Rising Sun

by Robert Conroy

By the author of breakout WW II era alternate history Himmler's War, another compelling alternate history thriller. With an American loss at the Battle of Midway, Japan runs rampant in the Pacific.

It is the summer of 1942 and what our historians have called the Incredible Victory in the Battle of Midway has become a horrendous disaster in this world. Two of America's handful of carriers in the Pacific have blundered into a Japanese submarine picket line and have been sunk, while a third is destroyed the next day. The United States has only one carrier remaining in the Pacific against nine Japanese, while the ragtag remnants of U.S. battleships --- an armada still reeling from the defeat at Pearl Harbor --- are in even worse shape.



Now the Pacific belongs to the Japanese. And it doesn't stop there, for Japan has thrust her sword in to the hilt. Alaska is invaded. Hawaii is under blockade. The Panama Canal is nearly plugged. Worst of all, the West Coast of America is ripe for destruction as bombers of the Empire of the Sun bombard west coast American cities at will.



Despite these disasters, the U.S. begins to fight back. Limited counterattacks are made and a grand plan is put forth to lure the Japanese into an ambush that could restore the balance in the Pacific and give the forces of freedom a fighting chance once more.



About Rising Sun:
Conroy extrapolates a new and militarily plausible direction for WWII . . . A thrilling adventure. - Booklist

Genres: Alternate History, Fiction, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Military Fiction, World War II, War

512 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 4, 2012

About the author

Robert Conroy was a best selling author of alternate history novels. His 1942, which is set within a Japanese conquest of Hawaii, won the prestigious Sidewise Award for alternate histories.

After taking early retirement from automotive management, Conroy decided to combine his loves of history and writing. After discovering that Kaiser Wilhelm had plans to invade the U.S., he wrote his first alternate history, 1901 in which the invasion took place. He found alternate history fascinating and the possibilities never-ending. He also wrote for Military History Magazine.

Conroy had a MBA, was a US Army Veteran and was a retired instructor at Macomb Community College. He had a married daughter and two grandsons. He lived in southeastern Michigan with his wife of forty-plus years. He passed away in December 2014 from Cancer.

Reviews

[Read Ng · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book quickly captured my interest. It was a fun read. You are introduced to stereotypical characters you expect to find in this time / place setting. Knowing the drama / details of the historic sinking of the Japanese carrier fleet at Midway, made me expect more detailed war depictions for the climatic closing of this book. It just left me wishing there was more to read. The book did seem to give the Japanese a bit more credit for their weapons systems than I think they deserved. The early stages of WWII were more about tactics than weapon superiority. I will have to add Robert Conroy to my list of authors for a fun read.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

An alternate history novel, it considers what might have happened had Japan won the Battle of Midway. In this reality, the Japanese submarine picket line is in place a couple of days early, which allows the Japanese to immediately sink two American carriers before the battle is joined and then hunt down the third carrier. The Saratoga is the only remaining fleet carrier in the Pacific, and the Americans are understandably hesitant to lose this carrier as well. Hawaii is essentially abandoned by the Navy, leaving behind Army forces for defense. The Japanese send an invasion force into Alaska, not realizing they are biting off more than they can chew. The Americans retaliate where they can against the Japanese forces, but as the focus of the war effort is on Germany and winning in Europe, the Pacific Theater still takes a backseat until American industrial productivity can start producing the number of warships to restrengthen the Pacific Fleet. In the end, the Japanese are suckered into a trap and the Japanese Navy defeated. The book ends at this point; it would be interesting to read a sequel or two [possibly titled 'Setting Sun' ;) ] involving the rest of the war in the Pacific.

