Taylor Anderson

You know an author has got a knack for writing when he is able to make a ridiculous-sounding plot and turn it into a good story. Here's the basic plot: a World War II U.S. Navy destroyer goes through a space-time warp and winds up on an alternate Earth where humans never evolved; but lemur-cat-people and lizard-people did, both of whom have roughly medieval technology. The lizard men are trying to eradicate the lemurs from the world, and the human destroyermen take the side of the lemurs and show more fight back.
Sounds silly? Perhaps. Some of the book is taken up with what alternate history buffs love most: the working out of technical problems (i.e., how do you find oil on a planet that doesn't use it?) and the playing out of what-if scenarios, in this case the dual-species evolution. However, most of the novel is just that—a novel, and a good one at that.
Taylor Anderson is able to create real characters in this very unreal setting. When we follow the decision-making process of the captain, how he deals with the situation is more important than what that situation is. The interworkings of the crew(s) play out very well indeed, and the series promises to be a good one to follow (especially since I've read the backs of some of the later books in the series and he throws in a few good plot twists along the way!)
Generally, alternate history novels are shelved with science fiction. Today's cross-genre audience would be just as happy to find this in a suspense section, right alongside Tom Clancy: it is, after all, primarily an action-packed novel about a Navy ship. So many of readers are accustomed to having a few vampires or wizards thrown into the mix, how much of a stretch can lizard-men be? show less

Taylor Anderson's first novel in his Destroymen series was one of the best novels I've ever read, so the bar was set high for Crusade. Fortunately, Taylor Anderson delivered with an excellent sequel. The world he created is a fascinating one where two naval destroyers from World War II are badly damaged in a fight with a Japanese naval ship, landing in an alternate world, where they take the side with the peaceful Lemurians against the dreaded lizard creatures, the Grik. As Captain Reddy show more gets his crew ready for an offensive against the Grik, they discover that the Japanese vessel they had been fighting against has not only also made it into this world but is aligned with the Grik. The task before them becomes incredibly daunting, if not possible.
What I liked about this novel is first, the terrific characters in the story. Anderson does an excellent job of sculpting well-defined characters, both human and Lemurians alike. There are great side-stories intermixed with the main conflict. One thing that I liked better about the sequel was that although there was some struggle, I thought things went a little too easy for the good guys in the first novel. This time the tasks they had to face were incredibly rough to the point where I had to wonder how they were going to survive in a realistic fashion. That part is still to be determined. Finally, the situation that Anderson has created is one where I found myself really pulling for the Destroyermen and the Lemurians. There were terrific fight scenes and good transitional scenes. All in all a well-done sequel definitely worth reading.

Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity show less

I love alternate history. Turtledove, Stirling, Tsouras. I now have another author to add to the list. Anderson. This is the first of the author's books that I have read. I chose right, as it is the beginning of a whole new series for him.
Soldiers headed to war in Mexico in the 1840's. A giant, malevolent storm hits. Picks up the soldier's ships and plunks them down in Mexico, albeit it a different earth. One populated with dinosaurs, non-human folks, and a nasty, nasty enemy. Suspend your show more better judgement, and just go along for the ride. I think you will enjoy it!
The author does a great job of developing the different characters. And of the action filled chapters. And of laying hints and clues to what world they are in, and what will be coming up in future books in the series.
Like I said, just go along with the story and let yourself leave behind today's world's problems. It was just good to escape into fantasy for awhile!
I'm definitely going to be reading the next book! show less

As a rule, I generally do not enjoy "crossover" novels, where some person or group crosses over into an alternate reality or an alternate time. For this very reason I have never picked up The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. There is nothing wrong with the subgenre; it just generally lacks appeal to me. But when I received a copy of Destroyermen: Into the Storm, I knew something was different about this novel. And I was proved right.

Destroyermen: Into the Storm, the debut novel from Taylor show more Anderson, fits neither into the alternate history subgenre, nor into the time travel subgenre. Trying to classify the novel is like putting a square block into a round hole. The novel is a mix of all types of speculative fiction, from fantasy, to science fiction, to Lost World-style adventure stories. It fits no categorization. That certainly heightens its appeal, and any reader who takes a chance on a strangely named novel by a previously unknown author will not find him or her self disappointed.

