At All Costs

出版者:Random House Inc

作者:Moses, Sam

页数:352

出版时间:2006-11

价格:CDN$ 34.95

装帧:HRD

isbn号码:9781400063185

具体描述

In this gripping, page-turning account, Sam Moses has told a story in the tradition of Sebastian Junger’s A Perfect Storm, Robert Kurson’s Shadow Divers, and Hampton Sides’s Ghost Soldiers. It’s a story about the heroism of two men in battle at sea during World War II, and one woman fleeing Nazi Norway with her child. It’s about how courage can change the course of history.

AT ALL COSTS: How a Crippled Ship and Two American Merchant Marines Turned the Tide of World War II is the astonishing untold account, with original historical reporting, of how two men faced unfathomable danger to help save the island of Malta, Churchill’s crux of the war.

In 1942, the tiny island of Malta was the most heavily bombed place on earth. Hitler needed Malta as a stepping-stone to get to the oil in Iraq and Iran (Persia at the time). Blockaded by sea, Malta was running on empty, in food, fuel and ammunition. Axis U-boats and dive-bombers made supply convoys to Malta more like suicide missions. In this last-hope convoy, 50 warships escorted 13 freighters carrying aviation fuel, and a single critical tanker, the SS Ohio , with 107,000 barrels of oil from Texas. Winston Churchill had traveled to Washington and asked FDR for the tanker–his prime ministership was at stake over this mission to Malta.

Relentlessly dive-bombed and repeatedly torpedoed, the Ohio suffered huge hits and was abandoned. Two young American merchant mariners–pulled from the sea after their own ship went down in flames–boarded the ravaged tanker, repaired her guns and fought off German and Italian dive-bombers, as the sinking Ohio was towed at 4 knots toward Malta with a tiny crew of volunteers.

Sam Moses’ AT ALL COSTS is a triumphant story of human bravery: fearless, selfless acts by men determined to save a ship and win a war; profound communal courage from an island under brutal siege; and leaders who understood the cause of freedom.

Kirkus (starred review)

A historical footnote provides a riveting tale of true American grit during World War II.

In 1942, the island of Malta was the primary launching point in the Mediterranean for Allied

aircraft and submarine attacks against Axis supply convoys. At the height of the North African

campaign, Rommel’s tanks prepared to sweep into Egypt, Iran and Iraq. The only thing they lacked was

the fuel to get there, and the shortage was equally desperate on Malta. The Allies launched Operation

Pedestal, a last-ditch effort to re-supply the base by sending a convoy from Britain through the Gibraltar

Strait to the beleaguered island. The convoy, which included the American tanker Ohio and the U.S.

freighter Santa Elisa , was anything but a milk run. Vietnam vet Moses ( Fast Guys, Rich Guys and

Idiots , not reviewed) crafts a thrilling adventure on the high seas, though it takes a while to get started.

The book’s first third juxtaposes Malta’s plight against the stories of two American merchant seamen

on the Santa Elisa : Lonnie Dales and Fred Larsen, through whose eyes the battle will be viewed in bluecollar

detail. Once Operation Pedestal begins, the narrative is all action. The convoy comes under

repeated attack, lives are lost, the Santa Elisa is sunk. Dales and Larsen find themselves aboard the

wounded Ohio , full to the brim with Texas crude. If they can hold off Nazi attacks and keep their new

ship afloat long enough to reach Malta, the operation will be a success. Moses takes readers directly

into the heat of battle, demonstrating a strong command of historical detail.

Highly recommended for fans of naval adventure. (Agent: Peter Riva/International Transactions, Inc.)

" At All Costs is an extraordinary work of research and an exciting read that pays tribute to a crucial enterprise taken against incredible odds. Sam Moses has brought the ghastliness of war and the beauty of heroism together, in jarring union." –Frank Deford

“This booktells a great story. But Sam Moses is not just sharing a gripping tale. He is sharing an important and oft neglected story abouta battle thatplayed a decisive role in shaping the outcome of WW II. You will meet peoplewho will linger inmemory for their bravery, foolishness, or wisdom.” –Ken Auletta, author of Backstory

“Thrillingly told and beautifully researched, At All Costs is not just the against-all-odds story of the saving of Malta, but also of how the fate of nations can turn on the personal bravery of two ordinary men.”

