|
Bathtub Admirals | 
 enlarge | Author: Jeff Huber
Publisher: Kunati Inc.
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $14.94
You Save: $10.01 (40%)
New (27) Used (8) from $13.99
Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 487607
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 320
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.2
ISBN: 1601640196
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9781601640192
ASIN: 1601640196
Publication Date: April 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
Tell A Friend
| |
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
In the wicked satirical tradition of Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut, the adventures of two naval men follow America’s rise to global dominance as its military burns off excess testosterone, connives to justify its bloated budget, and prepares for the ultimate challenge—the War on Evil. Buddies Jack Hogan and Buzz Rucci joined the U.S. Navy to defend their country, but they soon find themselves serving in a time of "play" war. Jack's rise in the Navy is at first rapid as he dazzles the entire Navy with his brilliant strategy in the Great Big Backfire Raid against the Russians, and single-handedly saves the fleet in the Almost Great Big Train Wreck. But his brilliance and competence foster resentment, and his naval career is soon in the doldrums. Buzz is no match for Jack’s intellect, but he plays the game and knows the folly of embarrassing his superiors. Inevitably Jack alienates one too many of the bathtub admirals, his career takes a dive, and his second marriage goes into a skid. Fed up, he takes early retirement at the rank of commander, and in a final irony, watches newly installed Admiral Rucci sail into the sunset in command of his own fleet. An insider's eye for detail and authenticity delivers a scathingly funny indictment of incompetence at the highest ranks of the armed forces.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
In Praise Of "Bathtub Admirals" April 1, 2008
Suzie Q (Ohio)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
Being retired Navy, I'm always a bit suspect when given military novels. I've been disappointed on more than one occasion. However, my wife took a leap of faith and bought me "Bathtub Admirals" recently. I must say that this is the first book in a very long time that I actually could not bring myself to put down once I started it. Anyone who was in the military in the 1980's and 1990's will immediately recognize the "Through the Looking Glass" twisted logic world we lived in during those years. Hilarious, insightful, riveting. I hope there is another novel in the works by CDR Huber. Thank you for an incredible reading adventure!
Bill "BC" Combs
CDR USN (Ret)
A unique and refreshing naval satire April 22, 2008
K. Custer (Pennsylvania)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I wasn't really sure what to expect when I first started in on this book. As a former carrier aviator during the period in which the book is set, I often find myself disappointed by many of the authors in the military genre who seem to keep cranking out "naval thrillers" that all to often seem to involve poorly developed characters trying to stave off World War III. I found Bathtub Admirals to be refreshingly unique in that it was the most accurate depiction of shipboard life on a carrier that I have ever read in a work of fiction. That said, one should not mistake this for anything close to a dry or antiseptic read. This book is first and foremost a comedic satire. While the accounts of shipboard routine were spot on, the witty and profane dialogue realistically captures the camaraderie shared between shipmates on a long cruise. This left me thinking wistfully back to old friends and good times spent at sea, while at the same time reminding me exactly why I decided to get out!
The clear, dialogue-driven writing style makes Bathtub Admirals a real page-turner. If I were back at sea, I probably would have powered through this book in a few days on the transit back home from an overseas deployment. As it is, I ended up devouring this book over the course of a few late nights over a long weekend, and found myself disappointed to arrive at the end.
Cdr Huber has hit a home run with his debut novel and I am already anticipating his next effort.
Catch-22, updated April 26, 2008
David Tonhofer (Luxembourg/Europe)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Anyone who has read Heller's Catch-22 (or Stephenson's Cryptonomicon) will recognize the style, and the author clearly acknowledges Heller's ancestry. Still, this book is shorter, less shark-jumpingly outrageous, both funnier and sadder than Heller's novel. Follow the US Navy career of Jack Hogan as he makes it from youthful Cold-War "Hawkeye Man" Lieutenant (junior grade) to disillusioned Commander, forced to take the fall for the latest retarded exercise blunder -- in a Navy that has no other enemy left except politicking, incompetence, inter-service rivalry and the looming swamp of the War on Evil. Contains deliciously explicit language, adult scenes and references to people like "Admiral Fix Felon" (pulling Fix Felonies of course), "Senator Ex-Prisoner-of-War", "Senator Tailhook", and "General F. Lee Kent" (SACEUR during Allied Force) and tall Sea Stories.
Disclosure: Haven't been near a Carrier, ever.
engaging April 21, 2008
A. Crosby
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
huber's blog at pen and sword is an entertaining, cynical, and credible analysis of current day foreign policy and how it relates to the military, especially to naval matters. so it is only fitting that he would put together a novel that captures that essence.
bathtub admirals feels like a first novel in some ways.. it is a little uneven in tone.. sometimes it is a bit surreal, and sometimes it can't decide if it wants to be a satire, tom clancy novel, or a moving portrait of someone caught in the system, but the author set out to intertwine those things in a fascinating manner! and he really pulls it off when all is said and done..
in a lot of ways it pretty much seems like a thinly-disguised autobiography which only adds to the mystique. the characters (and their ability to drop some crazy profane language) are rich and hilarious, and the technical details about military matters are also interesting and add an authenticity to the whole affair that really makes it shine. it is very sad and really insightful about human relationships at times too, which is surprising and welcome for an ostensibly 'military' book..
overall i highly recommend it, i love finding a book that i can't put down and end up plowing through in a day!
ROFLOL - Bathtub Admirals April 22, 2008
SearchingforTruth (Houston, TX USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Unlike most who reviewed this book, I'm not military. Just lived a lot of years with Navy uncles, cousins, brothers, etc., I do read Commander Huber's blog, Pen and Sword, on a regular basis. It's pretty serious stuff, most of the time.
However, in Bathtub Admirals, Commander Huber writes satire, at its best. Floors are not floors, ceilings are not ceilings, doors are not doors. No place but in The Navy.
Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. It's a page-turner. The book's characters are intelligent, pathetic, funny, sad, and some, pompous as hell. (There probably is more truth than poetry in this book.)
If you are Navy, or ex-Navy, read this book. If you are military, or ex-military, read this book. If you ever were, or are married, read this book. If you have kids and a dog, (especially a dog) read this book. It's worth the time, you won't be dissappointed. It's a great read.
|
|
|
Navy Advancement Study Guide
Navy Store | |
