Pacific War Ghosts

by Tony Maxwell

Travels to the South Pacific Battlefields of World War II Papua New Guinea - The Solomon Islands Bougainville and Ballale Island - Tarawa Seventy years have passed since the islands of the South Seas were embroiled in the epic struggle of a world war. Despite the passage of time, in secret jungle glades and lagoons the ghosts of war still linger, shrouded in the memories of a generation now gone. Pacific War Ghosts is a personal account of author Tony Maxwell's journeys in search of these fast disappearing relics of war, and the stories they tell of those momentous events that changed the face of the South Pacific forever.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 12, 2012

About the author

Born and educated in South Africa, Tony Maxwell settled for a time in London. While travelling in Mexico and Canada, he met his wife Wendy, a fellow South African. They lived for 12 years in Australia before returning to Canada where they now live. Tony has written two non-fiction books, ‘Searching for the Queen’s Cowboys’ and ‘Pacific War Ghosts.’ His first novel, ‘The Young Lions’ was followed by its sequel, ‘The Brave Men.'
His next novel, 'A Forest of Spears,' was published in June of 2016 and followed in November 2017 by his most recent novel, 'The Last Wild Rhino.'
He is currently working on 'Tracking Evil,' a novel dealing with drug smuggling in Southern Africa, scheduled to be published in May 2020.
All his books are available on Amazon.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was pretty good. It was good to get a little background history on different battles I haven't read about yet. It was different reading the author's personal experiences on the islands. I liked the idea of throwing in the personal explorations of the islands. some of the other experiences outside of visiting the relics may have not been necessary but I can kind of see at the same time where the author was sharing what he experienced to get to these relics. Overall, it's a good book and good to read for one just wanting basic background info on these battles or just starting into reading about Pacific War history. For me, it was a worthwhile read since I'm interested in this era of history myself.

[Melissa Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book. it was a wonderful little book. I found it very interesting. it not only told of the battles in the past but also what the areas looked like today.

[Lcdk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This interesting book taught me a great many things I did not know about World War Two and the terrible battles fought in the South Pacific.
The author, Tony Maxwell, provides just enough information about the various campaigns without going into so much detail as to boggle the mind of the average reader. I was astonished to discover that so many relics of the war are still to be found on the various island battlefields and I truly appreciated the excellent selection of photographs.
I heartily agree with most other reviewers that 'Pacific War Ghosts' is well worth the read.

[Dev]

very interestng

[Jeff Dawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I thought.

This isn’t a spoiler, just a fact. The ghosts of the pacific are the remains of bunkers, planes and ships the author is chronicling.
The pros are simple. For those who are rusty or not aware of the Pacific Battles, this is a great primer of the facts. I really enjoyed boning up on some of the battles.
The photo collections were a good addition.

The cons: The construction of the work. The first part of each battle is well laid out and discussed until the author throws in his two cents worth. That’s a major no-no. One cannot mix fact with fiction.

Mr. Maxwell is a well accomplished historical filmographer and photographer, yet his travels to New Guinea, Betio, and Guadalcanal comes across as a first timer getting his feet wet. Amateurish at best. Along these lines, we are introduced to the after effects of the war and how some of current governments are operating. Why? I will draw an assumption here. If you are planning to travel to any of the battle sites by yourself, the islands are full of “Raskols” who will rob you blind or worse. This part of the story came across as pure unnecessary filler.

Who would I recommend this for? That’s tough. If you’re a hard core WWII fan, take a pass, but if you want a short glimpse of the battles in the South Pacific, get a copy. However, I think $6.99 is a bit much.

Three stars

[Anna18]

amazing