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Seventh Carrier #1
The Seventh Carrier
It is the first day of December, 1983. Ted ‘Trigger’ Ross is a very long way from his past as a World War II hero, as forty years later he travels aboard the steamer Sparta, through the Bering Sea.
Then, as if from nowhere come Japanese aircraft, Zeros, World War II vintage — and nearly four decades after that war ended, they are heading straight for Sparta.
As they undertake their strafing run, destroying the blood-soaked Sparta and killing most of her crew, Trigger Ross is hurled out of calm normality and back into the horrors of war.
Because for the crew of the carrier Yonaga, World War II has not yet ended.
The crew of the carrier Yonaga are samurai, and that means following orders, even to the death.
And the crew of the Yonaga have orders to attack Pearl Harbor. Orders that have never been revoked, and which must therefore be carried out.
As Ross, a prisoner on board the Yonaga, finds himself carried back towards his homeland, he draws upon all his inner strength and understanding — of Japanese culture, and of warfare — in a desperate bid to avert disaster.
Meanwhile the American authorities, baffled by repeated reports of ships attacked by Zeros, search for answers.
Brent Ross, Trigger’s son, believes his father lost at sea. Having heard tales of Japanese ‘holdouts’ many years after World War II, Brent suspects that something similar may be afoot.
Brent is right. But how long will it take his superiors to realise that?
As the Americans seek answers, and Brent seeks support for his theory, the Yonaga travels on, relentlessly, getting ever closer to Pearl Harbor.
The original attack on Pearl Harbor was made by six Japanese carriers: now the seventh is on her way. And the Americans, for whom World War II ended almost forty years previously, are completely unprepared for any attack.
Will the Yonaga reach her destination?
And if she does — what then?
Then, as if from nowhere come Japanese aircraft, Zeros, World War II vintage — and nearly four decades after that war ended, they are heading straight for Sparta.
As they undertake their strafing run, destroying the blood-soaked Sparta and killing most of her crew, Trigger Ross is hurled out of calm normality and back into the horrors of war.
Because for the crew of the carrier Yonaga, World War II has not yet ended.
The crew of the carrier Yonaga are samurai, and that means following orders, even to the death.
And the crew of the Yonaga have orders to attack Pearl Harbor. Orders that have never been revoked, and which must therefore be carried out.
As Ross, a prisoner on board the Yonaga, finds himself carried back towards his homeland, he draws upon all his inner strength and understanding — of Japanese culture, and of warfare — in a desperate bid to avert disaster.
Meanwhile the American authorities, baffled by repeated reports of ships attacked by Zeros, search for answers.
Brent Ross, Trigger’s son, believes his father lost at sea. Having heard tales of Japanese ‘holdouts’ many years after World War II, Brent suspects that something similar may be afoot.
Brent is right. But how long will it take his superiors to realise that?
As the Americans seek answers, and Brent seeks support for his theory, the Yonaga travels on, relentlessly, getting ever closer to Pearl Harbor.
The original attack on Pearl Harbor was made by six Japanese carriers: now the seventh is on her way. And the Americans, for whom World War II ended almost forty years previously, are completely unprepared for any attack.
Will the Yonaga reach her destination?
And if she does — what then?
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First published October 1, 1983
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 29, 2022
This is a fairly straightforward concept executed decently for the time and genre. Poor proofreading and fact checking in many respects but good research in other aspects. Some decent characterizations, simplistic plot, and as long as you're ok with suspending reality more than a little, not a terrible bit of literary junk food. A lot of implausibilities and a generally unreasonable general approach to interpersonal interactions (especially between Americans) which did not age well.
I'd probably read another in the series but I'm not going to rush out to get it or bump it to the top of the stack.
I'd probably read another in the series but I'm not going to rush out to get it or bump it to the top of the stack.
June 25, 2017
Not the greatest of books but still sn enjoyable read. Enough that I will probably read more books in the series.
July 7, 2016
I hate giving a bad review. I really, really hate to do it. The author has passed away so at least I won't feel guilty about him reading this.
I think I know too much military history. It wouldn't be the first time that my willing suspension of disbelief was ruined by simply knowing too much about a subject. As some people already know, I'm pretty well up on my World War II history and I only read this because I was snowed into a Lake Tahoe cabin with no TV and nothing else to read.
I think I know too much military history. It wouldn't be the first time that my willing suspension of disbelief was ruined by simply knowing too much about a subject. As some people already know, I'm pretty well up on my World War II history and I only read this because I was snowed into a Lake Tahoe cabin with no TV and nothing else to read.
March 17, 2020
Fun story and author makes a good stab at explaining how a Japanese Aircraft Carrier remained hidden for 40 years. At times it does feel that it is a bit of a 'justification' for the extreme form of Busido that caused so many atrocities during WW2 but still a good yarn.
October 12, 2016
Interesting premise. Too much descriptive detail in some areas. Lousy ending. I'll try the next one.
April 19, 2017
Men's adventure. Very good, historically very accurate. Recommended.
Due to this book being thirty years old, the descriptions of computers are unintentionally amusing.
Due to this book being thirty years old, the descriptions of computers are unintentionally amusing.
August 11, 2020
Reading this brought back memories of the early Clive Cussler books - there are many similarities in plot and hero.
Like Cussler characterisation is minimal - the men are strong/rugged/forceful, the women are beautiful/intelligent and in almost instant (shared) lust - the plot zooms along and, once you accept the completely implausible central concept ... settle down for the ride.
In brief, the Japanese super aircraft carrier Yonaga has emerged from enforced hiding, complete with an elderly crew, 38 years after the end of WWII. And, as the ship moves inevitably, destroying anything in its way, to recreate "a day that will live infamy" there is confusion in American Naval Command - is it a submarine, a land-based attack, or could it be an aircraft carrier?
Meanwhile, the crew of the Yonaga follow the Samurai code and decades of hard training means that, despite their age, they are capable of performing close to peak.
Author Peter Albano served in the U.S. Navy during WWII and it shows - there's a lot of description of weaponry, turbines and airplanes (most of it padding).
There's a lot of references to race that would be considered very non-PC these days. It is important to remember that this was first published in 1983 ... I edited a history magazine for a number of years and one of my main concerns with several writers was the transference of their perceptions onto the people of the past - what happened was wrong but that doesn't mean that it was considered wrong at the time, or even that that majority of people agreed it was wrong - or cared one way or the other. Sorry, just a personal hobbyhorse!
I won't be reading the rest of the nine-book series in the near future, but I did take a quick peek at book two and I was mightily impressed at how Peter Albano overcomes the problem of how a WWII aircraft carrier manages to remain not only relevant but vital in the 1980s.
If you like a fast read with lots of action - give this a shot!
Like Cussler characterisation is minimal - the men are strong/rugged/forceful, the women are beautiful/intelligent and in almost instant (shared) lust - the plot zooms along and, once you accept the completely implausible central concept ... settle down for the ride.
In brief, the Japanese super aircraft carrier Yonaga has emerged from enforced hiding, complete with an elderly crew, 38 years after the end of WWII. And, as the ship moves inevitably, destroying anything in its way, to recreate "a day that will live infamy" there is confusion in American Naval Command - is it a submarine, a land-based attack, or could it be an aircraft carrier?
Meanwhile, the crew of the Yonaga follow the Samurai code and decades of hard training means that, despite their age, they are capable of performing close to peak.
Author Peter Albano served in the U.S. Navy during WWII and it shows - there's a lot of description of weaponry, turbines and airplanes (most of it padding).
There's a lot of references to race that would be considered very non-PC these days. It is important to remember that this was first published in 1983 ... I edited a history magazine for a number of years and one of my main concerns with several writers was the transference of their perceptions onto the people of the past - what happened was wrong but that doesn't mean that it was considered wrong at the time, or even that that majority of people agreed it was wrong - or cared one way or the other. Sorry, just a personal hobbyhorse!
I won't be reading the rest of the nine-book series in the near future, but I did take a quick peek at book two and I was mightily impressed at how Peter Albano overcomes the problem of how a WWII aircraft carrier manages to remain not only relevant but vital in the 1980s.
If you like a fast read with lots of action - give this a shot!
