Audible Book Review: Maelstrom:Destroyermen, Book 3 by Taylor Anderson

This is the third installment in this fascinating adventure series.
Maelstrom: Destroyermen, Book 3
     by Taylor Anderson
    Narrated by William Dufris

    UNABRIDGED
          Series: Destroyermen, Book 3
    LENGTH      17 hrs and 45 mins
    RELEASE DATE      03-25-09
    PUBLISHER      Tantor Audio
Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
Lieutenant Commander Matthew Reddy, along with the men and women of the U.S.S. Walker, are once again at war. Having sided with the peaceful Lemurians against the savage, reptilian Grik, they now find themselves scrambling to prepare for the attack that is sure to come, searching for resources to support their forces - even as they look for allies to join their struggle.
Meanwhile, the Japanese juggernaut Amagi, also trapped in this strange world, is under Grik control---with her fanatical commander approaching madness. And soon they will have amassed a force that no amount of firepower and technology will be able to stop.As the raging conflict approaches, Reddy, his crew, his allies, and his loved ones face annihilation. But if there is one thing they have learned about their new world, it is that hope - and help - may be just over the horizon.
©2008 Taylor Anderson; (P)2009 Tantor

Review:
Don’t let the slow start in this episode dissuade you - it just builds a basis for getting to know the characters and made me feel like part of the crew!

Two American destroyer ships, the USS Walker and Mahan, and a Japanese battle cruiser, the Amagi, were caught up in a storm and found themselves in an alternate version of the South Seas. Here the Americans have met a peaceful population of creatures resembling a mix of Lemure and a cat, called Lemurians and sometimes referred to as “Cats.”

For many years the Lemurians lived peaceably in the trees or large Tree ships. Now they are being pursued by a terrible race, the lizard-like Grik. The Grik do not just kill their enemies; they consume them. The Japanese warship Amagi and its power crazed commander having allied with the Grik to seek destruction against the Americans and the Lemurians.

The first half of this book fills in the backgrounds of the characters and events to bring a new reader up to date. There is a lot of behind the scenes details, building characters, setting the locations, revealing society positioning and strategy for the upcoming battles. Though it’s not exciting, still I found it very interesting. I liked even the geographical descriptions as a comparison between the alternate world and the world that the Americans came from. This story also introduces a few new characters, including some pre-American Revolution British officers who choose to remain outside of the alliance.

I had already like Captain Matthew Reddy and many of the crew members from the prior books. By the time the battle begins in the second half of this book I felt like I knew the American crew personally. When this book jumps into the battle action there is excitement, fear, horror, loss and sorrow. A couple times I actually found myself holding my hands over my face as I dealt with the emotions during the battle.

Audio Notes: William Dufris does a grand job of narrating that captures the nuances of the characters– good guys and bad guys– and the excitement of the battle. I get wrapped into the narration which to me signifies both a good story and a delivery that keeps the reader focused on the characters and action with no negative distractions from the reading.

I will be listening to Book 4 soon!  I recommend this series to those who enjoy adventure with alternate world, alternate species and some heavy battle action.

This is from my own Audible library.