End of the Beginning

Days of Infamy, Book 2

By: Harry Turtledove

Narrated by: John Allen Nelson

Six weeks ago, Imperial Japanese military forces conquered and occupied the Hawaiian Islands. A puppet king sits on Hawaii's throne, his strings controlled by the general of the invasion force. American POWs, malnourished and weak, are enslaved as hard laborers until death takes them. Civilians fare little better, struggling to survive on dwindling resources. And families of Japanese origin find their loyalties divided.

Meanwhile, across the United States, from Pensacola, Florida, to San Diego, the military is marshaling its forces. Steel factories and fuel refineries are operating around the clock. New recruits are enlisting and undergoing rigorous training exercises - all for the opportunity to strike back and drive the enemy from American soil.

©2009 Harry Turtledove (P)2010 Tantor

Critic reviews

“Chilling.... A plethora of characters, each with his or her own point of view, provides experiences in miniature that combine to paint a broad canvas of the titanic struggle.” ( Publishers Weekly)

Turtledove rocks! And I need 15 more words....

Harry Turtledove rocks it again. I appently need 15 words.... Wow that is a dumb requirement...

Quite good!

Never seemed to be out of possibility. The story and narration were very good and in enjoyed all the hours of listening.

If you love "what if's", THIS IS FOR YOU!

Would you consider the audio edition of End of the Beginning to be better than the print version?

This is one book that helps you to really understand how POWs were treated in WWII. Even if it is set in an alternate time line you really feel for the characters.

What was one of the most memorable moments of End of the Beginning?

These characters come alive with expert authorship.

Have you listened to any of John Allen Nelson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The reader is consistent with being top grade.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

History Hangs On One Single Action.

Any additional comments?

I have been a SUPERFAN of Mr. Turtledove for many years and have had the pleasure to learn of what has happened because of what might have happened.

Harry Turtledove

Harry Turtledove is a great writer with a strong understanding of history. you feel like you are part of the story.

Couldn’t stop reading...

I found a number of annoyances about this book, but thoroughly enjoyed it anyway. Some of the characters were really notable, others seemed 1 dimensional. The research that went into this is very evident, from the description of Oahu’s geography, to the aircraft, to the racial tensions and how they might have evolved, to the mundane details like the zebra doves. I’m sure Turtledove spent a lot of time here on Oahu. There is a lot of annoying repetition- he takes a great point and pounds it into a cliche. He also really overused the racist slurs - accurate to the time I’m sure, but it gets gratuitous the 50th time you hear “slanty-eyed monkey”. It just felt unnecessary.

The performance is ok. Probably wouldn’t matter to most, but the pronunciation of Hawaiian place names is just plain wrong a lot of the time. The Japanese pronunciation is better but not good. Otherwise, though, the performance is fine.