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Seawolf #1
Seawolf Mask of Command
In a bid to regain its superpower status, Russia enters a scheme with Iran and North Korea to control the world's oil reserves, weaken the West, and bring the world to the precipice of nuclear destruction. Standing in their way is the USS Seawolf, her Captain, and his newest crewmember, Lieutenant Kristen Whitaker.
As a naval Academy graduate, brilliant engineer and gifted athlete, Kristen is the quintessential right person in the right place at the right time to prevent catastrophe. But as the first woman ever to serve on an American submarine, she faces unyielding convention and deep-seated prejudice from her fellow officers and crew. With time running out, she must come to terms with a haunted past and carve out her place among the crew before they lose their chance to avert World War III.
As a naval Academy graduate, brilliant engineer and gifted athlete, Kristen is the quintessential right person in the right place at the right time to prevent catastrophe. But as the first woman ever to serve on an American submarine, she faces unyielding convention and deep-seated prejudice from her fellow officers and crew. With time running out, she must come to terms with a haunted past and carve out her place among the crew before they lose their chance to avert World War III.
515 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 16, 2013
24 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Cliff Happy
8 books13 followersCliff was born in 1963, and joined the Marine Corps right out of high school where he spent twenty-two years with the infantry. He served all over the world in a variety of billets including five years with the Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team where he participated in operations in Central America, West Africa, and Europe. He has a master’s degree in History and Political Science and currently teaches both at a National Consortium of Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science, and Technology high school for academically gifted students. He currently lives in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas with his wife. They have three children.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 28, 2014
Another Superhero?
Cliff Happy has written a serviceable thriller but the skills and abilities of his heroine, LT Kristen Whitaker, border on the extreme, to the point where she'd be more at home as a member of The Avengers than a brand new crew member -aka a "non-useful body" (nub) - on board a nuclear submarine. At the end, it seemed like the author just got tired of keeping up the string of incredible feats that this untried, untested, first female ever assigned to a U.S. Navy submarine was able to pull off in the midst of a whole slew of more senior, more experienced submariners and SEALS -first she single handedly saves the entire ship AND THEN the SEALS and their top secret mission to avert WWIII - and just writes "The End" at the end of a chapter, leaving the reader hanging. I guess he's just setting the stage for a continuation of the story in another book - which I doubt I'll be reading.
Cliff Happy has written a serviceable thriller but the skills and abilities of his heroine, LT Kristen Whitaker, border on the extreme, to the point where she'd be more at home as a member of The Avengers than a brand new crew member -aka a "non-useful body" (nub) - on board a nuclear submarine. At the end, it seemed like the author just got tired of keeping up the string of incredible feats that this untried, untested, first female ever assigned to a U.S. Navy submarine was able to pull off in the midst of a whole slew of more senior, more experienced submariners and SEALS -first she single handedly saves the entire ship AND THEN the SEALS and their top secret mission to avert WWIII - and just writes "The End" at the end of a chapter, leaving the reader hanging. I guess he's just setting the stage for a continuation of the story in another book - which I doubt I'll be reading.
June 19, 2025
Cliff Happy's Seawolf Mask of Command begins his submarine tale of undersea war with the North Koreans, Iranians and Russians The book reminded me of the great submarine military thrillers from the late 80's and early 90's.
The heroine in Mask of Command is a larger than life. She seems to be an expert at everything, and I'm sure this will rub some the wrong way. In the end I didn't care. The story won me over.
The book gets five stars because I didn't want to stop reading and I immediately picked up the next book.
The heroine in Mask of Command is a larger than life. She seems to be an expert at everything, and I'm sure this will rub some the wrong way. In the end I didn't care. The story won me over.
The book gets five stars because I didn't want to stop reading and I immediately picked up the next book.
March 13, 2014
Terrific detail and story....loved this. I have become a real Cliff Happy fan
July 23, 2015
Happy is the Keyword
Seawolf Mask of Command
By Cliff Happy
Whoeee! What a fantastic read! I could hardly do anything the whole time I was reading it-all I wanted to do was read it! The plot was exciting and the challenges that the first woman on a submarine had to experience made me feel that the rough spots in my life hardly can compare. The story seems to have been taken right off today’s headlines with the negotiations going on with Iran and the craziness of North Korea’s leader. Cliff Happy didn’t spend a lot of time away from the central action, but just enough to set the stage and ground the purpose of the mission for the Seawolf. For me this was perfect, because many times other authors alternate a chapter for this and one for the story, when after you have bonded with the central characters you just want to follow them.
The character development of Lieutenant Junior Grade Kristen Whitaker was aptly done because it left enough empty holes that you want to discover more of her past, which is where his next novel, Seawolf End Game may fill in. As a young brilliant genius she embodies so many positive traits of grit and perseverance along with creative problem solving. Her ability to ignore the abuse and rudeness of people including her “superiors” was admirable. I felt like I was her fan by chapter 4!
The captain of the submarine definitely and deftly worked his way into her heart, and the tension that the author, Cliff Happy, constructed was as taunt as the wire on a cheese slicer. I wanted more-much more, but there was just enough for me to buy the next book to see if it continued. Are there really captains like Brodie in real life? His stamina and decision making prowess were at the top of his game!!
How did I ever find this book? I am so very happy I did!!
Seawolf Mask of Command
By Cliff Happy
Whoeee! What a fantastic read! I could hardly do anything the whole time I was reading it-all I wanted to do was read it! The plot was exciting and the challenges that the first woman on a submarine had to experience made me feel that the rough spots in my life hardly can compare. The story seems to have been taken right off today’s headlines with the negotiations going on with Iran and the craziness of North Korea’s leader. Cliff Happy didn’t spend a lot of time away from the central action, but just enough to set the stage and ground the purpose of the mission for the Seawolf. For me this was perfect, because many times other authors alternate a chapter for this and one for the story, when after you have bonded with the central characters you just want to follow them.
The character development of Lieutenant Junior Grade Kristen Whitaker was aptly done because it left enough empty holes that you want to discover more of her past, which is where his next novel, Seawolf End Game may fill in. As a young brilliant genius she embodies so many positive traits of grit and perseverance along with creative problem solving. Her ability to ignore the abuse and rudeness of people including her “superiors” was admirable. I felt like I was her fan by chapter 4!
The captain of the submarine definitely and deftly worked his way into her heart, and the tension that the author, Cliff Happy, constructed was as taunt as the wire on a cheese slicer. I wanted more-much more, but there was just enough for me to buy the next book to see if it continued. Are there really captains like Brodie in real life? His stamina and decision making prowess were at the top of his game!!
How did I ever find this book? I am so very happy I did!!
December 30, 2013
Cliff gives lot of background info on the characters, but still leaves some mystery to keep the reader guessing. I enjoyed the book; it is rather unrealistic in that one crew member would not be the focus nor go through that much in a single deployment, but, hey, it is a fiction book, right? I did enjoy the book quite a bit. Looking forward to reading the next installment!
April 3, 2014
Good action packed read!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews