1942: A Novel

(Paperback)

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An action-packed but historically logical retelling of what would have happened had the Japanese Admiral Nagumo followed his original orders and completed the full blown attack at Pearl Harbor, causing it to no longer be a viable base, leaving Hawaiian islands vulnerable to invasion and conquer. December 7 is "the date which will live in infamy." But now Japan is hatching another, far greater plan to bring America to its knees. . . . The Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was a resounding success-except for one detail- a second bombing mission, to destroy crucial oil storage facilities, was aborted that day. Now, in this gripping and stunning work of alternate history, Robert Conroy reimagines December 7, 1941, to include the attack the Japanese didn't launch, and what follows is a thrilling tale of war, resistance, sacrifice, and courage. For when Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto sees how badly the United States has been ravaged in a two-pronged strike, he devises another, more daring proposal- an all-out invasion of Hawaii to put a stranglehold on the American Pacific Fleet. Yamamoto's strategy works brilliantly-at first. But a handful of American soldiers and a determined civilian resistance fight back in the face of cruelty unknown in Western warfare. Stateside, a counterassault is planned-and the pioneering MIT-trained aviator Colonel Jimmy Doolittle is given a near-impossible mission with a fleet of seaplanes jury-rigged into bombers. From spies to ordinary heroes and those caught between two cultures at war, this is the epic saga of the Battle of Hawaii-the way it very nearly was. . . .

Reviews

"A significant writer of alternate history turns here to the popular topic of Pearl Harbor, producing what is arguably his best book . . . Lots of vivid action scenes from start to finish . . . Enjoy this rousing historical action tale."
Booklist

Engaging . . . Fans of Tom Clancy and Agent Jack Bauer should find a lot to like here.
Publishers Weekly

A high-explosive what-if, with full-blooded characters.
John Birmingham, author of Without Warning

Author Bio

Robert Conroywas a business and economic history teacher who lived in Detroit. His alternate-history novels include 1901, 1862, 1945, 1942, and Red Inferno- 1945. He died in 2014.