Book Review: Shattered Sword
I just got to peruse this book over luch with one of the authors. I have had the privilege of reviewing chapters over the course of writing the book, so this was like the birth of a niece or nephew (provided you’re on good terms with your sibling, of course).
The question to answer is this: How is the book?
The answer is: INCREDIBLE!
I got to go over the pre-press copy, and it was 11×7, approx. 580 pages. So it’s physically impressive. As I skimmed the chapters, I was FLOORED by the quality of the illustrations, as well as the depth of detail of them. In many, the Japanese vessels are labeled in English AND Japanese. The details are superior as well, due to the utterly exhaustive research done with original Japanese documents - NOT US Navy translations which left out many important details.
Each Japanese CV has diagrams showing the locations of bomb hits, from the side view and from above, with the direction from which the bombs came plainly indicated. All 4 CVs have magnificent line drawings in the appendices. The tail-code system for Japanese aircraft is explained. The damage to Yorktown is explained in great detail. Also in the appendices are comprehensive matrices of all air ops for all 4 Japanese CVs, as well as rosters of significant personnel from both sides.
The text - the meat on the bones - reads very easily. It’s almost like reading a well-written novel, what I’ve read. And again, the depth of detail is simply amazing. If you ever were curious as to how Japanese damage control worked, or didn’t work, it’s in there. If you’re interested in how these carriers appeared to witnesses as they sunk - it’s in there.
To keep this short - I loved it. Yes, I am a bit biased, but speaking objectively, this is a monumental work - this will be a source for future historic works. I am certain of this.
Get it here.
Read the Intro from the book here.
The authors’ website.