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3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Overview from the back cover by author Feb 21, 2008
By E. Augustus
"WWII history buff"
Here is an Overview of Song of the Solomon: Fault lines in the South Pacific, Part One
I gave it 5 stars because if I don't, no one else will!
In August 1942, the United States Marines invaded the little-known island of Guadalcanal in the South Pacific. Their seizure of the airfield there sparked a six-month, no-holds-barred conflict with the Imperial Japanese Army. It also set the stage for a titanic series of battles between the United States Navy and the might of the Imperial Japanese fleet. When it was over, 65 major warships would be destroyed.
Before the smoke cleared, the heavy cruiser, USS Cheyenne, would bear witness to many of the most fearsome engagements while both extracting and paying the price for her participation. Her captain, Alex Patrick, guided his ship into battle less afraid of his enemy at sea than his own emotional struggles with the women he loved.
On many of the Solomon Islands, including Guadalcanal, coastwatchers from Australia, Great Britain, and the United States, kept a lonely, mountain-top vigil sweeping the sea and sky with binoculars, telescopes, and their wits to broadcast forewarnings of Japanese attacks to their allies, struggling for any advantage that might repel their relentless foe. On the island of Santa Isabel, just 60 miles from Guadalcanal, an Australian coastwatcher, Lt. Commander Ian McMahon, and his loyal native scouts struggled to stay alive as the Japanese army and navy repeatedly sent patrols to find them and put them to a grisly death.
This sweeping novel explores the scope of this epic conflict--the agony, heroism, horror, romance, and absurdity--the people, and the places that defined this timeless struggle.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Action is non-stop in the South Pacific Feb 25, 2008
By Tommy Thompson
This first novel by author E. Hunt Augustus brings the reader intimate and immediate entrance into the action that was Guadacanal. This novel puts the reader on a coastwatcher's island, on board the heavy cruiser, Cheyenne, and at once at home base and in love.
The story is the same thousands of Americans lived and died. But, significantly, the story that is told is very much a Japaneese tale as well. Mr. Augustus examines the enemy's experience through the story of Colonel Sato. You will find yourself, like me, hoping the next novel will be out soon.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
An engaging read Mar 13, 2008
By E. J. Williams
I'm not normally a fan of war novels, so I wasn't expecting to like this book so much when a friend recommended it. Truthfully, I couldn't put the book down and read it in one long day. The author writes in an engaging way which draws the reader into the struggles, heroics and day-to-day lives of people who fought and loved during World War II in the South Pacific. Against the backdrop of battles both on land and sea, the author introduces unforgettable characters who you will want to follow long after the last page is turned. The blend of history, facts and the author's ability to develop imagery of the scenes in the mind of the reader completely sweeps the reader along in a fast paced series of story lines. I can't wait for the next book to find out what happens at the coastwatcher outpost on Santa Isabel Island.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
You won't be able to put it down! Feb 21, 2008
By Vivian S. Gallagher
"Book Lover"
I am an avid reader--I download books to my Ipod and am usually working on one or two other books which I carry with me everywhere. My tastes include fiction, historical novels, biographies, etc. I picked up Song of the Solomons on a lark, because I'm interested in WWII and particularly the South Pacific. There are multiple movies and books on what happened in Europe at that time, but there is not that much on the So. Pacific.
WAS I IN FOR A SURPRISE! I was irrevocably caught 30 minutes into the book and did not want to put it down. I'll do my friends a favor and recommend it to all. There's enough action, romance and intrigue to appeal to anyone with intelligence and imagination.
I'll look forward to Mr. Augustus' next book.
Exciting, dramatic AND humorous... Sep 19, 2009
By M. C. Schmale
E. Hunt Augustus has produced a wonderfully written first book. He has a terrific style of weaving together several complex storylines while keeping the action abundantly clear. The characters and environment of life and war in the South Pacific are richly described without slowing down a fast-paced plot. I particularly enjoyed the darkly humorous side to many of his characters, created as a realistic reaction to the absurdity of their situations. I found myself reading Song of the Solomons late into the night, unable to put it down! That doesn't happen often for me and I look forward to his next book.
See all 14 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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