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Sink the Rising Sun
"Holt is the type of hero rarely seen in books written in the past 50 years ... If you like the works of P.T. Deutermann, C.S. Forester, or Patrick O’Brian, 'Sink the Rising Sun' will appeal to you." — Mark Lardas, Bright Magazine
"Loved it! ... a must-read about the era and the men and machines who sacrificed themselves to keep the free world safe. The prose feels and reads like history." — Robert Carpenter, Reedsy Discovery
Robert Carpenter, Reedsy DiscoveryIn the dark days after Pearl Harbor, a small, untested arm of the United States Navy was all that stood between the shattered American fleet and the ascendent Japanese Empire. Far off in Western Australia, U.S. submarine officer Benjamin Holt finds himself on the frontlines of World War II with nothing but a decades-old sub and a rusty crew.
The green 25-year-old is ordered to stop Imperial Japan’s bloody expansion across the Pacific any way he can. Between each nerve-wracking war patrol, he’s further challenged by Navy politics, faulty equipment, and his lost love back home, all while adjusting to his strange new life Down Under.
Deeply researched and expertly told by a submarine veteran, Sink the Rising Sun combines edge-of-your-seat action, unforgettable characters, and wry humor to reveal a young officer — and his young nation — choosing to lead and accepting nothing but total victory.
"Loved it! ... a must-read about the era and the men and machines who sacrificed themselves to keep the free world safe. The prose feels and reads like history." — Robert Carpenter, Reedsy Discovery
Robert Carpenter, Reedsy DiscoveryIn the dark days after Pearl Harbor, a small, untested arm of the United States Navy was all that stood between the shattered American fleet and the ascendent Japanese Empire. Far off in Western Australia, U.S. submarine officer Benjamin Holt finds himself on the frontlines of World War II with nothing but a decades-old sub and a rusty crew.
The green 25-year-old is ordered to stop Imperial Japan’s bloody expansion across the Pacific any way he can. Between each nerve-wracking war patrol, he’s further challenged by Navy politics, faulty equipment, and his lost love back home, all while adjusting to his strange new life Down Under.
Deeply researched and expertly told by a submarine veteran, Sink the Rising Sun combines edge-of-your-seat action, unforgettable characters, and wry humor to reveal a young officer — and his young nation — choosing to lead and accepting nothing but total victory.
- GenresFiction
244 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 12, 2024
230 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
Jon C. Gabriel
1 book129 followersJon C. Gabriel is a former U.S. Navy submarine nuclear reactor operator, and is now a full-time writer and columnist. He is a regular contributor to Discourse Magazine and the Arizona Republic, and has been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, CNN, and National Review. Jon graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University's top-rated Cronkite School of Journalism.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
March 9, 2025
Outstanding novel of American submarine warfare in the Pacfic during WWII. From some technical details of submarines and torpedoes to the men themselves, this novel presents a realistic story of men in combat. In combat and in their personal lives when on R & R in Australia.
March 15, 2025
The Pacific Ocean came to a boil quickly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. This historical novel begins with an old submarine (S-33) temporarily stationed in Australia. Hitting back at the Japanese aggressors by preventing them from moving their raw goods to manufacturing sites: a primary goal of the Allied naval forces. That involved hundreds of ships. Could one submarine make a difference?
"Who is the best man to lead the S-33 to that goal?” “Lieutenant Benjamin A. Holt.” We follow Holt on his first command.
"He could filter out everything around him — voices, loud machinery, jostling, the stench — and be alone in his very soul. That trick grated on the married guys’ wives in port, but it served the sailors well at sea. Holt had practiced this years before the silent service. He’d learned it from one of his dad’s old classical books. “At any moment you choose you can retire within yourself. Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul.” Holt had memorized this quote from Meditations, the personal journal of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius."
Through a combination of luck and initiative, Holt is quickly promoted. "A lieutenant commander? At twenty-five? Holt was in a daze." He also has a new submarine under his command.
"A brand-new Gato-class was a completely different animal from the decades-old S-33. Holt’s old boat was 220 feet long and twenty-one feet wide. His new boat, 312 feet long and twenty-eight wide. Weighed more than twice as much. It swam at twenty-one knots on the surface, where the S-33 only managed fourteen with the wind at her back. And while the S-33 hosted a crew of thirty-eight, the Knifefish held sixty or more. It dove deeper, fired more torpedoes, and stayed under longer. Like swapping an old Model T for a Cadillac Sixty Special."
Yet it takes a special type of person to go under the sea in a “tin can.” Here is the positive viewpoint: "He nodded to his XO. “This is the life, Luke. We get to sail around the world, sinking enemy ships with a bunch of fun-loving guys, all at government expense.” “Doesn’t get any better, does it?”"
And there’s another side to it, too: "A staff lieutenant told Holt, “There’s a reason we didn’t join the army or marines, God bless ’em. Give me a ship any day.” “People complain about sub duty, but it’s a hell of a lot better than getting dysentery in a jungle and getting shot at day and night. No way could I do that. God bless ’em, indeed.”"
A lot of what seem to be real world situations both in port and in action. A highlight was the frustration of submariners with the “new” torpedoes provided without adequate testing or instruction. These torpedoes malfunctioned in many ways and there were always excuses provided. "The “gun club,” or Naval Bureau of Ordnance, wasn’t making a lot of fans in the silent service. They still wouldn’t admit the obvious flaws in the Mark 6 mechanism."
A pleasant (and for me) enlightening look at the early days of the USA’s involvement in the Pacific Theater of WW II. Particularly because of the focus on Western Australia and the USA's naval presence there during the war. My thanks to GR friend Charles Van Buren for pointing me in this direction.
"Who is the best man to lead the S-33 to that goal?” “Lieutenant Benjamin A. Holt.” We follow Holt on his first command.
"He could filter out everything around him — voices, loud machinery, jostling, the stench — and be alone in his very soul. That trick grated on the married guys’ wives in port, but it served the sailors well at sea. Holt had practiced this years before the silent service. He’d learned it from one of his dad’s old classical books. “At any moment you choose you can retire within yourself. Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul.” Holt had memorized this quote from Meditations, the personal journal of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius."
Through a combination of luck and initiative, Holt is quickly promoted. "A lieutenant commander? At twenty-five? Holt was in a daze." He also has a new submarine under his command.
"A brand-new Gato-class was a completely different animal from the decades-old S-33. Holt’s old boat was 220 feet long and twenty-one feet wide. His new boat, 312 feet long and twenty-eight wide. Weighed more than twice as much. It swam at twenty-one knots on the surface, where the S-33 only managed fourteen with the wind at her back. And while the S-33 hosted a crew of thirty-eight, the Knifefish held sixty or more. It dove deeper, fired more torpedoes, and stayed under longer. Like swapping an old Model T for a Cadillac Sixty Special."
Yet it takes a special type of person to go under the sea in a “tin can.” Here is the positive viewpoint: "He nodded to his XO. “This is the life, Luke. We get to sail around the world, sinking enemy ships with a bunch of fun-loving guys, all at government expense.” “Doesn’t get any better, does it?”"
And there’s another side to it, too: "A staff lieutenant told Holt, “There’s a reason we didn’t join the army or marines, God bless ’em. Give me a ship any day.” “People complain about sub duty, but it’s a hell of a lot better than getting dysentery in a jungle and getting shot at day and night. No way could I do that. God bless ’em, indeed.”"
A lot of what seem to be real world situations both in port and in action. A highlight was the frustration of submariners with the “new” torpedoes provided without adequate testing or instruction. These torpedoes malfunctioned in many ways and there were always excuses provided. "The “gun club,” or Naval Bureau of Ordnance, wasn’t making a lot of fans in the silent service. They still wouldn’t admit the obvious flaws in the Mark 6 mechanism."
A pleasant (and for me) enlightening look at the early days of the USA’s involvement in the Pacific Theater of WW II. Particularly because of the focus on Western Australia and the USA's naval presence there during the war. My thanks to GR friend Charles Van Buren for pointing me in this direction.
December 19, 2024
Not to brag, but my dad wrote this.
January 3, 2025
It would be both mean and accurate to say that SINK THE RISING SUN reads like a novelization of a 1940's submarine movie. All the familiar plot points are here. Japanese cargo ships are stalked. Torpedoes are fired. Depth charges are dropped. Gabriel shamelessly steals the scene from DESTINATION TOKYO where a pharmacist's mate has to perform an emergency appendectomy (which was in turn stolen from an actual event).
Accurate, yes, and "mean" because novelizations of movies are usually third-rate, and this is not. Gabriel does a fine job in leading his hero, Benjamin Holt, through the early stages of the submarine campaigns of the Pacific War. The numerous and thrilling action scenes--complete with A-WOOGA! and CLICK-BANG sound effects--are well-told, and balanced with a simple but effective love story (kept from being less chaste than it might have been for that period by the girl's Calvinist wrath-of-the-Almighty father).
