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[[File:Destroyermen-Book-1-Into-the-Storm-Taylor-Anderson-unabridged-Tantor-
{{quote|''[[Badass Crew|Oh, it's roll, and pound and pitch<br />And creak and groan<br />You son of a bitch<br />Oh, Boy<br />It's a Hell of a life on a destroyer.]]''}}
''Destroyermen'' is an [[Alternate History]] series by Taylor Anderson. It centers around the crew of USS ''Walker'', a [[World War Two|World War II]] destroyer who are catapulted to an alternate world after [[Curb Stomp Battle|a disastrous Allied defeat]] at Java. The new world is right out of prehistory: dinosaurs roam the lands, and the oceans are home to swarms of man-eating fish and giant reptiles. They've also gone from one war to another, for here two very different species have just started up a fight for survival again after several thousand years. On the one side are the Lemurians, (or 'Cats, as the Americans call them) lemur-like sea-goers who have lived a rather peaceful existence until now. On the other side are the Grik, savage raptor-like reptiles hell-bent on hunting the 'Cats to extinction.
''Walker'' and her crew side with the Lemurians and join the struggle against the Grik. They're outnumbered and outgunned -- [[Badass Crew|but that part hasn't stopped them yet.]]
[[Word of God]] says that the series is complete at fifteen books:
# ''[[Into the Storm]]''
* [[Always Chaotic Evil]]: The Grik. [[Complete Monster|And how.]]▼
# ''[[Crusade (Destroyermen novel)|Crusade]]''
* [[All Your Base Are Belong to Us]]: {{spoiler|''Maelstrom'' features the Grik attacking Baalkpan in by far the most epic battle in the entire series.}}▼
# ''[[Maelstrom]]''
* [[Aloha Hawaii]]: Yep, ''Rising Tides'' features the USS ''Walker'' and crew heading to Hawaii. Only it's a little different . . . .▼
# ''[[Distant Thunders]]''
# ''[[Rising Tides]]''
# ''[[Firestorm (book)|Firestorm]]''
# ''[[Iron Gray Sea]]''
# ''[[Storm Surge]]''
# ''[[Deadly Shores]]''
# ''[[Straits of Hell]]''
# ''[[Blood in the Water]]''
# ''[[Devil's Due]]''
# ''[[River of Bones]]''
# ''[[Pass of Fire]]''
# ''[[Winds of Wrath]]''
{{franchisetropes}}
▲* [[All Your Base Are Belong to Us]]: {{spoiler|''Maelstrom'' features the Grik attacking Baalkpan in by far the most epic battle in the entire series
▲* [[Aloha Hawaii]]: Yep, ''Rising Tides'' features the USS ''Walker'' and crew heading to Hawaii. Only it's a little different
* [[Alternate History]]: Leaving aside the whole [[Alternate Universe]] thing, they really weren't ever in our world. As explained in the afterword to the first book, the ''Amagi'' depicted was badly damaged by an earthquake while under construction and scrapped in 1922. (There ''was'' an ''Amagi'' that served in WWII, but it was a carrier.) The real USS ''Walker'' was scuttled seventeen days after Pearl Harbor, while the ''Mahan'' was scrapped in 1931.
** A Japanese officer meets German sailors from [[World War I]] who've joined forces with more Lemurians ... except that from what one of the Germans says, it wasn't the '''same''' World War I we
** Forces show up, offering the Japanese an alliance, from a version of reality where Germany<ref>The German officer apparently doesn't recognize the name "Hitler," so it may not actually be the Nazi Party running his country. Still fascist, though.</ref> is a '''junior''' partner in a fascist league dominated by France, Spain, and Italy. Their ships include a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bretagne-class_battleship Bretagne-class battleship], the ''Savoie'', which was never built in our time line but evidently '''was''' in the destroyermen's original, and at least one [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_submarine_Surcouf Surcouf-class submarine].
* [[America Saves the Day]]: Yup, it happens . . . [[Once an Episode|in every single book]]....▼
* [[Ambadassador]]: Courtney Bradford, originally an [[Absent-Minded Professor]] type who often forgot to shoot at something because he was too fascinated by studying it, has Taken a Level in Badass by ''Devil's Due'', when he's Ambassador to the Republic. When his horse is killed and falls on his leg, pinning him in place during a Grik attack, he claims he did almost nothing. An eyewitness contradicts that; Bradford "kept a grip on his rifle and killed many Grik, even while trapped."
** Sort of. The Americans are no stranger to being [[Big Damn Heroes]], but the 'Cats aren't exactly helpless, either. Most of the "saving" is done indirectly, too: the Americans ''cannot'' do the lion's share themselves, so they work ''with'' the 'Cats as much as lead the effort. It's also made ''very'' clear Matt and his crew wouldn't stand a chance if the 'Cats weren't helping ''them'' out, too.
* [[Anyone Can Die]]: So far, we've seen a lot of characters get buried at sea. {{spoiler|[[The Lancer|Dowden]] proved that Anderson isn't messing around. Same with Nakja-Mur. And Ellis. And as of ''Deadly Shores'', there's Chief Gray, Laumer, the Grik Celestial Mother — though none of the good guys will cry for '''''her'''''.}}
** Following U.S. Navy practice for destroyers, they usually name the new ships they build after heroes who've died. They're not going to run out of names anytime soon.
* [[Badass]]: Several but Dennis Silva takes the cake. Chack, [[Four Star Badass|Rolak]], [[Badass Bookworm|Tabby]], and [[Royals Who Actually Do Something|Keje]] are but a few of the few Cat badasses.▼
** At one point, Silva comments that there are only about eighteen of the original destroyermen still aboard ''Walker''. Plenty have been transferred to other vessels, of course, but she came with a crew of roughly 100; ''Mahan'', the same.
* [[Camp Cook]]: Ship's cook, actually, but Lanier still fits the trope in every other way. It's noted repeatedly that his "station" during combat operations is hiding in the toilet... until he calmly, without flair [[Took a Level In Badass|turns into a badass]] in ''Firestorm'' by emerging from belowdecks and hosing down a pterodactyl with a tommygun at face-to-face range.▼
▲* [[Badass]]: Several but Dennis Silva takes the cake. Chack, [[Four
* [[Badass Boast]]: At one point in a ceremony, Silva is asked to identify himself:
{{quote|"Chief Gunner's Mate Dennis Silva of the United States Ship ''Walker'', DD rate, number one-sixty-three! Famous slayer o' Japs, Griks, Doms, super lizards, mountain fish, an' various other dangerous critters, includin' a Dom Blood Cardinal I spattered at most of a quarter mile! Protector o' women an' small princesses, an' rescuer o' same! I'm the son o' Stanley an' Willa Silva, who was actually married when I was born but passed on soon after, God rest 'em, an' I hail from Alabama — also in the U.S. of A!"}}
▲* [[Camp Cook]]: Ship's cook, actually, but Lanier still fits the trope in every other way. It's noted repeatedly that his "station" during combat operations is hiding in the toilet... until he calmly, without flair [[Took a Level
** In ''Deadly Shores'' he displays [[Hidden Depths]]: first, when {{Spoiler|Chief Gray is killed}}, Captain Reddy notices "the bloated, cantankerous cook's grimy face was streaked with tears." Then, in the aftermath, Lanier is mentioned as helping lay out the bodies of his shipmates "with an unexpected tenderness."
* [[The Captain]]: Captain Reddy.
* [[Captain Ersatz]]: Silva, with his short-cropped hair, scraggly beard, bulging muscles, and violent streak could easily be a whole character [[Shout
* [[Colonel Badass]]: [[Imperial Japan|Tamatsu]] [[Honor Before Reason|Shinya]].
* [[Cool Ship]]: USS Walker. {{spoiler|Also, the Amagi, but in a villainous way.}}
* [[Disproportionate Retribution]]: What Reddy threatens against Aryaal should they ever desecrate or tamper with the graves of his men in front of their city. To make it clear he's serious, he assures them that if they ever deface the graves, he will return and ''level the city to the ground''.
* [[Dissonant Serenity]]: Blood Cardinal Don Hernan, described as often ordering mass torture and horrific execution "from behind such a pleasant demeanor of gentle piety...."
* [[Death World]]: the alternate Earth, but this is zig-zagged somewhat: it's sure as hell dangerous, with dinosaurs alive and well and of course the Grik, but it's no ''so'' horrible as to prevent organized societies.
* [[Eats Babies]]: The second book opens with Grik Regent Tsalka sitting with a Grik infant on his lap, idly stroking the child. So is this a [[Pet the Dog]] moment for the Grik, earlier billed as [[
** In a splendidly karmic inversion, {{spoiler|Tsalka was later executed by being declawed, defanged, tied up, and}} [[Eaten Alive]] by baby Grik.
* [[Even Evil Has Standards]]: The crew of the {{spoiler|''Amagi''}} are out to kill the Americans, and are working with the Grik. They still ''hate'' the lizards, though; even the [[Axe Crazy]] captain admits this.
* [[Five Man Band]]: The command crew of the Walker comes off like this.▼
** Subverted in later books. [[Nice Job Fixing It, Villain|Thanks to Captain Kurokawa persuading Grik authorities to modify the training program for some of their troops]], there's a new breed of Grik — they're more effective soldiers, yes, but they're also able to feel friendship and act with honor even toward their enemies. Some Grik, too, captured by the Lemurians and humans, have [[Defector From Decadence|defected]] and become quite loyal.
** [[The Hero]]: Captain Matthew Reddy.
** [[The Lancer]]: Ellis, then Dowden. After {{spoiler|Dowden's death, Spanky graduates to this.}}
** [[The Smart Guy]]: Courtney Bradford.
** [[The Big Guy]]: Silva.
** [[The Chick]]: Sandra Tucker. {{spoiler|After the Walker is refloated, Selass.}}
** [[The Sixth Ranger]]: First Mallory, then
* [[Foregone Conclusion]]: The fifth book, ''Rising Tides'', opens with a quote from {{spoiler|a book Courtney Bradford will evidently publish in 1956. His survival for the next twelve years}} is therefore guaranteed.
* [[Four
* [[Genocide Dilemma]]: Averted. It's made clear that the ''only'' real way to win is to exterminate the Grik. {{spoiler|Though this is zig-zagged in later books; particularly when a contingent of Grik warriors surrender to the Allies.}}
* [[God Is Evil]]: The Dom religion's view ... sort of. They don't think of Him as evil, but their notion of a good God is a cruel monster by '''our''' standards.
{{quote|''(Blood Cardinal Don Hernan thinks)'' He who was symbolized by the cross had been the holiest of men, God's own son, but even His understanding of the one True God had been imperfect.... God was all powerful, terrible, and jealous. His limitless power was founded on fear and reward, not love, and he required his servants to rule through fear, reward, and sacrifice....}}
* [[Half-Human Hybrid]]: Zigzagged. Another human/Lemurian coalition is found, and there are some people there who are explained as being crossbreeds. This is regarded as very [[Squick]]y by the locals, but at least they don't treat the "Gentaa" badly, reasoning that they're not to blame for their ancestors' sexual kinks. Courtney Bradford, though, believes such interspecies reproduction simply isn't possible. He suggests the Gentaa just happen to '''look''' like what people thought human/Lemurian hybrids would — and they {{spoiler|used that to [[Guilt Trip]] the larger society into giving them a hardworking but lucrative position}}.
* [[Heel Realization]]: It doesn't lead to any change in his actions, but in ''Devil's Due'', the 12th book, {{Spoiler|Kurokawa feels distinct regret that he joined forces with the Grik instead of seeking an [[Enemy Mine]] and [[We Can Rule Together]] arrangement with Captain Reddy. He also faces the fact that he's a [[Dirty Coward]].}}
{{Quote|...even as he'd tormented the small woman with his words at their first meeting, he'd reluctantly realized he ''admired'' her—and grown ashamed of himself.}}
* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: When he discovers an attempt to sink ''Walker'' with an improvised bomb in a rowboat, CPO Donaghey climbs into the boat and rows it away, ignoring the calls of his shipmates to come back. Instead of a fuse, the saboteurs set the whole boat on fire, so he's ''burning alive'' as he does this.
