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A Call to Colors A Novel of the Leyte Gulf John Gobbell Books

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A Call to Colors A Novel of the Leyte Gulf John Gobbell Books

John Gobbell wrote four enjoyable novels about naval officer Todd Ingram. Set in WWII, each was better than its predecessor as Ingram and the war matured, and Gobbell became a better and better author.

Now there is A Call to Colors: A Novel of the Leyte Gulf. It has a new set of characters and is about half again as long as Goebbell's earlier books. This is the second of his books to have a Kindle edition. The other one is When Duty Whispers Low.

Most of the first half takes place in the San Francisco Bay-Sacramento area: along the railroad line bringing war munitions across the Sierras, with some bits and pieces at Port Chicago, and later, briefly, aboard the presciently named ammunition ship, USS Mount Saint Helens. (The details about the huge steam locomotives used to haul loads across the mountains are a bonus and a treat.)

The strategy that led to the battles of Leyte Gulf is laid out by Japanese naval officers, who are treated in the narrative with respect. The naval Battle of Leyte Gulf is a terrific story in itself. But this is a novel and not a history lesson. The action at sea is outstanding (and on track in California) and the end of the story is very satisfying.

The romance is fine and does not get in the way. She is beautiful. And he, the hero of the story, is not so tortured by nightmares from an earlier surface engagement that she can't calm him down. The finale of part one, as the USS Matthew leaves Mare Island, is an imaginative delight.

This is a good book (I read the print version, hence the "early" review here for the Kindle edition) and it is highly recommended. I particularly enjoyed it as a fictional story played out against a massive sea battle that really happened, involving tens of thousands of brave sailors and dozens of ships.


Tags : Amazon.com: A Call to Colors: A Novel of the Leyte Gulf (9780891418900): John Gobbell: Books,John Gobbell,A Call to Colors: A Novel of the Leyte Gulf,Presidio Press,0891418903,Historical - General,American Historical Fiction,Fiction,Fiction - Men's Adventure,Fiction Historical,Fiction War & Military,War & Military

A Call to Colors A Novel of the Leyte Gulf John Gobbell Books Reviews

Gobbell's novel "A Call to Colors" is quite an interesting read, if a bit uneven. He appears to have extensively researched the "Battle of Leyte Gulf." Indeed, Gobbell is at his best in this novel in his very detailed narratives of historical leaders (both American and Japanese) and of historical events, particularly the battle itself.

He is not at the same level in developing his fictional characters (Commander Michael Donovan, a destroyer skipper, and Lt. Commander John Sabovik, a naval intelligence officer) -- for example, the declared amity between them is a bit forced and depends on coincidences to drive things along. At the novel's outset, Michael and John and John's brother, "Tiny" (all were frat brothers at USC) are all on the same cruiser which is all but sunk near Guadalcanal. Tiny is killed and John blames Michael, who also blames himself. Into this brew mix the fact that both fall for the same woman some chapters later...

The novel has two story lines the first is of Commander Donovan who is destined to command a destroyer in battle against the Japanese battleship, Yamato, in the Philippine Leyte Gulf. This storyline is by far the best part of this novel -- some exciting stuff here! In fact, I had to remind myself that Commander Donovan's destroyer is fictional! But homage is indeed paid to those American "tincans" and to those planes from American "Jeep" escort carriers who snatched victory out of certain defeat!

The second story is about sabotage which is being investigated by Lt. Commander Sabovik. Unfortunately, this story takes a bit too long to connect with the first storyline to form the novel's climax -- a climax that depends on a series of coincidences... I do, however, like his detailed descriptions of wartime rail transportation...

I recommend this novel essentially on Gobbell's ability to set the stage for, and to detail the actions that comprised the Leyte Gulf battle.

-J. B. Bannister
This is such a great book! I will admit I was surprised ... because it is so much better than so many books I have picked up that are novels at the top of the best seller list. This is an exciting story and because it was filled with such a wide variety of interesting facts ... historical as well as not .... it made it such a book of substance for me, so that I did not want the story to end.

At first I was daunted that I might not get into it, but immediately I realized I should not have been thrown off by the attention to detail that this author pays in his organization of this story. By that I mean he has done exactly what it is that I have so wanted to be done in a book that I might be reading that has many interesting characters and takes place over many areas, as well as from different perspectives. He has laid out a brief character cast description in the beginning of the book. The few maps are perfect for referring to and I used them constantly to understand the logistics of the events that were happening. I was so surpised by how enthralled I got. It is a story set somewhat from a Naval perspective during World War II but boy, the narrative goes all over the place in personalizing each and every character - as if you were right there with them. And this is with characters extending from General MacArthur to Japanese Naval Admirals! Not my every day cup of tea in the past that I would have thought I would have been interested in. But he does not write in a boring way at all so that it was wonderful to read about men in the Japanese navy from such a REAL perspective. There are characters on both sides of varied enlisted status but also civilians living in California towns surrounding the railway transportation routes. There is a wonderful female doctor who plays a good role in the story because she lives right near this important rail line. I was enthralled learning a little about the history of the Northern California railroad development because of the way that he made historical facts so accessible to me. I avoided history in school but this book wove facts into such a great story that I became eager to read on about the escalation of naval battles that were taking place and I kept on being able to sense where everything was taking place because of the 2 maps. It just was great that the story encompassed a wide geographical area and a wide variety of facts.

It is a very knowledgeable novel that remains exciting through out. And unlike so many best sellers that are knee deep in murders and swarmy facts that make me always feel a bit down, this story is uplifting and the facts are so interesting. There are numbered notes in the back to explain terms that come up. You remain hooked into the story even though it is a far reaching array of characters. It's a cliche I know but he truly has a gift with bringing his characters to life - their dialog .. their descriptions. I was captivated and I really regretted it ending this week. I definitely now want to read another of his earlier novels. The Neptune Strategy
John Gobbell wrote four enjoyable novels about naval officer Todd Ingram. Set in WWII, each was better than its predecessor as Ingram and the war matured, and Gobbell became a better and better author.

Now there is A Call to Colors A Novel of the Leyte Gulf. It has a new set of characters and is about half again as long as Goebbell's earlier books. This is the second of his books to have a edition. The other one is When Duty Whispers Low.

Most of the first half takes place in the San Francisco Bay-Sacramento area along the railroad line bringing war munitions across the Sierras, with some bits and pieces at Port Chicago, and later, briefly, aboard the presciently named ammunition ship, USS Mount Saint Helens. (The details about the huge steam locomotives used to haul loads across the mountains are a bonus and a treat.)

The strategy that led to the battles of Leyte Gulf is laid out by Japanese naval officers, who are treated in the narrative with respect. The naval Battle of Leyte Gulf is a terrific story in itself. But this is a novel and not a history lesson. The action at sea is outstanding (and on track in California) and the end of the story is very satisfying.

The romance is fine and does not get in the way. She is beautiful. And he, the hero of the story, is not so tortured by nightmares from an earlier surface engagement that she can't calm him down. The finale of part one, as the USS Matthew leaves Mare Island, is an imaginative delight.

This is a good book (I read the print version, hence the "early" review here for the edition) and it is highly recommended. I particularly enjoyed it as a fictional story played out against a massive sea battle that really happened, involving tens of thousands of brave sailors and dozens of ships.