... superb.

Toll skillfully shifts his narrative focus throughout all of this from the broad-scale operational side of things to the personal and even anecdotal.

... while his is an American story, Mr. Toll writes insightfully about the enemy home front, making fine use of Japanese sources and dropping hints of the demons possessing—and devouring—the other side.

Using meticulous research, including previously untapped primary sources, and a brisk narrative that combines strategic, operational, and personal perspectives, [Toll] presents a very balanced look at the critical decisions and actions on both sides that concluded the war.

Fans of Toll’s previous volumes will enjoy this book. World War II experts may find this work redundant, since it uses previously published materials. However, casual enthusiasts will appreciate as it compiles those works thoroughly..

There is no shortage of accounts of the brutal island-hopping invasions, but Toll’s take second place to none.

Toll brings his Pacific War trilogy to a dramatic conclusion in this expertly told account of the final year of WWII.