The Restless Wave: A Novel of the United States Navy

Scott Bradley James #1

by James G. Stavridis

From the New York Times bestselling former NATO commander comes a riveting historical novel that charts the coming-of-age of a gifted but immature young naval officer as he is tested in the crucible of World War II in the Pacific

Scott Bradley James arrives in Annapolis, Maryland, as a plebe in the class of 1941 without a terribly good idea why he wants to be a naval officer, other than that his father was a sailor, and he wants to see the world, whatever that means. Scott and his roommate become fast friends, and, after surviving scrapes of their own making, the two fetch up at Pearl Harbor. War is brewing, and their class has graduated early. They have been sent to battle stations.Admiral James Stavridis is an acclaimed novelist, a decorated military leader, and a great student of military history. He draws on it all to capture the experience of being storm-tossed by the bloody first years of the Second World War. Scott Bradley James is a talented young officer, but he has a lot to learn. And war will have a lot to teach him.

The Restless Wave offers a gripping account of the U.S. Navy’s astonishing progress through the first three years of the war in the Pacific, from Pearl Harbor through to Midway, Guadalcanal, and the Coral Sea. A story of character under pressure in the harshest of proving grounds, it is written with careful fidelity to the truths of war that have made sea stories essential to the art of storytelling since Odysseus.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Military Fiction, War, World War II, Naval History, Audiobook

400 pages, Hardcover

First published October 8, 2024

About the author

A Florida native, Jim Stavridis attended the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, and spent 37 years in the Navy, rising to the rank of 4-star Admiral. Among his many commands were four years as the 16th Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, where he oversaw operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, the Balkans, and counter piracy off the coast of Africa. He also commanded US Southern Command in Miami, charged with military operations through Latin America for nearly three years. He was the longest serving Combatant Commander in recent US history. Following his military career, he served for five years as the 12th Dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

In the course of his career in the Navy, he served as senior military assistant to the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of Defense. He led the Navy’s premier operational think tank for innovation, Deep Blue, immediately after the 9/11 attacks. Admiral Stavridis was promoted directly from 1-star rank to 3-star rank in 2004.
He won the Battenberg Cup for commanding the top ship in the Atlantic Fleet and the Navy League John Paul Jones Award for Inspirational leadership, along with more than 50 US and international medals and decorations, including 28 from foreign nations. He also commanded a Destroyer Squadron and a Carrier Strike Group, both in combat.

In 2016, he was vetted for Vice President by Secretary Hillary Clinton, and subsequently invited to Trump Tower to discuss a cabinet position with President Donald Trump.

He earned a PhD from The Fletcher School at Tufts, winning the Gullion prize as outstanding student in his class in 1983, as well as academic honors from the National and Naval War Colleges as a distinguished student. He speaks Spanish and French.
Admiral Stavridis has published ten books on leadership, the oceans, maritime affairs, and Latin America, as well as hundreds of articles in leading journals. An active user of social networks, he has tens of thousands of connections on the social networks. His TED talk on 21st century security in 2012 has close to one million views. He tweeted the end of combat operations in the Libyan NATO intervention. His two most recent books are “Sailing True North: Ten Admirals and the Voyage of Character” in 2019 and the novel “2034: A Novel of the Next World War” in 2021.

Admiral Stavridis is a monthly columnist for TIME Magazine and Chief International Security and Diplomacy Analyst for NBC News.

He is happily married to Laura, and they have two daughters – one working at Google and the other a Registered Nurse and former naval officer, both married to physicians.

Recent commentary: https://admiralstav.com/news/

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Restless Wave” by Admiral James Stavridis is a gripping work of historical fiction set during World War II, and it promises to be the first book in an exciting series. The characters are engaging and continually evolving, with the protagonist, a young man driven by both ambition and guilt, at the center of it all.

The story begins with our hero as a teenager in the 1930s, growing up in Key West, Florida, where he helps his father on a fishing boat. We then follow Scott through his journey to the Annapolis Naval Academy and eventually to Pearl Harbor in December 1941. True to the nature of historical fiction, the book blends fictional characters with real historical figures, creating an immersive and believable narrative. I'm eagerly anticipating the next volume in this series!