The Japanese end up taking one of the Hawaiian Islands to use as a base; due to the Japanese naval blockade the local residents are starving and unable to fight back. But as Japanese losses mount, they are finally driven off the island by guerrilla forces. The forces in Alaska are defeated, as well; Colonel Gavin shows up with units of the newly created 101st Airborne to shore up defenses around Fairbanks. The Japanese forces in Alaska are initially attacked by a fleet of twelve or more Catalina PBY flying patrol boats; three are lost, but it is a much-needed morale booster for America. In retaliation, the Japanese begin indiscriminately shelling coastal towns in an effort to demoralize America. A convoy with much needed reinforcements and supplies is sent to bolster the Japanese forces, but it is destroyed in the harbor by an American task force consisting of battleships and cruisers. That was a fun scene to read [about how a naval battle between Japanese and American surface ships might have gone]! German saboteurs head into California from Mexico to further hinder the American war effort and to try and discover where the remaining American carrier is to aid their Japanese allies. Eventually, one of the Germans turns the other German in for his freedom and offers to help the Americans set up a trap to destroy the Japanese carriers. The Japanese are tricked into believing that two carriers are in the Gulf of California, between the Baja Peninsula and Mexico. They send a diversionary force of battleships to shell Los Angeles and San Diego while sending the carriers into the trap at Baja. Once the carrier planes are sighted, the American carriers launch their planes to attack the Japanese carriers. The American land-based aircraft also ignore the Japanese aerial armada, flying out to sea to search out and destroy the Japanese carriers. All carriers are sunk, and the Yamato is damaged by a torpedo and forced to turn in circles. The last battle of the book is a naval battle between three American battleships and two Japanese battleships, but the outcome is never in doubt. One American battleship [the Pennsylvania] is destroyed by three shells from the Yamato; the other two battleships turn the Yamato into a floating, flaming pile of junk that eventually sinks into the sea and ending Japanese dreams of dominance in the Pacific.

It was a good book; it kept my attention as I was wondering 'what's going to happen next?' and 'how is America going to strike back?' But the end of the book was anti-climatic [the Yamato ends up being damaged just like the Bismark? Really? At least battleships were used to sink the Yamato after aircraft failed to do the job] ; I was hoping there would be 'more' to it. I think the author could have kept going with the book; I suppose with the majority of the Japanese fleet destroyed off American shore[s], the author did not see much point in continuing the story.
After that point, it would merely be an extended version of what really happened, but with additional islands needing to be taken [or retaken] in a bunch of 'land battles.'

I liked the character development in the book. There were 'major' characters as well as 'minor' characters who helped spice up the story mixed in with 'historical' characters. The interactions were not hokey or contrived; they seemed fairly believable. It was an interesting premise that I thought the author built upon fairly well throughout the book. Even the Japanese realized they had a limited period of time for success before American industrial might allowed America to go on the offensive instead of remaining on the defensive.

It was different than 'Himler's War' in that 'Himler's War' occurred at the end of World War II and there was a definite ending in the book. In this book, the war still ends, but the book jumps from just after the sinking of the Yamato to the late 1960s and a final discussion between a retired FBI agent and former German saboteur turned hero. It was a bit jarring, as far as endings go. Overall, though, I enjoyed reading the book.

[Steven Raszewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I read all of Robert Conroy's books but I missed this one. And a gem it was as all his books are: well developed and believable characters, accurate and plausible big picture/strategic themes, and realistic battle scenes.

[Joe Stamber · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Japanese fleet gain a decisive victory at Midway following their attack on Pearl Harbor and subsequent events unfold very differently to how they really happened in this alternate history fiction from Robert Conroy. The fascinating story is told by a group of characters representing different sides in the conflict and at different levels. This works well and enables Conroy to give the reader a more rounded view of events. The narration of the audio version was excellent and nearly pushed my rating up to 5 stars, but in the end I decided a 4 star rating was more appropriate. Rising Sun is a hugely enjoyable read for those of us who understand that fiction can be based on real events without every detail being historically accurate. If you can take it for what it is (fiction), you will find another well-written and entertaining novel from Robert Conroy.

[Clay Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like the book to mention Tokyo Rose. The Normandy Invasion ruse with dummy fleet and turn coat spy was intresting. No mention if atomic bombs were used to end the war.

[Christopher Lutz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars. The second alternate history story about the pacific war I’ve read and my first Robert Conroy novel. Overall I enjoyed the scenario. Based off the cover I was worried it would take extreme liberties with Japan’s capabilities and invade California or something. With regards to military aspects of the story I felt it was well researched and a decent enough speculation as to what could’ve happened. Japan never could match the industrial capacity of the US and it would’ve certainly overpowered Japan sooner or later. Both this book and Harry Turtledove’s version illustrate this well. I liked our main characters and the focus on espionage this story took. The main downside was some of the plotting was, let’s say overly convenient with a bit of a rushed ending. The final battle could’ve easily been drawn out a bit but instead turns into “the attack began, the counterattack was launched, and ships were sunk.”

Finally, what is it with alternate history novels and the amount of graphic sex scenes? I was hoping Conroy’s books wouldn’t have as much as Turtledove’s. So much for that.

