What do you think?
Rate this book
USS Stonewall Jackson #1
USS Stonewall Jackson
North Korea has perfected a ballistic nuclear submarine, positioned far from the Californian coast but capable of raining down terror on Seattle, San Francisco, LA and San Diego. Enough is enough. It’s time to take out this threat and take apart North Korea’s People’s Navy one boat at a time.
They say cometh the hour, cometh the man. Cometh the foe, cometh the submarine.
In exercises against allied diesel-electric boats, the United States Navy watched and learned. Its answer? The most powerful and silent diesel-electric boat ever to patrol the deeps: the USS Stonewall Jackson.
It would require a cunning warrior of the seas to command such a boat. The USN has chosen its best young submariner: Commander Nathan Blake. He’ll need to employ stealth and guile to seek out the foe.
The USS Stonewall Jackson is on her way; she’s mean and mad as hell. But will Nathan find that the Korean People’s Navy has a trick up its sleeve? Follow Nathan and the USS Stonewall Jackson into hell and damnation.
They say cometh the hour, cometh the man. Cometh the foe, cometh the submarine.
In exercises against allied diesel-electric boats, the United States Navy watched and learned. Its answer? The most powerful and silent diesel-electric boat ever to patrol the deeps: the USS Stonewall Jackson.
It would require a cunning warrior of the seas to command such a boat. The USN has chosen its best young submariner: Commander Nathan Blake. He’ll need to employ stealth and guile to seek out the foe.
The USS Stonewall Jackson is on her way; she’s mean and mad as hell. But will Nathan find that the Korean People’s Navy has a trick up its sleeve? Follow Nathan and the USS Stonewall Jackson into hell and damnation.
125 pages, ebook
Published January 20, 2018
1509 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Makk
24 books29 followersStephen Makk is the author of 20 books, including the bestselling USS Stonewall Jackson Series and The Tom Hilton Series. He mainly writes thrillers about technology and the military, with hints of romance. His protagonists are male and female, playing the imperfect hands they’re dealt.
How to write like a Makk… Take the mind of a fish, any fish (he’s an experienced diver). Add an engineer, simmer for years. Sprinkle on liberal helpings of strategist, astronomer, historian and anthropologist. Bring to the boil and let loose. You need some Makk on your bookshelf!
How to write like a Makk… Take the mind of a fish, any fish (he’s an experienced diver). Add an engineer, simmer for years. Sprinkle on liberal helpings of strategist, astronomer, historian and anthropologist. Bring to the boil and let loose. You need some Makk on your bookshelf!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
April 1, 2019
STUPID BOOK
This is the dumbest Submarine book ever written. There are so many things wrong with it. A 20° down bubble at dive would put the propellers in the air. Changing depth by blowing ballast would put out enough noise that it could be heard in Kansas. A Chief Petty Officer is never called CPO it is Chief. The Weapons officer is Weps not Weaps just as the Navigator is Nav. A rudder is at the aft and of the boat and never positioned aft. Left right or amidships only. A captain would never have his crew call him by his first name. The COB answers only to the CO. When reentering a boat underwater the outer hatch can't be opened unless the inner hatch is closed and vice versa. Banging on a hatch is as stupid as blowing ballast tanks to change depth. Way too much noise. SS means two things, Submarine Service and Silent Service. Any submarine from WWII boats to current day nukes strive to be holes in the water. Maybe the author should switch to detective novels with a detective carrying a .50 Cal sniper rifle.
This is the dumbest Submarine book ever written. There are so many things wrong with it. A 20° down bubble at dive would put the propellers in the air. Changing depth by blowing ballast would put out enough noise that it could be heard in Kansas. A Chief Petty Officer is never called CPO it is Chief. The Weapons officer is Weps not Weaps just as the Navigator is Nav. A rudder is at the aft and of the boat and never positioned aft. Left right or amidships only. A captain would never have his crew call him by his first name. The COB answers only to the CO. When reentering a boat underwater the outer hatch can't be opened unless the inner hatch is closed and vice versa. Banging on a hatch is as stupid as blowing ballast tanks to change depth. Way too much noise. SS means two things, Submarine Service and Silent Service. Any submarine from WWII boats to current day nukes strive to be holes in the water. Maybe the author should switch to detective novels with a detective carrying a .50 Cal sniper rifle.
August 27, 2025
Well, that was a bit shorter than I expected! Sections were badly written, wrong terminology in places, editing mistakes. I didn't read the reviews of this one before I started, it was all there in gorey detail😱 Despite the issues, the story was ok and bobbed along quickly, too quickly in places. I'll give the second in the series a chance but the omens are not great!
July 10, 2018
Great read
Very easy to read. You have a great way of keeping up the suspense. I have recommended this to my friends. Keep up the good work. Terry
Very easy to read. You have a great way of keeping up the suspense. I have recommended this to my friends. Keep up the good work. Terry
June 11, 2018
Lots of very interesting technology was divulged.
I chose this book because of my interest in submarine ops and technology. The author's knowledge of subs and weapons made this book hard to put down. Highly recommended to most readers
I chose this book because of my interest in submarine ops and technology. The author's knowledge of subs and weapons made this book hard to put down. Highly recommended to most readers
March 30, 2018
USSw stonewall Jackson
Outstanding naval action with current world situation as the back drop for a very entertaining tale. Good action sequences with reality injected throughout. Worth looking at this author some more.
Outstanding naval action with current world situation as the back drop for a very entertaining tale. Good action sequences with reality injected throughout. Worth looking at this author some more.
May 12, 2018
1 star is too many
Zero stars is not an option but it is what this book deserves. Poorly written. Poorly edited. Unlikely subplots. Won't read any thing else by this author. Wish I could get my money back.
Zero stars is not an option but it is what this book deserves. Poorly written. Poorly edited. Unlikely subplots. Won't read any thing else by this author. Wish I could get my money back.
April 27, 2018
Bad grammar, incomplete sentences.
Where was the editor? This could have been enjoyable except the lack of flow from missing commas and run on sentences.
Where was the editor? This could have been enjoyable except the lack of flow from missing commas and run on sentences.
May 18, 2018
Very short; but, maybe not short enough
This book isn't much longer than a novella. A blessing in this case. I read one critical review saying the author knows nothing about his subject matter, submarines. I'll go one better. He knows nothing about the Navy, at least not the US Navy. Having served on a destroyer in my much younger years, I do know a little. Example: the executive officer on a ship/boat is not addressed as "exec". That would be "XO". Example: the person who steers a ship/boat is the helmsman. The planesman on a submarine is responsible for vertical maneuvers. A chief petty officer in the US Navy is never referred to nor addressed as CPO. It's always Chief.
That kind and of stuff is difficult to slog through. Perhaps ignorance is, indeed, bliss.
There are two semi parallel plots going on, one primary and the other secondarily. The second one, involving the daughter of the President's National Security Advisor, named Peekaboo (the daughter) of all things, starts from nowhere and goes nowhere. It's a page filler and nothing more.
The author, I suspect, is British; what with all the British spellings, such as "defence" rather than defense. I was initially inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt for translating British naval terminology to the American Navy. Regrettably, I had to renege on that benefit bestowed. Just as an American executive officer is never addressed as "exec", neither is a British executive officer addressed as "exec". That would be "Number One".
This book isn't much longer than a novella. A blessing in this case. I read one critical review saying the author knows nothing about his subject matter, submarines. I'll go one better. He knows nothing about the Navy, at least not the US Navy. Having served on a destroyer in my much younger years, I do know a little. Example: the executive officer on a ship/boat is not addressed as "exec". That would be "XO". Example: the person who steers a ship/boat is the helmsman. The planesman on a submarine is responsible for vertical maneuvers. A chief petty officer in the US Navy is never referred to nor addressed as CPO. It's always Chief.
That kind and of stuff is difficult to slog through. Perhaps ignorance is, indeed, bliss.
There are two semi parallel plots going on, one primary and the other secondarily. The second one, involving the daughter of the President's National Security Advisor, named Peekaboo (the daughter) of all things, starts from nowhere and goes nowhere. It's a page filler and nothing more.
The author, I suspect, is British; what with all the British spellings, such as "defence" rather than defense. I was initially inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt for translating British naval terminology to the American Navy. Regrettably, I had to renege on that benefit bestowed. Just as an American executive officer is never addressed as "exec", neither is a British executive officer addressed as "exec". That would be "Number One".
