For many, naval fiction has been a solid source of reading pleasure. C.S. Forester created Horatio Hornblower and multiple tales of the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. He also wrote THE AFRICAN QUEEN and more contemporary books set during World War II. Patrick O’Brian has penned numerous epics, also taking place in the Napoleonic era, featuring British captain Jack Aubrey and physician Stephen Maturin. World War II brought readers the great CAINE MUTINY by Herman Wouk. Humphrey Bogart’s Captain Queeg is an iconic, unforgettable film portrayal.

Finally, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER is a classic with a fairy tale history. It was the first novel published by the Naval Institute Press and became a national bestseller, endorsed by then-President Ronald Reagan. Tom Clancy would produce countless books that combined fiction with technical military information. Before his death in 2013, he wrote 17 bestsellers and sold more than 100 million copies of his books. If you enjoy this genre, you have a new author for your reading enjoyment.

"It is the mix of actual history and a fictional story that makes THE RESTLESS WAVE a captivating and fast-paced novel."

Admiral James Stavridis is a retired U.S. naval officer whose work, THE RESTLESS WAVE, introduces Scott Bradley James, a young naval officer known as the sailor with three first names. Booklovers will discover what has the potential to be an entertaining and informative series. What we have here is a well-accomplished mix of actual events, some fiction and instructive history in a quick-paced novel that leaves readers wondering at the end where the author and characters will go next.

The book opens briefly on December 7, 1941, with Scott awakening on the island of Oahu in the morning hours to what he believes is the sound of American aircraft flying in tight formation. No further explanation of what is happening is necessary. But the backstory of how Scott came to be on the island as a naval officer must be provided before the book can move ahead. Scott is the son of a retired naval quartermaster who would grow up on boats, learning every aspect of the water world. One enticing quality of Stavridis’ writing is how he incorporates real historical figures into his plots. The first of those to make an appearance is Ernest Hemingway chartering the James family fishing boat and influencing young Scott’s future boxing endeavors when a few years later he enters the Naval Academy.

Life at the Naval Academy is thoroughly portrayed on these pages, with graduation being perfectly timed to coincide with the war clouds looming on America’s horizon. Scott as a young naval officer has an almost Zelig-like career that finds his life path crossing with naval heroes William Halsey, Chester Nimitz, Ray Spruance and others too numerous to list. James also finds himself at Pearl Harbor, serving on a carrier as bombers are launched for the Doolittle Raid, and Japanese carriers are attacked during the Battle of Midway. Later, he is assigned to a destroyer at Tassafaronga Point, a naval battle I learned about for the first time. It is the mix of actual history and a fictional story that makes THE RESTLESS WAVE a captivating and fast-paced novel.

The book concludes partway through the Pacific naval war. There are more sea battles to come, and it is certain that Scott Bradley James, having now risen to the rank of Commander, has both personal and naval matters facing him in the future. In the competent writing hands of Admiral James Stavridis, readers can be certain that it will be an interesting voyage.