{{quote|
He made it almost forty yards. }}
** The entire crew of the ''Revenge'', save those too injured to actually do anything aboard ship, gives one.
** Aboard the sinking {{spoiler|S-19, senior NCO Danny Porter}} realizes he can't get through a hatch to (possible) safety inside and then close it—so he calls to his shipmates, "So long, fellas!" and closes the hatch from the outside, saving most or all of them. Then, of course, the flasher fish rip him apart.
** Realizing Grik boarders were about to overrun their position, {{Spoiler|Chief Gray}} "practically ''threw''" {{spoiler|Captain Reddy}} to safety, and then the last that was heard from him was "a long, final burst from the Thompson."
* [[Honor Before Reason]]: While Shinya has it attached to him up above, he's not a great example, being willing to not only surrender to Captain Reddy but offer his parole even in the first book. A better example is the unnamed Japanese crewman who saves Shinya's life, and refuses to surrender even in the middle of an ocean while clinging to the underside of an overturned boat, having just watched the rest of his crew being eaten by what can best be described as ''tuna-piranha hybrids''. {{spoiler|He gets eaten by a plesiosaur, [[Badass|but only cries out in pain]], [[Up to Eleven|not terror]].}}
* [[In Spite of a Nail]]: There's a discrepancy as to exactly when the East India Company ships came to the alternate world, but it was at least two hundred years before the
* [[Interspecies Romance]]: What may or may not be happening with Silva and Risa... and several other Destroyermen and female
** Is halfway to [[My Species Doth Protest Too Much]] when everyone on both sides keep assuring themselves that Risa and Silva are most definitely ''just friends'', '''honest'''.
* [[Imperial Japan]]: They're prominent in the opening of ''Into The Storm''.
** {{spoiler|HIJMS ''Amagi'' makes an appearance, captained by [[Ax Crazy|Hisashi Kurokawa.]]}}
* [[Insistent Terminology]]: Any time the Dominion is brought up, either a character or the text will make a point of saying how it's a "dark perversion" of actual Catholicism.
** In later books, it's revealed that the Dom religion considers actual Catholic Christianity such as their Spanish ancestors practiced to be a heresy the Church still hasn't quite been able to stamp out. They admit it to themselves: they are ''NOT'' Christian, despite invoking Christ.
* [[It Has Been an Honor]]: He doesn't get the chance to say it face to face, but {{spoiler|Jim Ellis}}, shortly before dying of his wounds, asks another man to pass this on to Captain Reddy.
** Just before they attempt a break-out from a position surrounded by Grik — "We either win it quick, or we're done." — {{spoiler|Pete Alden}} salutes his subordinate commanders and says this.
** One fellow finds himself in what's likely to be a [[Last Stand]] with several Lemurians. He asks their names, and says "I suppose it is an honor to be with you all, under the circumstances...." Compared to what he was like when first introduced, this counts as Taking a Level in Courtesy.
* [[Just the First Citizen]]: Captain Reddy's formal rank is still listed on any roster shown in the books as Lieutenant Commander. He's got full commanders, captains, admirals, and Marine/Army officers up to generals taking his orders; many of them ''he'' promoted to those ranks, but he refuses to promote ''himself''.
* [[Kill Him Already]]: Most recently with Reddy and the Head of the [[The Syndicate|HNBC]], where Reddy shoots him after he puts his gun down.
