 |
The year is 1942, and World War II has been in full swing for nearly three years. The Japanese have been exerting their dominance in conquering vast swaths of territories and islands in the Pacific. Australia is nobly fighting back, but no one knows for how long it can withstand the barrage. John Knight and his fellow soldiers have just escaped Japanese captivity and have headed to Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. The men have absconded with a Japanese gunboat and have proceeded to unleash a campaign of hit-and-run attacks against the Japanese forces. Knight and his band of countrymen must remain stealthy in their movements as they liberate the tribal people from the often brutal hands of their captors. Knight himself becomes noted for his cold-blooded efficiency as a coast watcher.
World War II is a subject that has been written about to a nearly exhaustive degree. However, Aspen’s book notably differentiates itself by bringing a perspective of war from a personal view, mainly John Knight’s. The constant need to be alert and ready is tangible as the Australian contingent arrives back at their base of operations. The men know their enemy is persistent and unpredictable, a feeling which is constant throughout the book, creating riveting tension. Aspen deftly presents the story of the Australian band of renegades, and each chapter proves to be captivating. The hellish landscape of war is laid out for the reader to take in and process with the violent nature of war and survival on full display. Author Aspen has written a thrilling and pulse-pounding book.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review