Days Of Infamy

Rating:
Summary: Glad this is only fiction
Review: A well done start of a new series. (To the reviewer wondering when the next book will come out, Turtledove usally has sequeals to books coming out the same month that the previous one did.)

It was fascinating having both a father and one of his sons as view point characters and how they had opposite takes on the Japanese invasion.

Most of the historical events in this time frame were shifted east and in addition, luck appears to be on the Jap side. (Fortune favors the Bold.)

I just have the standard critism of most of Turtledove's novels including this one which is "Less bad sex scenes, please."

Perhaps the sequeal could also shed some more light on how the US having to focus so much more on Japan than historically is affecting the allies in North Africa, England, and the USSR.


Rating:
Summary: Not Up To His Best
Review: Being a huge fan of Harry Turtledove's Alternate History books, I eagerly anticipated reading this latest work.

Sadly, I was not as impressed with "Infamy" as I am with his "American Front" series. Although this might well be the first in a new series of novels, I felt that, at least to this point, Turtledove had not warmed to this subject matter nearly to the extent that he did his "American Front" series.

I felt that he did a very good job of portraying individual characters as he usually does, but I found that many of the events and their sequence, which do have to happen in the order he envisions for the story to advance as it does, highly implausible, based on what we know factually of US and Japanese capabilities at the time. I felt that lack of plausibility made my suspension of disbelief- a necessity in stories such as this- virtually impossible.

Conversely, if you are not well versed in Pearl Harbor lore, the story can captivate you. The Japanese are portrayed fairly, neither Supermen nor thoughtless butchers. Americans are not portrayed universally as heroes but are more realistically depicted as being at first confident and then resigned to their fate, but seldom cowardly. In fact, his non-military event story is perhaps the strongest portion of the entire novel.

While "Infamy" is, in my opinion, not up to his best books, it is an entertaining read and sets the table for additional books to follow that may more closely match the depth of detail that makes his "American Front" series one of the genre's Must Reads.

Rating:
Summary: When's the sequel coming out?
Review: Harry Turtledove is back in fine form here--I particularly enjoyed the portrayal of a starving Hawaii after the Japanese invasion, dependent on discontinued shipments from the mainland. The Japanese characters were engaging and well-portrayed, and I am genuinely eager to see what happens next. Sure, Turtledove can be a little repetitive...in particular, the surfer's repeated musing about pissing himself in fear on his surfboard when the attack began, and whether his friend noticed, became first distracting, and then amusing, and then mildly annoying (seriously, this guy needs an editor). But otherwise, I found Days of Infamy to be exciting, well-written, historically vivid, and (in summary) I wish the sequel was on the shelves already, so I could run out and buy it. Harry Turtledove is back, and I enjoyed Days of Infamy as much as Settling Accounts, if not more.

Rating:
Summary: Good...but incomplete
Review: Harry Turtledove's latest, _Days of Infamy_, is up to his usual standards, but be warned - it's not complete; in fact, there's no real ending to the book. This is almost certainly because it's the first in a new series. For somebody who's been reading Turtledove as long as I have, this is actually something of a red flag, because Turtledove's great failing as a writer is his prolixity; if you give him enough space, he'll use ten words where one would have done just as well, and he has a rather dismaying tendency to repeat himself in his mega-series. He's at his best where he has to work within the framework of a single book (_The Guns of the South_, _Ruled Britannia_, _In the Presence of Mine Enemies_, _A World of Difference_, etc.) If you're a Turtledove fan, by all means buy this book - but don't be disappointed if you find yourself wondering at the end, "Is that all?"

Rating:
Summary: Who would have thought a war could be so boring?
Review: Having plundered World War II three times already, Harry Turtledove decides to go to the well once again with Days of Infamy. This time, he goes to the Pacific Ocean, and wonders what would have happened if the Japanese had followed up their attack on Pearl Harbor with an invasion of Hawaii. It's an interesting concept, but Turtledove is uncharacteristically dull in the exploration. This book was an active chore to get through.

