"Twilight of the Gods: World War II in the Western Pacific, 1944-1945" by Ian W. Toll

Mike Dismuke: I have read a lot of military history books. And watched a lot of "Victory at Sea" as a kid. This is probably the best book I have read about the Pacific Theater. The author writes in a very "conversational" tone, which is very easy to read, even if it's 900+ pages.

I find his descriptions of the main players refreshing, as they have been portrayed as various saints and sinners over the years. I especially think his portrayals of big Mac, and Halsey are spot-on.

And the events are fairly portrayed as well. Although he de-emphasis the immortal "Taffy 3" a bit; maybe just to put it into perspective of the overall battle.

And finally he calls out the Japanese for starting this whole affair, and makes no apologies for the atomic bombings, rightly pointing out Lemay's "conventional" fire-bombing campaign actually killed a whole lot more people.

So on the whole, I think this is a very accurate portrayal of events, as they happened within their own times, with no attempt to excuse or condemn their actions, based on current sensitivities. And it must be said, he isn't a military type, so you don't get any parochial sentiments either.

Overall, good read,...

United States on Sep 15, 2023

Thomas E. Burke: I purchased all three volumes of the Pacific War Trilogy but in two orders: Volume 1 and then Volumes 2 and 3.

I have been a student of the Pacific War for as long as I can remember. My uncle was on Guadalcanal with the Seabees (14th NCB), and a classmate at the Naval Academy was the son of Major General Rupertus, USMC, who led the landings on Tulagi and then served as General Vandergrift's XO on Guadalcanal. General Rupertus subsequently commanded the First Marine Division--the "Old Breed"--on New Britain and then on Peleliu.

The Pacific War Trilogy is the finest military history that I've read. It has incredible details about the battles in the Pacific from the perspectives of the Marines, the Navy, the Army, and the USAAF. It also provides great insights to the IJN and IJA. It also describes the home fronts in both the US and Japan.

Mr. Toll is to be commended for the breadth and depth of his research and for his wonderful writing.

United States on Sep 11, 2023

Kate: Probably the greatest ww2 trilogy ever written

Singapore on Apr 25, 2023

Zhijia Huang: Barely any sign of use. Good as new one.

Germany on Apr 21, 2023

Dave the Rave: Like the other two volumes in this series, the author is better at sea than on solid ground. Some might argue that with a better editor this series would be much better as two. Still the details of the conquest of the Pacific are awe inspiring in terms of duty in the face of seemingly insurmountable difficulties. The description of MacArthur avoids the cartoonist "dugout Doug" image while Bull Halsey (emphasis on the bull) does not fare so well. The bigger questions remains as to how a nation can convince itself that it is a good idea to swat a bear with a newspaper and what conditions would allow it to happen again.

Canada on Mar 28, 2023

George: All my life I have heard about numerous individual events in the Pacific war and wanted a good history explaining how they all connected. The three volumes in this series did that well.

They explain that for Japan it was largely a religious war. They truly believed they were a master race destined to rule Asia, at least, and they had a responsibility to do it. It was a deeply racist belief. Those that died were convinced they would live in paradise for eternity. Their deeds prove the depth and intensity of these beliefs.

In contrast, for us it was a management issue; how best to assemble and organize the available resources then defeat the enemy. At the beginning of the war our navy was smaller, weaker and less advanced than Japan's. The first volume, covering Pearl Harbor to mid 1943, describes just hanging on. Guadalcanal was the key to stopping Japan from taking Australia and New Zealand and expelling all European and American forces from the western Pacific. At the low point we had one operational aircraft carrier in the Pacific. Only a few key victories including Guadalcanal and Midway held the line.

The second volume covers gathering strength and in 18...

United States on Feb 02, 2021

J. McNeill: We have all had a meal that was so good we did not want it to end. Or child with an ice lolly or ice cream wishing it were never ending. That is exactly how I felt about volume three of Ian Toll’s masterly study of the naval war in the pacific: The Twilight of The Gods.

The book covers the period from the summer of 1944 to August/September 1945 in almost 800 compelling pages.

I liken the book to a bobsleigh ride on the Cresta run; once you are on you cannot get off, hurtling down at increasing speed to a devastating climax.

I have read a great many books about the war in the Pacific and Burma and believe me it was brutal. I have read the ‘Marines in World War II Commemorative Series’ booklets which recount the exploits of the US Marine Corps as they fought from island to island (I was truly fortunate to receive the copies courtesy of the USMC). I am thus fully seized of the ferocity of the action in the jungles of countless islands scattered across the Pacific Ocean. Toll’s books emphasise the centrality of the naval war to victory, simply put if the USN did not wrest command of the Pacific from the IJN then victory over Japan may have eluded the...

United Kingdom on Oct 05, 2020

Edgar R Wagner: Excellent. This is the third book in Ian Toll's Pacific War trilogy. I thought the earlier two, Pacific Crucible and The Conquering Tide, were excellent, and I think that Twilight of the Gods is excellent.

It is a history that is very much focused on the United States effort against the Japanese. For a broader view of the last year of the war then Nemesis: The Battle for Japan, 1944-45 by Max Hastings is worth buying and reading in addition to Ian Toll's Twilight of the Gods.

Ian Toll starts with the meeting of President Roosevelt with General MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz in Hawaii. It deals with the battle for Peleliu, Leyte Gulf and Admiral Kurita, the strategic bombing of Japan, Iwo Jima, Manila, Okinawa, and, of course, the bombs on Hiroshima & Nagasaki, the entry of the Soviet Union into the war, and the Japanese surrender of 15 August 1945. There are bits on what happened on the Japanese and United States home fronts both during and after the war.

Although he does not always clearly express his opinions, possibly preferring to keep them close to his chest, Ian Toll touches on all the main controversies of the later stages of the Pacific War: (i) Were...

United Kingdom on Sep 29, 2020