May 2, 2018
I recommend this book for anyone who may be considered a novice with regard to things US Navy. The simple reason for this is directly related to my 20 years of naval service (albeit non-sea going assignments) and 10 years as a support contractor for SPAWAR PMW 153 Submarine Communications. The novice would find the story interesting in many respects.
The single thing I found most objectionable must first be prefaced by saying that my opinion IS NOT anti-female members serving in the US Navy or any military or naval uniformed or non-uniformed federal government service. One or a few women working on an operational US Navy submarine of any configuration for very short cruises can work satisfactorily. Now, with regard to female ship's company on any configuration of US Navy submarine will never succeed. All female crew is okay in my book; not that it would ever be realistic. Mixed sex ship's company on surface ships is a major difficult situation for all hands and is managed under very severe circumstances. Some reading this may say, "he has no sea time and therefore cannot know what he is talking about." To that I would reply, "there are some situations that don't have to be tested to know that they will be an abject failure - testing not required." It is called understanding human nature!
The single thing I found most objectionable must first be prefaced by saying that my opinion IS NOT anti-female members serving in the US Navy or any military or naval uniformed or non-uniformed federal government service. One or a few women working on an operational US Navy submarine of any configuration for very short cruises can work satisfactorily. Now, with regard to female ship's company on any configuration of US Navy submarine will never succeed. All female crew is okay in my book; not that it would ever be realistic. Mixed sex ship's company on surface ships is a major difficult situation for all hands and is managed under very severe circumstances. Some reading this may say, "he has no sea time and therefore cannot know what he is talking about." To that I would reply, "there are some situations that don't have to be tested to know that they will be an abject failure - testing not required." It is called understanding human nature!
February 26, 2023
Good Read
A good submarine story. As a Navy retiree, the most glaring error, if you want to call it that, is naming the DDG that was sunk the USS Benfield, when a simple Google search would reveal that its the USS Benfold. I also thought the use of an existing SS number for the Jackson could have been avoided. That being said, I understand this is a work of fiction, and my two issues could be explained by the alternate universe theory. Having been one, the CO using "CPO" when addressing Chief Petty Officers was jaring. We're referred to as "Chief", when addressed as individuals. Also, even the CO has to request permission to enter the Goat Locker.
All in all, a very good story.
A good submarine story. As a Navy retiree, the most glaring error, if you want to call it that, is naming the DDG that was sunk the USS Benfield, when a simple Google search would reveal that its the USS Benfold. I also thought the use of an existing SS number for the Jackson could have been avoided. That being said, I understand this is a work of fiction, and my two issues could be explained by the alternate universe theory. Having been one, the CO using "CPO" when addressing Chief Petty Officers was jaring. We're referred to as "Chief", when addressed as individuals. Also, even the CO has to request permission to enter the Goat Locker.
All in all, a very good story.
February 24, 2019
An SM. Submarine Thriller/Northern Sea of Japan
SM. has. penned a submarine thriller (USSSJ - 1), which contains a submarine that has reverted to the days of World War II., in that the sub is a diesel submarine. The USSSJ is equipped with all the super secret equipment a submarine could have. Even female shipmates. North Korea tests a nuclear missile and the President wants something done about it quietly. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS
SM. has. penned a submarine thriller (USSSJ - 1), which contains a submarine that has reverted to the days of World War II., in that the sub is a diesel submarine. The USSSJ is equipped with all the super secret equipment a submarine could have. Even female shipmates. North Korea tests a nuclear missile and the President wants something done about it quietly. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS
February 2, 2023
In spite of a few negative reviews, I really enjoyed this novel. I found it intriguing and entertaining to the end. The author knows how to keep the suspense building. Of course I have neither lived or worked on a submarine, but that didn't stop me from really enjoying "The Hunt for Red October" either. I guess it's what you bring to the experience. I'm looking forward to reading more books by Stephen Makk.
November 2, 2018
A very short novel. More along the length of a novella at just over 100 pages. At this length, the author had very little time for character development. The story line was pretty predictable. Really needed the talent of a good editor, or at least a Beta Reader who could let the author know of inconsistencies in the continuity
Something to read on a short flight.
Something to read on a short flight.
December 15, 2019
Always like
A good game of cat and mouse especially when it’s between submarines and surface ships. The submarine in this being a long thought forgotten class of sub, a diesel electric. This isn’t the diesel boats of the past. This boat is on high doses of steroids.
Very well written.
A good game of cat and mouse especially when it’s between submarines and surface ships. The submarine in this being a long thought forgotten class of sub, a diesel electric. This isn’t the diesel boats of the past. This boat is on high doses of steroids.
Very well written.
April 5, 2023
I’m a cold war submarine veteran I enjoyed reading this book. One warning if you are a SubVet you need to ignore all of the inaccuracies and just enjoy the story. After all it isn’t based on actual events it is a story. It’s a quick read for SubVets because we can skip the explanations about submarines. I’m on to the next book already have fun and for Pete’s sake just enjoy it don’t dissect it.
June 8, 2018
Action packed
This is a short book, or at least it feels short because it moves at a fast pace. Technologically satisfying but not a very sophisticated plot. Nevertheless I was entertained by it which is why I read.
This is a short book, or at least it feels short because it moves at a fast pace. Technologically satisfying but not a very sophisticated plot. Nevertheless I was entertained by it which is why I read.
July 30, 2018
Excellent Modern Submarine Fiction
A very new futuristic diesel boat is built and brought into the USN with a specific first mission in mind. There are very skilled women officers and crew aboard, as well. Make way for another fine iron ship of the same name!
A very new futuristic diesel boat is built and brought into the USN with a specific first mission in mind. There are very skilled women officers and crew aboard, as well. Make way for another fine iron ship of the same name!
May 11, 2019
Great read.
Enough real to get your attention, but not so much as to tear your heart out.Entertaining read The book was a.welcome relief from current events.Good fiction is better than political lies.
Enough real to get your attention, but not so much as to tear your heart out.Entertaining read The book was a.welcome relief from current events.Good fiction is better than political lies.
May 12, 2019
In my opinion not the best
I have read many novels of this genre and this did not come close. As usual the blurb is over enthusiastic. The characters were not believable and the scenario even less so. The rest in the series I will not be reading
I have read many novels of this genre and this did not come close. As usual the blurb is over enthusiastic. The characters were not believable and the scenario even less so. The rest in the series I will not be reading
July 15, 2019
This was an entertaining but superficial read with little “meat” for the reader. The author obviously has only a slight familiarity with the technology of submarines and many readers will be put off by the confederate reference in the ship’s name.
July 30, 2019
Good read but can be improved
Enjoy reading the book, but the writing style can be improved. Author used dialogue common to submariners which some time have to be described in certains for people who are new this genre.
Enjoy reading the book, but the writing style can be improved. Author used dialogue common to submariners which some time have to be described in certains for people who are new this genre.
August 10, 2020
I've read them all
At one time or another, I've read just about every book that's about submarine war fair. Stephen Makk has done a very good job with the Stone wall Jackson 1st book. Let's hope he can keep up the good work.
At one time or another, I've read just about every book that's about submarine war fair. Stephen Makk has done a very good job with the Stone wall Jackson 1st book. Let's hope he can keep up the good work.
Read
March 28, 2022Fast paced action read
An interesting international entanglement of an incident that could be real. Fast paced thoughtful battle scenes and action sequences. The pace makes it hard to imagine the understanding of battle space those in command require.
An interesting international entanglement of an incident that could be real. Fast paced thoughtful battle scenes and action sequences. The pace makes it hard to imagine the understanding of battle space those in command require.
February 25, 2023
I liked the submarine actions, but the plot is twisted somehow which makes it unrealistic like the unprovoked attack by the US on North Korea after the latter tested a ballistic missile launch off California which was not directed to any US cities.
March 31, 2018
A so so naval story
It was an interesting concept but the story got carried away to the point of being unbelievable and beyond most capabilities.
It was an interesting concept but the story got carried away to the point of being unbelievable and beyond most capabilities.
April 3, 2018
Great book it was fun to read.hard to put down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2018
Stephen,very well written
January 20, 2019
First rate tale.
Cracking pace action all the way. Top praise for this adventure. Interesting and slightly technical this puts you right in the center of the action.
Cracking pace action all the way. Top praise for this adventure. Interesting and slightly technical this puts you right in the center of the action.
January 3, 2020
Good read
Good book hard to put down. Read book in 1 day. Thank You for the late night reading this one.
Good book hard to put down. Read book in 1 day. Thank You for the late night reading this one.
June 9, 2020
Makk needs more meat on these bones!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews