Leviathan Rising: A WWII Submarine Adventure Novel
USS Bull Shark Naval Thriller Series, Book 2
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 30 days of Standard free
Buy Now for £21.09
-
Narrated by:
-
Dave Alexander
-
By:
-
Scott Cook
About this listen
Admiral Yamamoto is preparing the strike that could shatter the American carrier fleet—and change the course of the Pacific war.
As USS Bull Shark races toward Pearl Harbor following her clash with a deadly Nazi Q-ship, Captain Art Turner faces trouble inside his own command. New officers, internal rivalries, and a crew still forging its identity threaten the boat’s readiness for the battles ahead.
Meanwhile, American intelligence is running out of time. Ultra intercepts reveal that Japan is preparing a massive offensive—but critical details remain hidden. Somewhere across the vast Pacific, the Imperial Navy is assembling a strike force designed to destroy Fletcher’s carriers and seize Midway Island.
But Midway is only part of Yamamoto’s plan.
Even as four powerful Japanese fleets move into position, a secret weapon is being prepared beneath the waves. An experimental enemy submarine is dispatched on a covert mission that could cripple the American war effort before the decisive clash even begins.
Caught between fragile command tensions and an enemy threat unlike any they have faced before, Turner and his crew must prepare Bull Shark for her most dangerous patrol yet.
As history accelerates toward one of the most decisive naval battles ever fought, Bull Shark must find her place in the gathering storm.
Because at Midway, there will be only one victor.
©2021 Scott W Cook (P)2026 Scott W CookContinue the series
Loved it
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I was in two minds whether to even get this second book in the USS Bull Shark series after reading the first, Operation: Snare Drum. It wasn't that the story was outright bad, it was okay. It was the accuracy inconsistencies that bothered me. The author, Scott Cook, clearly did a lot of homework when putting together that first story. He manages to get so much right, and the more complex stuff too. However, he got the easier stuff wrong, plain wrong! Anyway, those interested may want to check out my review of Operation: Snare Drum for themselves.
At a loose end and unsure of what book to go for next, I weakened my resolve, hungry for a good second World War submarine story, and went for this second instalment. The prospect of submarine versus submarine action just too tempting to overlook.
As remarked upon in my review of the first book in this series, the narrator, Dave Alexander, is back - something I like in book series to maintain consistency. As before, I found his narration competent, but a bit too loud and enthusiastic, which often turned a tense moment into a cartoonish action scene. If he'd tone down his performance a bit, it would lend more gravitas to the book. Narration of this sort tends to weaken the deadly seriousness of the situation the crew of the Bull Shark find themselves in.
AN element to this story that was unexpected, and provided some originality to a World war II story, was the sub plot regarding drug abuse onboard. I don't doubt that some form of narcotics were used back then, especially serving aboard a submarine in time of war, but have no idea how prevalent this was. Still, the inclusion of this in this story was interesting.
I also have to give Scott Cook credit here for addressing the criticisms he received over his first book in this series. Those seeking out submarine war stories are likely, like me, to be pretty knowledgeable on subs and so make the most critical target audience. If dipping one's toes into this genre as a writer, you better get it right. So, Cook accounted for his inaccuracies in a preface to the book that I respect him for. He didn't have to do it, but he accepted the errors he'd made and pointed out that, first and foremost, he was attempting to write a good story and that sometimes one has to bend the facts a bit to achieve that. Fair enough, I thought, at least you acknowledged the criticisms and explained your reasons. After that, I softened my expectations and gave Scott Cook somewhat of a pass.
Okay, so as I listened, I still spotted errors that my critical ear picked up on. These are more the sort of errors that proper proofing would have weeded out. Sadly, proofing appears to not be what it used to be. Early on in the story, when remarking upon the huge Japanese submarine, the author states that it must displace more than 4,000 Kg. it appears that the author mixed up his units of measurement. I suspect he meant to say "tons" but somehow Kilogrammes found its way in. Similarly, later in the story another unit mismatch occurs when it's explained during a deck gun duel with a closing destroyer, how the muzzle velocity of the deck gun divided by the 12,000 yards, I believe it was, of the closing destroyer meant a travel time of so and so. Fine, however, Cook has mixed yards and feet here, forgetting perhaps that there are three feet to a yard.
I also felt there was a narrative oddity in that a crew member heavily involved in a sub surface battle was apparently needing to be roused from sleep when the Bull Shark surfaced just minutes later in the story thread. I may have got this one wrong, but I think that's how it played out as far as I can recall.
As I remember the story now, I also seem to believe that there was a plot point requiring the internal air pressure in the boat to be increased in order to slow a leak. However, none of the crew appeared to suffer from the intense pressure in any way, which I found odd.
So, with all that aside, would I recommend this book? For those casual listeners to this genre, then yes. It's a ripping yarn, albeit with a drug narrative woven into it. For those like me? Hmm ... the jury's still out on that one. Failing finding any other submarine based action stories set in the Pacific during the second World war, I may well dip in again and see what Scott Cook has come up with for the third instalment.
Not bad, but there are better submarine war stories out there on Audible.
A Fair Effort
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.