What I appreciated about Gabriel's work is that he doesn't take it too seriously, or have too broad a scope for his character. James Stavridis published THE RESTLESS WAVE last year, which had those faults--a very grave surface officer, who wanders through the highlights of the Pacific theater without getting a scratch. SINK THE RISING SUN doesn't insist on making more of its hero than it has a right to, and succeeds on those grounds.
Accurate, yes, and "mean" because novelizations of movies are usually third-rate, and this is not. Gabriel does a fine job in leading his hero, Benjamin Holt, through the early stages of the submarine campaigns of the Pacific War. The numerous and thrilling action scenes--complete with A-WOOGA! and CLICK-BANG sound effects--are well-told, and balanced with a simple but effective love story (kept from being less chaste than it might have been for that period by the girl's Calvinist wrath-of-the-Almighty father).
What I appreciated about Gabriel's work is that he doesn't take it too seriously, or have too broad a scope for his character. James Stavridis published THE RESTLESS WAVE last year, which had those faults--a very grave surface officer, who wanders through the highlights of the Pacific theater without getting a scratch. SINK THE RISING SUN doesn't insist on making more of its hero than it has a right to, and succeeds on those grounds.
February 11, 2025
Great book!
Really enjoyed this book. I Can hardly wait for the next in the series! Very suspenseful and historical as well.
Really enjoyed this book. I Can hardly wait for the next in the series! Very suspenseful and historical as well.
February 12, 2025
May Commander Holt go far in this navy
I doubted the comparisons to Aubrey and Hornblower, but I shouldn’t have. Gabriel strikes the right balance between shore life and sea action. Please support this book so I can get a sequel
I doubted the comparisons to Aubrey and Hornblower, but I shouldn’t have. Gabriel strikes the right balance between shore life and sea action. Please support this book so I can get a sequel
January 16, 2025
This was an excellent WWII novel that was a great snippet into what life was like on a sub. It really immerses you in the era with all aspects of life, from the battles to the shore leave and all the little things in between. With well-drawn characters and moments of unexpected humor, the novel serves as a tribute to the Silent Service. A must-read for fans of historical fiction and military drama alike.
December 27, 2024
Could not put it down. Jon Gabriel has clearly spent time in the Silent Service and spins a gripping and engaging yarn. Interesting details of life aboard a sub, fascinating glimpse of the technology from ~80 years ago. I hope he is working on another novel!
December 28, 2024
A wonderful, engaging read
Sets an authentic tone of the first year of the sub service in the Pacific, following America's entry into war. Great insights into the mindset of submariners, tactics of the era, and a gentle history lesson.
Sets an authentic tone of the first year of the sub service in the Pacific, following America's entry into war. Great insights into the mindset of submariners, tactics of the era, and a gentle history lesson.
December 31, 2024
Love a good WW II submarine story.
The war story reads close to many books i have read in the action at sea. The romance feels about right too. I had a had time putting this book down.
The war story reads close to many books i have read in the action at sea. The romance feels about right too. I had a had time putting this book down.
January 4, 2025
I really enjoyed this book! The characters were developed well and the pace was good. I have read a lot of published authors, whose books were not nearly as interesting.
I will certainly look forward to any future novels he publishes.
I will certainly look forward to any future novels he publishes.
January 13, 2026
As first novels go, it’s not bad. A bit wooden, and surprisingly (given the author was a Naval submarine nuclear engineer) light on the technical details. (Yes, I’m aware Gato-class subs weren’t nuclear powered.) Still, the characters are weak-to-cardboard. And the plot doesn’t vary much from “sub goes out/sub comes back”, with added romance.
I like Jon’s political columns a lot more.
I like Jon’s political columns a lot more.
January 13, 2026
good read for those looking for a good read
Interesting, fun, not overly technical. Easy to read and just enjoy. For some reason I kept envisioning Mathew McConaughey as the sub captain.
Interesting, fun, not overly technical. Easy to read and just enjoy. For some reason I kept envisioning Mathew McConaughey as the sub captain.
January 6, 2025
A very interesting read.
I found this book very interesting. It gave me a view of WW2 I had never thought of. Also gave me an idea of what life on a sub is like. Great job developing the characters.
I found this book very interesting. It gave me a view of WW2 I had never thought of. Also gave me an idea of what life on a sub is like. Great job developing the characters.
February 20, 2025
Fine submarine venture into WWll.
