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Limit of Darkness
World War II novel of combat aviation.
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1943
10 people want to read
About the author
E. Howard Hunt
85 books31 followersE. Howard Hunt was an American intelligence officer and writer. Hunt served for many years as a CIA officer. Hunt, with G. Gordon Liddy and others, was one of the Nixon White House "plumbers" — a secret team of operatives charged with fixing "leaks." Hunt, along with Liddy, engineered the first Watergate burglary, and other undercover operations for Nixon. In the ensuing Watergate Scandal, Hunt was convicted of burglary, conspiracy and wiretapping, eventually serving 33 months in prison.
He published over eighty books wrote under the pseudonyms Robert Dietrich, Gordon Davis and David St. John
From Wikipedia.
He published over eighty books wrote under the pseudonyms Robert Dietrich, Gordon Davis and David St. John
From Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 5, 2021
One-time World War II classic turned formulaic war story you've seen before
E. Howard Hunt's Limit of Darkness was one of two WWII thrillers that put Hunt on the path of literary success. The other, East of Farewell, was based in his own wartime experience as a Naval Officer in the North Atlantic. Limit of Darkness is a different book altogether, a novel of Navy Aviators based at Henderson Field in the South Pacific. Both were among the first novels to come out of the war and as a result, gripped the public and sold well. But alas, better books would eventually emerge. Yet Hunt's reputation was secured. He won a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1946 and proceeded to write the pulpish pot-boiler, Bimini Run, which was sold to Hollywood. His course seemed set. Alas, Hunt joined the nascent CIA in the 50s and is now best known as a Watergate operative and suspected participant in a dozen conspiracies of the 60s and 70s. Yet he never stopped writing. He was a prodigious author who published under a variety of pen names.
Limit of Darkness is a fine novel about a squadron of aviators preparing for a dangerous mission. It's a classic war story formula. The reader is introduced to a cast of characters you've all seen before... assuming you've watched a war movie or read a war novel before... stereotypes of Americana. The suspense builds up as each character contemplates the imminent mission, a night bombing of a Japanese battle fleet, and whether they will survive. Hunt uses a suspense-inducing literary device, a chapter clock, to count down the final 24-hours leading to the mission. Then the mission comes, some die, some survive. The end. It's a formula, although a well-written one. Like Mailer's The Naked and the Dead, Limit of Darkness is realistic and violent. But it's a much lesser novel. The basic prose style is reminiscent of Hemingway, an author most up-and-coming writers were copying in the 1940s. For a bare bones, realistic look at the war in 1944, Limit of Darkness is highly recommended. It's a genuine artifact of WWII, yet it's also a modern, readable classic -- even if you've encountered this formulaic plot line over and over before. RECOMMENDED!
E. Howard Hunt's Limit of Darkness was one of two WWII thrillers that put Hunt on the path of literary success. The other, East of Farewell, was based in his own wartime experience as a Naval Officer in the North Atlantic. Limit of Darkness is a different book altogether, a novel of Navy Aviators based at Henderson Field in the South Pacific. Both were among the first novels to come out of the war and as a result, gripped the public and sold well. But alas, better books would eventually emerge. Yet Hunt's reputation was secured. He won a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1946 and proceeded to write the pulpish pot-boiler, Bimini Run, which was sold to Hollywood. His course seemed set. Alas, Hunt joined the nascent CIA in the 50s and is now best known as a Watergate operative and suspected participant in a dozen conspiracies of the 60s and 70s. Yet he never stopped writing. He was a prodigious author who published under a variety of pen names.
Limit of Darkness is a fine novel about a squadron of aviators preparing for a dangerous mission. It's a classic war story formula. The reader is introduced to a cast of characters you've all seen before... assuming you've watched a war movie or read a war novel before... stereotypes of Americana. The suspense builds up as each character contemplates the imminent mission, a night bombing of a Japanese battle fleet, and whether they will survive. Hunt uses a suspense-inducing literary device, a chapter clock, to count down the final 24-hours leading to the mission. Then the mission comes, some die, some survive. The end. It's a formula, although a well-written one. Like Mailer's The Naked and the Dead, Limit of Darkness is realistic and violent. But it's a much lesser novel. The basic prose style is reminiscent of Hemingway, an author most up-and-coming writers were copying in the 1940s. For a bare bones, realistic look at the war in 1944, Limit of Darkness is highly recommended. It's a genuine artifact of WWII, yet it's also a modern, readable classic -- even if you've encountered this formulaic plot line over and over before. RECOMMENDED!
February 8, 2016
This is a very good book about the US campaign against the Japanese in the Gaudacanal islands during WW2.
Its obviously written by someone who was actually there at the time because the details are very authentic.
It describes the lives of an operational bomber squadron during 24 hrs.
Its really gripping and gritty, and you get a very clear idea of what it must have been like.
Its the sort of book you can read many times without getting tired of it.
Its obviously written by someone who was actually there at the time because the details are very authentic.
It describes the lives of an operational bomber squadron during 24 hrs.
Its really gripping and gritty, and you get a very clear idea of what it must have been like.
Its the sort of book you can read many times without getting tired of it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews