The Far Reaches

By Homer Hickam

Book Overview

The year is 1943 and World War II in the Pacific rages on, with Americans engaged in desperate battles against a cunning enemy. Coast Guard Captain Josh Thurlow is on hand at the invasion of Tarawa, as the United States Navy begins throwing her Marines at island after bloody island across the Pacific. But nothing goes as planned, and young Americans go up against fanatical defenders.

As blood colors the waters around Tarawa, Josh flounders ashore through a floating graveyard of dead men and joins the survivors. Critically wounded, Josh expects to die. Instead, Sister Mary Kathleen, a pretty Irish nun, nurses him back to health, then shanghais Josh, sidekick Bosun Ready O'Neal, and three American Marines to a group of tropical islands invaded by a brutal Japanese warlord. Josh and his little band must decide whether to help the Sister ?ght the battle she demands, return to Tarawa and the "real" war, or settle down in the romantic splendor of the South Seas.

With an incredible eye for historical detail, edge-of-your-seat writing, and the talent of a master storyteller, Homer Hickam delivers another page-turning tour de force.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312383053
• ISBN13: 9780312383053
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Hickam's Best Novel to Date

If you've read any of Hickam's other books you will love this one. If you haven't read any of his books yet, what are you waiting for? As a Vietnam combat veteran you can tell that Homer uses a lot of his own experiences in this novel. A must read.

His tough crust still surrounds a tender core for the men and women who are loyal and true.

Captain Josh Thurlow is back in a new World War II adventure, packed with action and pathos. Fans will remember the feisty U.S. Coast Guard Captain from two previous books. We first met Josh in THE KEEPER'S SON as he hunted a wolfpack of German U-boats off the Outer Banks of the Carolinas before the U.S. entered the war. In THE AMBASSADOR'S SON, Josh and his crew were sent to the Solomon Islands on a secret mission to search...

Wow!

If you thought Rocket Boys was good, you ain't seen nothin' yet! Hickam displays his versatility in his most intense work to date. In the vein of both Saving Private Ryan and The Killer Angels, Hickam's The Far Reaches is guaranteed to thrill, shock, and thoroughly move even the most stoic of readers.

Great Summertime Read

The Far Reaches by Homer Hickam The Far Reachesis a fantastic summer page turner. I love the way this book combines the courage and guts of the U.S. fighting man with the adventure of an Indiana Jones-type story all into one action-packed book. With July 4th coming up, this is a great read that makes you proud again to be an American, and especially proud of our fighting men during WWII. If you liked "The Greatest Generation"...

A fascinating novel

The Far Reaches is a great page-turning read. I liked all the characters, especially Sister Mary Kathleen. Josh Thurlow is a character who has grown on me. In this novel, he is so real I think Hickam is either channeling him or he's based on a real person. As in all the Thurlow books, Hickam not only writes a page-turner but also teaches a little history. The opening chapters of the battle of Tarawa are absolutely spell-binding...