Crusade (Destroyermen) Mass Market Paperback – November 3, 2009

Not being particularly interested in the science fiction genre, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Mr. Anderson's first book in this series, Into the Storm.It was with anticipation, therefore, that I sought out this the second volume in the Destroyermen series. And I was not disappointed in any respect.It is a fast paced story, with an extraordinarily unique plot, and characters, good and bad (make that cold-bloodedly evil for most), that keep you both interested and thinking about aspects of their "history" or back-story that Anderson suggests or that logically might apply. Any book that fully entertains on its own, and yet which also has the reader expanding the "story" because one has become interested enough to puzzle out even more story lines, is a credit to the author.Anderson raises serious questions about honor, heroism, venal motivation, and raw terror, and uniquely, not only from the perspective of the humans alone, but also the "evolved" lemurs, and the cold-blooded Grik raptors --- a terrified Grik, in the hands of Anderson, is a sight to behold and relish.The combat, realistic in every respect, is riveting. And when the equipment (antiquated, in the main, World War I destroyers, and small arms) are not sufficient in quantity, the characters manufacture historically correct alternatives that are familiar to any amateur historian, and perfectly capable of being reproduced in the setting of this story. The alternative dimensional aspects of Anderson's tale, the characters in it and their reactions to the stresses they face, "play well" and make for a superior read.I want more, and to that end, have pre-ordered the third volume due out next February, Maelstrom. Perhaps Anderson will neatly wrap up this story, but I suspect that there is much more that can be written about these characters, and hope that he will continue or expand the "destroyermen" universe with more stories in the future.

This is the second in the series; read the first book first. See my review of the third book for more details. You have some good ideas mixed in with a strange conflict between reptilian creatures (very nasty) and monkey like critters who are quite human like in some ways. The author has fun with the story, mixing occasional facts about naval ships of WWII and the situation in the book. I enjoyed the light, nonserious (unless you were a monkey like creature fighting for your race's survival in the book) nature of the book. Lots of drama, political and other, that add to the flavor. A good read for the escapist.

Bought book two on the 1st of October and read the thing in less than two days. Would've finished sooner but I had to sleep. Ha!Anyway, the second book in the Destroyermen series was a great addition, I could barely put it down. Those damned bathroom breaks and the six hours of sleep. *grumble* But, eventually I did finish it.Review - In this novel, the USS WALKER and friends go on the offensive against the Grik - their lizard/dinosaur foe. While on their mission to gather others of the Tree People into an Alliance to stand up to the Grik menace, they find that one of the city-states of the Tree People(Lemurians) has come under attack by the Grik.The Alliance that the WALKER and the Tree People have put together decide to go to the aid of their fellows to the south. They refit several captured Grik vessels and the massive Homes of the Tree People - basically large vessels the size of an old ESSEX-class aircraft carrier they use for ocean going homes - with large ass cannons and sail the entire battle line south to offer their help.A battle insues. The trained forces of Baalkpan - the Tree People city allied to the WALKER - fight a Grik force many times it's size using old Roman shield wall tactics. It works. They are able to hold for hours, but the help promised from the city-state of Aryaal - the help that was supposed to hit the Grik in the rear at a given time - didn't occur. The force was ready to leave the city, but the king forbade them to leave the walls. There was an argument and a civil war was started as the force promised to Captain Reddy - the Allied Force comander - tried to leave via another gate and had to fight their way through.A lot more happens later, but let's just say that I was loving the story the entire time, and was quite sad when it ended. But then I bought Book Three and all was well in the universe. =PThat novel, like the first, was an extremely fun read, and I highly recommend it. I don't think you will regret reading it.

Great start to the series. Good as the last book