I enjoyed this book as an audiobook from Audible, which runs for ten hours and fifty-four minutes. Marc Cashman’s narration brings the story to life wonderfully.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Admiral (Ret.) James Stavridis’ novel of historical fiction combines real life characters along with his fictional ones. The story revolves around a young Naval Academy grad - class of 1941. War is brewing and the class has graduated early. Scott James is sent to Pearl Harbor after graduation where he is assigned to the battleship West Virginia……

This book brings the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the naval battles of Midway, Guadalcanal, and others to life. It gives a real glimpse into the life of naval officers during wartime.

Scott meets a young Hawaiian girl and and falls in love with her, but he is ambitious and focused on his career in the Navy. These feelings cause conflicting emotions and challenges for him.

Stavridis draws on his extensive naval experience to create an interesting and well written story. His author’s note at the end is well worth reading as he mentions that he is currently writing a sequel to this book.

[Charles · Rating 1 out of 5]

Leaves Much to be Desired as Naval History and as Fiction

It is said that the Holy Roman Empire was neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire. Too often, historical fiction is neither insightful history nor great literature. This book is a prime example of failure at both levels of the genre.

I expected more of the author, Admiral James Stavridis, who had a distinguished naval career, rising to be Supreme Allied Commander at NATO and later was Dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University — among many other accomplishments. He’s a well-known, respected talking head on international affairs at NBC and other media outlets.

Stavridis has created a fictional young officer, Scott Bradley James, who graduates from Annapolis in 1941, just in time to be present at the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. As the novel progresses, James has a wartime naval career with unlikely transfers of assignment. Such transfers always put him at the scene of major developments, whether to a battleship at Pearl Harbor, an aircraft carrier in the Battle of the Coral Sea and at Midway, or on a destroyer off Guadalcanal. He comes to the attention of the legendary soon-to-be-Admiral Arleigh Burke and helps develop new combat tactics and fire control systems for destroyers.

An even greater number of pages are devoted by Stavridis to the romantic activities of said Ensign/Lieutenant James. The author employs every cliche and stereotype and demonstrates that guys aren’t very good at writing romantic fiction or exploring relationships with females.

Stavridis tries to lend credibility to naval part of this book by including every slang word used at 1940s Annapolis and then doing the same with naval jargon in the 1940s navy. But while he chronicles the various naval battles in the Pacific in the early part of the war, the reader is not given any particular insights or analysis. It’s all, “Gung ho, we are beating the Japanese although we are taking some losses ourselves.” Oddly, he doesn’t even get the Pearl Harbor sinking of the battleship Arizona right, saying that she rolled over rather than sinking straight down in the harbor after a hit on her munitions magazine. Every visitor to the Arizona Memorial today can see that this tomb for so many is not lying on her side.

As the book closes, there is much of the war in the Pacific yet to be fought. This led to an unsettling possibility. Will Stavridis write a sequel, with his protagonist fighting the Japanese off Leyte in the Philippines, supervising landings on Iwo Jima, engaging in battles with Kamikaze aircraft off Okinawa, and then finding himself on the deck of Battleship Missouri to accept Japanese surrender? Please spare us.

[Poppy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My dad joined the navy in 1939 out of the Indiana Steel Mills, he loved his brothers and sister but had an abusive father. He ended up on the USS Pennsylvania, a Battleship stationed out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
I've enjoyed this novel & I know my dad would have enjoyed it.
Excellent book, I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. An impressive first solo effort. Stavridis who has written several nonfiction nautical books now joins other former naval officers who have mastered the literature of the sea. He expertly captures the life of an ambitious officer and the ethos of service. We meet many famous players. It's a love story too. Destiny. The war is not over and another book can't come soon enough.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was… okay. Felt like the relationships and characters and so forth were filler to the real focus of explanations of navy life and battles. But it all felt kinda flat for me. I preferred listening to the author do a radio interview and discuss related topics. Maybe I’m not the right audience. (?)

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read many books about the WWII in Germany but not any about the War in the Pacific. This was a good start for me. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series since the REAL story seemed to be just getting started. My dad was in the Navy during the Korean War so I was interested in reading about how it worked. Someone asked me if I thought it was accurate. Well, since it was written by an Admiral I would hope so. 😊
It’s a very good read and I’ll definitely read the next one.

[Joseph Sciuto · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can you not love a book about the attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent navy battles in the Pacific when throughout the book the author, Admiral James Stavridis, quotes lines from Dante's "Inferno," and names the main female character Beatrice (Paradiso) and a male character Virgil (Dante's guide through the "Inferno.")? Loved it, Loved it.

[JoAnn Giesen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love listening to Admiral “Stav” on MSNBC. I was hooked when I read USS West VIRGINIA ! My dad served as a CPO
on the ship after its repair after Pearl Harbor!

[G. Patrick Cruikshank · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good fiction is elusive

Poorly written, pedantic with marginal character development. Plot not bad, but without flow of any kind. Author should stick to non fiction and leave novels to the professional writers.

[Donna Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A look at the world through the eyes of a young man from Key West, Florida, to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1937. Scott Bradley James graduates and is assigned to a battleship in Pearl Harbor. Stationed in Hawaii, he becomes aware of the rumblings of war with Japan and the continued fighting in Europe.

Descriptions of the carnage in Pearl Harbor are intense, with nearly three thousand deaths and as many injuries. There are many familiar names (Admiral Chester Nimitz, Vice Admiral Bill Halsey, Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto) and locations (Corregidor, Midway, Guadalcanal, the Solomon Islands).
The war story is fascinating, although the end of the book got a bit too technical.

[Patrick Kornegay, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put this book down! Can’t wait to read the sequel. Makes sense to me now why the U.S. Navy has Arleigh-Burke class destroyer

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot and setting are great, but let down by subpar writing and also little comments that seem very out of place for historical fiction, as if the writer in the current day just can't help himself to say 'well obviously that was bad' and it breaks the immersion

[Matthew Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written and interesting historical novel. I think Pearl Harbor alone is fascinating enough, but to pivot a novel around it works pretty well here. Historical fiction and nonfiction fans should enjoy it.

[Bari Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The author did a great job including real events in this story. Looking forward to reading the next book.

A favorite quote mentioned in the book: “Amateurs study strategy, but professionals study logistics”

[Katelynn O'Lessker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really not sure why I chose to stick with the book and finish it. Sloppy writing, poor story telling, rushed character development, and an unnecessarily abrupt ending to try to create a cliff-hanger for a sequel.

[Sheila Woofter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh, my goodness. Not one things to make me read past page 20! 0 stars if I could.

