1942, Robert Conroy
1942, Robert Conroy
4 Rating(s)
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

1942
A Novel

Author: Robert Conroy

Narrator: L.J. Ganser

Unabridged: 14 hr 10 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/26/2019


Synopsis

December 7 is "the date which will live in infamy." But now Japan is hatching another, far greater plan to bring America to its knees . . .

The Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was a resounding success—except for one detail: a second bombing mission, to destroy crucial oil storage facilities, was aborted that day. Now, in this gripping and stunning work of alternate history, Robert Conroy reimagines December 7, 1941, to include the attack the Japanese didn't launch, and what follows is a thrilling tale of war, resistance, sacrifice, and courage. For when Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto sees how badly the United States has been ravaged in a two-pronged strike, he devises another, more daring proposal: an all-out invasion of Hawaii to put a stranglehold on the American Pacific Fleet.

Yamamoto's strategy works brilliantly—at first. But a handful of American soldiers and a determined civilian resistance fight back in the face of cruelty unknown in Western warfare. Stateside, a counterassault is planned—and the pioneering MIT-trained aviator Colonel Jimmy Doolittle is given a near-impossible mission with a fleet of seaplanes jury-rigged into bombers. From spies to ordinary heroes and those caught between two cultures at war, this is the epic saga of the Battle of Hawaii—the way it very nearly was . . .

About Robert Conroy

Robert Conroy was a business and economic history teacher who lived in Detroit. His alternate-history novels include 1901, 1862, 1945, 1942, and Red Inferno: 1945. He died in 2014.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Dale on August 06, 2012

Some Really Good Parts But..." 1942: A Novel follows up on a simple "What if?" from history: What if the Japanese actually invaded and conquered Hawaii rather than simply attacked it on December 7, 1941? Conroy's book is very strong up until the point where the Japanese invade. The premise of the boo......more

Goodreads review by Mal on July 19, 2021

The hinge of history turns on chance, and alternate history grabs that insight and shakes it in our faces. When we ask the “what if” questions that arise as we ponder the past, historians shrug. The gist of their responses tends to be “it is what it is.” But a small number of authors who indulge in......more

Goodreads review by Robin on April 04, 2020

If you like alternate history, particularly wartime alternate history (WWII is of course the favorite war of the genre because of the considerable world-altering nature if the Nazis or Japan won, plus being relatively recent in people's minds), this book is for you. The alternate scenario is quite c......more

Goodreads review by Michael on May 26, 2017

This was a fine example of alternate history done correctly. The break point between reality and this alternate reality, a simple changed decision by the Japanese admiral leading the Pearl Harbor raid, is believable and draws the reader in. Conroy does an excellent job of depicting the frustration R......more

Goodreads review by Jeff on January 16, 2024

This is the 4th book of Robert Conroy’s I’ve read. The previous ones being 1862, 1901 and Liberty: 1784. This book was easily my least favorite. All 3 of the prior novels have been exceptional, and compared to those, this one fell short. I think the subject matter itself just wasn’t as interesting t......more