The author has written a series of books detailing World War II in the Pacific with this one addressing the last part of the war and the role the Navy played in eventually bringing the war with Japan to resolution. It is well researched and written and like his other books an interesting read. He brings the strategy and decision making to life and holds the readers attention by making it read more like a novel than history.

I recomend this book for those looking for a better understanding of the role the Navy played in bringing the war with Japan to a successful conclusion.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook and Twitter pages.

Perhaps it was a mistake to read this directly after another nonfiction book on WWII--especially one focused on a single aspect (Pearl Harbor). The byproduct of that is The Fleet at Flood Tide feels unfocused. I had a hard time following where we were talking about, why this piece was being introduced, and its significance for the whole of the war. Author Hornfischer included details and "small" stories that, while accurate, only served to make a long book even longer. I kept wanting to skip some of the details to get to the "important" stuff. I know...I know. It's all important stuff. Except that's not true.

I found two parts to be notably interesting. First, the formation of the Underwater Demolitions Team, which would go on to become the modern-day Navy Seals.

The second was Hornfischer's examination of the decision to drop the atomic bombs. He comes down on the side of believing that dropping those bombs saved both American and Japanese lives. It was horrible. The effects were devastating. But it truly does seem that Japan would have fought to the bitter end, using every man, woman, and child if necessary, in a fruitless pursuit of honor. The bombs changed the emperor's mind, and his was the only mind they needed to change, apparently.

The book was good. It's an expansive look at the late war in the Pacific. It just wasn't as gripping as I'd hoped.

This is a well-researched, nicely-written, and enjoyable history of the war.

This is an excellent book and any student of the war in the Pacific should have it in their library. While Hornfischer does get bogged down in the details somewhat, he does a great job of showing how it took many parts coming together to win the battles and ultimately the war.