The attack on Pearl Harbor happens much the same way as it did in the real history, so much so that Turtledove basically ignores it except in broad strokes. The only change in the beginning of the book is that Japanese Commander Genda persuades Admiral Yamamoto to convince the Army generals that an invasion force should accompany the task force. Once the attack has happened, though, things start to get interesting. Hawaii is quickly captured as the Americans are unable to muster much of a defense. They do make a heroic stand, however, before finally surrendering. The rest of the book details life on the occupied islands, as well as introducing two characters further on in the book who give us the viewpoint of Americans who will be involved in the eventual re-taking of the islands. In the course of the plot, Turtledove gives us a pilot who was shot down in the initial attack and is now a prisoner of war, a soldier who is also a POW, his estranged wife who has to live in an occupied city on Oahu, a surfer bum, and a Japanese family who have been living on the island for many years.

The father, Jiro Takahashi, is an older Japanese man who will always consider himself Japanese. He welcomes the invasion. His sons have been Americanized, which causes a lot of family tension. We are also given an assortment of Japanese military characters who are in various positions, though interestingly all of them are in the navy or are pilots from aircraft carriers. We do not see the Japanese army point of view at all (though, in wonderful Turtledove fashion, we are told many, *many* times that the navy and the army don't get along).

As usual, Turtledove does very well with the battle scenes. When the fighting is going on, Turtledove is hard to beat, though he does include a very silly scene where two surfers are caught out in the water between the American defenders and the oncoming Japanese invasion force. Don't worry, that scene is not included gratuitously. It's an ongoing character moment for the surfer bum, Oscar Van Der Kirk, who talks many times of how he had an accident in his shorts during the incident. The rest of the battle scenes are vivid and exciting, and even tragic as the Japanese wave just continues to wash over the islands with the American soldiers trying desperately to halt it, at least for a little while.

Unfortunately, this battle ends fairly early in the book, giving us many interminable scenes of life on the occupied islands. With the exception of the rare occurrence, all of these scenes are almost exactly the same. We see Jiro and his sons, who argue (or fume silently) about their disagreement over whether the invasion was a good thing. If we see Jane Armitage living in an occupied city, we're going to hear about how they have to grow what little they can to supplement their meager rations (we may read her thoughts on the execution she witnessed, too). The scenes of the two POWs are almost the same, except the navy pilot's scenes also include repetition of how one man who only cares about himself has to be watched because he might sneak away from the work team, despite the Japanese promise to kill the rest of the team if anybody leaves. Otherwise, they all talk about how hungry they are.

Yes, Harry, we *get* it! Life under occupation really stinks and it's almost impossible to survive on what little food you are given. It's a valid issue, but come on! Let's get the story moving, please? The only time the story moves forward at all is when the Japanese characters are on the page, planning either the attack or how to defend the islands from an imminent attack. That could be why they are also the most interesting characters in the book. The Americans are given a couple of hooks to place a story on and then sent on their way, but the Japanese are pretty well done. I could have done without the constant repetition (yes, I know this is getting repetitive) of how the POWs were sub-human and had no honour because they had surrendered, so they should consider themselves lucky for what meager supplies they received. Again, a valid point, driven into the ground.

Finally, I do have to give Turtledove credit for two things. First, he mostly avoids the embarrassing sex scene (there is one, but it's not too bad and it actually builds a character a little bit). Secondly, there's a bit of misdirection that I had to laugh at. At the beginning, Fletch Armitage is introduced by saying he's extremely pale and he burns easily in the tropics. I almost threw the book against the wall because we had yet *another* character like this! However, there is only one other mention of this throughout the entire book. You got me, Harry. Good job.

Days of Infamy is a great concept for a novel, but it is tedium interrupted by a few good battle scenes. I usually blaze through a Turtledove book no matter how bad it is because the plot, at least, keeps me moving through it. This one, I felt I was running in place throughout the book. Only the page numbers told me I was getting anywhere. That's not a good way to keep somebody reading.

David Roy

Rating:
Summary: Good, but also lacking...
Review: I am a big fan of Harry Turtledove and read most of his alternate history novels. I won't get into the plot as you can read the description on that. I have enjoyed Harry Turtledove's alternate history novels in the past because of the way he shows how one event can alter everything around it. He then generally mixes real people in with fictional people and show how the events have changed them. Unfortunately in Days of Infamy he almost completely excludes anyone you may have heard of on the Allied side (other than a brief and inpersonal appearance by Admiral Halsey). He also fails to give any big picture details of the war. Do the events he imagines change the European theater? Does it cause Roosevelt to stray from the "Germany first" policy?
I also have some problems with the history. In the first year of the war he portrays the Allies as inept in planning and execution. However in real history the US showed its superiority in the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway in May and June 1942. WHy then does Turtledove have the US being so badly defeated...he never does explain the disconnect from real history and his alternate.
I love the concept, and believe due to past experience with Turtledove that he will have some great sequels, but I am not reviewing the series, just this first book and so I can only give it two stars.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable but missing some elements
Review: I enjoyed this book as I've enjoyed all of Harry Turtledove's books. It has a good plausible premise, interesting characters, and the action pulls you in. The great story telling and easy to follow detail is what you expect.

However, this one had a few more of the things that sometimes iritate me with his books. I could have done with a few less repetetive sequences of the hardships being experienced by the characters. As I saw the pages dwindling I got an increasing feeling that these repetetive pages were wasting pages that I wanted saved for the action I was waiting for.

I would have also liked more on the how the Mainland, Government, and Military were reacting to the situation and preparing for the war. Since the story is speculative, it would have been fun to explore speculation in this area. I understand the point is to give the perspective of the people in Hawaii, which means keeping the reader somewhat in the dark as to if and how the US will retaliate. However, it does include some events of what is going on in the mainland but nothing that helps with the primary story. These sequences are only included as character development for sequels.

All in all it was very entertaining but left me somewhat disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Here we go again!
Review: I see from reading the other reviews that many others also picked up on the fact that this is probably a new series , and not a stand alone work like "Ruled Brittania", hence my title to the review.

I would say that anyone who has read any WW-II history or who has seen "Tora Tora Tora" remembers that Admiral Nagumo hightailed for home before a 3rd wave was launched against Pearl Harbor. This novel explores the possibilities of the effects of a Japanese invasion instead of a raid. I have either read too much Turtledove lately or the author is losing his edge a little. Much of the plotline seemed to be telegraphed ahead.

Not a bad topic for an alternate history novel ; I hope that it doesn't get bogged down in the usual repetitive manner of the American Empire trilogy.

Overall, 3 stars. Could have been better , but I'm willing to give this series a chance.

Rating:
Summary: A Great What If Social Sci-FI Scenario
Review: This is my first novel by Mr. Turtledove, however it might be my last. I am always on the lookout for alternative history books, so I thought I would give Mr. Turledove a chance by reading 'Days of Infamy'.

Mr. Turtledove tries to answer the question, "What if the Japanese Army and Navy follows through with an invasion after the attack on Pearl Harbor?" He details the attack from the Japanese Army/Navy, and the defense from the American forces. The details are very well written, having a military background myself, I can appreciate what the American forces go through in the book.

What I didn't like was the detailed lives of the non-military people in Hawaii. I didn't care about the Japanese fishing family, I didn't care about the surfer dude; Ok I 'get it', life under Japanese rule sucks. The only interesting non-military character was Jane Armitage, and her experience under Japanese military rule.

Had I known this book was a start of another series, I wouldn't have picked up this book. Without giving too much away for those who have not read the book yet, I'll just state that I was disappointed with the ending.

Rating:
Summary: Unsettling Alernate History
Review: Yes, Days of Infamy does appear to be the start of a new series and it is a very good beginning. It would have shocked me if the story ended here. Those readers familiar with World War II will recognize that it is a tale of what if the Japanese took greater initiative and risks, did not make their historical mistakes, and also had luck on their side. The result is a dark, humbling story that is like a bad dream for the American side with little in the way of heroic resistance scenes. I keep telling myself "it's only a story." Turtledove does not create deep characters, but there are some interesting people, most of them Japanese. He does a good job putting a human face on the enemy without giving them a sympathetic treatment. Most of the Americans are downtrodden, civilians and suffering POW's losing hope, which makes sense considering the setting. Of course, the argument can be made that Japan did not have the resources to invade Hawaii in addition to their real-life conquests. But why should that get in the way of a good story? The book does touch on the difficulty Japan would have had supplying a garrison in Hawaii and I suspect this will be a key feature in future volumes. I have read extensively about the World War II and it is interesting to see things turn out differently. Now let's see if he can come up with a creative way for the Americans to bounce back. Actually, three and one-half stars would be a more accurate rating for Days of Infamy. It does bother me that Turtledove seems to be mass-producing alternate history. Is he getting help? I expect the quality would improve substantially if he were to slow down. Nevertheless, this is a book that Turtledove fans, alternate history buffs, and many others will enjoy and then await a sequel.