James D. Hornfischerwas a writer, literary agent, and book editor.He was the author of the New York Times bestsellers Neptune's Inferno, The Last Stand of the Tin Can Soldiers, Ship of Ghosts, and The Fleet at Flood Tide, all widely acclaimed accounts of the U.S. Navy in the Pacific during World War II, as well as the upcoming Who Can Hold the Sea. His books have received numerous awards, including the Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Distinguished Service and the Naval Historical Foundation Distinguished Service Award.James D. Hornfischer died in 2021.
“Ship of Ghosts would be an unforgettable book if only for its
brilliantly wrought account of the massive, chaotic sea battle that
destroyed the USS Houston. But that is only the beginning of a
story that grows more harrowing with every chapter, and that
finally leaves the reader amazed at what human beings are capable
of achieving and enduring.” —Stephen Harrigan, author of Challenger
Park and The Gates of the Alamo
"On sea and on land, these intrepid sailors endured enough for a
thousand lifetimes. In this riveting account, Hornfischer carefully
reconstructs a story none of us should be allowed to
forget."—Hampton Sides, author of Blood and Thunder and Ghost
Soldiers
“Hornfischer has produced another meticulously researched naval
history page-turner in Ship of Ghosts. He manages to fuse powerful
human stories into the great flow of historical events with a
singular story-telling talent.”—John F. Lehman, former Secretary of
the Navy, author of On Seas of Glory
“Hornfischer has done it again. His narrative is fine-tuned and
always compelling but where he truly excels is in his evocative,
often lyrical descriptions of combat at sea. Those who enjoyed his
previous best-seller will love Ship of Ghosts—military history at
its finest.”—Alex Kershaw, author of The Bedford Boys and The
Few
“Masterly…[the] description of the huge and terrifying naval
engagements are as overwhelming a stretch of historical writing as
I have ever come across…. Beautifully written and
heartgripping.”—Adam Nicolson, author of God’s Secretaries
“Recounts perhaps the most devastating untold saga of World War II
in piercing detail.”—Donovan Webster, author of The Burma Road
“Hornfischer is quickly establishing himself as doing for the
Navy what popular historian Stephen Ambrose did for the Army…. So
great is the drama of the Houston and its survivors that this story
seems to tell itself.” —Rocky Mountain News
“With vivid and visceral descriptions of the chaos and valor
onboard the doomed Houston…the author penetrates the thoughts and
fears of adrenaline-pumped sailors in the heat of combat….
Hornfischer masterfully shapes the narrative…. breathing life into
an unforgettable epic of human endurance.” —USA Today
“Hornfischer has painted a compelling picture of one of the most
gallant ships and one of the grimmest campaigns in American naval
history. He has a positive genius for depicting the surface-warfare
sailor in a tight spot. May he write long and give them more
memorials.” –Booklist, starred review
“What kind of yarn is Ship of Ghosts? Put Stephen Ambrose aboard
the cruiser once known as ‘the Galloping Ghost of the Java Coast.’
Next, bring Patrick O’Brien for nautical detail and high seas
drama. Then factor in Joseph Conrad for tales of men under stress
in exotic climes…. Naval history of the highest order.” –Metrowest
[Boston] Daily News
This engrossing WWII epic by Hornfischer (The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors) recounts the exploits of the Houston, mainstay of the skimpy Allied fleet opposing the Japanese onslaught in the war's early days, until her sinking in a desperate battle with overwhelming Japanese forces in the Java Sea in 1942. This part of the story features a superb evocation of naval combat as the harnessing of immense destructive forces booming eight-inch guns, plunging bombs, stealthy torpedoes by the crew's frenzied yet meticulous choreography. The narrative then shifts gears to follow the Houston's several hundred survivors through Japanese POW camps in Southeast Asia, focusing on the labor camps on the Burma-Thailand railway (glamorized in the movie Bridge on the River Kwai). Shorn of their weapons and confronting starvation, disease and the brutality of Japanese guards, the prisoners cultivated a different kind of heroism, where survival hung on the ability to absorb hardship and humiliation without complaint, and the pilfering of an egg or a can of condensed milk for the dying was the ultimate act of courage. The result is a gripping, well-told memorial to Greatest Generation martyrdom. Photos. (Nov. 7) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
"Ship of Ghosts would be an unforgettable book if only for
its brilliantly wrought account of the massive, chaotic sea battle
that destroyed the USS Houston. But that is only the
beginning of a story that grows more harrowing with every chapter,
and that finally leaves the reader amazed at what human beings are
capable of achieving and enduring." -Stephen Harrigan, author of
Challenger Park and The Gates of the Alamo
"On sea and on land, these intrepid sailors endured enough for a
thousand lifetimes. In this riveting account, Hornfischer carefully
reconstructs a story none of us should be allowed to
forget."-Hampton Sides, author of Blood and Thunder and
Ghost Soldiers
"Hornfischer has produced another meticulously researched naval
history page-turner in Ship of Ghosts. He manages to fuse
powerful human stories into the great flow of historical events
with a singular story-telling talent."-John F. Lehman, former
Secretary of the Navy, author of On Seas of Glory
"Hornfischer has done it again. His narrative is fine-tuned and
always compelling but where he truly excels is in his evocative,
often lyrical descriptions of combat at sea. Those who enjoyed his
previous best-seller will love Ship of Ghosts-military
history at its finest."-Alex Kershaw, author of The Bedford
Boys and The Few
"Masterly...[the] description of the huge and terrifying naval
engagements are as overwhelming a stretch of historical writing as
I have ever come across.... Beautifully written and
heartgripping."-Adam Nicolson, author of God's
Secretaries
"Recounts perhaps the most devastating untold saga of World War II
in piercing detail."-Donovan Webster, author of The Burma
Road
"Hornfischer is quickly establishing himself as doing for
the Navy what popular historian Stephen Ambrose did for the
Army.... So great is the drama of the Houston and its
survivors that this story seems to tell itself." -Rocky Mountain
News
"With vivid and visceral descriptions of the chaos and
valor onboard the doomed Houston...the author penetrates the
thoughts and fears of adrenaline-pumped sailors in the heat of
combat.... Hornfischer masterfully shapes the narrative....
breathing life into an unforgettable epic of human endurance."
-USA Today
"Hornfischer has painted a compelling picture of one of the
most gallant ships and one of the grimmest campaigns in American
naval history. He has a positive genius for depicting the
surface-warfare sailor in a tight spot. May he write long and give
them more memorials." -Booklist, starred review
"What kind of yarn is Ship of Ghosts? Put Stephen Ambrose
aboard the cruiser once known as 'the Galloping Ghost of the Java
Coast.' Next, bring Patrick O'Brien for nautical detail and high
seas drama. Then factor in Joseph Conrad for tales of men under
stress in exotic climes.... Naval history of the highest order."
-Metrowest [Boston] Daily News
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
