Shattered Jade: A Novel of Saipan
It’s June 1944, and Japanese and American forces have been engaged in monstrously costly battles across thousands of square miles of ocean and multiple islands, small and large, in the Pacific. US Marine Sergeant Pete “Hardball” Talbot is a rock-solid and protective squad leader doing his best to assure the fighting spirit and, whenever possible, the survival of the young men on his team. Now it’s their turn to land on and fight across the island of Saipan, full of innocent civilians and hardened Japanese veteran warriors, including Major Tadashi Tanimura, whose mother was an American, Peggy Driscoll.
What follows is an account of intense, gritty and bloody combat, mostly at the tactical level, including perspectives from participants on both sides. The Americans must close with and destroy a dug-in and ferocious enemy in their well-prepared defensive positions while trying to avoid harming the native civilians, who are everywhere.
In addition to the realistic and often horrific descriptions of combined arms WWII ground operations warfare, the author interestingly illustrates the terrain and diverse population groups on the island along with individual personalities of combatant warriors. The well- crafted detailed description of the initial island landing is like a symphony of light, sound and death.
The Japanese honor code of never surrendering to an enemy makes the Americans’ tough job even harder. As with all classic war novels, presenting events from both perspectives makes a good book even better, and this masterpiece delivers. USMC LT Shimada, a Japanese American officer, is a particularly fascinating character. The author’s previous war novels were bestsellers, and this superb book is a welcome addition. Outstanding historical fiction.
