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Overview
“Absolutely brilliant! Fast paced and filled with tension and suspense. Every page resonates with the momentous events and great personalities of World War II – and scenes so carefully crafted you feel like you’re there. This is a ‘must read’ for all who look at history and wonder: “What if…” -- Oliver North, Lt. Col., USMC (Ret.), host of War Stories on the Fox News Channel
In 2007, bestselling authors Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen launched a new epic adventure series about World War II in the Pacific, with their book Pearl Harbor: A Novel of December 8th, 1941, which instantly rocketed to the New York Times bestseller list.
Gingrich and Forstchen’s now critically acclaimed approach, which they term “active history,” examines how a change in but one decision might have profoundly altered American history. In Pearl Harbor they explored how history might have been changed if Admiral Yamamoto had directly led the attack on that fateful day, instead of remaining in Japan. Building on that promise, Days of Infamy starts minutes after the close of Pearl Harbor, as both sides react to the monumental events triggered by the presence of Admiral Yamamoto. In direct command of the six carriers of the attacking fleet, Yamamoto decides to launch a fateful “third-wave attack” on the island of Oahu, and then keeps his fleet in the area to hunt down the surviving American aircraft carriers, which by luck and fate were not anchored in the harbor on that day.
Historians have often speculated about what might have transpired from legendary“matchups” of great generals and admirals. In this story of the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, the notorious gambler Yamamoto is pitted against the equally legendary American admiral Bill Halsey in a battle of wits, nerve, and skill.
Days of Infamy recounts this alternative history from a multitude of viewpoints---from President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill, and the two great admirals, on down to American pilots flying antiquated aircraft, bravely facing the vastly superior Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft. Gingrich and Forstchen have written a sequel that’s as much a homage to the survivors of the real Pearl Harbor attack as it is an imaginative and thrilling take on America’s entry into World War II.
Praise for the first book in the Pacific War Series, Pearl Harbor:
"A thrilling tale of American's darkest day."
--W.E.B. Griffin
"Masterful storytelling that not only captures the heroic highs and hellish lows of that horrific day which lives on in infamy--it resonates with today's conflicts and challeneges."
--William E. Butterworth IV, New York Times bestselling author of The Saboteurs
"A politician and a novelist, each an accomplished historian in his own right, are emerging as master authors of alternative history. In this “what if” treatment of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen combine their talents to make the diplomacy as suspenseful as the combat, even for readers who know what happens next–or think they know."
--Dennis Showalter, former president of the Society of Military Historians
"This book is not only a great read, it is a fascinating historical story that applies today in Iraq as it did in the Western Pacific in the late 30s and 40s."
--Captain Alex Fraser, USN (Ret.)
Synopsis
New York Times bestselling authors Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen deliver a bold new military adventure about the aftermath of Pearl Harbor in
DAYS OF INFAMY
America is still reeling after epic events in Hawaii. The legendary admiral Bill Halsey is pitted against the notorious gambler Admiral Yamamoto—who has launched a fateful “third-wave attack” on the island of Oahu—in a battle of wits, nerve, and skill. Meanwhile, the hunt for the Japanese fleet is on… Days of Infamy stars an amazing array of characters—from President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill, and the two great admirals to the U.S. pilots bravely facing the vastly superior Imperial Japanese Navy. A military tour de force, Gingrich and Forstchen’s “what if” novel is as much an homage to the survival of the real Pearl Harbor attack as it is a bold and thrilling take on America’s entry into World War II.
“fascinating.”—Roanoke Times
“The authors’ research shines in accurate accounts of diplomatic maneuvering as well as the nuts-and-bolts of military action.”—Publishers Weekly
Robert Conroy - Library Journal
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor has spawned multitudes of what-if scenarios. In the authors' previous book, Pearl Harbor, what might have happened if the attack on Pearl Harbor had been pressed harder was answered: it would have been catastrophic for the United States. This sequel graphically and plausibly tells what could have happened if the Japanese and U.S. fleets had found and battled each other in the desperate days following the attack. Skillfully combining historical characters with fictional ones, Gingrich and Forstchen have crafted a riveting, exciting, and realistic novel of World War II. Curiously for an alternate history, it does not change events much. There is a feeling of inevitability that diminishes any sense of surprise, as fictional events don't seem to evolve all that differently from actual history. The authors' Civil War trilogy did come to a conclusion; thus, readers will wonder if there will be future books and a subsequent, but different, end to the Pacific War. Recommended for larger collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ1/08; 250,000-copy first printing.]
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen have already offered a fresh take on World War II with their novel Pearl Harbor: A Novel of December 8th, 1941. This "active history" shows how one decisive change can alter the course of even global events. In the case of Pearl Harbor, that change was the reassignment of Admiral Yamamoto to direct the attack. In Days of Infamy, American naval leaders struggle to counter, or at least neutralize the masterful strategies of the Japanese commander. Riveting history with a difference.Library Journal
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor has spawned multitudes of what-if scenarios. In the authors' previous book, Pearl Harbor, what might have happened if the attack on Pearl Harbor had been pressed harder was answered: it would have been catastrophic for the United States. This sequel graphically and plausibly tells what could have happened if the Japanese and U.S. fleets had found and battled each other in the desperate days following the attack. Skillfully combining historical characters with fictional ones, Gingrich and Forstchen have crafted a riveting, exciting, and realistic novel of World War II. Curiously for an alternate history, it does not change events much. There is a feeling of inevitability that diminishes any sense of surprise, as fictional events don't seem to evolve all that differently from actual history. The authors' Civil War trilogy did come to a conclusion; thus, readers will wonder if there will be future books and a subsequent, but different, end to the Pacific War. Recommended for larger collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ1/08; 250,000-copy first printing.]
—Robert Conroy