* [[Kraken and Leviathan]]: Among the sea creatures in this world is the "mountain fish" (apparently actually air-breathing; one is mentioning spouting like a whale), so big it can wreck a
** From the way they're described as moving (basking, gradually picking up speed, able to move very fast for short periods of time), mountain fish may be the descendants of "[
* [[Loads and Loads of Characters]]: Lampshaded at the beginning of the ''13-page'' cast list in the front of the 11th book, with the words:
{{Quote|For those new to the series, don't be alarmed by the number of names listed here. They don't ''all'' appear in any one volume.}}
* [[Necessarily Evil]]: Dennis Silva, in his own opinion—and he's explicitly contradicting Sister Audry, who's described him as a tool of God:
{{quote|"I ain't a good man. I done some real bad things, as a matter o' fact, things the good Lord won't ''never'' forgive, and damn sure wouldn't set me to. I done 'em 'cause they needed doin'—and I'd do 'em again. ''Will'' do the same sort o' things, most likely.... This war, what I do—in spite of how I do it—is the best thing I ever did. I expect to burn in hell for ''how'', but good folks, folks like you, will maybe have a chance."}}
* [[Negative Space Wedgie]]: The Squall.
* [[Never Found the Body]]: {{spoiler| Tony Scott, supposedly devoured by a "superlizard," turns out to have been rescued by Grik-looking natives}}. He gets ''scolded'' because a ship—an entire ''class'' of ships—has already been named after him.
* [[Noble Demon]]: Commander
* [[Noodle Incident]]: Gunnery Sergeant Horn apparently saved Silva's life years ago—by knocking out one of his teeth (which Horn kept as a souvenir). The circumstances somehow involve the statement that "Chasing butterflies is against the rules" ... to which Silva adds, "Except along Soochow Creek," and he and Horn both start laughing.
** Apparently connected to the same incident, it's mentioned that Silva and Horn might've gotten medals for whatever they did, except that would've "pissed off half the world." Ensign Cook, at least, isn't sure he '''wants''' to know the story behind that.
* [[No One Gets Left Behind]]: Subverted several times, although the Americans and their allies certainly '''try''' to play it straight. One example in particular of why Captain Reddy is [[The Heart]] of the Alliance is that while under fire by ''Amagi'', he had ''Walker'' '''tow''' the Lemurian Home ''Nerracca'' toward safety—until ''Nerracca's'' captain [[Heroic Sacrifice|cut the tow line so ''Walker'' could escape]]. Seeing a destroyer towing a vessel the size of an aircraft carrier was part of what convinced Commander Okada that the Americans were better people than Captain Kurokawa.
{{quote|His eyes had taken on a cold inner light when he refocused them on the Chief and spoke in a soft, but almost manically precise tone. [[Punctuated! For! Emphasis!|"We Are Not Leaving Anyone Else Behind."]] Gray took a step back. Even given the situation, he was surprised by the captain's intensity.}}
* [[Ocean Punk]]: Pretty much the entire setting. It's a sailor's wet dream. You have vessels from both world wars, 19th-century vessels of the New British Empire, as well as a few for the Alliance, and 17th-century warships used by the Grik - armed with catapults. Two of the weirder examples are Spanish galleons with paddle wheels strapped to the sides of their ships and giant wooden aircraft carriers powered by steam that are also home to Cats.
* [[Politically
** One character is described as an openly "Kard-Karrying Klansman" who would perform little shows in blackface, which greatly amused everybody. Silva notes that while he enjoyed the shows immensely himself, [[Even Evil Has Standards|he disliked how the local Filipino workers would be treated after them]].
** A Dutch pilot, one of the more recent arrivals, expressed distaste that the Walkers treated Lemurians as equals or in some cases superiors. "This seems like on our world, you obey the Javanese or ... Chinese coolies, yes?" He's later seen with a more reasonable attitude ... and a black eye, hinted to have been given by an American NCO.<ref>Which would technically be insubordination or even mutiny, as the Dutchman is an officer ... but his views wouldn't have won him any support in an Alliance court martial.</ref>
* [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits]]: The USS Walker's crew is portrayed as this. Captain Reddy notes at the beginning of ''Into the Storm'' that the entirety of the Asiatic fleet had this reputation.
* [[Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil]]: ''Brutally'' invoked in ''Crusade'' with {{spoiler|Blas-Ma-Ar at Aryaal.}}
* [[Redshirt Army]]: The Grik. They even have a red-painted navy. Same goes with the Dominion, with the red sails.
* [[Reptiles Are Abhorrent]]: The Grik... who are described as fuzzy raptors.
** Though by ''Firestorm'' some other, Griklike races have been found that prove to be valuable allies. They're still somewhat distrusted for their appearance, but they're
** In the first book, before they knew how the Grik '''act''', Captain Reddy warned that they shouldn't judge Grik on their appearance. He said it'd be like distrusting Americans on sight "because we look like Germans."
* [[Rousing Speech]]: Despite his protestations to the contrary, Reddy is actually very good at these, as well as pretty much any other kind of rousing/threatening/comforting speech you could ask for.
* [[Royals Who Actually Do Something]]: The Orphan Queen of B'mbaado. Not only a fierce and capable warrior in her own right, but when she says something like "I will be the last of my people to leave" or "I will not stop until I've brought everyone home", she ''means it''.
{{quote|"My sword has been dry too long, while others fight in my stead. I am a gen-er-aal now, a corps commander, but I remain the queen ''protector'' of my people!"}}
* [[Schizo Tech]]: Hoo boy. You've got [[World War Two|WW2]]-era tech with the destroyers {{spoiler|and a Japanese battle-cruiser}}, eighteenth-century tech with the Grik's ships, and roughly Bronze Age tech with the Lemurians...who the Americans train to fight in a Roman shield wall. Supported by bronze cannons. And this is just the first two books...▼
* [[Rule of Three]]: The Grik have a tendency to send out vessels in multiples of three. If you see only ''four'' Grik ships, it usually means either they recently lost two ... or the missing two are somewhere close but you haven't spotted them ''yet''.
* [[Shout Out]]: Possibly; the governor of one New British island is named Radcliff; he's a somewhat more enlightened fellow than several other high-ranking Imperials. '''And''' his wife, with whom he has a more nearly equal partnership than the typical New British marriage, is named [[Amelia Peabody|Emelia]].▼
▲* [[Schizo
* [[Sociopathic Hero]] Silva - my god, Silva. If no other passage seals it, one paragraph in ''Into the Storm'' defines the entire character of Dennis Silva, and is possibly the most clear cut example ever of the entire trope of a Heroic Sociopath.▼
▲* [[Shout
{{quote| He'd killed a lot in his life, before the War even started. Bar fights and back alleys in China, mostly - although there'd been that pool shark down in Mobile too. Most had it coming, by his definition, though he might have been hasty a time or two. The Japs had it coming, and he guessed he'd killed some of them with his number one gun. But that was a team sport. He'd never killed anybody because he was "good" and they were "bad". They'd just been "badder" than he was. And sometimes Dennis Silva could be a bad man. But now he ''felt'' good because the creatures he killed were indisputably bad. [...] He felt like the big mean dragon in the story that everyone was scared of, who swooped down and ate the evil king. Sometimes it felt good to be "good".}}▼
▲* [[Sociopathic Hero]] Silva
▲{{quote|
** If that's not enough for you, Silva describes himself as having only four moods (happy, hungry, horny, and mad), considers war to be the best fun he's ever had, and by the time of ''Firestorm'' has been described (by Sandra no less) as being valuable to the fleet specifically because when put in a bad situation he will take the utmost pragmatic and effective course with no regard for morals or ethics.
* [[Stranded
* [[War Is Hell]]: So far the total of deaths is approaching ''200,000''.
* [[What Measure Is a Non
* [[Worthy Opponent]]: A villainous counterpart to Dennis Silva appears in one book; when he's defeated and killed, his last thought is an appreciative, ''Oh, bravo!'' for the clever way Silva did it.
* [[Zerg Rush]]: The Grik's "strategy" revolves around this. Taken [[Up to Eleven]] with "The Grand Swarm", which is essentially a [[Zerg Rush]] using ''warships.''
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Alternate History Literature]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Literature of the 2000s]]
[[Category:Literature]]
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