[thewanderingjew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Restless Wave: A Novel of the United States Navy (Scott Bradley James, Book 1). Admiral James Stavridis USN, author; Marc Cashman, narrator.
This is the first in what promises to be a great new series about the Navy, the sea and those who serve our country, those who also make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that others may enjoy the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness in a free world. The author was actually one of those heroes.
Scott James is graduating from high school and he wants to be in the Navy. He attends the Naval Academy at Annapolis. His first love and girlfriend, Caroline, attends Goucher College. Although they continue to see each other, when she becomes pregnant, James fears having to marry her and being forced to leave the Naval Academy. He will not contemplate leaving and convinces himself that he is really not at fault, she is. When she brings up the idea of a very illegal and dangerous abortion, he does nothing to dissuade her. The only responsibility he assumes is providing some money, but he doesn’t even have enough for the whole procedure. He reasons that it wasn’t his fault. Shamefully, shortly after, Caroline dies from sepsis, and once again, James rationalizes his own guilt and blames it all mostly on her poor choices. Scott James has a lot of growing up to do and a lot of learning to do about accepting responsibility for his actions. The Navy is the perfect place for him to do just that. When he graduates, early, because of the atmosphere of impending war that is building in Europe as Hitler gains more and more control, he and his roommate and best friend, Sean Kelley, are both sent to Hawaii, to the Military base on Oahu known as Pearl Harbor. On December 7th, 1941, Pearl Harbor sustained a devastating attack by the Japanese, and suddenly America was at war.
Scott had fallen in love for the second time with Beatrice Kailani Wallace, and is with her at the time of the attack. When he returns to his battleship, the USS West Virginia, he finds his Commander near death and the devastation around him catastrophic. Almost the entire fleet of battleships and cruisers were damaged or destroyed. His friends are on the USS Nevada which sustained devastating damage. Scott is worried about his friends and searches for them. He puts Kai on the back burner. Because the ships need major repairs, which will take months, the sailors too, are at “dry dock”. Somehow, though, Scott manages to get himself reassigned to another ship while waiting for his ship to be repaired. This happens to him several times because Scott is helping to engineer these reassignments so he can become proficient on all of them. He wants desperately to advance up the ladder in the Navy. As he sees his friends and others suffer great injuries and/or receive medals for their service, his jealous and immature, irresponsible streak surfaces, but he pushes it down and soldiers on. He turns into a man, and soon he does achieve the recognition he desires. In the interim, though, because he is not a very good communicator when he is gone, and rarely writes to Kai, she takes up with his roommate, Kelley, out of loneliness. At first it is a great friendship, but then it deepens into love. Has Kelley betrayed Scott? Has Kai cheated or is his absence and silence reason enough to look for other pastures.
As the triangle develops and Scott advances in the service of his country, his friends do as well, sometimes with tragic consequences. Kai still loves Scott. Scott still loves Kai. Will they be able to reconnect as they have done in the past? How will Scott ride out this war? Will he maintain a relationship with Kai, while away at sea, so that she does not go looking for comfort from others? She now has a child. Will he love the child or always wonder if it is his or his friend Kelley’s child? These answers will probably come in the sequels to this book, however, the details about the ships, the battles, the Navy and the way it works, the hierarchy, the “caste” system, are illustrated very well by the author, a former Admiral in the Navy himself who experienced all of the issues he addresses in the book. In addition, though Scott and other characters are fictitious, many of the officers are very real and enhance the novel with the authenticity of their stories. Kelley and Scott meet and befriend Joe Taussig who was very much a real person, as was his father, an admiral disgraced for believing Japan would invade, and then reinstated when it was proven that he was correct. The inability for some at the top to take advice from others is writ large in other circumstances as well.
The details of the sea and the ships and the war are fascinating. The reader witnesses the destruction and terror at Pearl Harbor. With each of Scott’s new assignments, the reader learns about different kinds of ships, different tactics used, the casualties and cruelty that comes with the use of the weapons of death and the structure of command. Scott wants to be in the fight and to be recognized. Slowly, his skill proves him worthy, and he begins his rise up the ladder. The reader learns all there is to know about the process because the author knows all about it, as well. When this novel ends, the war is still raging. The sequel will most likely resolve the unanswered questions and create some new ones. I am looking forward to the next one.

[Josephine Carlson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a rage bait novel. Never read a more insufferable main character and like shallow writing style… the first quarter (if that) was actually written well. But then the main character is faced with a scandal and for the remainder of the book is on some superior morality trip full of self pity and unrestricted judgment. Disappointed because I think this could have actually been good if the editor would have done his job and edited it.

[Michael Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weak soap opera fiction attached to historical Pacific WW II action. Protagonist is unlikeable and represents more of a vehicle for the narrator to set the scene than an engaging character within the drama. There are many non-fictional accounts of the War in the Pacific that are much more engaging.

[Bookreporter.com Historical Fiction · Rating 5 out of 5]

For many, naval fiction has been a solid source of reading pleasure. C.S. Forester created Horatio Hornblower and multiple tales of the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. He also wrote THE AFRICAN QUEEN and more contemporary books set during World War II. Patrick O’Brian has penned numerous epics, also taking place in the Napoleonic era, featuring British captain Jack Aubrey and physician Stephen Maturin. World War II brought readers the great CAINE MUTINY by Herman Wouk. Humphrey Bogart’s Captain Queeg is an iconic, unforgettable film portrayal.

Finally, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER is a classic with a fairy tale history. It was the first novel published by the Naval Institute Press and became a national bestseller, endorsed by then-President Ronald Reagan. Tom Clancy would produce countless books that combined fiction with technical military information. Before his death in 2013, he wrote 17 bestsellers and sold more than 100 million copies of his books. If you enjoy this genre, you have a new author for your reading enjoyment.

Admiral James Stavridis is a retired U.S. naval officer whose work, THE RESTLESS WAVE, introduces Scott Bradley James, a young naval officer known as the sailor with three first names. Booklovers will discover what has the potential to be an entertaining and informative series. What we have here is a well-accomplished mix of actual events, some fiction and instructive history in a quick-paced novel that leaves readers wondering at the end where the author and characters will go next.

The book opens briefly on December 7, 1941, with Scott awakening on the island of Oahu in the morning hours to what he believes is the sound of American aircraft flying in tight formation. No further explanation of what is happening is necessary. But the backstory of how Scott came to be on the island as a naval officer must be provided before the book can move ahead. Scott is the son of a retired naval quartermaster who would grow up on boats, learning every aspect of the water world. One enticing quality of Stavridis’ writing is how he incorporates real historical figures into his plots. The first of those to make an appearance is Ernest Hemingway chartering the James family fishing boat and influencing young Scott’s future boxing endeavors when a few years later he enters the Naval Academy.

Life at the Naval Academy is thoroughly portrayed on these pages, with graduation being perfectly timed to coincide with the war clouds looming on America’s horizon. Scott as a young naval officer has an almost Zelig-like career that finds his life path crossing with naval heroes William Halsey, Chester Nimitz, Ray Spruance and others too numerous to list. James also finds himself at Pearl Harbor, serving on a carrier as bombers are launched for the Doolittle Raid, and Japanese carriers are attacked during the Battle of Midway. Later, he is assigned to a destroyer at Tassafaronga Point, a naval battle I learned about for the first time. It is the mix of actual history and a fictional story that makes THE RESTLESS WAVE a captivating and fast-paced novel.

The book concludes partway through the Pacific naval war. There are more sea battles to come, and it is certain that Scott Bradley James, having now risen to the rank of Commander, has both personal and naval matters facing him in the future. In the competent writing hands of Admiral James Stavridis, readers can be certain that it will be an interesting voyage.

Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman

[Martin Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review originally appeared in the Cipher Brief https://www.thecipherbrief.com/book-r...


What a story! Admiral Stavridis’s The Restless Wave takes us from the attack on Pearl Harbor through the Coral Sea, the Doolittle Raid, and Midway to the fierce naval actions at Guadalcanal, where more Navy personnel perished than Marines or Army. The Restless Wave follows the career of young Scott Bradley James. The book gives us a picture of life at the US Naval Academy in the days before WWII and the relaxing life at Pearl Harbor before that fateful morning. There is the bond between three friends and a love story to round things out.

Admiral Stavridis’s description of Honolulu brought back memories for me. I went to the East West Center for my MA, and life along Hotel Street and Chinatown in 1968 was still much as he paints it before World War II. And I am sure that the Navy veterans among our readers will react the same way to his accounts of life at sea, Naval traditions and protocol, and the risks on the great deep. Other reviewers—Admiral Bill McRaven, former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman, historian Doris Kerns Goodman, and others—all praise the book, and I agree with Michael Beschloss, author of Presidents at War, that “Historical fiction can tell us things that orthodox history cannot…”

The Restless Wave is peppered throughout with the fictional Ensign James’s encounters with real figures. There are not only the big names—Nimitz, Spruance, Halsey, Burke, etc.—but also men like Petty Officer Dorie Miller, who was aboard the USS West Virginia, and Chief John Finn, the first Medal of Honor recipient of World War II. I admit I have a special likely for this type of fiction. The Flashman books by George MacDonald Fraser are favorites of mine, and my novel, City of Lost Souls, is also populated by real people. The Author’s note at the end of The Restless Wave tells what became of many of the real personalities Scott James interacts with on the pages of this novel.

In his dedication, Admiral Stavridis pays special tribute to James Hornfischer, whose books on the Navy in World War II are outstanding. Admiral Stavridis mentions Neptune’s Inferno, an account of the Navy at Guadalcanal; The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, the Navy at the invasion of the Philippines in 1944; and the Fleet at Flood Tide, the Navy in the Pacific 1944-45. These are among several books Admiral Stavridis drew on for his novel and recommends for those of us who want to know more. I have read them all and they are excellent. If he let me, I would add Hornfischer’s Ship of Ghosts, the incredible story of the sinking of the USS Houston and the aftermath, and Ian Toll’s excellent Pacific War trilogy on the US Navy in the Pacific in World War II. I hope reading and enjoying The Restless Wave encourages readers to follow Admiral Stavridis’s advice and sample some of his recommendations.

[ManOfLaBook.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

For more reviews and bookish posts visit: https://www.ManOfLaBook.com

The Restless Wave: A Novel of the United States Navy by James G. Stavridis is a historical fiction book following Scott Bradley James’ journey from his childhood in Florida, to a naval officer in the Pacific theatre during World War II. Mr. Starvridis is a retired Navy admiral

Scott Bradley James, lucky enough to have three first names, always wanted to be a naval officer after hearing his father’s war stories in Florida. Aiding the young men’s decision was hanging out with the likes of Ernest Hemingway.

James joined the Annapolis Plebe class of 1941, and quickly made fast friends and together they were stationed in Hawaii on the USS West Virginia. On December 7, 1941 their fortunes changed when Pearl Harbor was attacked.

This is a fantastic piece of historical fiction weaving historical accuracy with an engrossing story. The novel captures both peacetime training and wartime service, as well as the transition between them and the difficult choices young officers must make. The ambition of these young men, as well as the moral ambiguity one often must embrace during war time is a notable theme which many struggle with no matter the rank.

The author places the protagonist in the middle of many Pacific battles including the Doolittle Raid, the Battle of Midway, and the Battle of Guadalcanal. This is not a “Forrest Gump” type of book though as James doesn’t affect the outcomes, but acts more of an observer and participant.

One of the more interesting aspects of The Restless Wave by James G. Stavridis is the vivid account of the pressure and complexities officers face when under fire. Mr. Stavridis has several observations about leadership woven into the narrative which I found fascinating and committed to memory.

True to its historical fiction promise, the book blends a bunch of fictional characters with historical luminaries. Admirals William Halsey, Chester Nimitz, and Ray Spruance are the most notable, enriching the narrative in a relatable and realistic way along with Mess Attendant 2nd Class Doris (Dorie) Miller. The portrayal of navy life, and traditions was very much as I would have imagined, and the battle descriptions were fascinating and, as far as I could tell, very accurate.

This is the first of a series following Scott Bradley James, and it ends in 1944 in a way which made me immediately check the planned publication date for the second book, which unfortunately is not yet known.

[Susan M · Rating 3 out of 5]

We're introduced to young Scott Bradley James in The Restless Wave, the first in what is intended to be a series of books following his life as he leaves his family and home in the rural Florida Keys to attend the US Naval Academy........ and then begins to rise thru the ranks of naval leadership, beginning as the US enters WWII with the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The book is interesting, and I'll look forward to the second in the series. The writing style, which is very (possibly over-) simplified and straightforward, may make it more accessible to those who are not well acquainted with the history of WWII....which is a very positive thing, IMHO. In addition, the well respected author, through his characters, shares with readers his thoughts on leadership, loyalty, accountability, honor, ambition and naval politics. This gentleman knows from whence he speaks.

Admiral Stavridis provides a list at the end of the book citing additional source books for further information on WWII for those who might be interested, acknowleging, I think, that this book only scratches the surface of this place in American history in the Pacific theater.

The Restless Wave is a very fine primer, perhaps for new generations of Americans who are unfamiliar with this history, and who have no memory or exposure to the impact of WWII on American fighters and families.

This, perhaps because they were not taught these details in American History classes; or were not raised by the men and women who actually fought in WWII to defend American democracy or built and supported the phenomenal war effort at home.... often called "The Greatest Generation".

For those of us who were, that history is imbedded in our thinking. Names such as Guadalcanal, The Sullivan Brothers, The Attack at Midway, the loss of the USS Arizona and the USS Juneau and so many others, continue to provide a cause to understand and memorialize the deeply tragic cost of war, while also continuing to honor the courage and patriotism of those who defended America in the past, and do today.

With a Sempre Fi to my father, a United States Marine, who served on the heavy cruiser and navy flagship the USS Augusta for 6 years during WWII. And a grateful thank you to Admiral Stavridis for his continuing courageous service to our nation.

[Curtis Edmonds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back when I was a teenager, Oliver Stone's movie PLATOON came out, and I asked one of the few Vietnam veterans that I knew whether all the stuff that happened in the movie actually happened. His response was that, yes, most of that happened, but it didn't all happen all at once to the same guys.

This is more-or-less my complaint about Admiral Stavridis's foray into fiction. "Come on, son." You have a main character who fights Ernest Hemingway in Key West, gets assigned to Pearl Harbor before December 7th, and gets a front-row seat to the Doolittle Raid and Midway and Guadalcanal and every major battle in the Pacific Theater except maybe Wake Island? And ends up on Nimitz's staff? And rooms with one of the code-breakers that won Midway? I mean, great John God. Next, the intrepid Lieutenant Commander Scott Bradley James is going to save John Kennedy and PT-109, plant the flag at Iwo Jima, and drop the bomb on Hiroshima.

What it reminded me was when Bernard Cornwell, who had dropped Richard Sharpe in the hot middle of every single campaign in the Napoleonic Wars, put him in the middle of the battle of Trafalgar, just because it would be cool. And that was a twenty-some-odd book series! This is one book (well, there's going to be a sequel). And, you know, Richard Sharpe spends his time climbing over walls and taking enemy standards and blowing up Spanish fortresses real good.

Scott Bradley James, over the course of a whole entire book, does none of this. He helps load Dorie Miller's machine gun, I guess, but other than that he is one hundred percent an observer. He does his job, sure. He gets information to Halsey and Spruance. He helps develop the concept of the Combat Information Center. Fine. But he is mostly there to witness battle, and he's only able to do that because the author moves him around the Pacific Theater like a chess piece.

To his credit, Stavridis does one thing very well--he makes Scott Bradley James a bit of a cad. This is not to say he's not likable, because he is, but he's not a goody-two-shoes and behaves reprehensibly at times. A flawless character who moves effortlessly through every major naval battle of the war would have been hard to take. As it is, this isn't a bad book, just unlikely as hell.

[Chad Manske · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Stavridis' “The Restless Wave: A Novel of the United States Navy” is a compelling blend of historical fiction and naval adventure that captures the tumultuous early years of World War II from the perspective of a young naval officer. The novel follows Scott Bradley James, who enters the U.S. Naval Academy in 1941 with little more than a desire to see the world, inspired by his father's legacy as a sailor. Stavridis, a retired Admiral and former NATO commander, leverages his extensive military background to infuse the narrative with authenticity and depth. His portrayal of naval life is vivid and detailed, providing readers with an immersive experience of the challenges and camaraderie faced by those at sea during wartime. The book's historical context is meticulously crafted, with real-life figures like Admirals Nimitz and Halsey making appearances alongside fictional characters, creating a rich tapestry that honors the U.S. Navy's significant achievements during this era. The story begins with the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, thrusting Scott into the chaos of war. As he navigates through key battles such as Midway and Guadalcanal, Scott's character is tested by both external pressures and internal conflicts. His journey is not only one of survival but also of personal growth as he grapples with ambition, guilt, and the complexities of leadership. The novel also explores themes of love and loss, as Scott's relationship with Kai, a woman he meets in Hawaii, adds an emotional layer to his wartime experiences. Critics have praised “The Restless Wave” for its engaging storytelling and historical accuracy. Stavridis' ability to dramatize naval warfare while maintaining fidelity to historical events has drawn comparisons to works by Herman Wouk and Patrick O’Brian. This novel is a must-read for fans of military history and those interested in the human stories behind historical events. With its blend of fact and fiction, “The Restless Wave” offers both an educational and entertaining reading experience that highlights the enduring spirit of those who served in one of history's most pivotal conflicts.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love historic fiction. I'm a fan of Herman Wouk and others if his ability. This book was compared to same. I got through 24 chapters and had enough. The book is poorly written, an amateur effort without a bonefide editor apparently. The characters are weak. It feels like the author got a timeline of WWII in the Pacific and wrote some loose events around the details. As as example, the manin character is a wet-behind-the ears Naval Academy grad who cheated on his exams. He grew up in the Florida Keys so has knowledge of small boats. Naturally he gets stationed at Pearl Harbor on a battleship. The attack comes before he gets any real duty. He is awol, sleeping with his girlfriend when the attack hits. He's our hero so he talks his way to sea aboard the Enterprise the crown jewel aircraft carrier, Bill Halsey's flag ship no less. Our hero is in communications, but he talks his way on to the bridge. After two weeks (or some short time) is is qualified to con (control the ship's movement at sea). Halsey lets the boy wonder con the ship during an 'at sea' refueling maneuver. This is highly danderous, fairly new to the Navy at the time but wonderboy pulls it off. That was in chapter 25
If you do decide to read the book, skip the first 20 chapters or so. Again, its poorly written, not edited at all, and not worthy of historic fiction. Sorry Admiral. I was only a seaman on a destroyer but I can see your gaffs.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
The liked this historical fiction account as told from the perspective of a young 1941 graduate of Annapolis. His story is revealed from his childhood, his friendships and experiences at the Naval Academy, the trauma of Pearl Harbor, and ends with his service on a destroyer during the Battle of Guadalcanal.

The author, A retired 4 star Navy Admiral, explains the fictional and non-fictional characters as well as the actual events in the book at the end. I always appreciate an author who does this, and Admiral Stavridis certainly has the background to write a book like this even though he himself is too young to have served in the Pacific war.

Stavridis indicated that he intended to continue this story to the end of the war and perhaps beyond in a future novel, but so far one has not been published that I can find. The fictional protagonist, Scott Bradley James, is a basic "good guy," driven by ambition and duty, but prone to some lapses of judgement not uncommon with inexperience. At times Scott is less than honorable, and I was looking forward to future novels for clarification of his character as it develops under the pressures of this war.

Hopefully, there will be at least a sequel to this book. I'd like to know what is future will be. Although I've read a fair amount about this time and place in our history, I especially enjoy personalizing it through the lens of well-researched historical fiction.

[David R. Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Admiral Stavridis deftly nests an insightful and moving morality play within an insightful description of life at Annapolis, the days leading up to and following Pearl Harbor and a gut-clenching action novel building to a riveting description of the evolution of naval combat operations in the Pacific.

This is a story of a very talented, ambitious but deeply-flawed young man who rises from humble beginnings on his father's Florida Keys charter boat through his introduction to...and successful navigation of... Annapolis and its traditions to his first exposure to real naval and deadly battle.

I was fascinated by the chronicling of this young man's character development, his innate intelligence, his deeply-conflicted and morally-inconsistent ambition, his complex love-sagas and relationships with both his peers-in-rank and with all levels of the naval hierarchy as he rose to leadership positions. His ability to channel his ambition and produce better-than-anticipated, important outcomes while tortuously tacking towards his own "North Star" is an important tutorial in Leadership Development.

I couldn't put the book down and would highly recommend it for a riveting, but seriously educational nonstop read.

[Jaime Dickerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Restless Wave: A Novel of the United States Navy is a great read. It’s a story of the sea war in the Pacific from the attack on Pearl Harbor through the turning point at Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands. The story is told through the lens of a young officer, Scott Bradley James, a graduate of the USNA class of ‘41 on the eve of US entry into WWII. Although James is a bit “Zelig” like (he met Ernest Hemingway in Key West, was present at the Pearl Harbor attack, Battle of Midway, launch of the Doolittle raid, etc) and also shares a lot with Richard Gere’s character from An Officer and a Gentleman (son of an enlisted man, working class background, rides a motorcycle, driven to excel, skilled fighter - boxing not karate) he is nevertheless a memorable character, who despite his flaws (or maybe because of them?), I grew to care about. You see, James has some things in his past that are not admirable - and that’s the point - don’t we all? And James is a character who grows and works to overcome his character shortcomings. He’s “real”.
The story is well told and I found it a real page turner. It joins Wouk’s The Caine Mutiny, and The Winds of War, and Monserrat’s The Cruel Sea as my favorite WW2 naval yarns.