Gabriel wrote a very balanced and easy to read page turner. I could not put it down. The story was not loaded with technical detail, historical deep background, and lengthy description of time, place and people. Instead “it is just enough”. He follows the directives to authors well - “ Don’t tell me your story; show me” ! The author touches on every aspect of submarine life in war and on the mountain top and valley experiences in the lives of the people who must balance the horrors, the unknowns, the “ over the top” demands and wrestle to make it work and win. I highly recommend this wonderful read. Well done. Bravo Zulu..
Cdr. Ron H Rader, Ret., USNR
Gabriel wrote a very balanced and easy to read page turner. I could not put it down. The story was not loaded with technical detail, historical deep background, and lengthy description of time, place and people. Instead “it is just enough”. He follows the directives to authors well - “ Don’t tell me your story; show me” ! The author touches on every aspect of submarine life in war and on the mountain top and valley experiences in the lives of the people who must balance the horrors, the unknowns, the “ over the top” demands and wrestle to make it work and win. I highly recommend this wonderful read. Well done. Bravo Zulu..
Cdr. Ron H Rader, Ret., USNR
January 29, 2025
Without question, this book was clearly Jon Gabriel's greatest debut novel. Ever. Looking forward to more.
June 4, 2025
Great book
Just finished the book "sin the Rising Sun." I really enjoyed this book and hope the author continues the story. This book was great.
Just finished the book "sin the Rising Sun." I really enjoyed this book and hope the author continues the story. This book was great.
September 22, 2025
Great read.
This isn’t just the story of a WW2 submarine skipper, but a complete examination of his feelings, actions and motivations.
This isn’t just the story of a WW2 submarine skipper, but a complete examination of his feelings, actions and motivations.
February 11, 2025
Excellent book. Looking forward to the next one. The character Leighton reminded me of the “democracy manifest/succulent Chinese meal” guy.
April 1, 2025
Hard to put this book down
Wow! What a great first novel. I didn't want to put this book down. As a third generation Navy guy with a grandfather who served in the days of The Great White Fleet and father who served in WW2 in the Pacific -- Gabriel's story rang true. I hope this is the beginning of a series.
Wow! What a great first novel. I didn't want to put this book down. As a third generation Navy guy with a grandfather who served in the days of The Great White Fleet and father who served in WW2 in the Pacific -- Gabriel's story rang true. I hope this is the beginning of a series.
December 28, 2024
An all too brief tale of U.S. submarine life at the start of World War Two. Can't wait for (hopefully) the next one.
March 31, 2025
Why doesn’t someone write a Master-and-Commander like novel set in WWII? Well … someone did! This is a solid, entertaining, and exciting story by someone who also knows his way around underwater. Highly recommended!
August 5, 2025
This competent first novel sheds welcome light on submarine warfare in the Pacific during World War Two. As a retired submariner himself, Jon C. Gabriel has no trouble with the maritime and mechanical detail here. He's also a fair hand at transcribing Scottish and Australian accents for the printed page. Gabriel may yet become a force to be reckoned with in historical fiction; he's got game.
Benjamin Aubrey Holt, the story's protagonist, comes off as smart and determined, but so clean-cut that he sometimes strains verisimilitude. This story has more religion and less cussing than you might think in a novel about the U.S. Navy in wartime. (If you read Battle Cry by Leon Uris, you might remember that one of the Marines in that story loves the proverbial hooker with a heart of gold, but Jon C. Gabriel set out to write a coming-of-age story, not a parable about redemption).
Confusingly, some characters here are always referred to by their first names, and some are always referred to by their last names. Gabriel hasn't yet mastered the vividly cinematic writing style of, for example, James Michener. One sailor dies before readers have gotten a chance to know him, which means we have no context for the eulogy he gets before his burial at sea. That said, and despite its sunnier outlook, Sink the Rising Sun shares a vibe with Michener's The Bridges at Toko-Ri, which is a good thing.
Benjamin Aubrey Holt, the story's protagonist, comes off as smart and determined, but so clean-cut that he sometimes strains verisimilitude. This story has more religion and less cussing than you might think in a novel about the U.S. Navy in wartime. (If you read Battle Cry by Leon Uris, you might remember that one of the Marines in that story loves the proverbial hooker with a heart of gold, but Jon C. Gabriel set out to write a coming-of-age story, not a parable about redemption).
Confusingly, some characters here are always referred to by their first names, and some are always referred to by their last names. Gabriel hasn't yet mastered the vividly cinematic writing style of, for example, James Michener. One sailor dies before readers have gotten a chance to know him, which means we have no context for the eulogy he gets before his burial at sea. That said, and despite its sunnier outlook, Sink the Rising Sun shares a vibe with Michener's The Bridges at Toko-Ri, which is a good thing.
