Dinotopia-like.

This book goes to the point of ridiculousness. Certainly not what I expected after reading the summary. Reminded me of the old mini-series, Dinotopia, which was for kids.

3 people found this helpful

The cover is a little misleading

Story - First off, I am one of the few females reviewing this book and I thought it was very good. Second, only about the first 20% of the story is battle engagement (like on the cover.) The rest is what the destroyermen find after they emerge from the squall and the challenges they face in their new world. They find several new species and become involved in battles between two of them, but if you're looking for lots of engagements between destroyers at sea, etc., you might be disappointed.

The story is interesting and unusual. There is action and suspense, but not the edge-of-your seat kind. The characters are smart and likeable, but unfortunately I never really got emotionally involved with them. (That would have made the story so much better!)

The book ends at a good "stopping point" as opposed to a cliffhanger ending, but there is much to look forward to in future books. I don't plan to listen to the entire series, but I will definitely pick up an occasional book when Audible has one on sale.

Narration - Good job, but nothing special.

Overall - Recommended, especially if you like hearing about fictitious new creatures and their way of life. And this is not just for guys...

26 people found this helpful

You've been there before; a nice trip anyway

Anderson takes a somewhat tired old idea which has been used again and again and breathes some life into it with his outstanding knowledge of the ships and practice of the U.S. Navy. In addition, he creates an appealing, and even charming, race of lemurians to collaborate with the crew of sailors and Marines which you will instantly recognize if you have ever seen a movie set in the Pacific theater of WWII. In fact, the book feels like nothing so much as a good B movie produced in a simpler time, say the 1950's. Not a bad thing, since it is in perfect keeping with the spirit of the story. American know how and the understated nobility of the common fighting man.
Though the story lacks originality in almost every respect, Anderson tells it well with lots of interesting detail, and the narration is very good. I enjoyed listening and I would consider moving on to the next in the series, but without the compelling excitement or curiosity which is possible when you are in the hands of a truly remarkable creative imagination.

25 people found this helpful

It just never grabbed me.

I have not read a lot of alternate history/alternate reality books, but I chose to give this one a try based on the reviews. William Dufris is an excellent narrator and he does a decent job with this book as usual, but the story itself was where it fell short for me.

As a reader of many Fantasy/Sci Fi books, I often wonder what I would do if I found myself placed in the same circumstances as the characters in the book. To me that would be the main attraction of this sub-genre. However, while listening to this book I never found myself with those thoughts. I was always an observer of what was going on and was never immersed. I must admit that I was actually going along for the journey at the beginning, somewhat intriguied by the challenges that would be faced by the crew of a modern ship that all of sudden lost access to the infrastructure needed to keep things running. Then the cat & lizard people were discovered and I knew this wasn't for me.

To be fair, I didn't absolutely hate the story, but for now I won't be picking up book number 2 in the series.

34 people found this helpful

performance lacks

Any additional comments?

The recording talent lacks versatility. does not have the depth of characters to bring this too life. sounds forced and fake.

2 people found this helpful

What a looney tune.

What would have made Into the Storm better?

Nothing would have made this garbage better. This guy doesn't understand how naval warfare works and his fantasy creatures are totally absurd. I have been cheated!!

What was most disappointing about Taylor Anderson’s story?

Everything

What didn’t you like about William Dufris’s performance?

Obviously non-prior service.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Into the Storm?

I would throw it into the trash immediately.

Any additional comments?

Audible, I dare you to print this.

2 people found this helpful

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!

29 people found this helpful

Lemur-people vs. Dinosaur-people

A World War II destroyer is sent back in time and joins lemur-people in a war against dinosaur-people.

If that concept sounds awesome to you, then you should read this book. If that concept sounds silly to you, then I've just told you everything you need to know.

Now, to be more precise, it's not entirely clear whether the USS Walker goes back in time or sidewise, but either way, the ship, on the run from a vastly superior Japanese fleet, winds up in an alternate timeline in which humans never evolved. Instead, they find themselves in a South Pacific inhabited by "Lemurians," who sail the seas in gigantic aircraft carrier-sized "home ships," and are currently facing an invasion by the savage, saurian "Grik"... who have sailing ships that are direct copies of 19th-century vessels from our timeline. Obviously, the Grik at some point encountered other humans who wound up in this timeline.

The USS Walker's crew includes a large cast of characters notable mostly for their individual personality quirks, like any war movie, and the Lemurians also get some named characters who will obviously be important in future volumes. The Grik, at least in this book, are just a bloodthirsty horde of nameless monsters, and all we learn about their culture is that they're insanely violent and driven to conquer. They are so mindlessly violent, in fact, that it seems incredible they could even take the time to learn how to operate sailing ships. Hopefully they'll get fleshed out a bit more in future books.

Into the Storm is the first volume in what appears to be a long series. There is nothing deep about it, but the writing, while nothing remarkable, was straightforward serviceable storytelling with brave men (and Lemurians) fighting a vile foe, and a lot of naval tactics, resource management, and inter-species diplomacy. I found it great fun, enough that I'll continue with the series unless and until it loses steam.

4 people found this helpful

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.

16 people found this helpful

Another Lost World?

I liked the characters, the flow of the story and constant action. It is obvious early on this is the first edition of a series.

6 people found this helpful