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Homer Hickam: Author of Rocket Boys, The Coalwood Way, Sky of Stone, Torpedo Junction, Back to the Moon, We Are Not Afraid, The Keeper's Son, The Ambassador's Son

The Ambassader's Son by Homer Hickam

· Description:

It's 1943 and the Americans and Japanese are fighting a deadly war in the hot, jungle-covered volcanic islands of the South Pacific. The outcome is in doubt and a terrible blow has fallen on American morale. Lieutenant David Armistead, a Marine Corps hero and cousin of the President of the United States, is missing and some say he's gone over to the enemy. Coast Guard Captain Josh Thurlow and his ragtag crew are given the assignment to find Armistead, though not necessarily to bring him back alive. Recruited in the hunt is a tormented and frail PT-boat skipper nicknamed "Shafty" who is also known by another name: John F. Kennedy. When Josh is stranded in the jungles of New Georgia with a mysterious, sensual woman who has a tendency to chop off men's heads, it's up to Kennedy to come to the rescue and complete the mission. But to procure a gunboat, he first has to play high-stakes poker with a young naval supply officer called Nick who happens to be the best gambler in the South Pacific. Nick has another name, too: Richard M. Nixon. Based solidly on historical fact with echoes of James Michener, The Ambassador's Son is a thrilling tale of the South Pacific and adventure fiction at its finest.

· Review Quotes/Appeal Factors:

"I began Homer Hickam's The Ambassador's Son as a skeptic -- and ended it cheering! The tale is pure fantasy -- yet based on a real place, in a real war, involving real people: the Solomon Islands in 1943. Fear, courage, cynicism, lust and adrenalin propel this imaginary two-week episode in the young JFK's life...the story is so gripping, you will have to know what happens." --Nigel Hamilton, author of JFK: Reckless Youth

"THE AMBASSADOR'S SON is the reason I love to read. It takes you to a place where propellers and tides and bullets decide men's fates and you feel like you're sweating along with the heroes and villains. Homer Hickam is such a good writer that I'd probably read anything that he put out, but this adventure made me feel like a kid again."
--Rick Bragg, bestselling author of All Over But the Shoutin'

"With this tale of the South Pacific, Homer Hickam establishes himself as an heir to such greats as James Jones and Herman Wouk. THE AMBASSADOR'S SON is WWII storytelling at its best with plenty of action, exotic surprises and compelling romance." --James Bradley, bestselling author of Flags of Our Fathers and Flyboys

"Great war novels are often great adventure novels, too, and Homer Hickam's THE AMBASSADOR'S SON qualifies on both counts. This fast-moving tale of action, intrigue, and romance in the Solomon Islands during World War II is filled with fascinating characters and vivid backgrounds. Hickam is one of the best yarn-spinners in the business, but more than that, he is an author whose work creates a genuine emotional resonance in the reader."
--James Reasoner, author of The Last Good War

"A beguiling South Seas romance, an epic story of love and loyalty, a richly evoked roman-a-clef about a larger-than-life American legend ­ THE AMBASSADOR'S SON is all of this and more. Homer Hickam puts bright, livingcolor to our halftone memories of Jack Kennedy at war." --James D. Hornfischer, author of The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors

· What is it about this book that would appeal to a reader?

Fans of adventure, steamy romance, tropical islands, and, oddly enough, John F. Kennedy, are in for a treat when they read The Ambassador's Son. The year is 1943, the setting the Solomon Islands of the South Pacific, and World War II is raging between the Americans and the Japanese with the local population of British colonialists and tribespeople caught between the opposing forces. Lieutenant David Armistead, a Marine Corps hero and cousin of the President of the United States, has gone missing. Some say he's deserted in the face of the enemy and headed north into Japanese-held islands. All that's known for certain is that he took with him the beautiful wife of the leader of a local militia.

Captain Josh Thurlow, the rough-edged Coast Guard officer first introduced in my 2002 best-seller The Keeper's Son, is given the assignment to find Armistead, though not necessarily to bring him back alive. Thurlow knows his quarry, even fought alongside him during the battle for Guadalcanal, and goes into his mission with mixed emotions but determined to see it through. Recruited to assist in the search is an insecure, sickly PT-boat skipper nicknamed Shafty, recently returned to duty after losing his boat, and facing a court-martial for that loss. Shafty, it turns out, is more than he seems. He is a Harvard graduate, a best-selling author, and his father is the former ambassador to Great Britain. He also has another name: Jack Kennedy.

· What other books are like it?

The Keeper's Son, also by Homer Hickam. Some books by Bernard Cornwell would compare favorably as well as Herman Wouk.

· What does this work have in common with other works in the same genre?

To write historical fiction requires a great deal of research. Believe me, I did it in depth!

· How is this work different from other works in the same genre?

It is written in what I am pleased to say is my unique page-turning style. Its setting is also unique, the Solomon Islands, a battered, mysterious outpost of the British Empire.

· What would you like readers to know about you/your work?

I have run into some unexpected resistance, even anger, over this novel, because one of the main characters in the book is young John Fitzgerald Kennedy, future President of the United States. Although I listen to their objections and respect the readers who felt so strongly, I'm not swayed. Most readers are actually intrigued by the idea of Jack Kennedy in a novel. Also, I have thoroughly researched young Kennedy and in the process, discovered some interesting facets of his personality that's never been appreciated before. In fact, it's my belief that my character in the novel is much closer to the real John F. Kennedy than most of the non-fiction books written about him. Fiction allowed me to present his actual personality better than non-fiction could possibly do. Kennedy was witty, sardonic, cheerful, and adventurous, but he was also nearly crippled by pain, both physical and psychological. What better way to explore those competing facets of his personality than through fiction? Kennedy, by the way, isn't the only historical character in this novel. There's two others, the best poker player in the South Pacific, a young navy lieutenant named Richard Nixon as well as a fellow writer, one "Jimmy" Michener. All of them in the course of the novel will gather for a high-stakes poker game.

· What¹s next, what can readers look forward to in the future?

The Ambassador's Son, although it stands alone, is actually the second in a series of what I call the "Josh Thurlow" novels. There will be a third and, if my publisher has its way, a fourth.

· Suggested reading (viewing, listening) - what have you liked, disliked recently?

I love reading, pure and simple. Right now, I'm re-reading several of the Patrick O'Brian novels. I don't like authors who don't have a clue how to get their readers to turn the page.

· Links ­ author or publisher website, etc.

http://www.homerhickam.com

· Anything you¹d like to ask readers? Please include email address so readers may contact you directly.

I am very open to my readers. They can check out my web site first and then should feel free to write. My e-mail is hhickam@hiwaay.net. I answer all my e-mail.

· Any additional information you'd like to provide to readers?

Try one of my books. I guarantee you'll enjoy it and will want to read another one. What more could you ask for?

 

Bibliographic citation:

· Author: Homer Hickam
· Title: The Ambassador's Son
· Publisher: St. Martin's
· Publication Date: March, 2005
· ISBN: 0312301928
· $ 24.95
· # pages: 352
· Genre: (if applicable) historical fiction, literary

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