The narrative begins on a high note of action, and only climbs higher and higher from there. The crew of the USS Walker, along with parts of its battle group is on the run from the superior Japanese navy in 1942. The Japanese had destroyed the majority of the Asiatic fleet at Pearl Harbor, and Walker and its fleet are either outdated, outgunned, or so badly damaged that the Japanese have little to fear, even before their aerial superiority kicks in. Walker (a real ship, as are all the ones mentioned in the novel, although Anderson has taken liberties with their histories) is one of the former. Outdated, really a relic of the "Great War", it is supremely outclassed by the ships chasing it. When in the midst of a pitched battle on the open sea, Walker seeks shelter in a squall, something strange occurs, and its crew and men find itself lost in an alternate world, where dinosaurs still exist, and evolution has taken quite a different tack. Walker and her crew must learn to survive, but are soon embroiled in a war not of their own making, even as they are quickly running out of fuel for their badly damaged ship.

Rather than following any one character, Anderson has chosen to tell his story through a cast of characters. Although the majority of the story is told through the eyes of its captain - an obvious and essential place to do so in this type of story - Matthew Reddy, their are many times when Anderson will look at the events occurring through the eyes of Walker's crew, as well as through the eyes of the Lemurians, the mammalian, sentient people they encounter. The only perspective not shown is the brutal, reptilian race known as the Grik. Anderson's style allows the tale to be well-rounded, not dwelling on any one character. This too is where it is a different story from most "crossover" novels. In Destroyermen: Into the Storm we have a group of people trying to survive in an alien world, quite a large one in fact, where in most of the novels of this type, their is either only one character, or the largest group being something like a platoon of soldiers.

It is a daunting task to write so many perspectives and still do it well, but Anderson manages to make it look easy. The numerous perspectives and subplots weave together seamlessly, causing the narration to move at fast pace. Anderson has also worked hard to make sure the perspectives are true to form for WWII era sailors. Therefore, things that seem like mistakes - such as the use of the term "brontosaurus" - are in fact intentional. Anderson understands the way that the men of "The Greatest Generation", think. He captures their foibles and faults, but always, always he highlights the heroism of the men that saved America from being a Japanese colony. The sailors of the tale remind me in many ways of my own grandfather, and army man in the Pacific theater, and I imagine that in his youth, he was much like these men, rough around the edges, but with a powerful heart of sacrifice.

As a writer, Anderson has an understanding of cadence and structure. Although most of the story has the reader worrying, it still moves in an up and down wave, allowing breathing room for the reader, while never truly dissipating the feel of danger and being lost. In fact, many the feelings this tale evokes are much like the effects of the TV show Lost, although it is much more revealing in its content.

Anderson's story has many battles, but no two are ever the same, not just in detail, but in character reactions, keeping the battles fresh and exciting. Early on the book, there is a battle between ships of similar cut and quality, later, one or two one-sided battles where iron wins out over wood, finally, in the climaxing scene, there is a battle that can only be found in novels like C. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower series or the Jack Aubrey tales of Patrick O'Brian. The action never gets stale in Anderson's writing. Some readers will notice that at times there are some poorly constructed sentences, or nonsensical statements, but that is to be expected of a newer author, and time and experience should clear these up relatively easily.

Fans of ship borne battles, action packed storytelling, alternate realities, and WWII era fiction will all find something they enjoy about this novel. I particularly recommend it to fans of alternate history fiction, or people who enjoy the adventure tales of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, or movies like King Kong.

Do I recommend reading Destroyermen: Into the Storm? With a wholehearted YES, I do. S.M. Stirling, a noted author of alternate history tales, has a cover blurb on the book where he mentions, "I dipped my toe into Destroyermen: Into the Storm and when I looked up, it was two in the morning and a working day had vanished!" Very nearly the same thing happened to me. The crew of the USS Walker became my friends and bosom companions. Their fate matters to me, and I will be eagerly anticipating the sequel Destroyermen: Crusade in October of this year.

Full Review show less