Excellent account of the bloody and brutal naval actions off Guadalcanal. Thoroughly readable and loaded with information. Hornfischer was a master of naval combat accounts. I have read many of the books that cover all or part of this material and recommend them his title unhesistatingly. ( )

Required reading during EWS. Enjoyed reading this book as I learned a significant amount about the Navy's role in this battle and how it impacted the Marines and the outcome of the war in the Pacific.

Reread large portions of this book as part of my research for my GCMH project in 2023 at the NWC.

I've probably been somewhat slack in that it took the passing away of the author to elevate his books near the top of my TBR pile, in as much I wasn't sure that Hornfischer had that much to tell me. In that assumption I was very wrong, as this book is the modern narrative that this campaign needed, and though I practically had Samuel Elliot Morrison's the "Two Ocean War" memorized at one point, Hornfischer kept me turning pages, if only because he had come up with side stories of which I was not really aware of. Besides that though, in an age of rising naval competition, and the United States Navy facing its first real challenge in a generation, Hornfischer gives one an exemplary and bracing tale of what happens when your nation's fleet goes stale. About the only small point I'd knock this down for is that there are just a few moments when Hornfischer's prose gets a little too purple; your mileage may differ. ( )

It's been awhile since I read any WWII books, but this is fairly good. Hornfisher has done a great job researching and is able to provide a fairly clear picture of a confusing series of battles for the US Navy. He provides insights from common sailors all the way up to Secretary of the Navy Forrestal. I felt at the end that the book got a little rushed, with not enough emphasis placed on the Navy's investigation and analysis of the entire campaign. Overall, recommended for readers with an interest in WWII or the US Navy.
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