–Robert Kurson, author of Shadow Divers

“Sam Moses has skillfully blended the vivid recollections of many eyewitnesses with a wealth of original documentary research to produce an immensely readable and authoritative account of this crucial operation.” –Mark Whitmore, Director of Collections, Imperial War Museum, London, England

用户评价

我必须承认，这本书的叙事节奏掌握得堪称教科书级别。起初铺垫的耐心与缓慢，为后半部分突如其来的高潮做了完美的长线铺垫。当剧情开始加速时，那种如同脱缰野马般的情感冲击力，几乎让我措手不及。作者在构建世界观方面也展现了惊人的想象力，那些虚构的社会规则和历史背景，被巧妙地融入到日常的场景叙述中，使整个故事的基调显得既宏大又真实可信。我个人对于那种带有哲学思辨色彩的文学作品情有独钟，而这部作品恰恰在最激烈的冲突之下，探讨了关于牺牲与代价的永恒命题。每一次阅读到一个关键转折点，我都会停下来，细细琢磨作者选择这条路径的深层用意，这种主动参与到解谜过程中的体验，是阅读至高无上的享受。

说实话，最初我以为这又是一部落入俗套的悬疑/冒险小说，但很快我就被它颠覆了。最让我印象深刻的是作者对“后果”的探讨。很多故事只关注行动本身，但这部作品却将笔墨着重放在了行动所引发的连环反应上，那种绵延不绝的、难以预料的后效，构成了故事真正的核心张力。角色们看似做出了最好的选择，但每一次“最好”的背后，都隐藏着更深层次的创伤。这种对复杂因果链条的细致梳理，让整个叙事显得尤为成熟和深刻。阅读过程中，我感到了一种强烈的智力上的挑战，作者没有将一切都摆在台面上解释清楚，而是留下了足够的空间让聪明的读者自己去拼凑和理解那些隐藏的真相，这种互动性极大地提升了阅读的价值。

这本小说的开篇就将我牢牢吸引住了。作者对于环境的细致描绘，仿佛能让我身临其境地感受到故事发生地的气候与氛围。人物的塑造也极为成功，主角内心的挣扎与矛盾，那种在关键时刻必须做出抉择的巨大压力，被刻画得淋漓尽致。我特别欣赏作者如何通过对话来推动情节发展，那些看似不经意的只言片语，实则蕴含着深层的暗示和伏笔。每一次翻页，都充满了对接下来故事走向的期待，生怕错过任何一个细微的线索。那种紧张感是持续不断的，让你在阅读过程中手心微微出汗，完全沉浸其中，难以自拔。尤其是在处理几个主要角色之间的复杂关系时，作者的笔触显得异常老练，没有丝毫的刻意，一切都自然而然地流淌出来，让人不禁思考人性在极端环境下的真实面貌。

从文学技巧的角度来看，这位作者的文字功底实在令人叹服。她的用词精准而富有画面感，常常能用一两个极富创意的比喻，瞬间点亮一个场景或一种情绪。比如她描述主角面对绝境时的那种“被时间凝固的空茫”，简直是绝妙的表达。相较于一些注重情节推进而牺牲文采的作品，这部小说在保证故事张力的同时，保持了极高的文学审美价值。而且，我惊喜地发现，作者在不同章节之间切换视角时，叙事声调的微小变化处理得非常到位，这使得每一个角色的声音都清晰可辨，避免了人物脸谱化的倾向。读完一个部分，我常常会回味其中几句优美的句子，那种阅读的愉悦感，就像品尝一杯陈年的佳酿，回味无穷，层次丰富。

这部作品给我带来的情感共鸣，远远超出了我对同类题材的预期。我很少会为一个虚构人物的命运感到如此揪心，以至于放下书后，脑海中依然不断回放着他们最后的对白。作者对于“希望”与“绝望”的描摹对比处理得非常高明，它不是简单的二元对立，而是在极度黑暗中，依然有微弱的光亮挣扎着出现，这种微妙的平衡，让整个故事充满了人性复杂的美感。特别是关于信任与背叛的那条线索，处理得极其细腻，那种缓慢建立又瞬间崩塌的感觉，非常真实地击中了人性中最脆弱的部分。读完之后，我需要一些时间来平复心情，因为它不仅仅是一个故事，更像是一场对自我内心深处某些信念的深刻审视。