[Allen McDonnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Alternate 1942

This novels starts with the premise that the Battle of Midway in June 1942 goes the opposite way with the Imperial Japanese Navy sinking all three American aircraft carriers instead of the USN sing all four Japanese carriers. This is an entirely plausible shift as a great deal of luck allowed the American victory historically.
From this point of divergence both the USA and Imperial Japan react in ways that are very realistic for those circumstances and the remainder of the year is a tough slog for America to get back on her feet after six months of defeats in the Pacific. Well researched and excellently written.

[Kevin Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the Audio book. Overall the story and idea was good, some was a bit "America Good, Japan Bad" type items which was a small down side for me. I felt the opening action was a great set up for the whole story. That was believable and with a bit of luck on Japans part could have happened. What flowed from there was realistic and not so much over the top I felt. Would love to have read about the way the rest of the war went after the book ended, but no dice. Over all a good read (listen too)!

[Philip Kuhn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book of alternative history of what would have happened if the Japanese had won The battle of Midway. The US was never going to surrender, the book illustrates that well. But this book of Conroy's is about 125 to long and a bit too much romance between the male and female characters. And the storyline about Alaska also drug on too long. Good ending. Good book overall.

[Rand Al Thor- son of the Two Rivers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the premise of this book. The author definitely did a lot of research to get details like ships, airplane types, and weapons correct. The military dialogue seems authentic and makes me think the author has a military background. Some of the personal dialogue and subplots are a little cheesy, but cheese is good.

[Matthew Schultz · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting enough premise, wooden characters - an amiable enough read.....

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much of a twist at the end. More of a spy novel than a good alternative fiction rendition.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun and exciting alternate history book. This is the second one of his that i have read and yet again I thoroughly enjoyed it. He is definitely an author that I will keep on reading.

[Stafford Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, more sexual scenes than is necessary for the plot but aside from that the rest of the story is excellent.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great concept

Loved the idea of the book. Conroy is amazing at alternative history. A great what if of WW2 and great characters

[Zacus Strunkus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Robert Conroy is becoming my favorite alternate history writer. He balances storytelling and believable history in a way I think few others are able to.

[david cuantos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book

But at times, it seemed to drag on. Maybe it was me being too tired but still an enjoyable read.

[Charles H Berlemann Jr · Rating 2 out of 5]

You ever start a book by an author that you enjoy? Then get into the book and realize that it is a slog and a total dog of a book? Yea that happened with this one for me. Three different times I started this only to throw it down in disgust, then pick it back up and then toss it again. I have enjoyed most of the other Alternative History books by Conroy. Yea, some of them are pretty implausible with the diversion and it always seems as if we get back to "normal" history pretty fast. This one just had too much going on for me. There was the brand new sailor assigned to the staff of Admiral Spruance and then saving Spruance after the ship they are on sinks out from under them. There is the story of a nurse and her friends trying to escape the Hawaiian islands after the disaster battle that destroyed the US Navy. Then there is some German Spy out of Mexico and finally there is some brand new drafted soldier who is related via a tangent to the sailor we meet at the start of the story. What really made this a slog, was with each character introduced we had to endure a chapter length motivation of this character. As if recounting all of the world's history up to the moment we meet the character and then going even longer in some cases. As if we don't need to understand that a German spy who is a diehard member of the Gestapo and SS; also isn't that hard of a reach to understand the character is a hardcore racist and hates everyone that isn't a good little Nazi. The same is true of a Japanese character introduced, who we learn has family ties back to the Samurai and wants to do right by his ancestors. So we really don't need a full chapter replay of Japanese history back to the Meji Restoration to explain this genealogy. Oh and half this book could be cut down if we skip the gratuitous sex scenes, from a rape to a connection by the hero and his squeeze and a couple of other incidents where some nurses have to pay for goods in the Hawaiian Islands where they don't have money.

Oh and this book seems to be the standard boilerplate by Conroy.
1. Meet the main character, see him (its always a him) as someone brand new to the world that they are in (whether it is soldier, sailor or airman) and are in the middle of the battle that alters history a little bit.
2. Someone (or some bodies) famous die and are removed for someone else just as famous to step up.
3. Enter the pretty girl for the hero to lust after. Then some sex.
4. Enter the senior leadership that Conroy wants to feature instead of who should have been there. 5. Add a whole bunch of characters who march in and then right back out of the scene because they are there just to advance the plot in some negative way.
6. America loses big by is bidding their time.
7. The big battle at the end which rights the alternative history moment except for the fact that it was London destroyed in the first nuclear bombing followed shortly by Berlin and it is Patton who leading SHAFE but is killed like he was after the war in Europe ended after Ike was killed in the nuclear attack on London or something similar to that.

So it is really time for him to branch out from these style of stories in this boiler plate fashion and have it written a different way (like have a loss for the US be a win and the next battle become the AH change moment) or present a different style hero (like maybe a guy who is married and has kids at home, instead of the dashing single guy). Anyhow, this style of writing isn't much fun. I have a few more of his books in my library to try and finish before the end of the year and I just don't know if I can handle it anymore. Oh and Mr. Conroy if you read this, the sex scenes are good at times, but really this book and a couple of others have seemed like light erotica or romance novels that were wrapped up in a Men's Action Book. We don't need every other chapter to be all about sex if you can't seem to keep the action up, there is something to be said as well about dropping a butt ton of exposition in your book.

[Bjoern · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love "What if?"s and this was a very fun idea to try and spin further: What if the american carriers had not saved the naval supremacy throughout nearly all the pacific campaign?

Well in this incarnation they get sunk at Midway and so the Americans have to retreat to their continental borders, more or less giving up Hawaii which's population gets the short straw due to nearly impossible support lines and the constant danger of invasion...

Meanwhile the Japanese use the interception free period to push their borders forward gaining a foothold in the Australian frontperch, damage the Panama canal badly and making a try for Alaska to shock America into the famous samurai ideal of the one decisive battle/strike, but the US of A do not grant them these favor instead playing for time, guarding their pacific coast, defending Alaska and preparing a new fleet to overwhelm the Japanese forces.

Because Japan cannot go on much longer, its speed at new builds is almost glacial and gets overshadowed by the american industry, the concepts of bushido and kami-kaze are starting to cost them too many young and highly trained pilots and the direly needed big fight doesn't seem to be at hand. (which mirrors quite well how they went down in the real timeline)

Then the american forces gamble everything on one big deceipt: They give the Japanese a target too tempting to spare as they get information seeded that two american carriers - their whole strength in the pacific even with the hastened building programm - are hidden away in Mexico in the Sea of Cortez/Gulf of California behind the lower Baja Peninsula... and the Japanese bite... six carriers send their planes against the hollywood arranged faux target, while the real carriers and land based forces start a counter attack with devastating results... at the same time an american submarine lands a miracle hit at the steering rudder of YAMATO and so allows the superbattleships sinking further eroding the naval powers of the rising sun nation. The tides of war have changes now Japan is the weaker power and will have to give way under the ever strengthening american attacks.

Well, there is nothing bad to say about the narration itself. Mr Conroy can write a well balanced AltHis story with multiple point of view characters and all needed ingredients like high tier informations, love stories, tragic fates and so on... from this angle the novel is nearly perfect and very entertaining. But then there is still the "other" part that influences how good a what if story turns out and i must say from the political and historical point of view i cannot find the novel anything but disappointing... it starts out so well with the bold move to cut the american carriers out of the picture but then it only goes on to seek a point where it can more or less revert to things "like we know them". Okay, the Battle of the Baja is nothing like anything happening in history but the events around it already feel more like "real 43" than the world Conroy himself started at Midway... A little bit more courage to let the american side look worse organised and not so intangible by the disastrous happenings might have done much good for the book as a whole.
Yes it is a bit harsh to criticise the book for this perceived lack in visionary boldness, but then i've only given a star less because of it as the rest of the formula still works and gives us a good book.

[Tyler Harmon · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Rising Sun, Robert Conroy asks a terrifying question, "What if the Japanese won the Battle of Midway?" In this world, not only does the US lose that battle, but they lose all their aircraft carriers in the Pacific except one, the Saratoga. Now the US has to face the Japanese Navy's nine carriers with their one. The Japanese, feeling mighty, attack everything US; from bombing the Hawaiian Islands, to an invasion in Alaska, and shelling California. With all these defeats though, the US military is planning a way that may just let them win this war.

Robert Conroy writes in a style with multiple main characters, but in a way that the focused character can change from paragraph to paragraph. While this is a unique way to write, it did lead to some moments that were very confusing. Also, Conroy has a few moments in the book that just aren't realistic. One for example is when there was an attack on the West Coast, our main character runs to the bank to get his money, and the employee there goes and gives him her life story, completely unbothered by the shells and bombs destroying so much not far away from her. Other than that, the last thing I can say is that Conroy's endings are very predictable. I won't spoil it, but they always end with some kind of miracle victory for one side or the other. While it's interesting, it takes away from the realism of the book.

I would say this is a good book. Anyone who's very interested in World War 2 would enjoy this. Also, any fans of alternate history novels will like this, but might make the same questions I have. All in all, Rising Sun is a pretty decent book of alternate history.

[Paul Jarzabek · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK fun read. Much the same characters pattern and plot design by Mr. Conroy previously. As in his other alternate history novels. Still worth an afternoon's reading. Reminded me of some of the pulp fictions stories I read in high school. Like Doc. Savage and the rest.

[Friedrich Haas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alternate history is my favorite genre, and this is a good addition to my collection. However, it again gnaws at me with the drawback of WW2 alternate history, that being the notion that there is no real alternate history. Whatever happened on the grand scale was inevitable, and tweaking events will only cause history to tweak right back. The United States will always win in the end, because the authors are American, and the winners write the history, and the alternate history. Likely that a Russian writer would say Napoleon could not beat Russia, so neither could Hitler, ignoring that Russia quit in WW1. Everything seems inevitable once you start looking for the justifications. Another thing is that the battleship with the stuck rudder steaming in a circle until dead is forbidden from now on. Conroy has it happening twice in the same war, to the Bismarck and the Yamato. Even in real life we can barely believe it happened to the Bismarck, but not to the Yamato as well. For all my carping, I look forward to his next book. The cover is lively and catchy, though crowded and the geometry is difficult, it does do the job.

[Thomas Harlan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a tough assignment to write - worse that Yamamoto having to pick a fight with the US in the real war - particularly from hind-sight. Anyone familiar with the war and the industrial and training programs of Japan and the US knows that the US *in the end* was going to crush Japan. Yamamoto knew it, but really *at the time* no one else knew. The reader knows, though, and that makes the dramatic tension of this book take a beating... you'd really have to dig into the world-view of the characters deeper to carry the idea that Japan was going to win the Pacific War, and that the US might lose it utterly. That was certainly the mindset of the people at the time.

[Not HG · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF.
The book isn't bad. It's fairly interesting, actually. But it wasn't my thing, the Pacific war isn't my area of knowledge plus, in reality, the war against Japan was decided the moment they attack Pearl Harbor.
The characters were good for the most part, though the females are a huge problem. They're annoying, refusing to obey orders or suggestions just because they're "strong women who don't need no men." That was a sore point.
Plus I was already by the library, and I didn't want to drive several miles another time to turn it in, and I received a book I've been waiting for and wanted to read more than this.

[Rob Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always eagerly await the latest alternate history from Robert Conroy. Rising Sun is his best yet. You quickly take ownership of the characters and really care about them. The premise is the US defeat at the Battle of Midway. From that America's back is to the wall with Japanese ships shelling the west coast. Through it all several characters lives are intertwined, and affected by the war. I will say little of the details as from page to page, you are wondering what comes next. Even if you are not a fan of alternate histories, this is a darn good read.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who like alternate history--this is a good one concerning the Pacific War. What if the Imperial Japanese Navy had defeated the USN at the crucial Battle of Midway ( subs sink two American carriers ) ? What would Japan have done next? Attack Hawaii? Or go in another direction? And how could the United States rally and hold back the Japanese surge?
Conroy is right up there now in this new genre of alternate history. By the way, it helps if you know the actual history---but NOT necessary.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another outstanding book by Robert Conroy. Good character development. Good plot development.
And what I liked the best - plausible and realistic.
One of the problems with alternate history is the way some authors totally ignore basic facts. They start throwing in plot twists and turns that are so outside of what is possible to make their story more of a fantasy.
Conroy doesn't ignore the facts - he builds on them. And I think is what makes his books so readable.

[BT Philips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rising Sun is yet another pleasing alternate history novel. Conroy is so knowledgeable In history, so he provides a great perspective of a different Pacific Campaign in World War 2.

I do enjoy Conroy's writing style and his books intrigue me. His characters are also likeable. However, after reading multiple books of his, the overall plot is usually predictable. I detract one star for that, but his historical knowledge is a priceless tool he uses to write great books.

[John Love IV · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable alternative history from Mr. Conroy. My main suggestion would be that his books become longer or a 2-3 book series as many things seemed to happen a little too easily and more could have been interesting. Perhaps I'm spoiled though. :)

if you're looking for a summary, read the one from the book. :)

[Mhorg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like alternate history. Unfortunately it is a genre that lends itself to more bad than good. this book, using one of the time honored ideas of "what if the US Navy lost at Midway", falls into the middle. Too much soap opera for me, which interrupts the military action that should dominate such a book.