Twilight of the Gods Audiobook By Ian Toll cover art

Twilight of the Gods

War in the Western Pacific, 1944-1945

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Twilight of the Gods

By: Ian Toll
Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan
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The final volume of the magisterial Pacific War Trilogy from acclaimed historian Ian W. Toll, "one of the great storytellers of war" (Evan Thomas).

Twilight of the Gods is a riveting account of the harrowing last year of World War II in the Pacific, when the US Navy won the largest naval battle in history; Douglas MacArthur made good his pledge to return to the Philippines; waves of kamikazes attacked the Allied fleets; the Japanese fought to the last man on one island after another; B-29 bombers burned down Japanese cities; and Hiroshima and Nagasaki were vaporized in atomic blasts.

Ian W. Toll's narratives of combat in the air, at sea, and on the beaches are as gripping as ever, but he also takes the listener into the halls of power in Washington and Tokyo, where the great questions of strategy and diplomacy were decided. Lionel Barber of the Financial Times chose the second volume of the series (The Conquering Tide) as the preemiment book of 2016, calling it military history at its best. Listeners who have been waiting for the conclusion of Toll's masterpiece will be thrilled by this final volume.

©2020 Ian Toll (P)2020 Recorded Books 20th Century Military Modern Wars & Conflicts World War II War Air Force Naval Warfare Submarine Imperial Japan Pacific War
Comprehensive Historical Detail • Engaging Personal Stories • Excellent Narration • Balanced Perspectives
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Picks up right where the last one left off. The narrative and organization create a great flow to this long book . You can almost feel yourself zooming in from the overall picture of the war down to buck privates and seamen.

I’m one of those wwii avid reader types and was worried about reading long chapters on battles I was pretty familiar with . Toll brings new perspectives and details about the Pacific War. From the bloated flies of Saipan infesting an admirals dinner offshore to an in depth look at Japanese social psychology for waging war this book brought to light the war in the Pacific . I also appreciate Toll’s research on the logistics involved in the Pacific Theatre.

Amazing Details

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Well-researched and well-written. My only complaint is that the narration is rather robotic. Still, it's worth the listen.

Great book

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400,000 Americans paid the ultimate sacrifice in WWII. Now we have huge factions in both parties who want to make it all for naught—deprecating American exceptionalism and greatness for a global world order that subjugates instead of elevates the people.

End of the pacific war historical trilogy

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Why they chose the narrator from monster truck rally commercials for a history book I'll never have any idea. The book Is so well written and the material so interesting that I got through it but sheesh. Every sentence in the same singsong repetitive used-car-salesman inflection. And the book is long enough to really develop, over many hours, a deep loathing for this narrator. Why do so many bad narrators ruin the audiobook concept?

Sunday Sunday Sunday!

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Exhaustive 3 volume history of the Pacific campaign in World War II...this being the third and final volume. If you have 2-3 months to devote to the war...this is your book series.

Exhaustive History of the US Pacific Campaign

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intelligent and informative, with gripping historical details and analysis i've never read anywhere else. the reader will grow on you, too

simply awesome.

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Dad never talked about World War II except the last time I saw him before he had a stroke. I learned a lot about what experiences he had in the Pacific during World War II. His first experience was on a destroyer in Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack. He was at Coral Sea, Midway and Leyte Gulf. His destroyer put two torpedoes into the Lexington hulk to sink her during Coral Sea. Was left to defend the Phillipines when the bulk of the fleet went after the Japanese and his destroyer attacked Japanese Battleships and crusiers. Thanks to the author.

What Dad did in the war

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If you are into WWII history this series of books is a necessary and fascinating read or audio listen.

Great read.

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Some of the most interesting elements of Toll’s books is “telling the story” of the different individual topics such as submarines, aviation (including the fascinating B-29 and the genesis of the kamikaze), Japanese decision making, carrier development, etc. It made the overall narrative far more interesting as he painted a much deeper picture of these individual elements. It allowed the reader to appreciate their impact on the whole.
This is a thorough accounting and is probably not for the casual reader/ listener. But he captures so many fascinating details that it does not bog down. The research is simply amazing and it has given me a much greater appreciation for the incredible challenges these men faced.

Incredibly thorough historical accounting

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The most readable account of the Pacific War yet published. This third book in the trilogy concludes the story of the war in the Pacific at the same high level of writing and storytelling as the first two. Engrossing and enlightening. Enough detail to satisfy enthusiasts, yet still maintains a quick pace with endless insights of the battles, the homefront, military leadership, and especially the homefront in Japan. Highly recommended!

Exceptional! Magnificent conclusion to the trilogy

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