February 16, 2025
Powerful and Astonishing! Buy this Book.
I lived to see my 86th birthday on this February 13th, 2025.
Enjoying the people, their growth, and the flow of the Saga (this better not be the only book featuring these folk!), made my birthday, and Valentine’s Day very enjoyable. When I was not baking a Carrot Cake, or shovelling snow off of a 6-vehicle-sized driveway in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
My background includes a south Alberta farm boy life, then various jobs until I started in the Oilpatch in Calgary, Alberta in 1963.
The growth made by various fellow employees was fun to watch, although I did not like Crew Managing, which I was pitchforked into at age 25, 90 air miles WNW of High Level, Alberta.
My experiences are part of my enjoyment of this book, which features very rich backgrounds, deftly limned using a few well chosen words.
Now, how fast does our scribe write?
I lived to see my 86th birthday on this February 13th, 2025.
Enjoying the people, their growth, and the flow of the Saga (this better not be the only book featuring these folk!), made my birthday, and Valentine’s Day very enjoyable. When I was not baking a Carrot Cake, or shovelling snow off of a 6-vehicle-sized driveway in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
My background includes a south Alberta farm boy life, then various jobs until I started in the Oilpatch in Calgary, Alberta in 1963.
The growth made by various fellow employees was fun to watch, although I did not like Crew Managing, which I was pitchforked into at age 25, 90 air miles WNW of High Level, Alberta.
My experiences are part of my enjoyment of this book, which features very rich backgrounds, deftly limned using a few well chosen words.
Now, how fast does our scribe write?
February 17, 2025
Amazing
Written about true men. Not all heroes stand out as brash and head strong. Mr.Gabriel has presented us with a fantastic story off brave and human men and women in World War Two. Submarine sailors,like many special assignments in the military are special folks and we are lucky to have them. One part I especially enjoyed is when on C. Gabriel said that more of his writing is on the horizon.
Written about true men. Not all heroes stand out as brash and head strong. Mr.Gabriel has presented us with a fantastic story off brave and human men and women in World War Two. Submarine sailors,like many special assignments in the military are special folks and we are lucky to have them. One part I especially enjoyed is when on C. Gabriel said that more of his writing is on the horizon.
February 6, 2025
A good read, worthy of other sea stories.
I enjoyed this book. The character development was well done, and the story was interesting and kept me wanting more. I don't reveal the story, because I think it never does justice to the new readers,
to reveal what I hope they're going to enjoy.
I enjoyed this book. The character development was well done, and the story was interesting and kept me wanting more. I don't reveal the story, because I think it never does justice to the new readers,
to reveal what I hope they're going to enjoy.
October 9, 2025
Despite a rocky introduction and overuse of sentence fragments, this maritime adventure set on a submarine in the south Pacific during WWII hits all the right notes. It is authentic and believable without being overbearing and captures life on a sub without resorting to gruesome details.
Furthermore, the characters are not conflicted anti-heroes existing in a phony world of gray. They are good men doing their best in hard times. Something we all should strive for. I plowed through this book look forward to the next one in the series.
Furthermore, the characters are not conflicted anti-heroes existing in a phony world of gray. They are good men doing their best in hard times. Something we all should strive for. I plowed through this book look forward to the next one in the series.
March 22, 2025
Excellent WWII submarine tale, necessarily episodic in nature as it details four fictional patrols of first an old pigboat and later the USS Knifefish sailing out of Western Australia. A likable believable main character, wholesome romance and lots of action. Well informed and reminds me of Robb White.
March 27, 2025
Great read
Reminds me of a WEB Griffin series, but better. Would of been nice to see the Japanese a bit more aggressive in chasing the Knife fish down after attacks though.
I enjoyed every page.
Reminds me of a WEB Griffin series, but better. Would of been nice to see the Japanese a bit more aggressive in chasing the Knife fish down after attacks though.
I enjoyed every page.
April 30, 2025
This bubblehead enjoyed the history
I enjoyed this reading because I’m both a submariner and a WW2 history buff. Jon describes the challenges of the silent service and WW2. The only mistake I caught was that the Navy didn’t have Senior Chiefs until 1956.
Good reading!
I enjoyed this reading because I’m both a submariner and a WW2 history buff. Jon describes the challenges of the silent service and WW2. The only mistake I caught was that the Navy didn’t have Senior Chiefs until 1956.
Good reading!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews