fantasy book reviews science fiction book reviewsDeadly Shores by Taylor Anderson science fiction book reviewsDeadly Shores by Taylor Anderson

I love Taylor Anderson’s characters and the world he has built in his DESTROYERMEN series, and the audio editions of these books are wonderfully performed by William Dufris.

But Deadly Shores (2014) is the ninth book in the series and the war, which is pretty much the focus of the entire plot, seems like it’s still winding up. There’s just no end in sight.

There are a couple of personal changes for Captain Reddy’s crew and alliances, including the death of an important character, alliances are starting to shift, a possible new enemy is discovered, we meet a few strange new creatures (including flying saber-toothed squids), Courtenay makes a suggestion about how the world works, Silva plays a few pranks, and there are a couple of exciting battles.

Destroyermen (Book Series) by Taylor Anderson
But mostly Deadly Shores is more of the same, even with the same jokes about the Coke machine and Juan’s coffee. For some readers this may be all they want — after all, it’s fun to just hang out with the Destroyermen. The reader reviews at Amazon show that few fans are complaining.

But I have literally thousands of books on my TBR list and I tend to get annoyed when I realize I’ve just spent 17 hours of my life on a story that shows no sign of wanting to end.

I’m giving Deadly Shores 3 stars because I think it will please the devoted fans who are still reading this series, and the book is up to par with the previous installments, but I really hope Anderson has an ending in mind and that it won’t take too much longer to get there.

Published in 2014. National bestselling author Taylor Anderson’s explosive WWII alternate-history series continues as a do-or-die battle is waged that risks far more than anyone bargained for. The long-planned raid on the heart of the Grik Empire has grown more ambitious—and dangerously ill defined. Only Matthew Reddy, commander of the old destroyer USS Walker, seems focused on its original intent. Many Lemurians see an opportunity to reconquer their sacred homeland, which was stolen long ago, and have no intention of simply striking a blow and then pulling back. Others, Lemurian and human, have their own agendas—which may not be in the best interests of the Alliance. Complicating matters further is Reddy’s suspicion that his task force is being stalked by an unknown power bent on aiding the Grik for reasons of its own. As the raid begins and chaos reigns, Reddy has no choice but to go all-in, risking everything in a desperate act that results in a sprawling, nightmarish battle on the beaches of “Grik City,” on the very decks of Walker, and in the labyrinthine passageways of the Celestial Palace itself. The final cost could be more than Matt Reddy—or the Alliance—can bear.