Anderson – Page 2 – Robert Raymond’s Blogtorium

June 9, 2024

Destroyermen 10: Straits of Hell (Review)

eah, yeah, another Destroyermen book. I’m over the halfway point now. So our Alternate-World-War (starting when an aging destroyer fell into a primitive world where dinosaurs never went extinct) continues on the allies’ front lines. In the west at the former Grik capitol, the Grik ready a counterattack across the strait between Madagascar and Africa. And over in South America, the Doms prepare to strike the allied base. There is a bit of synergy in the storytelling. In both cases, a massive force looms over the good guys. And as very typical in Taylor Anderson’s story, it seems to always […]

August 4, 2024

Destroyermen 11: Blood in the Water (Review)

kay, we’ll start with the question I always ask at the end of Destroyermen reviews – where do the reptilian Grik get all their shit? The bad guys in the story (and the author) have been hinting that the Grik (and the crazy Japanese emperor-wannabe, Kurokawa) had a big surprise for the heroes off the east coast of Africa. And (spoilers ahead) did they ever – hundreds of planes. Three carriers. Working torpedoes. Where did they get all this shit? The thing that always makes me wince in these books is the fact that they don’t have railroads. Materials seem […]

November 24, 2024

Destroyermen 12: Devil’s Due (Review)

o what can I tell you about this series I haven’t yet? The way keeps expanding. We learn more about the League of Tripoli (the alternate fascists in the Mediterranean). And more about that maniac Kurokawa (the Japanese cruiser captain that chased USS Walker through the portal and into this crazy world). And all the crazy crap that’s been going on. The Japanese are playing for time. The Grik are expanding towards another mega invasion fleet. The League is up to no good. The Republic of Free People in South Africa finally got their thumbs out of their asses and got […]

March 30, 2025

Destroyermen 13: River of Bones (Review)

think I’m almost there – two books remaining. As always, the reptilian Grik in Africa somehow come up with another massive army and fleet of galleys (along with the usual host of ironclads) and are coming down the south-flowing Zambezi river, attempting to break out and flood across the strait to Madagascar, to push out the allies and keep pushing until thousands of miles are taken back. Unluckily for our heroes, all their assets are north, up in Zanzibar, where they just put paid to much of the Japanese presence there, including squashing a significant character or two. So there is […]

April 13, 2025

Destroyermen 14: Pass of Fire (Review)

econd to last book in the series. And probably one of the more unfortunate titles I’d ever seen on a jacket. Was hanging out with friends, talking about books, and I mentioned I was reading Pass of Fire. Someone looked at my funny. “Pacifier?” “Huh?” Had to blink. “Oh.” Regardless, its another sea yarn set in the dino-world of alternative-literature, a planet like Earth except that dinosaurs still live and all sorts of different sorts of peoples from different sorts of times show up. Now, unlike our world, this one came with its own Panama Canal, and everyone wants it […]

July 13, 2025

Destroyermen 15: Winds of Wrath

nd we’re done! It’s been a long fifteen books about the plucky little destroyer, the USS Walker, chased by the Japanese out of World War Two and into this alternative world where velociraptors and lemors evolved to sentience, where English Indiamen, Spanish conquistadors, a boatload of American artillerymen from the Mexican-American war, a battle group from a fascist Europe and even a Q-ship from World War One came into being. Yes, a long slow slog against baddies so bad they made your teeth hurt. And all through this, I kept waiting to find out that the series had ended prematurely, […]