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Rise to Victory
When Captain David Edwards and his crew aboard the USS Columbia are sent to Indonesia to evacuate U.S. citizens whose lives are in danger, they find themselves poised on the brink of a terrorist war beneath the surface.
440 pages, Paperback
First published January 31, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 3, 2009
Good submarine yarn, but I think his WWII stories SINK THE SHIGURE and PRIDE RUNS DEEP were better.
September 14, 2022
Spoilers ahead:
This author is just a fantastic writer. I got recommended his books after reading the Douglas Reeman WW2 naval books and Cooke is head above shoulders many writers in this genre. First of all his writing flows so well and is just so easy to get into.
The plot here is a contemporary Los Angeles class sub ordered into Indonesian waters to rescue an American doctor during times of unrest. Pretty straightforward but he throws in a lot of character conflict and romance. At first I didn't really like the elements of conflict as I thought they were unnecessary and usually predictable but they really added to the story at the end. I'm also a little ho-hum about the romance because it's gratuitous and doesn't add anything to the story. They're pretty de rigueur in 1970's books but surely not in 2006 books.
More plot summary: The USS Providence is due for a refit at Pearl after a continuous 6 months at sea but is ordered to Indonesian waters for an emergency pick up. There are some personal conflicts on board: one of them being a tyrannical engineering officer, an XO close to retirement and doing as little as possible to avoid shaking the boat, Lt. Lake who can't wait to get out of the service due to the service not conforming to his ideals and a captain (Edwards) who some think is too soft.
The area in question is far from the capital and seething with unrest, wanting independence from Jakarta. The Providence must pick up an American doctor as quietly as possible and not upset the status quo. The status quo is 2 Indonesian Navy surface ships and a state of the art littoral Type 214 submarine (the Hatta) keeping the peace while rebels are in the hills. Not only that, the rebels in bed with Islamic terrorists who are given a base there for supplying the rebels with weapons.
The USS Providence arrives and sends a small party to the hills to rescue the American doctor. The rebels choose this exact moment to uprise against the government. The captain of the submarine (Peto) is part of the rebellion and sinks the two surface ships with ease. He then tries to bring the rebellion to the world's notice by asking Edwards to order the shore party to surrender to the Islamic terrorists and then having the rebels rescue the Americans. He hopes by drawing American lives into the picture more people will care or know about the rebellion.
But Edwards refuses to do so and his commanding officer tells him to consider the Hatta hostile and to sink it. The story then splits into 2 where one part is of the shore party trying to escape back to the ship and the other part is the cat and mouse between the Hatta and the Providence.
Both action parts are done very well, exciting and vivid. This is where the character conflicts become a bit annoying as they cut into the action sequences and are really just manufactured drama. I also don't like it because as a reader I identify with the good guys and hate having to deal with the baddies. And I said "predictable" because usually the good guys are harmed at first and then they overcome the baddies.
Anyway, the Providence gets away and the conflicts end in a good way that also tells a story. But overall a very engrossing story in a part of the world that is mostly little known or written about. The author also does a fairly good job of investing in the characters so this could be part of a series. Looking forward to reading more from this author.
This author is just a fantastic writer. I got recommended his books after reading the Douglas Reeman WW2 naval books and Cooke is head above shoulders many writers in this genre. First of all his writing flows so well and is just so easy to get into.
The plot here is a contemporary Los Angeles class sub ordered into Indonesian waters to rescue an American doctor during times of unrest. Pretty straightforward but he throws in a lot of character conflict and romance. At first I didn't really like the elements of conflict as I thought they were unnecessary and usually predictable but they really added to the story at the end. I'm also a little ho-hum about the romance because it's gratuitous and doesn't add anything to the story. They're pretty de rigueur in 1970's books but surely not in 2006 books.
More plot summary: The USS Providence is due for a refit at Pearl after a continuous 6 months at sea but is ordered to Indonesian waters for an emergency pick up. There are some personal conflicts on board: one of them being a tyrannical engineering officer, an XO close to retirement and doing as little as possible to avoid shaking the boat, Lt. Lake who can't wait to get out of the service due to the service not conforming to his ideals and a captain (Edwards) who some think is too soft.
The area in question is far from the capital and seething with unrest, wanting independence from Jakarta. The Providence must pick up an American doctor as quietly as possible and not upset the status quo. The status quo is 2 Indonesian Navy surface ships and a state of the art littoral Type 214 submarine (the Hatta) keeping the peace while rebels are in the hills. Not only that, the rebels in bed with Islamic terrorists who are given a base there for supplying the rebels with weapons.
The USS Providence arrives and sends a small party to the hills to rescue the American doctor. The rebels choose this exact moment to uprise against the government. The captain of the submarine (Peto) is part of the rebellion and sinks the two surface ships with ease. He then tries to bring the rebellion to the world's notice by asking Edwards to order the shore party to surrender to the Islamic terrorists and then having the rebels rescue the Americans. He hopes by drawing American lives into the picture more people will care or know about the rebellion.
But Edwards refuses to do so and his commanding officer tells him to consider the Hatta hostile and to sink it. The story then splits into 2 where one part is of the shore party trying to escape back to the ship and the other part is the cat and mouse between the Hatta and the Providence.
Both action parts are done very well, exciting and vivid. This is where the character conflicts become a bit annoying as they cut into the action sequences and are really just manufactured drama. I also don't like it because as a reader I identify with the good guys and hate having to deal with the baddies. And I said "predictable" because usually the good guys are harmed at first and then they overcome the baddies.
Anyway, the Providence gets away and the conflicts end in a good way that also tells a story. But overall a very engrossing story in a part of the world that is mostly little known or written about. The author also does a fairly good job of investing in the characters so this could be part of a series. Looking forward to reading more from this author.
May 18, 2018
This book feels very much like a "real" look at what life on a submarine is like. Power struggles, personality conflicts, good sailors and bad, etc. The USS Providence is ordered into Indonesia, turning around to go back to sea when she was supposed to be done with her voyage. Her mission is ostensibly to rescue an American humanitarian doctor, but the peaceful island of Bunda is swept up in a revolution that consumes all of Indonesia. Some of the sailors are on shore retreiving the doc, and the rest have to contend with a rebel submarine built by the Germans.
The book started slowly - a little too much "what it's really like" but then after the setup, things got really good. The end felt a bit rushed but overall it was a good read.
The book started slowly - a little too much "what it's really like" but then after the setup, things got really good. The end felt a bit rushed but overall it was a good read.
March 25, 2018
Wish ratings had 6 stars- this book deserves it!
A fast attack boat is ordered back into a secret mission as they are within a few hours if coming back to base. Great treatise on leadership, tactics and strategy. This book deserves high acclaim. It is definitely not a one-time read!
A fast attack boat is ordered back into a secret mission as they are within a few hours if coming back to base. Great treatise on leadership, tactics and strategy. This book deserves high acclaim. It is definitely not a one-time read!
December 27, 2024
I loved this book. The series of three were quite good! The author's firsthand knowledge is obvious and makes these really shine. Having neither the interest nor the opportunity to be a submariner does not mean I am disinterested in stories set on/in submarines. These books were a kick in the pants. Excellent!
March 28, 2018
Excellent read
As an old submarine sailor, the book was dead accurate. I saw my own time on subs in the book, though, not so exciting, obviously. It’s a great view of life on a submarine.
As an old submarine sailor, the book was dead accurate. I saw my own time on subs in the book, though, not so exciting, obviously. It’s a great view of life on a submarine.
September 25, 2019
Submarine versus terrorists caper. No great shakes with plot or characterization. Seems to have some knowledge of Indonesia. May have visited.
Airport/beach book only (and only when nothing better available)
Airport/beach book only (and only when nothing better available)
April 8, 2018
What Next!
It was impossible to figure what was next and who the real bad was! Enjoyable read that covered numerous themes that keep you guessing.
It was impossible to figure what was next and who the real bad was! Enjoyable read that covered numerous themes that keep you guessing.
July 7, 2018
Great, fun story
Great story. Very interesting with good plot twists. Lots of naval detail too. Just the type of light reading I like for a lazy summer weekend.
Great story. Very interesting with good plot twists. Lots of naval detail too. Just the type of light reading I like for a lazy summer weekend.
November 17, 2016
Good read!
Enjoyed reading this book. I will try another from this author. If you like suspense and submarines, you'll enjoy this book.
Enjoyed reading this book. I will try another from this author. If you like suspense and submarines, you'll enjoy this book.
October 7, 2022
Exciting action packed submarine thriller!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews