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36th out of 60 books
—
9 voters
1945
America has dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
But Japan has only begun to fight. . . .
In 1945, history has reached a turning point. A terrible new weapon has been unleashed. Japan has no choice but to surrender. But instead, the unthinkable occurs. With their nation burned and shattered, Japanese fanatics set in motion a horrifying endgame–their aim: to take A...more
But Japan has only begun to fight. . . .
In 1945, history has reached a turning point. A terrible new weapon has been unleashed. Japan has no choice but to surrender. But instead, the unthinkable occurs. With their nation burned and shattered, Japanese fanatics set in motion a horrifying endgame–their aim: to take A...more
Paperback, 448 pages
Published
May 29th 2007
by Ballantine Books
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My wife mocks my reading of Harry Turtledove because it's so far from literature. To her, the flat characters and forced plots pull her out of the story to often to enjoy the ideas or just the ride. Conroy shows me much more of what that must feel like for her.
In a lot of ways, I don't blame the othor for most of the problems in this book - I blame the editor. It's the editor's job to point out when the author swaps point-of-view in the middle of a conversation. It's the editor's job to pu...more
My wife mocks my reading of Harry Turtledove because it's so far from literature. To her, the flat characters and forced plots pull her out of the story to often to enjoy the ideas or just the ride. Conroy shows me much more of what that must feel like for her.
In a lot of ways, I don't blame the othor for most of the problems in this book - I blame the editor. It's the editor's job to point out when the author swaps point-of-view in the middle of a conversation. It's the editor's job to pu...more
I recently read the book, "1945," by Robert Conroy. I've always been a reader of military history, particularly that pertaining to the second world war. Another genre that I enjoy is "alternative history," probably made most popular by Harry Turtledove, with his "The Guns of the South," and "World at War."
Many of you may know that, by the summer of 1945, the war in Europe was over, and the war in the Pacific Theater was drawing closer to its inevitable conclusion. The military might of the Empir...more
Many of you may know that, by the summer of 1945, the war in Europe was over, and the war in the Pacific Theater was drawing closer to its inevitable conclusion. The military might of the Empir...more
I must say I did not know what I was getting myself into when I picked up this book. Spending nights on end to just finish the last pages, this is one novel that is hard to put down. The main story line would make any alternative history bluff leap with joy. Not only did he think of what would happen he made it work with real history, Robert Conroy is an impressive author who has shown that with this novel. Not only was the story line impressive but the characters as well, they seemed to lift ri...more
Feb 18, 2012
Amy Overton
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
those who enjoy history -- especially counterfactuals
Recommended to Amy by:
found it via goodreads : )
A thought-provoking look at what might have happened if the Japanese hadn't surrendered after Hiroshima & Nagasaki. I had not realized how tenuous the Emperor's decision to surrender was in the 24 hours after he informed his military leadership. According to Conroy's book, had a key general -- General Anami-- decided to oppose the Emperor's decision & support a coup against him, Japan would have fought on with horrific results. Conroy paints a clear picture of how difficult an invasion o...more
What if Japan hadn't surrendered in World War II? Japanese fanatics take control of the government when Emperor Hirohito tries to surrender after the two atomic bombs are dropped. The United States is forced to invade Japan resulting in one of the bloodiest campaigns in its history. As additional atomic bombs are used and deadly kamikaze attacks take a heavy toll success is far from certain. Victory will depend upon the most unlikely of people. Conroy tells his story through an interesting cast...more
1945 is a realistic and grueling alternative history book taking the event of an actual military coup that tried to stop the emperor from surrendering after the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In actual history, one top guard was divided in loyalty, actually may have been leading towards the militarists, but in the end chose to protect the emperor and uphold his decision. This simply asks the question - What might have happened if this guard chose to allow the coup through to kidnap the empe...more
What if? What if after the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese did not surrender? What if a coalition of followers of Samurai beliefs kidnapped Emperor Hirohito and took control of Japan's military vowing to fight to the last man?
This is the question posed by Robert Conroy in his book 1945. This is the second of Mr. Conroy's books that I've read, and I have to say they are thoroughly enjoyable. His knowledge of the time and the players is so good that he pa...more
This is the question posed by Robert Conroy in his book 1945. This is the second of Mr. Conroy's books that I've read, and I have to say they are thoroughly enjoyable. His knowledge of the time and the players is so good that he pa...more
Nov 21, 2011
Tcooker
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Young readers with little knowledge of history.
Recommended to Tcooker by:
Saw it in the library.
While the premise was promising, '1945' was OK at best, and really fell short of my expectations. Conroy demonstrates a solid grasp on history and can relate a bigger picture, but in the smaller scope the book is much less compelling.
Most of the characters are two-dimensional products of that dated Hollywood school of "aw shucks, I'm no hero, I'm just doing my job". The interactions between characters are shallow, predictable and slathered with macho-sappy self-deprecating dialogue. However Conr...more
A good read, an alternate history of the end of World War II in the Pacific. As such it requires multiple story lines to capture the big picture, and this takes you from the trenches to the White House and behind enemy lines to flesh out the plot.
More plot driven than character study, focus is on the action rather than analysis.
More plot driven than character study, focus is on the action rather than analysis.
I thoroughly enjoy Robert Conrad's alternative history books, and this was an excellent one.
In this book the Japanese refuse to surrender after we drop the bomb and we have to invade the Japanese mainland, with all the horrendous casualties that come with it.
In this book the Japanese refuse to surrender after we drop the bomb and we have to invade the Japanese mainland, with all the horrendous casualties that come with it.
Excellent alternate history novel! Robert Conroy created a (IMO) very plausible story of what events might have been if the Japanese had not surrendered after the dropping of the atomic bombs. I also like the fact that he uses major players like Truman and Marshall, etc. as characters in his story. I'm off to read 1901 and 1862 in the very near future.
One of Conroy's better novels. In this case the premise (unlike, say, "1901") is credible. On the down side the storytelling is uneven, with the battlefront scenes lacking depth. As is typical of Conroy the military contrafactual wraps up with unbelievable speed. Entertaining, if generally implausible.
This was an interesting book with excellent historical perspective. A few "leaps of faith" in the storyline that stretched credibility, but an enjoyable read nonetheless.
I wouldn't call this great literature, but as a fan of alternate history, it was a fun read. It was good enough that I'm planning on checking out some of the author's other books.
Aug 24, 2012
Tom
is currently reading it
A little bogged down. Not bad. Tho, not so interested in the War in the Pacific.
This is an alternate history SF book, but not the one I thought it was. This one is how WWII gets drawn out by a coup in Japan. I declined to finish it.
Jan 06, 2012
Zane
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Citizens of Earth Prime
Recommended to Zane by:
K. Lucid
Reading Alternate History as a History Major is basically just masturbation.
By far, the best of the three of his that I've read.
OMG - what a great story.
Details are so believable.
Details are so believable.
Absorbing and engrossing alternate history.
The interesting thing about this book is the alternate history aspect. I have asked myself the question of what would have happened if Japan had not surrendered after the bomb and Conroy uses his military history background to his fullest to answer the question. The writing itself was pedestrian at best. He did a fair job of representing the big names of history as people and one wonders how closely he was able to capture the true personality of these gentlemen being more than 60 years removed f...more
A pretty good read, but not as vivid as it couldhave been when talking about the fighting in Kyushu.
Alternate history ... Conroy validates the A-bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. More importantly how people react to that event changes the way the war finished. How it could all be so different...
Good read. My first venture into historical fiction, and it wasn't bad. Some of the dialog was weak, but the premise was strong and the action/intrigue seemed believable.
- Liked it. Altho it is revisionism history, I thought it was well researched. Characters were rounded albeit I had trouble keeping them seperate in the beginning.
Thought it might be an interesting alternative history like fatherland. But it's a boring, choppily written war story.
The combat scenes were realistic and well done.
The side story about the OSS agent was hard to believe.
The side story about the OSS agent was hard to believe.
May 13, 2008
Kay
is currently reading it
Interesting start, just need to find the time to keep going
Decent, but slow. At least, not all about blood and guts.
The book's premise is as good as alternative history can get: it takes a real event (the attempted coup of fanatic japanese officers who were unwilling to surrender), and asks 'what would have happened had they succeeded?'
The Atomic destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are not enough to sap the japanese military's will to wage war. A third city is flattened and irradiated, but the residents of japan's remaining major cities simply move into the surrounding countryside to avoid being suceptibl...more
The Atomic destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are not enough to sap the japanese military's will to wage war. A third city is flattened and irradiated, but the residents of japan's remaining major cities simply move into the surrounding countryside to avoid being suceptibl...more
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Apr 07, 2009 01:20pm
Oh, she knows she reads mockable stuff too...much more mockable than Amelia. It's just that s...more
Apr 07, 2009 01:38pm