On June 6th, the world marked the 76th anniversary of the remarkable and brutal landing by Allied Forces on the beaches of Normandy, France. American troops, in conjunction with their like-minded friends, sought to push into France and begin to purge Europe of the monstrous occupation by Adolf Hitler.

This momentous event likely never occurs were it not for an equally momentous event that took place almost 7,400 miles away at an American Naval base on the island of Oahu known as Pearl Harbor. With his new novel, the incomparable Jeff Shaara unwinds the story of the Japanese preemptive strike on the mighty American Navy, catching them unawares and propelling them directly into World War II on two fronts.

"...an exceptional work of historical fiction... Jeff Shaara continues to perfect his craft and once again delivers a book worthy of attention."

TO WAKE THE GIANT takes its time laying out the key players (amongst several others): President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull, Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, and 19-year-old volunteer Tommy Biggs of Florida, who finds himself stationed on the USS Arizona. Biggs joins the Navy with a school friend as a way out of his father's dissatisfied glare and a life of poverty, his path taking him towards a medical career. As the young man endures the trials and tribulations of joining the mighty military machine, Hull knows that Japanese Ambassador Kichisaburo Nomura is providing no more than lip service when he professes that Japan has no desire for conquest. Their actions throughout Asia would show those words to be hollow.

Yamamoto is not interested in war with the United States. He knows that a prolonged engagement would be folly. Yet his superiors are keen for combat, and his only recourse is to devise a plan for a quick and precise strike so lethal and shocking that the U.S. would think twice about engaging. And Roosevelt, along with others within his wheelhouse, repeatedly ignore reports of concerns about potential Japanese intentions toward Pearl Harbor.

As these threads all begin to tighten and roll into each other, Shaara deftly weaves a growing intensity that explodes on the pages as the plan Yamamoto drew up is finally put into place and the assault on Pearl Harbor begins. His descriptions and explanations of the events as they unfold eerily bring to mind the old newsreel footage. His dramatic recreation of the devastation and carnage of the attack is among some of his best work. Not just for his usually studious approach to researching his subjects, but as a storyteller he provides a very easy style that engages readers and compels them forward. And, as is often the case with a Shaara novel, you also end up understanding both sides of a conflict more than you did when you were introduced to it.

Taking the time to delve into TO WAKE THE GIANT is sure to be a rewarding experience for any who choose to take it up. It is an exceptional work of historical fiction, one that sets you within the frame of all that is to come and leaves you marveling at the end result as the pages fly by. Jeff Shaara continues to perfect his craft and once again delivers a book worthy of attention.