddy, knows that he and his crew are in dire straits. In desperation, he heads Walker into a squall, hoping it will give them cover---and emerges somewhere else.

Familiar landmarks appear, but the water teems with monstrous, vicious fish. And there appear to be dinosaurs grazing on the plains of Bali. Gradually Matt and his crew must accept the fact that they are in an alternate world---and they are not alone. Humans have not evolved, but two other species have. And they are at war.

With its steam power and weaponry, the Walker's very existence could alter the balance of power. And for Matt and his crew, who have the means to turn a primitive war into a genocidal Armageddon, one thing becomes clear: They must decide whose side they're on. Because whoever they choose to side with is the winner.

Battle stations! Listen to more in the Destroyermen series.

©2008 Taylor Anderson (P)2008 Tantor

Swashbuckling WW2/Fantasy Adventure (Spoiler Free)

The premise is silly, an aging retrofitted outdated US Destroyer amid the Second Battle of the Java Sea is enters a titanic storm after being locked in a battle (painfully out gunned by the Japanese) in the south pacific and comes out on the other side... to a new world it seems. It sounds much like the start of a B movie, except it isn't. Strange new life inhabits this new, dangerous world, that's answered by a very interesting Darwinian "What if?". Large dinosaur like lizards, man eating fish, and plenty of creatures both friend and foe inhabit this strange new world.

Taylor Anderson commands an expert knowledge of technology from yesteryear, south pacific geography and uses fun evolutionary dissections to explain how this world works, without burdening the listener. The focus isn't the why or how, but rather what happens after such an event. The Lieutenant Commander USS Walker 163, commanded Matthew Reddy, leads a great swashbuckling series, that's part War/Military fiction, part sci-fi and part history, in a strange yet very entertaining series. Its well thought out, imaginative and takes premise that could have been rote with poor plot points, bad dialogue and silly archetypal characters and makes it smart enough to keep the science minded contented, and adventure seeker thrilled. Having bought and all 6 books (and am on 5th), I eagerly await the 7th in the series. In the end, this series has been... fun.

The only downside is you'll be hooked, eagerly awaiting each next book. William Dufris gets special merit, creating voices for individual accents for creatures human to non-human, American to Japanese to Australian, oaf to educated, young to old, female to male. It adds an extra dimension to story he brings life to Anderson's world. Drufis alone is reason to buy this book.

Pretty good story

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Probably not, there is nothing outstanding in this book. The idea is interesting and the story is ok but nothing great.

If you’ve listened to books by Taylor Anderson before, how does this one compare?

This is the first Taylor Anderson book I have listened to, or read, so I have nothing to compare it to.

What does William Dufris bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is a very good narrator. He gives each character their own voice and personality. He does a very good job.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Probably not, it isn't that interesting.

Purely Awesome!

I don't generally go for WWII but my hubby got me interested by combining the phrases WWII, sentient Lemurs, and sentient Velociraptors. I had to check it out and was hooked forever by just a couple of chapters in. The narrator, William Dufris (now deceased, sadly) personifies the entire story with excellence, giving voice to the characters with wit and charm and a lot of skill. This book is the opening to a sweeping 15-book adventure saga that leaves you crying for more every time a book ends. Vividly depicted, sometimes a bit graphic (obviously necessary, it is a war story after all) and there is quite a lot of bad language (which sometimes adds humor), but getting past that, it is definitely one of my favorite series EVER. If you listen at work or on long commutes, this series will give you LOTS of listening time, as most of the books average 15+ hours long. If they had an option for 10 stars, Taylor Anderson and William Dufris have earned every one of 10 for this series!

I just enjoy the series

What did you love best about Into the Storm?

I like the how does stuff get done, and the character interactions,

What was one of the most memorable moments of Into the Storm?

Transition to one world to the other and everyones reaction

Which character – as performed by William Dufris – was your favorite?

Matt Reddy

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Lets make a long movie series, or a long mini series

Any additional comments?

I like the narrator too.

original and captivating

I read/listen to a lot of sci-fi and fantasy bit don't fable into military fiction to much. this book's unique take on combining naval fiction with fantasy grabbed me and held me. loveable (if not tropeish) characters, good narration, and exciting battles. good narration. looking forward to more in the series.

I am 'Reddy' for more!!!

I initially thought that I was going to dislike William Dufris' narration, but by the time I was 10 minutes into the tale I was of an entirely different opinion. He did a great job of differentiating the characters. The story is fast paced and full of twist and turns. I loved this first book; and I will be buying this series up just, as fast as, I can afford them, by all means available.

..wouldn't want to be on this ship

What did you love best about Into the Storm?

Characters are portrayed realistically by both the story and the narrator.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The ship's captain shoulders his burdens with insight, and just the right mix of compassion and authority.

What about William Dufris’s performance did you like?

He evoked the characters' temperaments with great realism.

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

amusing amorous scene between a boatswain's mate and a Lemurian

Any additional comments?

1. Some nautical words are not pronounced correctly (in particular: forecastle) - not a show stopper but annoying.

2. The ending leaves you hanging a bit too much. Most possibilities are rather grim.

Into the Breach

I started this book with some concern that it wouldn't live up to my high hopes. I was very happy to find that it grabbed my attention right away. The description of the battle that led to the ship entering the storm captivated me right away. The author kept up with detail but also came up with an interesting approach to a parallel Earth. I very much enjoyed how the crew of the Walker deal with a local threat and the need to find resources that don't exist yet. The author did a great job of keeping the story interesting and on target. I look forward to the next book in this series!

USS Walker Cat Monkeys vs. Evil Lizards!

No, that would not work as a title but the "review" of this book doesn't do it justice as a summary either. I realized that wasn't the intention, but that was all I had to go on when I decided to download this book. Glad I did. If your thing is epic SciFi, this book I recommend. Yes it is Book 1 and yes it is a commitment when beginning a series like this (that Book 2, 3, 4, etc. are not already written) BUT this is a "very good" SciFi book. Can't wait for Book 2.

Riveting Read, Numb Narration

From the very first, the author sucks you right into the most improbable situations and causes your suspension of disbelief,to flow seamlessly. Whether you're a fan of naval action or a sci-fi nut, (or both like me), you can effortlessly forgo reality and take an escape. The author weaves the technology of a US Navy, 1919 WICKES Class destroyer into an entire world, all of his own creation. The sole problem is the failure of the narrator to do his homework to learn how to pronounce simple naval and military terms properly. Someone needs to explain to Mr. Dufris that a B.A.R., (Browning Automatic Rifle), is not a 'public house', and so isn't pronounced, "bar", and that the front of a ship, the fo'c's'le, differs from a "focksall" or a "foxhole". His constant and nerve grating mispronunciations through ALL 3 books ought to have been caught by the producers. These are only 2 examples of everyday terms that are consistently mangled by the narrator to the detriment of an otherwise excellent story. The flow of the story is significantly effected by the narrator's ignorance of things both Naval and military, making it all too obvious that all 3 books were recorded at the same time - and that the producers didn't really care.