August 8, 2023
Even though I did enjoy The Seventh Carrier, it was hard for me to rate it. I debated between giving it a 3 star or a 4 star review. Overall the book is 4 stars, because the plot is interesting. A WWII Japanese carrier is freed from being trapped to complete the attack on Pearl Harbor. You could compare this as the reverse of The Final Countdown.
Even though it is a far fetched concept, Peter Albano does a good job of describing how this could happen. In addition the actions scenes are well written and help give you a good idea of what is going. This book came out in the early days of the techno thriller. Albano does a good job of giving technology and history information to build up the story.
The reason for going towards the 3 stars is due to some issues with the writing. Albano decides to present the technology and history information as conversations between characters. Even though this helps the reader, it seems odd to have people who should now some of the information, being told about it. There could have been a different way to present this.
This book is also relic of its time as well. When reading it, I did feel I was back in the 1980s style of action books. The men either are right, or are jerks and wrong. There is one female character who starts off strong, but falls into the 80s style of getting gooey eye over the guy. One other female who briefly shows up is practically raped and quickly killed off.
The last part is the ending. Without spoiling much, after the big showdown, the last chapter feels quickly written without quick sentences wrapping some things up. I wished a bit more was done with the last chapter.
With looking over this what I felt, the book was a good read overall. I just had some faults with parts of the storytelling. Though having the main character drive a 1983 Datsun 280ZX almost made it worth adding a start. If you read this, keep in mind it is also a product of this time, but is a nice break.
Even though it is a far fetched concept, Peter Albano does a good job of describing how this could happen. In addition the actions scenes are well written and help give you a good idea of what is going. This book came out in the early days of the techno thriller. Albano does a good job of giving technology and history information to build up the story.
The reason for going towards the 3 stars is due to some issues with the writing. Albano decides to present the technology and history information as conversations between characters. Even though this helps the reader, it seems odd to have people who should now some of the information, being told about it. There could have been a different way to present this.
This book is also relic of its time as well. When reading it, I did feel I was back in the 1980s style of action books. The men either are right, or are jerks and wrong. There is one female character who starts off strong, but falls into the 80s style of getting gooey eye over the guy. One other female who briefly shows up is practically raped and quickly killed off.
The last part is the ending. Without spoiling much, after the big showdown, the last chapter feels quickly written without quick sentences wrapping some things up. I wished a bit more was done with the last chapter.
With looking over this what I felt, the book was a good read overall. I just had some faults with parts of the storytelling. Though having the main character drive a 1983 Datsun 280ZX almost made it worth adding a start. If you read this, keep in mind it is also a product of this time, but is a nice break.
November 9, 2023
This is fun and breezy book. My main gripe, the idea that the Japanese just wrote off an entire carrier during World War II. The carrier Yonaga was trapped in a glacier, that no one checked hat happened to the ship and crew. This just seems so bad, I heard of this series I had assumed that the crew and ship was in suspended animation situation.
Once past this, the story keeps moving forward and the action i clear and fun.
Once past this, the story keeps moving forward and the action i clear and fun.
September 19, 2021
First of series. So far so good. A Japanese carrier has broken out of a glacier in 1983 and heads to pearl harber to finish their orders from 1941. Even tho they are aware the war is over. Interesting knowledge of Japanese custom, carriers, and planes. Can’t wait to see what happens next.
April 18, 2018
Surprisingly good.
December 7, 2016
A great read for today. Remember Pearl Harbor!
A reminder of yesteryear! I just finished this book and first read it when it was first published. Just finished it on this day the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor.
A reminder of yesteryear! I just finished this book and first read it when it was first published. Just finished it on this day the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor.
May 6, 2023
2nd Reading - I read it when it first came out, and it definitely doesn't age well if you can't regress yourself to back in the early 1980's when news of Japanese Holdouts still occurred every once in a while.
If you can regress it is still a very well written story.
If you can regress it is still a very well written story.
October 10, 2007
This was a fascinating what if, brought back the whole WW2 back again, totally unrealistic, but still a nice read about WW2 tactics and military equipment in the 20th century
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May 20, 2018Pearl Harbor redux
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews