Rising Sun
In Himmler’s War (2011), popular alternate-history author Conroy asked the question: What if Adolf Hitler had accidentally been killed in 1944? Here the author moves back to 1942 and asks an equally intriguing question: What if the Japanese had won the Battle of Midway? Historically Japan’s overwhelming defeat at Midway put the country on a course to its eventual surrender. But what if Midway had paved the way to the destruction of the remainder of the U.S. naval fleet (much of which had already been destroyed at Pearl Harbor)? Conroy extrapolates a new and militarily plausible direction for WWII, focusing on young Tim Dane, who narrowly escapes death at Midway and winds up playing a key role in America’s recovery from the brink of disaster. As with most good military alternate histories, familiarity with actual events is a bonus but not a requirement: readers whose knowledge of the Battle of Midway begins and ends with a vague memory of the star-studded movie from the mid-1970s will have no trouble following the story. A thrilling adventure. --David Pitt